Is "internal" real that important?

[windwalker]

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[MaartenSFS]

Some of the White Ape techniques look similar, but I don't see any power at all. In Tongbiquan the power should be as if your fist is a rock and your arm is a rope. It should be like getting hit by a Liuxingchui. That power is very scary. It cannot be blocked, only avoided..

[johnwang]

Some of the White Ape techniques look similar, but I don't see any power at all. In Tongbiquan the power should be as if your fist is a rock and your arm is a rope. It should be like getting hit by a Liuxingchui. That power is very scary. It cannot be blocked, only avoided..

If your fist is a rock and your arm is a rope, when your arm hit on your opponent's head, your arm may not be able to hurt your opponent enough. The 3 stars that I train, I hit on the heavy bag with my forearm and not my fist. Also when my opponent uses straight punch, I can use circular punch and use my arm to knock down my opponent's arm. IMO, to train on both hand and arm should be better than just to train the palm.

The Gong Li Chuan from the Gong Li system trains the whole arm - 3 rings catch the moon at 0.48 - 1.02.

[Bao]

Some people like the term art and has the goal of making their MA an art and practice it as art. I wonder where the word “Art” fits in your description?

The word "art" has no meaning to me. Even today, when people talk about "self-cultivation", I still have no idea what they are talking about.

I suspected that reply...

Without the “Art”, martial arts have no meaning for me. Without art, it all becomes nothing more than mechanical training and utterly boring.

[johnwang]

Without the “Art”, martial arts have no meaning for me. Without art, it all becomes nothing more than mechanical training and utterly boring.

Which part of the art that may interest you?

I'm not very good in those abstract terms. The term "art" is also too abstract for me. Please define your term "art". By given some examples will be great.

[MaartenSFS]

Perhaps it would be better to think of it as a 九节鞭. If you get hit by the end it is the worst, but getting hit by the last third or so of the chain is bad too. When I strike in that way I don't make much of a distinction between the forearm or the hand. If they try to block it my strike will either break through their defence, make them hit themselves with their blocking arm or my loose arm and hand will wrap around the blocking arm and still hit them, or a combination of the three. This is a very unique and powerful skill to have and, like 震劲, is very much worth developing..

I'm not impressed with that Gongliquan training. They are just moving their arms, not using their core to power the strikes. The difference is huge..

[johnwang]

They are just moving their arms, not using their core to power the strikes. The difference is huge..

That was why GM Han addressed Taiji waist. To use waist to pull the body, and use body to pull the arm is the best power generation method.

[Overlord]

John
Let us get back to what is internal...
In my opinion internal martial arts use more palm/ finger for attack or defense...
The hand can be sword, sabre, hammer, spear, whip etc, it’s very versatile and elusive.

Is it important? To me it is essential part in CMA...
in fact this set CMA apart from other MA (except Myanmar boxing).

[D_Glenn]

I would say the opposite is true. Internal arts use more forearms. Palms and fists are secondary.

I remember decades ago my first bagua class with Marcus Brinkman where my forearms were getting killed by him and all his students. That really encouraged me to do more Circle Turning so that I could actually practice with them. Internal arts build up strength in the bones of the forearms from the inside out.

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[D_Glenn]

I see nothing wrong with the performance of this. It looks good and powerful.

The problem lies in the form and style itself. Obviously it doesn’t dictate the waist moving the hands.

But the more serious problem is that it doesn’t really work the sternum as a joint. Which without movement the cartilage in the sternum and attached rib bones begin to calcify and turn to bone.

My teacher said that if they had a student who had only practiced martial arts like this one. That if they were still young enough and it wasn’t yet completely turned to bone, that they would actually painfully break the students sternum back into its sections and its attachments to the ribs. Then just use a bunch of poultices and herbs. They would get some of the mobility and shenfa back but not quite as much as if it was never even allowed to calcify in the first place.

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[windwalker]

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[origami_itto]

Breaking the xiphoid process once calcified can be fatal. Black tiger steals the heart.

[windwalker]

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[D_Glenn]

Fixed it. Thanks.

I guess my TBI jumbled around the terms ‘solar plexus’ and ‘sternum’. I’ve got to go see where else I wrote that

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[marvin8]

1. Right. But, how do you set up "spring, hook, lift your opponent's left leg?" If you fail at that, will you continue to do the same techniques over and over (again, predictable)?

2. The problem is he may not let you "lift his left leg off the ground."

1. If I can get a head lock, under hook, over hook, belt hold, bottom of SC jacket hold, or waist wrap, my leg can reach to my opponent's leg.

2. If my opponent resists, I will borrow his resistance force, go backward, and change my leg spring into knee seize.

Right. But, how do you set up "head lock, under hook, over hook, belt hold, bottom of SC jacket hold, or waist wrap." You may get punched, kicked, etc. before getting your technique.

You may not be factoring into your drills a JKD and tai chi fighting and sensitivity drill strategy: understand and use the opponent's energy (e.g., balance), be formless and not stuck forcing certain techniques or combinations.

Some possible problems with your "double spears 3" drill (and your other drills) which a few are also touched on in the following video:

1. Feeders don't retract their punches: leaving both arms out.
2. Feeders' punching rhythm is not normal.
3. Feeders' reactions: stand frozen after punch.
4. As you said, "opponents can throw 5 punches a second."
5. Drill the wrong timing, distance, etc.
6. (Regarding other drills, opponents may not use karate blocks to defend punches.)

At :29, "We've got one major problem that we have to look at. How do you get here? ... Who's going to punch you like that? It's going to be a lot different when we're out and he's really trying to punch at my face. He's trying to do all these complicated grabs and locks."


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frN-MHtK-Hw&t=0m29s