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Re: Hung Gar Bridge Hand

PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2017 5:35 am
by Pavel Macek
Form is... a form. Not enough. It is absolutely necessary to take the skills out of the form and apply them in realistic drills with non-cooperative opponent.

Hung Ga has 3 main types of footwork:

- Ji Ng Bou Faat - Meridian Footwork
- Chat Sing Bou Faat - Seven Stars Footwork
- Baat Gwa Bou Faat - Eight Trigram Footwork

Re: Hung Gar Bridge Hand

PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2017 6:14 am
by phil b
I'm not saying form is enough, but the way I was taught Hung Gar emphasised very accurate stance and footwork in the forms. The devil is in the detail, and the detail I learned, as just an average student, made the footwork come alive when needed. Though I no longer train Hung Gar those lessons have paid dividends ever since.
As a caveat I will say that much of the Hung Gar I have seen online and elsewhere seems to lack that level of detail.

Re: Hung Gar Bridge Hand

PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2017 7:49 am
by Pavel Macek
According my experience, training forms and hoping that the footwork (or anything) will come alive when needed doesn't work in approximately 10 cases out of 10. Approximately. Although forms are very useful, it is a must to go beyond forms, and practice so called Saan Sau Bin Fa (Applications and their Variations), leading to Saan Da, Free Fighting. Sparring with fighters from various combat arts, such as boxing, Muay Thai, or in the best case MMA, helps a lot. My 2 RMB.

Re: Hung Gar Bridge Hand

PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2017 4:28 pm
by phil b
Pavel Macek wrote:According my experience, training forms and hoping that the footwork (or anything) will come alive when needed doesn't work in approximately 10 cases out of 10. Approximately. Although forms are very useful, it is a must to go beyond forms, and practice so called Saan Sau Bin Fa (Applications and their Variations), leading to Saan Da, Free Fighting. Sparring with fighters from various combat arts, such as boxing, Muay Thai, or in the best case MMA, helps a lot. My 2 RMB.


Pavel, I didn't say that form alone was necessary. I said the foundations are developed through correct instruction of the basics, one method of which is forms. As I pointed out, my experience is that I have rarely seen that detail in the Hung Gar I see out there. Most want to be low wide and fast in their shiny uniforms. Looks impressive to the untrained eye but lacks depth.

As for sparring with other schools, it has its place. Much depends on your purpose. Certainly if you plan to compete it should play a role.