Develop body method

[Kung Fu Wang]

I like this guy's form very much. He uses body to push/pull his arm. One can quickly develop "body method" this way.

Your thought?

Here is an example of "body method" that you move your body in fighting.

 

[JowGaWolf]

My thoughts are probably the same as yours. Body behind movement makes everything else stronger. Arms by themselves is weaker and it makes things more difficult than it needs to be. I prefer the slip rope over the swinging rope. I like to use the swinging rope to increase speed of entry and retreat. Swing the rope form left to right and you'll created small spaces to attack before the rope covers it. I can either send a kick through it or my body through that opening. This helps to increase speed because it hyper focuses you on being quick versus trying to strike hard. Not sure if I explained it clearly.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

One of my favor exercises is to put my arms behind my back and do the punching drill. This will force me to use my leg, my body, and forget about my arm.

I still remember my teacher once said, "Try to do a sword form without holding a sword".

 

[JowGaWolf]

One of my favor exercises is to put my arms behind my back and do the punching drill. This will force me to use my leg, my body, and forget about my arm.

I still remember my teacher once said, "Try to do a sword form without holding a sword".

don't say that too loud. I got picked on for putting staff behind my back lol

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

don't say that too loud. I got picked on for putting staff behind my back lol

It's amazing that when you have arms, you don't think about your body that much. When you don't have arms, and you can only use your body, you then realize that you don't really understand your body enough.

Whenever I see "freeze the body and only move the arm", I always wonder whether that form designer truly understand how to train MA or not.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Whenever I see "freeze the body and only move the arm", I always wonder whether that form designer truly understand how to train MA or not.

It's either that or they had a theory about only working arms. The closest I've ever gotten to freeze the body was teaching students how to relax when punching. The training went sort of like this.
Step 1. Punch at a decent speed. Lets say 30% and don't focus on moving the body or focus on restraining the body. Just focus on having relaxed arms This usually didn't cause body movement. Once they get to a decent level of relaxation I have them do step 2

Step 2: increase the speed, to 50% only focus on relaxing and punching with relaxed arms. Try to feel the same relaxation that you feel at 30%.

Step 3 Increase the speed to 60% only focus on relaxing and punching with relaxed arms Around 50% or 60% they realize that they have to not only relax their arms but their body as well.

Step 4: Slowly increase the speed until you get to 100% speed and 80% relaxation. If relaxation goes down then slow down the punches a little until it comes back.

The more the body relaxes the more the body drives the punch vs the arms only driving the punch. I posted a video that shows this and people didn't think highly of it. They weren't impressed lol.

But in that training, I never say freeze. I just have them hyper focused on one thing so their body can naturally follow and naturally work the punch.

 

[geezer]

...Whenever I see "freeze the body and only move the arm", I always wonder whether that form designer truly understand how to train MA or not.

They do this in the Ving Tsun I trained, and they knew exactly what they are doing. Take away the extraneous and counterproductive body movements, and focus on getting the arm right (from the elbow through the wrist), then you can add back in small, efficient and effective body movements ...not the exaggerated bouncing around seen in that video!

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

They do this in the Ving Tsun I trained, and they knew exactly what they are doing. Take away the extraneous and counterproductive body movements, and focus on getting the arm right (from the elbow through the wrist), then you can add back in small, efficient and effective body movements ...not the exaggerated bouncing around seen in that video!

There can be 2 approaches:

1. Develop arm movement first, add body method in afterward.
2. Develop body method first, add arm movement in afterward.

IMO 1 < 2.

By using method

- 1, one may not believe that body method is important.
- 2, one will always believe that body method is important.

A Tan Shou with body rotation is much stronger than a Tan Shou without body rotation.