the rum soaked fist: internal martial arts forum

is it mainly as a dynamic stretch?

to suddenly drop super low while being able to rebound up quickly?

everything wrote:
to suddenly drop super low while being able to rebound up quickly?

Yes and I guess the evasive "corkscrew" move while dropping down has some importance to

Remember that the spear was used in warfare. There’s no reason for crossing legs like that if you only consider having to deal with one opponent. If you consider it as a transition to turn into another direction it makes more sense.

It's as equally likely that it's an animal form, so he's imitating a twisty dragon for cultural/religious/shamanistic reasons.

Bao wrote:Remember that the spear was used in warfare. There’s no reason for crossing legs like that if you only consider having to deal with one opponent. If you consider it as a transition to turn into another direction it makes more sense.

Wrong. It's a common endpoint for several traditional applications. I've posted some examples in the past.

Ian C. Kuzushi wrote: I've posted some examples in the past.

We are talking about spear play here. Can’t remember any post on the spear. I would like to see those spear examples very much and hear the explanation on the cross stance when there are no further transitions involved...

really interesting, thanks. I'm obviously not going to be on a battlefield with a spear, but the leg cross low stances are good stuff for my piriformis, which I had absolutely no idea about before. I kinda thought "that looks kinda silly or impractical" before. any other strength or flexibility it helps build would be good.

https://vimeo.com/168185982

3:45-4:30 are a couple of fairly typical examples in an empty hand context. Either dragging something over the legs for a takedown, or trapping in between to cause damage. The fact that a spear is involved doesn't change the concept.

Also worth noting that just because something appears in a modern wushu form doesn't mean it ever existed there in a classical context. Most of what we know as martial arts today came about long after spears were relevant as a primary form of military combat.

Ian C. Kuzushi wrote:I've posted some examples in the past.

If you can point me there easily, I'd love to see those. If it's work for you, though, please don't worry about it.