bagua students after 2 months

[meeks]

this is not in response to any thread.
The timing was just that I figured out this video software and managed to get it to 'brighten' these videos I did back in August.

this is just a basic vid of a couple of the new guys that started in June.

http://www.chengshibaguazhang.com/gallery/remote-video.php?video=students-sample

these techniques are basics derived from 'tuo tian zhang' (lifting heaven palm) from the xiao ba zhang (small 8 palms). The reason everyone seems to be doing the same technique is I just brought the camera to the one class and that was one of the moves we were doing that night.

here's 1 of me demoing the move:
http://www.chengshibaguazhang.com/gallery/remote-video.php?video=dave
(I hate being on camera...)

[nianfong]

what's with the gi's?

[meeks]

do I have to go through this again? it's easier to check out the racks on the chicks if they have fold open tops, bro.

Gi's serve a multi-purpose here:

durable when you practice throws all class
protect the wearer better than a tshirt while falling
when the group dons a uniform the attitude focuses more on training and less on socializing. I don't like men's clubs in my gym. Just lots of hard work.
silk jammie jams are for people that have never had to use their shit other than on noobs

[cerebus]

Cool. But why the gi's? *runs away*

[GrahamB]

Cool. But why the gi's? *runs away*

Is that Aikido?

*runs after cerebus*

[I am...]

I have to agree with that. I don't train in a Gi most of the time, but as soon as you start really working throws and clinch work, if you are wearing any type of shirt or silk pj (i would imagine at least, I don't wear them), it is going to suffer from durability issues.

Pretty cool stuff Meeks, looks like you run a pretty hands on program if that is after 2 months.

[Andy_S]

They lads look good for beginners. If I were to teach again, though, I think I would ditch wristlocks for beginners or even intermediates. They are difficult to pull off and best suited only to low threat situations. Head controls, OTOH, are much higher probability, and are appropriate in low-intensity encounters (take him down) or high-intensity (shear his spine).

I agree that gis are sound kit to wear when doing any grappling, but how do they protect you better than a t-shirt?

[cdobe]

Do we have to call you Shifu Dave now ?

*stands his ground*

[GrahamB]

I, er, ahem, believe the correct term is "Sensei". NOW BOW TO YOUR SENSEI!

*peeps over Cdobe's shoulder*

[fuga]

[mrtoes]

Looks like good training Meeks!

Andy, I'm with you on the wrist locks. I respect chin-na type locks and one of my teachers was scary good at getting me with them but in a high intensity encounter I wouldn't even bother trying unless it was "just there"

Matthew.

[Chris McKinley]

Meeks,

Good on you for not losing the damn plot! I felt proud for your noobs watching them work after only a couple months training. I'm with Andy on the wrist lock stuff, but that's minor and I'm not even strongly against it anyway. Sometimes it's good to show something that isn't high-speed/low-drag if it makes a great illustration of principle.

I really can't say how happy I am to see this kind of thing. You have my support...I hope someday I can find a way to show it. Keep doing what you do and here's hoping others will be enticed to follow your example.

[neijia_boxer]

I think you did a good job at showing some nice throws and neck control applications from Cheng Bagua.

[meeks]

thanks guys. actually they do the same moves from a punch as well. in some cases the same move from a 2 hand grab, or a shirt grab, etc...

as for starting with a wrist lock, I look at it this way:
when I was teaching software we started guys using a language called Visual Basic. It wasn't the best, most powerful programming language, but it read very much like english. Then we'd give them algorithms to learn and functions to write that were a bit complex. The nice thing about it was they weren't stuck trying to read a more complex language AND learn a difficult algorithm. Later, they'd do the same algorithm in C or Java which is a bit more difficult to read, a lot harder to trace through, but the algorithm made sense because they already understood what the purpose of the algorithm was.
that being said, I start them off with the most basic attack - non-moving. let them figure it out without having to gauge speed of a trajectory. after a few weeks we do the same techniques from a punch. then the rest of that level is either learning more applications for that level or practising the hell out of the ones they've learned from either a grab, punch, etc...

[Haoran]

VB ROCKS
Gis SUCK
Nice Techniques

Where's The BAGUA??



<quickly ducks and runs out of the room>