Yiquan interview

Hi! Well, that it is. The guy I interviewed is Lee Salzman from Las Vegas NV. The first interview about Yiquan(the second course). Why I am saying the second course? Well, its different in methodology and teaching. You´ll hear now. Just listen!

My first Podcast

HI! Here is my first podcast! The next one is comming soon! Maybe already tonight? Who knows. Stay tune guys!

Hi again! Finally I am back! In a couple of days I`ll send a podcast with some interesting facts about Yiquan and other martial arts. Stay tune!

New Changes

Hi!

Long time no see, someone would say! Well, I was busy and I´m still busy with something that I want to talk to you about soon!

Well, check out soon then! This blog will continue with new stuff and maybe new look. You never know :)

Yiquan improves Wing Chun punch?

Do you think that wing chun punch can be improved? Look at the this part of chat discussion with a friend of mine who also trains Yiquan :

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: I am not an expert on Wing Chun ... the question is: how much can you improve it, so that it is still Wing Chun :)?

faik bilalovic says: thats what I thought

faik bilalovic says: it can be imroved, but then something must be left out

faik bilalovic says: for example chi-sao and/or kiu-sao where the contact is needed

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: From the limited knowledge I have about WCK, I already know completely different purposes of chi-sao, depending on which style you are looking at, e.g. Leung Ting vs. Wong Shun Leung.

faik bilalovic says: I disagree with you. They all have the same principle, to feel what the opponent does/will do

faik bilalovic says: I already practiced chi-sao putting "straight lines" in many movements, but then again it was "contact" chi-sao

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: Not in Wong Shun Leung style ... you don't try to feel and react, it's more a structure test, like our tui shou.

faik bilalovic says: ok, really are you sure about this?

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: Well, at least the German guys under Philipp Bayer ;)

faik bilalovic says: I must have been wrong then, because I think I saw a video of Wong Shun Leung doing chi-sao and talking about "redirecting" purpose

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: They do not absorb or yield ... they simply try to punch from every position :)

faik bilalovic says: :)

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: Also their bong sao is not an arm that is bent by the excessive force of the opponent; it's an elbow clearing the centre line because your hand is tied up.

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: Maybe I can find you a video of those guys ... let me see :)

faik bilalovic says: Hm, that would be nice

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: http://www.wongshunleung.com/

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: One has to register :(

faik bilalovic says: wait

faik bilalovic says: you mean to see the videos

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: Yes, only for the multimedia stuff :)

faik bilalovic says: I've seen the video just now!

faik bilalovic says: IT has the elements of pushing kind of force and redirecting

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: It should be redirecting like a wedge, not like taijiquan :)

faik bilalovic says: IT looks very stiff of course, but that again is nothing different from our tu-shou

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: Basically punching the other arm out of the way by superior structure and positioning.

faik bilalovic says: yes

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: That's what Leung Ting people always criticise about it :)

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: Something nice for your WCK collection ;)

faik bilalovic says: Why do they use such chi-sao again? You can do it without it too

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: And you can do it without forms, too :)

faik bilalovic says: yes, there are some wing chun styles without forms

faik bilalovic says: I know about that:)

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: Really :)?

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: "Lazy wing chun" :)?

faik bilalovic says: yes, I heard it from a friend of mine ;)

faik bilalovic says: But you can practice chi-sao in different ways of course

faik bilalovic says: Lets go back to our original question ;)

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: I would improve it by moving more of my body ... but that's no longer WCK.

faik bilalovic says: Well, I tried that, it looks like a wing chun/boxing punch. its not totally moving out as we do, but very similar

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: Also, keeping your weight on the rear leg does not necessarily help.

faik bilalovic says: you can keep there before you want to go forward

faik bilalovic says: Like we do in “extensions”

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: Yeah.

faik bilalovic says: and then "explode" forward

faik bilalovic says: I tried that with some wing chun punches

faik bilalovic says: it worked well

faik bilalovic says: of course your weight is much more forward and it can be quite troublesome to someone who can't go out of that position fast. Thats because someone can pull you out and you can fall down. But this again is only in demonstrations. (pulling your punched arm)

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: But are you not supposed to keep or even pull your shoulder back in Wing Chun?

faik bilalovic says: yep

faik bilalovic says: you shoulder should be fixed

faik bilalovic says: but you can go forward and then "pull" it back to the same place

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=ipfAK224798

faik bilalovic says: Look at his right shoulder going "very little" forward when he wants to extend his arm from the elbow (in the begining of the video)

faik bilalovic says: BTW, I saw this clip long time ago ;)

faik bilalovic says: Now, how can we do the punch without pushing? thats the question? I think I have a theory about that too

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: I would be surprised if not ;)

faik bilalovic says: Look carefully at 46 to 48 sec of video

faik bilalovic says: just wait 48, 49 sec of the video

faik bilalovic says: that’s right, exactly there

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: It clearly came forward, especially easy to see from this angle.

faik bilalovic says: yes, and he was talking that a shoulder goes backward

faik bilalovic says: that’s not true!

faik bilalovic says: you clearly can see that a shoulder goes for a little ms forward and then backward

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: Yes, you can see where the elbow is compared to the picture frame on the wall.

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: Wishful thinking from his part, I would say :)

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: Well, the body does what is natural ;)

faik bilalovic says: He is impostor( is this correct written) :D We just found that he lies!! :D

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: :D

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: (I'd still rather not tell him in person :P)

faik bilalovic says: :D

faik bilalovic says: sure not! (Wasn’t me)

faik bilalovic says: Now, if we think that this punch is the same as ours

faik bilalovic says: on basis that you have to support yourself when punching

[faik bilalovic says: like elbow supports itself with a shoulder which has to be fixed and the body, what do you think, is not that the same as our punch then?

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: Yep, at least in principle.

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: Ours is universal!

faik bilalovic says: what do you mean universal?

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: Beyond styles, based on universal principles.

faik bilalovic says: Well, its the same in wing chun you can punch uppercuts and other blows based on the same principle

faik bilalovic says: what is the difference? ;)

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: But is it true whole body motion in wing chun?

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: Does the whole body extend along the power line?

faik bilalovic says: well, Emin demonstrate that this was the (elbow, shoulder, spine and the feet) which are punching.

faik bilalovic says: of course, there is also acceleration a very good part of it

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: But still most of the distance is covered by the arm itself. And the hip and the waist don't contribute much.

faik bilalovic says: that’s true from our point of view (yiquan), but we should see it from a neutral point. How do we know that this is not a powerful punch? The only way to find out is to find someone who can demonstrate both punches.

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: But why should it be more powerful without waist and hips ;)? But you are right, the only true way would be to measure both punches executed by the same subject.

faik bilalovic says: I agree totally with you. But he said if you put your shoulder forward you'll loose that power

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: Does he say why?

faik bilalovic says: and if you punch like a boxer you'll punch not with whole body

faik bilalovic says: no he doesn't

faik bilalovic says: he say that punching like a boxer you use 40-60% of your bodyweight if ( I hope this was what he said in that video)

faik bilalovic says: but that again is not correct

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: Not at all :)

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: He should read Jack Dempsey's book ;)

faik bilalovic says: Well, Kernschpehct did that and this friend of mine

faik bilalovic says: he already said something about that

faik bilalovic says: its the "almost" the same as wing chun punch

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: Kernspecht is citing very selectively ... he just takes what fits his purpose ... vertical fist and power line ;)

faik bilalovic says: did he ever said why is that so?

faik bilalovic says: I think I have his book. did you read that?

faik bilalovic says: never mind

faik bilalovic says: Lets go back to our wing chun/yiquan punch

faik bilalovic says: I found out that if we extend and move our upper body a little forward as in extension, and use all that "power line" and other stuff, I think we can punch powerful too. The only thing is to be careful not to push

faik bilalovic says: I already tried that kind of punch on the bag in my basement

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: It is also a matter of timing. If you punch at the right moment, and explosively enough, no one will pull you ;)

faik bilalovic says: Thats ok

faik bilalovic says: I know that,

faik bilalovic says: but how about not pushing forward?

faik bilalovic says: imagine this :

faik bilalovic says: a person who is 120 kg comes to you with a great speed and want to punch

faik bilalovic says: you are doing this kind of punch and you want to extend everything

faik bilalovic says: what if this extension is half away ( means you punched before you straightened your arm) forward?

faik bilalovic says: what do you think?

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: You straighten everything at the same time.

faik bilalovic says: yeah I know that, but if the guy is very big its going to be like a "crash"

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: If the distance is too short, your leverage is bad, because your body has not "unfolded" yet. But that's the same with every kind of blow.

faik bilalovic says: yes, but what can we do then?

faik bilalovic says: what do you think we can do if the distance is too short?

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: Use the elbow instead, or sidestep and hook ;)

faik bilalovic says: well, that’s the problem, you have to use your "style" and do what you have to do

faik bilalovic says: :)

Throatwobbler Mangrove says: (nod)

faik bilalovic says: Ok, think more about that and give me some answers later. I have to go now! Thank you so much for talking!!

Maestro vs Master

You have heard about him. He is the most respectful person in the orchestra. He can play by ear every tone he hears one time and he doesn’t need the music notes. He has control over every beat, pitch or tempo he sets to all instruments in the orchestra. He would just say: “Violins, can we have more bow on these notes?” That’s a conductor or MAESTRO as Italians would say. Maestro shapes his students minds to play and perform better. Maestro is a “handy” man armed with a baton which is perfect communication tool. There is no rule of conducting with it. Maestro can move it up or down, left and right or whatever movement he wants to create with it. That’s the beauty of being MAESTRO. He decides what is best for the orchestra and for the symphony.

Master is also a respectful guy. A martial art MASTER is a guy who likes to take many pictures with his students. He likes to show of demonstrating that he has superior skills by beating/slapping his students. Master creates dependence to his students and they fear him. MASTER shapes his students minds to cooperate and assist him every time he demonstrates a new move or technique. MASTER is an “elegant” man armed with his “words” which are also perfect communication device. There are no rules of communicating with the words. You only have to believe to the “words” before you put yourself to the test with the MASTER.

Punching the face

Have you ever been punched in the face with the full power? Do you know how does if feel to be punched or kicked? Did you ever have to deal with the fear of meeting a bully in the street, or in some other threatening situations? Look what Mike Tyson has to say about the fear and stepping into the boxer ring:

” Fear is your best friend or your worst enemy. It's like fire. If you can control it, it can cook for you; it can heat your house. If you can't control it, it will burn everything around you and destroy you. If you can control your fear, it makes you more alert, like a deer coming across the lawn.”

Well, I couldn’t put it better then Mike. He really knew what he was talking about. Now, imagine yourself fighting for the first time in the ring. The opponent in front of you is a big guy with a kind of “I’ll crush your face” attitude, just looking straight into your eyes. The only thing he waits for is a bell ring to “jump” into you. And you sense that all that previous preparation you did before this fight disappeared and you feel kind of “frozen”. It feels awkward standing there. Adrenalin rush trough your body and your legs are turning to jelly. The only thought which is going through your mind right now is: “I hope I’ll not be punched to K.O

Just the thought of being punched is distressing to most people. It really can compromise your ability to defend yourself. In a conflict or a violent random attack on the street, the chance of being hit is significant. Those who were exposed to such encounters report that they could feel the pain and the shock relate with it. Now, look at this video and try to imagine yourself behind that camera:

How do you feel now? Well, of course nobody wants to be exposed to several hard punches into the head. That will mark some really bad feelings into your subconscious mind. But, don’t worry there are some exercise you can practice which can help you deal with being hit in the head. In psychology they call this term for “progressive exposure”. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systematic_desensitization). You only need to do is to find a really good friend and go “easy” sparing, like in the video above. This will help you to “control” the fear and deal with it. Well, what do you waiting for? Go out and train!