Rickson Gracie teaches Tai Chi

[bruce]

I dunno, watching the first clip I kept shouting "move your shoulders, move your feet!" lol

Care to expand Rob?

That's all good stuff but I don't see how it negates the original clip [/quote]

Because as a general principle we teach use of footwork as a primary defence,whereas in the OP he seems to advise not moving the feet and putting weight forward into the attack[/quote]

I think ricksons description is simply a place to make contact from and affect his center to grapple, strike or retreat.
I think it's just a split second transition to a finish move.
It seems you are looking at the micro and missing the macro.

[windwalker]

towards the end of the clip he talks about the "energy"
where he grabs the others upper body "shoulders" he mentions about using the "hips"
and turning the "energy" basically circling it back up

isnt this IMA 101?
6 harmonies anyone?

[bruce]

To me yi is a lot more than that

Yes it is, that's why I said "basics", twice, and in italics.
I think what's happening is the man is trying to figure out some of these things that are stemming from his experience... I think this is exactly how IMA was born. This is very cool to see (for me anyway), what he's doing. He just needs to get together with a high-level taiji guy and talk shop/train for a bit...

I would love to be a fly on the wall for rickson interacting with great tai chi chuan people.

[Dmitri]

I know! I think there would be some nice surprises on both sides...

[Ian]

towards the end of the clip he talks about the "energy"
where he grabs the others upper body "shoulders" he mentions about using the "hips"
and turning the "energy" basically circling it back up

isnt this IMA 101?
6 harmonies anyone?

Well, Rickson talks about:

-moving the hips, with no mention of dantian
-correct angles and leverage
-positioning
-forward lean

According to internal guys here, these have "nothing to do with internal".

[wayne hansen]

Everything that uses our body is internal
That doesn't mean it follows the rules of internal martial arts

[XiaoXiong]

towards the end of the clip he talks about the "energy"
where he grabs the others upper body "shoulders" he mentions about using the "hips"
and turning the "energy" basically circling it back up

isnt this IMA 101?
6 harmonies anyone?

Well, Rickson talks about:

-moving the hips, with no mention of dantian
-correct angles and leverage
-positioning
-forward lean

According to internal guys here, these have "nothing to do with internal".

I don't think you have understood. Angle sand leverage are always important. Internal is about those things but not in the way people commonly think. What Rickson does is internal. It's essentially the same kind of thing that we do with our mind, he's just doing it his way, and we do ours. Jiu jitsu helped me understand taiji quite a bit fwiw, but it was a big leap to go from where I was with Yi Zong and GJJ to where I am now with taiji and ip. It doesn't mean that what he does isn't internal. He separates yin and yang, and connects the energy. It's funny that WW and I are the ones saying it's internal and you guys who are always skeptical are arguing against that pov. Contrariness isn't becoming to any of us, and failure to recognize the truth in action even less so.
Jess

[windwalker]

it’s to demonstrate the interaction between connected and disconnected. The first time I grab my blue belted partner, he’s easy to move. He reflects a bit on what Rickson said, and his balance becomes better and I have to push or pull harder to get him to step. He pushes me and I feel the sense of balance that Rickson described. I don’t feel it perfectly, but I have a better sense of control over my base, even as my opponent begins to pull and push with more intensity. There isn’t a good way to describe this technically—at no time does Rickson provide you with a set of instructions to follow—because Rickson is trying to convey a feeling rather than a sequence. When we are connected, we shift our weight in a way that doesn’t give our attacker anything to use against us. Rickson spends more time on this exercise than on any other, and with good reason, for it shows how being connected allows your base to remain independent of your opponent’s actions, while his lack of connection allows you to manipulate his weight and posture.

http://jiujitsumania.com/technique/acce ... e-visible/

he cant mention "dantian" because its not a part of his culture, he even tries to use other words other then "energy" to describe a process he uses, he apparently feels is quite different.
I don't or haven't really followed much of the BJJ history, from my take its his families art. What he describes and seems to find lack of words to do so, has already been described by many
IMA arts already, his disdain for what he feels is "mystical" does not allow him to use the same verbiage.

Just felt that most should see the obvious connections that "he" is making to something that we all practice.

Rickson spends more time on this exercise than on any other, and with good reason, for it shows how being connected allows your base to remain independent of your opponent’s actions, while his lack of connection allows you to manipulate his weight and posture

sounds a lot like push hands, understanding, exploring empty and full

he seems like a great teacher
much respect for him, and his families art.


.

[I-mon]

Tai chi opening move?

http://youtu.be/DbtIPkyGm4g

[GrahamB]

towards the end of the clip he talks about the "energy"
where he grabs the others upper body "shoulders" he mentions about using the "hips"
and turning the "energy" basically circling it back up

isnt this IMA 101?
6 harmonies anyone?

Well, Rickson talks about:

-moving the hips, with no mention of dantian
-correct angles and leverage
-positioning
-forward lean

According to internal guys here, these have "nothing to do with internal".

Yes!

By "internal guys here" I assume you're talking about the Harden-ites...?

I'm pretty sure Rickson can't make a solid ball appear in his abdomin and move it around his body too...see the dantien thread..... (Although he can do some kick ass yoga breathing) .....But he's 'invisible', not 'internal', according to definitions given here by Harden-ites like Interloper and Vmark, surely?

If I had to choose between the two approaches to fighting I think I'd rather be "invisible" than "internal".

[Ian]

he cant mention "dantian" because its not a part of his culture, he even tries to use other words other then "energy" to describe a process he uses, he apparently feels is quite different.

Windwalker, let's do some accounting.



1. When rsf guys talk about using the hips, angles, leverage, leaning, positioning... internal guys chime in, "that has nothing to do with internal". 

When Rickson uses the exact same words, you say "that's internal". Why, because you like what you see? So now it has to be appropriated under the "internal" umbrella? 

2, When rsf guys say they've felt high level bjj guys doing the same things that internal guys talk about... internal guys say "it takes a long time to develop your dantian and use it to drive movement, to burn internal skills into your myofascial meridians" etc.

When Budo Jake asks Rickson, directly, "...It sounds a lot like internal martial arts, like aikido, like taichi... where do these ideas of energy and connection come from?" and Rickson answers, "it's just my self development..." internal guys say  "of course he's doing internal, he just lacks the language to explain it."

That's a whole lot of moving the goalpoast, man

---------------------

Aren't you and Interloper both influenced by Dan Harden's work?

How come you can't agree on whether it's internal or not? 

You can't both be right

[Taste of Death]

Well, Rickson talks about:

-moving the hips, with no mention of dantian
-correct angles and leverage
-positioning
-forward lean

According to internal guys here, these have "nothing to do with internal".

You are correct. They have nothing to do with internal.

Forward lean? Why give away your center?

[cdobe]

If I had to choose between the two approaches to fighting I think I'd rather be "invisible" than "internal".

Well, you're invisible to most of us here...

[Sean]

forward lean does not necessarily mean giving away your center.

[RobP2]

If I had to choose between the two approaches to fighting I think I'd rather be "invisible" than "internal".

Well, you're invisible to most of us here...

Lol, actually Graham, with his posts and video clips, is one of the more visible people here. It's the "internal" guys that we never see