Defense: Continuing, not Stopping, the Opponent's Momentum
Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2011 6:11 am
I really like this clip of Systema instructor, Alex Kostic.
See from 9:41 onward.
"We are tuning our arms to our bodies"
"I am joining my body and continuing the movement"
"Body is waving; and we have arms; and we have rotations"
This is gold and is basically Taiji by any other definition.
There are two basic responses to a strike.
(1) Stop the strike early with a block, stop hit or push; and
(2) Parry the movement while moving your own body letting it continue on its trajectory - ie letting his momentum increase, not decrease.
The latter is IMHO, the best option, as it puts you in position to counterattack....and indeed, Kostic's first movement is, basically, the Taiji double-handed defense.
If the Russian guys have come to this defense intuitively - and/or through practice (or, indeed, from pinching other peeps' stuff) then good for them.
The Chinese have this in their tactical philosophies, basic moves and forms (in Taiji, we add a forward step to Kostic's first defense) but IME, most CMArtists don't have the drills to teach it which are, arguably, the most important thing.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=gMqQpPtdQkk&NR=1[/youtube]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=en ... tdQkk&NR=1
See from 9:41 onward.
"We are tuning our arms to our bodies"
"I am joining my body and continuing the movement"
"Body is waving; and we have arms; and we have rotations"
This is gold and is basically Taiji by any other definition.
There are two basic responses to a strike.
(1) Stop the strike early with a block, stop hit or push; and
(2) Parry the movement while moving your own body letting it continue on its trajectory - ie letting his momentum increase, not decrease.
The latter is IMHO, the best option, as it puts you in position to counterattack....and indeed, Kostic's first movement is, basically, the Taiji double-handed defense.
If the Russian guys have come to this defense intuitively - and/or through practice (or, indeed, from pinching other peeps' stuff) then good for them.
The Chinese have this in their tactical philosophies, basic moves and forms (in Taiji, we add a forward step to Kostic's first defense) but IME, most CMArtists don't have the drills to teach it which are, arguably, the most important thing.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=gMqQpPtdQkk&NR=1[/youtube]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=en ... tdQkk&NR=1