A word about speed

[johnwang]

We stand facing each other within arm's reach. I will indicate where I will strike. Then, without any cue, I will punch. I am curious to see how you block or evade a fast punch without having trained to do so. This will also test your reaction time and awareness (as I will not be giving cues as to when I will punch nor telegraphing my punch).

This is actually a drill we do in both Xingyi and Tongbei (although I think it may have come from Tongbei).

That was exactly how praying mantis master Brendan Lai tried to test my speed when he visited Austin while Adam Hsu was right there (Both Brendan and Adam were invited to give praying mantis workshops to my UT Austin students). Brendan thought I trained long fist and SC. He didn't know I also trained Zimen.

IMO, sometime speed can solve problems that power can't. The advantage to have speed can be:

- If you can touch your hands on your opponent's face 3, 4 times before he even raises his arm to block your strikes, you may discourage him from continue that fight.
- You can use speed to set up clinch for your throw.
- speed is important in blocking/dodging.
- In knife fight, speed is more important than power.
- ...

It makes no sense to train "power" without training "speed".

[Taste of Death]

If one has great power one does not need as much speed. If one has great speed one does not need as much power. Lightweights are much faster than heavyweights but the heavyweights' power wins every time.



If this was not an exhibition who would win?

[Doc Stier]

IMO, sometimes speed can solve problems that power can't.

It makes no sense to train "power" without training "speed".

I totally agree, especially since the proper use of speed effectively contributes to power generation in the shen-fa of some styles from the start. As such, it has been my personal experience that the power generated through superior speed of unifed body mechanics, combined with precision in the application of both defensive and offensive techniques, effectively defeats the superior power of sheer brute strength any day.

[kenneth fish]

John Wang wrote:
" In knife fight, speed is more important than power."

Absolutely.

[Strange]

the correct distance should be a leg kicking length

[kenneth fish]

Arm's length if you are testing hand and body speed.

[Ian]

If one has great power one does not need as much speed. If one has great speed one does not need as much power. Lightweights are much faster than heavyweights but the heavyweights' power wins every time.



If this was not an exhibition who would win?

The two statements, "if one has great power, one does not need as much speed; if one has great speed one does not need as much power" and "lightweights are much faster than heavyweights but the heavyweights' power wins every time", are logically incompatible.

Anyway, clearly Emelianenko would win, because he's in a heavier weight class.

Emelianenko and Aoki are pretty evenly matched in terms of speed, pound for pound power, as well as technical skill, athleticism, determination.

[Overlord]

[Overlord]

[Strange]

... then again, host must accommodate guest, Overlord.
this is chinese etiquette

[dspyrido]

Back to the subject of the OP.

I am a reasonably fast puncher (one of my students, Forrest Chang, once described sparring with me as "like walking into a blender"). I will likely be in Singapore next year. Strange, I believe that is where you hail from? If so, would you be willing to show me how you use slow training to deal with a fast punch?

Where can I buy a ticket? I'd even consider a trip up to Singapore for a bit of RR (not joking - it is always worth meeting up with people who have spent decades on this stuff to reappropriate their hard earned lessons).

Seriously I think it would be great to get everyone on this board physically together. It would save a lot of time and also explain a lot.

[C.J.W.]

I've witnessed a challenge match and a lei-tai fight involving two IMAists (with 10 to 20 years of experience) who were experts in slow push-hands and could toss their students around like rag dolls. The first guy took so many jabs from the challenger, an 18-year-old boxer, that he called it quits after a few minutes due to a bloodied nose while protesting that face-punching is illegal in his system; the second hapless guy was pitted against a foreign Muy-Thai boxer, and got knocked out with a right hook within 30 seconds of the first round -- and it was the very first strike the Muy-Thai guy threw.

[johnwang]

the second hapless guy was pitted against a foreign Muy-Thai boxer, and got knocked out with a right hook within 30 seconds of the first round -- and it was the very first strike the Muy-Thai guy threw.

If you are not fast enough to block your opponent's face punch, no matter how good you are, your CMA training will be useless. Can you train slow only and be able to block a fast punch? I truly don't think so.

Speed doesn't only mean how fast that you can punch. It also means how fast that you can block.

[Doc Stier]

If you are not fast enough to block your opponent's face punch, no matter how good you are, your CMA training will be useless. Can you train slow only and be able to block a fast punch? I truly don't think so.

Speed doesn't only mean how fast that you can punch. It also means how fast that you can block.

While I generally agree, I have seen guys who had more than enough speed to effectively deflect a punch or dodge a kick, but unfortunately didn't have very good timing and ended up eating alot of punches and kicks. It definitely wasn't pretty!

[Strange]

Back to the subject of the OP.

I am a reasonably fast puncher (one of my students, Forrest Chang, once described sparring with me as "like walking into a blender"). I will likely be in Singapore next year. Strange, I believe that is where you hail from? If so, would you be willing to show me how you use slow training to deal with a fast punch?

Where can I buy a ticket? I'd even consider a trip up to Singapore for a bit of RR (not joking - it is always worth meeting up with people who have spent decades on this stuff to reappropriate their hard earned lessons).

Seriously I think it would be great to get everyone on this board physically together. It would save a lot of time and also explain a lot.

i find your post insulting
let me get back to you
they say good things come to those who wait