MaartenSFS wrote:but they are too short!
seven wrote:I have been practicing taijiquan for about ten years now. My experience of two-person work has been lots of push hands and some striking drills. I recently got the opportunity to do some sparring with gloves with a karate teacher who is really interested in taiji. It's a great opportunity for me to dip my toe into sparring, but I am interested in suggestions from experienced IMA people about how to approach sparring with a karate practitioner. Things to try, things to not do, ways to make the sparring have a connection to what I practice. Thank you.
Bhassler wrote:What's your goal? Sport fighting? Self defense? Becoming a bouncer? Joining a biker gang? Making money as an internet guru?
maxbjj on Aug 2, 2018 wrote:Fred Mastro is a self defense master and the creator of “Mastro Defense system”. We can see him in all flashy videos easily fighting and subduing multiple opponents, bigger opponents, tough opponents with very interesting and flashy moves. The only thing we can’t see are resisting opponents.
Most of the self defense systems and trainings lack real sparring and that’s why people who trains real fighting martial arts will say that everything that Mastro shows is unrealistic and can’t be done in any real fighting situation.
In the video you can see Fred Mastro in a real MMA fight and in some demonstrations. In the MMA fight he looks like a rank amateur in a brawl in the demonstration he looks like a martial art expert... read more at https://maxbjj.blogspot.com/2018/08/difesa-personale-vs-mma-self-defense-vs.html:
Bhassler wrote:"Sparring" is pretty generic, and doesn't carry a lot of meaning by itself. Mostly folks just get good at slap boxing, unless they have a more specific focus.
MaartenSFS wrote:I believe that footwork is very important, but it's also higher-level stuff. I'd come back to it after getting smacked around for a while.
Tim Cartmell wrote:The primary combat strategy of Tai Ji Quan can be summed up in the phrase "Entice (the opponent) to advance, (cause the opponent to) fall into emptiness, unite (with the opponent) then throw (the opponent) out" [Yin jin, luo kong, he ji chu]. Enticing the opponent to advance (advance refers to the opponent's aggressive forward momentum) can be as simple as standing in front, presenting an open target or launching a preemptive attack designed to draw a reaction. Enticing the opponent into aggressive forward momentum has several advantages. Firstly, just like the arrow released from the bow, a committed attack cannot change direction until its momentum is spent. Such an attack affords the Tai Ji Quan fighter time and opportunity to gain the superior position for effective counter attack. Secondly, a powerful, committed attack almost invariably requires whole body motion. Once the opponent's whole body is in motion (and his center of balance is in flux) it becomes possible to unbalance him with a relatively small force (correctly applied). For example, it requires a relatively large force to foot-sweep an upright and stationary opponent to the ground. However once the opponent moves his center of mass forward as he takes a step, a sweep to the stepping foot just before it touches the ground will send the opponent crashing to the ground with a very slight effort. This type of technique is referred to as "Moving a thousand pounds with a force of four ounces." Finally, enticing an opponent into aggressive forward motion locks his mentality into the attack mode. With committed focus on attacking, the opponent will be slow in changing to the defensive mind set as the Tai Ji Quan fighter counterattacks. The opponent's reaction time is delayed, further increasing the counterattacks odds of success; this allows the Tai Ji Quan fighter to "leave after yet arrive first."
"Falling into emptiness"is analogous to the principle of never using force against force. The Tai Ji Quan Classics state "Some have practiced tens of years but are still defeated by others: this is because they have not recognized their illness of double
What is the method that makes it possible to entice the opponent to enter, cause him to fall into emptiness, unite with him and then throw him out? For that matter, what separates Tai Ji Quan (or the internal/soft style) techniques from all other types of techniques? The answer lies in one underlying skill; namely, the ability to "stick adhere, continue and follow" [Zhan, nien, lian, sui]. Stick and Adhere refer to connecting with the opponent in a soft and nonconfrontational manner and maintaining this connection as you both move (blocking an opponent's incoming force inevitably results in the opponent being knocked away. This makes it impossible to join with the opponent and one is doomed to remaining double weighted). Continue and Follow refer to "giving up oneself and following the other" by continuously following the opponent's movement and changes in order to maintain your connection. In this Situation, you may constantly monitor the opponent's actions and intent while seeking the time and opportunity to join with and lead his center, thereby bringing him under your control.
One may ask, "what exactly are we sticking to and following?" Do we stick to the opponent's arms? His torso? The answer is we stick to the opponent's center of gravity (his pelvic region). In Tai Ji Quan technique this is rarely achieved by direct contact (a useful example to help understand the concept of sticking to and controlling an opponent's center is the wrestler, who routinely sticks to his opponent's center directly, as when applying the popular bear hug). Most often, the Tai Ji Quan fighter will seek to stick to and control the opponent's center through contact with his arms and/or upper torso, using these regions as handles to the opponent's center. In order to maintain control of the opponent’s center, the point of contact with the opponent will often change in the course of an exchange. The ability to stick, follow and control an opponent's center in the midst of motion is cultivated in the various push hands drills found in all styles of Tai Ji Quan. . . .
MaartenSFS wrote:How about 之字步? I use it all the time.
MaartenSFS wrote:I totally disagree that one must learn basic footwork before sparring.
Mike Staples: Coming from a karate background, my first impression was “how could this possibly work?” It looks open, ineffective, and easily blocked. It wasn’t until I saw it in action, and later saw that it was the unusual footwork patterns of this “circular” style, that it made sense.
The footwork began with simply learning to shift from side to side, then progressed through a series of patterns, mapped out by paintings on the floor. Part of the objective was to move through these patterns without breaking one’s “horse” position.
windwalker wrote:Foot work determines how a style works and used, depending on style it can be quite distinctive.
johnwang wrote:windwalker wrote:Foot work determines how a style works and used, depending on style it can be quite distinctive.
You may give too much credit to footwork. Footwork is just how you may move your legs. A soccer player may have better footwork than most of the MA guys have.
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