So as it turns out, Ryan isn't headed to South America as we intended because of various happenings. I'm bummed that he's going to miss out on a what was sure to be fantastic trip but excited that I get to keep his Kung Fu mind trust here in Seattle.
We chatted briefly at poker night and it sounds as if this Summer will be geared towards working up solid combinations with focus mits, bag work, etc. with the eventual goal of full contact sparring.
I can't wait. I'll update you with more information as soon as I can. Until then; eat a balanced breakfast and do your chung choi(s)!
[if you don't know what those are, check my earlier posts]
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Friday, December 11, 2009
Training Scrapped Due to an Injury
Trent hurt his shoulder on the day of practice. I haven't gotten the details yet but as he's a roofer (a job I spent some time on in my youth) a shoulder or arm injury is always just a slip away. It's terrible news, not only in terms of his livelihood, but in terms or our training group. As we have a pretty small group (usually only 4 on most sessions) losing one guy is a big blow. Trent, I hope you heal fast and if surgery is required, I pray that it goes as well as possible. If anyone can bounce back though, he's the one. This guy has tough sinewy muscles, great speed, and forearms like Popeye. (I'm barely exaggerating on this one) He'll bounce back.
I've kept up with my modified chun choi drill. Hitting the mattress in my living room actually helps as it gives me targets (via the ridiculous print pattern) to hit. I aim my punches at the face of a grandfather clock, and my blocks at bells to each side. I do need to find a way to do some cardio though as it's too cold for jump roping in the patio this week. It sure would be nice to have an elliptical machine in my living room.
Training focus for the week:
1. Base. "All your base are belong to us!" I'm focusing on keeping my base throughout all of my training, whether it be punch drills, weight training or what have you. If I can train myself to naturally be in a good base, I'll have a significant advantage against most 'drunk guys at a bar' scenarios that I might run into. A punch strongly rooted to the ground that efficiently transfers my body weight into the strike is going to be stronger and quicker than one which isn't, hands down.
I've kept up with my modified chun choi drill. Hitting the mattress in my living room actually helps as it gives me targets (via the ridiculous print pattern) to hit. I aim my punches at the face of a grandfather clock, and my blocks at bells to each side. I do need to find a way to do some cardio though as it's too cold for jump roping in the patio this week. It sure would be nice to have an elliptical machine in my living room.
Training focus for the week:
1. Base. "All your base are belong to us!" I'm focusing on keeping my base throughout all of my training, whether it be punch drills, weight training or what have you. If I can train myself to naturally be in a good base, I'll have a significant advantage against most 'drunk guys at a bar' scenarios that I might run into. A punch strongly rooted to the ground that efficiently transfers my body weight into the strike is going to be stronger and quicker than one which isn't, hands down.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Some Kung Fu With a Side of Emotional Healing
Much has happened since I posted last, mainly, the passing of my father, Jack Arthur Davis.
I'm still quite shaken by all of this but I know my broken heart will heal. He was a friend, mentor, hero, and an inspiration throughout my life. He was a man of conviction, faith and strength. A friend to every man, a skilled musician, craftsman, and woodsman. The best kind of man through and through. It pains me to face the world without him behind me, knowing that there's so much I've yet to learn from his wisdom. Knowing that he'll never be at my wedding or hold my future children brings up bitter tears. Dad, I love you and I miss you so much. I promise that I'll be as strong as I can and take care of the family the best way I know how. Please watch over me and send me strength, I know you're up in heaven, helping to prepare the way for us, please rest in peace until we meet again.
At any rate (and please excuse my digression there) this Tuesday the boys and I were able to meet up and train once again. Despite the layoff, most of the principles we've been drilling seemed like they were still fresh in my head. I'm glad that I kept up with my daily practice at home, punching air and doing twitch drills might seem strange to my roommate but it has kept my muscle memory intact.
We got right into it with flow drill; essentially the primary holds his arm out with a clenched fist while the secondary slaps it out of the way. This triggers the primary to bring the other arm under the slapped arm (while it in turn loosely recoils around) in order to trap the secondary's lead arm (pressing it against his body) before finishing with a straight punch. Rinse, wash and repeat. After doing it over and over, I was really starting to get a feel for the 'flow' of the exercise. Manny noticed however that after I trapped, my jolt (a quick push of the opponent, knocking him off balance) was incorrect. He could see that I was trying to use my strength a little too much. Instead of jolting, I sometimes try to just push. My big frame and past experience always makes me feel as if I ought to overpower someone, instead of finessing them. After some work with Manny, I finally did one perfectly. It was as if that proverbial 'light bulb' went off in my head. As soon as it happened, I could see that tell tale smile spread across Manny's face. He jumped back and said, "There, that's it, now do it on Trent!" It worked, my muscles remembered how it felt to really jolt someone and I was able to do it again and again.
I'm I really getting it?
Next, Manny started working on getting me to do the blocking drills with a simultaneous strike included. This may sound impossible, but it really isn't. Let's say someone is throwing a straight punch at your face. (Scary business I know) Wing Chun teaches that you intercept the punch with a tan sau block. (it really kind or reminds me of just slapping some one's hand away if they're trying to stick gum in your hair or something) It's not a hard block, just enough to keep the punch from hitting home. Back to the strike, during the tan sau block I'm taught to start throwing a straight punch immediately. It seems unnatural at first but I could slowly feel my non-blocking arm start to go on its own during the drill. By the end, it was almost becoming second nature. For soft blocking however, I really came out of that one with some nasty bruises, thanks Trent. I can hardly wait for the day when my forearms are hard enough for that not to happen.
I can't tell you enough how thankful I am to train Wing Chun. Having a physical outlet like this to channel my emotions into from time to time is a Godsend. Losing my dad made me, the consummate pacifist, frustrated and angry in ways that I'd never had to confront before. Being able to lose myself in the quasi-meditation of training was just what the doctor ordered.
This weeks practice points:
1. Loosen up. I need to get my shoulders and arms ready to go. I need to keep the tension away as to not lose any speed or sensitivity. Keeping loose will also keep my own arms from becoming energy that my opponent can use against me, via traps and the like.
2. Simultaneous striking. Instead of just punching air at home (to the chagrin of my roommate) I need to punch AND BLOCK air. I'LL GET YOU AIR! Practice makes perfect.
I'm still quite shaken by all of this but I know my broken heart will heal. He was a friend, mentor, hero, and an inspiration throughout my life. He was a man of conviction, faith and strength. A friend to every man, a skilled musician, craftsman, and woodsman. The best kind of man through and through. It pains me to face the world without him behind me, knowing that there's so much I've yet to learn from his wisdom. Knowing that he'll never be at my wedding or hold my future children brings up bitter tears. Dad, I love you and I miss you so much. I promise that I'll be as strong as I can and take care of the family the best way I know how. Please watch over me and send me strength, I know you're up in heaven, helping to prepare the way for us, please rest in peace until we meet again.
At any rate (and please excuse my digression there) this Tuesday the boys and I were able to meet up and train once again. Despite the layoff, most of the principles we've been drilling seemed like they were still fresh in my head. I'm glad that I kept up with my daily practice at home, punching air and doing twitch drills might seem strange to my roommate but it has kept my muscle memory intact.
We got right into it with flow drill; essentially the primary holds his arm out with a clenched fist while the secondary slaps it out of the way. This triggers the primary to bring the other arm under the slapped arm (while it in turn loosely recoils around) in order to trap the secondary's lead arm (pressing it against his body) before finishing with a straight punch. Rinse, wash and repeat. After doing it over and over, I was really starting to get a feel for the 'flow' of the exercise. Manny noticed however that after I trapped, my jolt (a quick push of the opponent, knocking him off balance) was incorrect. He could see that I was trying to use my strength a little too much. Instead of jolting, I sometimes try to just push. My big frame and past experience always makes me feel as if I ought to overpower someone, instead of finessing them. After some work with Manny, I finally did one perfectly. It was as if that proverbial 'light bulb' went off in my head. As soon as it happened, I could see that tell tale smile spread across Manny's face. He jumped back and said, "There, that's it, now do it on Trent!" It worked, my muscles remembered how it felt to really jolt someone and I was able to do it again and again.
I'm I really getting it?
Next, Manny started working on getting me to do the blocking drills with a simultaneous strike included. This may sound impossible, but it really isn't. Let's say someone is throwing a straight punch at your face. (Scary business I know) Wing Chun teaches that you intercept the punch with a tan sau block. (it really kind or reminds me of just slapping some one's hand away if they're trying to stick gum in your hair or something) It's not a hard block, just enough to keep the punch from hitting home. Back to the strike, during the tan sau block I'm taught to start throwing a straight punch immediately. It seems unnatural at first but I could slowly feel my non-blocking arm start to go on its own during the drill. By the end, it was almost becoming second nature. For soft blocking however, I really came out of that one with some nasty bruises, thanks Trent. I can hardly wait for the day when my forearms are hard enough for that not to happen.
I can't tell you enough how thankful I am to train Wing Chun. Having a physical outlet like this to channel my emotions into from time to time is a Godsend. Losing my dad made me, the consummate pacifist, frustrated and angry in ways that I'd never had to confront before. Being able to lose myself in the quasi-meditation of training was just what the doctor ordered.
This weeks practice points:
1. Loosen up. I need to get my shoulders and arms ready to go. I need to keep the tension away as to not lose any speed or sensitivity. Keeping loose will also keep my own arms from becoming energy that my opponent can use against me, via traps and the like.
2. Simultaneous striking. Instead of just punching air at home (to the chagrin of my roommate) I need to punch AND BLOCK air. I'LL GET YOU AIR! Practice makes perfect.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Twiddling my thumbs
Couldn't get a hold of Ryan after work, not sure if the guys practiced or not but no one got a hold of me. I'm a little surprised by how bummed out I am over the whole thing. Since softball has ended, Tuesday Kung Fu has really been my primary physical outlet. Fantasy football (while time consuming) has never made anyone sweat too badly. Another week of punching air, shuffling around the patio, and random twitch/startle drills I guess.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Back to Work!
It had truly been too long since training last. For various reasons (and there always are) we couldn't get together for a few weeks. While it was nice to let some bumps and bruises heal up, I've been really missing my new found physical outlet. My arms and shoulders have felt restless without my normal Tuesday's worth of self-inflicted torture.
During my break, I had worked diligently on being cognizant of my center line, keeping my hips and shoulders square with each other, and feeling my base. It was nice to have Ryan notice my dedication as we practiced a few drills to warm up for sifu Manny's arrival. (Sifu essentially means teacher) We started off with fan sau (or returning hand) drills. During fan sau, the primary controls the secondary's arms near the wrist (not grasping mind you) trying to keep the secondary from slapping him in the face or body. Seems easy right? It's not. Firstly, if you tense up for even a moment, an experienced martial artist like Ryan can pull his arm away in the blink of an eye for a strike. Secondly, if you're too loose (i.e. yielding) you're going to get hit as well. We went for about half an hour, trading off as primary and secondary. My best drills occurred when I had my eyes closed. I used to be surprised by this but now it just reminds me of Obi Wan Kanobi's instruction to Luke on the Millennium Falcon, "Be mindful of your eyes, they can decieve you." This is very true in Wing Chun applications. If I can feel Ryan's energy (or intentions) without seeing them, why do I need to second guess those instincts by opening my eyes and letting him fake me out with jukes and head bobs? Not to say that I'm going to close my eyes for sparring or an actual street fight but for the drills, it can be very useful.
Manny and Trent arrived soon afterwards and it was nice to see them. We caught up a little and then took our positions outside in the patio. Fan sau was the drill of the day, as we got right back into it. Manny immediately caught a few flaws in my technique. Ryan had tried to explain this before but apparently my shoulders were too tense and that tension was moving right up my arms. In order to stay loose, you almost have to prop your arms up with your lats, and lock your shoulders out. Bruce Lee was a master at this, I'm not. My other flaw was not transitioning my fingers properly when moving to a palm down (also thumb down) wrist locking position. Manny used the analogy of a snake moving across the forearm, each finger independent yet one right after the other, leaving no gaps for possible escape.
Next up was twitching. Sounds like a dance move huh? (C'mon baby, let's do the twitch!) Really it's just the fast twitching of your hands, coupled with a full turn. Imagine your palm face up, quickly being turned over and whipped outward, before being returned to a face up position. Manny helped by having us imagine flicking a booger off of our fingers using this motion. Coupled with a startle (see description of startle in my first post) the twitch is the building block for all of the simultaneous blocks/strikes. The key is to recoil back to the starting position and it's harder than one might think.
We ended with some good old fashioned chi sau. (or sticky hands) The drill that separates Wing Chun Do from other forms that claim to teach sensitivity. In chi sau you face your partner and (in the right handed version) place your left arm atop his right and prop his left arm up with your right. Then you take turns rolling the down arm up, creating a fluid back and forth motion. From this, various attacks can be attempted at any time (known as interrupts). Because you're already touching your partners arm, the theory is that you can feel his energy and intercept the attack. It is really a game of cat and mouse. Up until yesterday I had really sucked at it but after working with Manny for a little yesterday, I figured some things out and actually went for about 5 minutes. (before succumbing to sore shoulders) I'm very excited to continue working on this.
This week's practice points:
1. Startle. It was one of last week's too but I need to get better. I will never be able to fully utilize what I'm learning until I add a good startle into the mix. I'll be sure to do some twitch drills on my own everyday.
2. Breathe. Trent was really helpful last night by reminding me to breathe during drills. It's impossible to relax if you're gasping for air.
3. Recoil. I should be able to bring my hands back to proper positions after every technique, there's no excuse not to anymore.
During my break, I had worked diligently on being cognizant of my center line, keeping my hips and shoulders square with each other, and feeling my base. It was nice to have Ryan notice my dedication as we practiced a few drills to warm up for sifu Manny's arrival. (Sifu essentially means teacher) We started off with fan sau (or returning hand) drills. During fan sau, the primary controls the secondary's arms near the wrist (not grasping mind you) trying to keep the secondary from slapping him in the face or body. Seems easy right? It's not. Firstly, if you tense up for even a moment, an experienced martial artist like Ryan can pull his arm away in the blink of an eye for a strike. Secondly, if you're too loose (i.e. yielding) you're going to get hit as well. We went for about half an hour, trading off as primary and secondary. My best drills occurred when I had my eyes closed. I used to be surprised by this but now it just reminds me of Obi Wan Kanobi's instruction to Luke on the Millennium Falcon, "Be mindful of your eyes, they can decieve you." This is very true in Wing Chun applications. If I can feel Ryan's energy (or intentions) without seeing them, why do I need to second guess those instincts by opening my eyes and letting him fake me out with jukes and head bobs? Not to say that I'm going to close my eyes for sparring or an actual street fight but for the drills, it can be very useful.
Manny and Trent arrived soon afterwards and it was nice to see them. We caught up a little and then took our positions outside in the patio. Fan sau was the drill of the day, as we got right back into it. Manny immediately caught a few flaws in my technique. Ryan had tried to explain this before but apparently my shoulders were too tense and that tension was moving right up my arms. In order to stay loose, you almost have to prop your arms up with your lats, and lock your shoulders out. Bruce Lee was a master at this, I'm not. My other flaw was not transitioning my fingers properly when moving to a palm down (also thumb down) wrist locking position. Manny used the analogy of a snake moving across the forearm, each finger independent yet one right after the other, leaving no gaps for possible escape.
Next up was twitching. Sounds like a dance move huh? (C'mon baby, let's do the twitch!) Really it's just the fast twitching of your hands, coupled with a full turn. Imagine your palm face up, quickly being turned over and whipped outward, before being returned to a face up position. Manny helped by having us imagine flicking a booger off of our fingers using this motion. Coupled with a startle (see description of startle in my first post) the twitch is the building block for all of the simultaneous blocks/strikes. The key is to recoil back to the starting position and it's harder than one might think.
We ended with some good old fashioned chi sau. (or sticky hands) The drill that separates Wing Chun Do from other forms that claim to teach sensitivity. In chi sau you face your partner and (in the right handed version) place your left arm atop his right and prop his left arm up with your right. Then you take turns rolling the down arm up, creating a fluid back and forth motion. From this, various attacks can be attempted at any time (known as interrupts). Because you're already touching your partners arm, the theory is that you can feel his energy and intercept the attack. It is really a game of cat and mouse. Up until yesterday I had really sucked at it but after working with Manny for a little yesterday, I figured some things out and actually went for about 5 minutes. (before succumbing to sore shoulders) I'm very excited to continue working on this.
This week's practice points:
1. Startle. It was one of last week's too but I need to get better. I will never be able to fully utilize what I'm learning until I add a good startle into the mix. I'll be sure to do some twitch drills on my own everyday.
2. Breathe. Trent was really helpful last night by reminding me to breathe during drills. It's impossible to relax if you're gasping for air.
3. Recoil. I should be able to bring my hands back to proper positions after every technique, there's no excuse not to anymore.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Introduction
Hi, I'm Jim. You may know me by my blogging pseudonym 'Sylvan Strawberry Farmer' but based on the number of comments posted in response to said blogging so far [on urban gardening], I'd guess not. No worries, on to more exciting topics, namely Kung Fu. You can't help but get a little excited even saying it, Kung Fu! Did it work? Are you pumped up yet? I am. Honestly, training the martial art of Wing Chun Do with my friends Ryan and Trent under the tutelage of Manuel Delpino (aka Manny) has been a dream come true. Sound cheesy yet? Let me explain...
I've been obsessed with martial arts since I was a wee boy. Yeah, it's pretty common for young boys to dream of being martial arts masters, just ask my brothers. Whether it was running around being ninjas, pretending we were Bruce Lee or Jean Claude Van Damme, or just beating each other up in various ways, we were hooked. Despite the massive interest I had as a youth, my family never had the means to send me to any lengthy formal training. I remember the one TKD (Taekwondo) seminar that I attended (sans fee) as a 10 year old boy. Back then, I had a serious case of asthma and we were poor, as such, my doctor told my mom that I qualified for a free martial arts seminar. She was reluctant, but my unrelenting begging quickly wore her down. I remember the night like it was yesterday; a brown belt with a sweet pornstache ran us through about 20 minutes of warm up drills (basically punching and kicking air, followed by stretches) before letting us loose on some kicking pads. It was two hours of heaven. I was so into it, I even got picked for the 3 on 1 demonstration at the end. Essentially, 3 students took turns coming at the brown belt instructor one after another, allowing him to demonstrate effective methods to handle multiple attackers. I was 3rd, and I got drilled in the face with a front kick. Luckily he didn't get me square but it hurt like hell. Call me a masochist but I liked it and I learned a valuable lesson that night; "Don't fear the black belt, fear the brown belt." Essentially, what I'm saying here is that one of the major things differentiating a black belt from a brown belt (in as much of what I've seen as a relative novice) is that a black belt has the control to finish a technique without the risk of really hurting you but I digress.
Fast forward 17 years... I start becoming friends with a guy who attends Wednesday poker night, Ryan. Ryan seems to be my kind of cat: competitive sports fan, athletic, laid back, extremely nice guy. After we both bust out of the game one night, while discussing our failed poker strategies, he mentions that he is really into Kung Fu. Upon this realization, I'm asking him all kinds of questions; Where do you train? How long have you been at it? What are some of your favorite techniques? etc. I think it was a combination of the beer we'd drank and the strange haze in the room but that evening, in me, Ryan had found a disciple. At that point, I really couldn't devote much time to training but each week after poker, he would run me through a few drills, hoping to instill the basics. (In contrast, Ryan lived at a noted Kwoon [Kung Fu terminology for Dojo] and trained as much as possible) I remembered his words and did the drills at home, much to the chagrin of my roommate who still thinks I'm crazy for punching the air as much as I do.
That brings us to the Summer of 2009. About 3 months ago, Ryan mentions that he's in the process of recruiting one of his old instructors for a once a week training session. Manny apparently used to train at one of the studios that Ryan started out in and was a martial artist of some repute. (He helped author a seminar on Bruce Lee's 1 or 3 inch punch) Enter stage left was one of the most impressive martial artists that I've ever had the chance to be around. Manny is a barrel chested, lightning quick Wing Chun wrecking ball. I won't be exhaustive in singing his praises (yet) but I'll give one example from our first meeting: We ended our first session with a game/drill called quickdraw. Remember the game as a kid where you would try to slap some one's hand before they could pull it away, it's kind of like that. The secondary partner would stand just past arm's length away from the primary attacker with his hand just outside his pectoral muscle on the same side. The primary would then try to thrust his arm out (from a gunslinger position) in attempt to strike the secondary on the guarded pectoral before the secondary (defender) could knock it away. Sounds easy right? Wrong. Ryan was already lighting me up and in my opinion, he was going to do the same to Manny when we switched. (After all, Ryan in comparison to him was much leaner and quicker looking) After switching, there was no contest, Manny dominated him like it was Ryan's first time. I'd never seen a guy so stocky move so quickly. Without flinching he was already in on Ryan, landing with a hard thud on his chest plate. Again and again, same result. Ryan got his hits in too when it was his turn to go but it was Manny who would be crowned the King of Quickdraw that day. Needless to say, you don't want this guy coming at you with bad intentions.
We've been going for some time now and I've learned plenty but in hopes of catching you guys up with what I've been learning and in order to reinforce some of the principles I've been taught, I will end each post with a few principles that I'm currently working on.
1. Stay centered! I have a tendency to keep my hips open (i.e. pointed slightly left) in my southpaw stance. Even if I have my shoulders completely square, if I don't flex my hips slightly and square up, it leeches power from any technique I might attempt. Square hips, square shoulders! (Thanks Donny)
2. Feel your base! Ryan has stressed that my base needs to get better. I need to feel my solid base under me in everything I do. Whether it be firing out punches at a bathroom mirror, opening a door at work or in the midst of a drill at practice, base is key. If I were ever to find myself in a street fight (God forbid), having a good base will put me ahead of 90% of the guys out there. Being firmly planted will add power and quickness to almost any technique.
3. Startle! Manny is the king. He can mentally go to zero, and scare himself into action. The resulting technique is practically as fast as the human body can move. My startle is just a crude impostor, I telegraph, lean, flinch, etc. It's easy to see me coming, now. Manny and Ryan have given me a new drill; when I watch TV I'm to get in an open bai jong (upright base) and startle at the TV whenever the camera angle changes. Practice, practice, practice.
I've been obsessed with martial arts since I was a wee boy. Yeah, it's pretty common for young boys to dream of being martial arts masters, just ask my brothers. Whether it was running around being ninjas, pretending we were Bruce Lee or Jean Claude Van Damme, or just beating each other up in various ways, we were hooked. Despite the massive interest I had as a youth, my family never had the means to send me to any lengthy formal training. I remember the one TKD (Taekwondo) seminar that I attended (sans fee) as a 10 year old boy. Back then, I had a serious case of asthma and we were poor, as such, my doctor told my mom that I qualified for a free martial arts seminar. She was reluctant, but my unrelenting begging quickly wore her down. I remember the night like it was yesterday; a brown belt with a sweet pornstache ran us through about 20 minutes of warm up drills (basically punching and kicking air, followed by stretches) before letting us loose on some kicking pads. It was two hours of heaven. I was so into it, I even got picked for the 3 on 1 demonstration at the end. Essentially, 3 students took turns coming at the brown belt instructor one after another, allowing him to demonstrate effective methods to handle multiple attackers. I was 3rd, and I got drilled in the face with a front kick. Luckily he didn't get me square but it hurt like hell. Call me a masochist but I liked it and I learned a valuable lesson that night; "Don't fear the black belt, fear the brown belt." Essentially, what I'm saying here is that one of the major things differentiating a black belt from a brown belt (in as much of what I've seen as a relative novice) is that a black belt has the control to finish a technique without the risk of really hurting you but I digress.
Fast forward 17 years... I start becoming friends with a guy who attends Wednesday poker night, Ryan. Ryan seems to be my kind of cat: competitive sports fan, athletic, laid back, extremely nice guy. After we both bust out of the game one night, while discussing our failed poker strategies, he mentions that he is really into Kung Fu. Upon this realization, I'm asking him all kinds of questions; Where do you train? How long have you been at it? What are some of your favorite techniques? etc. I think it was a combination of the beer we'd drank and the strange haze in the room but that evening, in me, Ryan had found a disciple. At that point, I really couldn't devote much time to training but each week after poker, he would run me through a few drills, hoping to instill the basics. (In contrast, Ryan lived at a noted Kwoon [Kung Fu terminology for Dojo] and trained as much as possible) I remembered his words and did the drills at home, much to the chagrin of my roommate who still thinks I'm crazy for punching the air as much as I do.
That brings us to the Summer of 2009. About 3 months ago, Ryan mentions that he's in the process of recruiting one of his old instructors for a once a week training session. Manny apparently used to train at one of the studios that Ryan started out in and was a martial artist of some repute. (He helped author a seminar on Bruce Lee's 1 or 3 inch punch) Enter stage left was one of the most impressive martial artists that I've ever had the chance to be around. Manny is a barrel chested, lightning quick Wing Chun wrecking ball. I won't be exhaustive in singing his praises (yet) but I'll give one example from our first meeting: We ended our first session with a game/drill called quickdraw. Remember the game as a kid where you would try to slap some one's hand before they could pull it away, it's kind of like that. The secondary partner would stand just past arm's length away from the primary attacker with his hand just outside his pectoral muscle on the same side. The primary would then try to thrust his arm out (from a gunslinger position) in attempt to strike the secondary on the guarded pectoral before the secondary (defender) could knock it away. Sounds easy right? Wrong. Ryan was already lighting me up and in my opinion, he was going to do the same to Manny when we switched. (After all, Ryan in comparison to him was much leaner and quicker looking) After switching, there was no contest, Manny dominated him like it was Ryan's first time. I'd never seen a guy so stocky move so quickly. Without flinching he was already in on Ryan, landing with a hard thud on his chest plate. Again and again, same result. Ryan got his hits in too when it was his turn to go but it was Manny who would be crowned the King of Quickdraw that day. Needless to say, you don't want this guy coming at you with bad intentions.
We've been going for some time now and I've learned plenty but in hopes of catching you guys up with what I've been learning and in order to reinforce some of the principles I've been taught, I will end each post with a few principles that I'm currently working on.
1. Stay centered! I have a tendency to keep my hips open (i.e. pointed slightly left) in my southpaw stance. Even if I have my shoulders completely square, if I don't flex my hips slightly and square up, it leeches power from any technique I might attempt. Square hips, square shoulders! (Thanks Donny)
2. Feel your base! Ryan has stressed that my base needs to get better. I need to feel my solid base under me in everything I do. Whether it be firing out punches at a bathroom mirror, opening a door at work or in the midst of a drill at practice, base is key. If I were ever to find myself in a street fight (God forbid), having a good base will put me ahead of 90% of the guys out there. Being firmly planted will add power and quickness to almost any technique.
3. Startle! Manny is the king. He can mentally go to zero, and scare himself into action. The resulting technique is practically as fast as the human body can move. My startle is just a crude impostor, I telegraph, lean, flinch, etc. It's easy to see me coming, now. Manny and Ryan have given me a new drill; when I watch TV I'm to get in an open bai jong (upright base) and startle at the TV whenever the camera angle changes. Practice, practice, practice.
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