Loose grip tense arms or tense grip loose arms

[johnwang]

When you grab on your opponent for any reason, do you prefer "loose grip tense arms" or "tense grip loose arms"?

[bruce]

i think i tend to grip in both ways you listed.

if i am trying to follow/deflect and set a trap i may have loose grip and tense arms but if the "trap" is set and i have a hold of you and you are fighting it i may need to hold on tight but have loose arms so you can not get away or strike me.

[Fu Mei]

I try for a firm grip without tensing the arm.

Which actually means:

I "try" for a firm grip without tensing the arm.

[everything]

how can you have a tense grip with a loose arm if the forearm muscles provide the gripping tension?

[nianfong]

try it. it's possible to isolate the forearms from the upper arm.

[Walk the Torque]

Mostly my "gripping" takes the form of sticking with lightly curved fingers. This is because I generally am pulling/imobilising the opponants arm against my chest as I get closer, but with enough loosness in the hand to change "grip" or action of the hand with little trouble.

[Bao]

Why this question? John, what do you prefer in what situatiuon and can you give an example of each method?

If I am going to comment this question, I would say that it depends... and that I dont think it is easy to give a simple answer to this question.

a) if you are taught a certain body method or principle of tension/relaxation, you will generally try to use something according to this taught method. Or with a long time of training, a certain body method might become natural. And generally, your own body type will decide your approach to shen fa and tension.

b) what are your goal, or why are you gripping? If your gripping is directly connected to a certain technique, you might need a solid structure and support. If you use the gripping as part of a set up, you might need to be very soft and flexible.

But first of all, I would like to know what kind of situation you refer to. Real fight, free sparring or competition? If you compete, you might be regulated by rules in such a way that you can not use a special set of techniques or method. And if you you play friendly, you might do a certain method in quite another manner, or less violent than in a real fight, which might have an impact on your use of shen fa.

[iwalkthecircle]

tense grip loose arms.
tense only when he is about to tear.

my grips are getting better.
less people can tear me off now.

[Ba-men]

Both...
Depends..... if I am passive or aggressive and what the opponent is up to.

[johnwang]

Why this question?

I prefer my opponent to grab me with tense grip and loose arms. The reason is if his grip is tense, I can take advantage on that contact point. If his grip is loose then since he can release it anytime he wants, his grip is not a real grip to me. If his arm is loose then I can wrap his arm without extra effort. If his arm is tense then usually he can prevent my arm from wrapping. It's like if you play with a rope with both ends tied on a tree vs. you play with a wooden stick with one end tied on a tree but the other end is loose. You can do more thing with that rope but you can only do limited things with that stick.

On the other hand, I prefer to use tense grip for offense and defense. It's like Old Chinese spear and shield contradiction but that usually happen in CMA anyway.

[johnrieber]

mostly, the tense grips i've run into have been attached to tense arms. either pushing or pulling, or trying to hold you still.

and probably about half of the loose grips i've run into haven't meant it. they were just kind of killing time.

tense grip connects you with the opponent's frame. even if their arms are kind of loose, it can at least give you the elbow. loose grip, if we're talking about sloppy loose, can give you their wrist.

now it's time for the obligatory taiji note or question about the difference between grip/grab/grasp, and sticky energy. and the weight of a stick of butter, and adhering to the opponent as though you're slapping a wad of biscuit dough on their wrist. and the difference between the way a baby grabs your hand, and the way someone uptight does.