High emphasis on katas

[Tony Dismukes]

My approach to "hybrid" arts is a little different from what I've seen mentioned so far.

When I'm in class for a specific art, I train as the teacher instructs in order to understand the concepts and principles which make the techniques work and to develop whatever physical and mental attributes are necessary to execute them under pressure.

When I go to apply my skills outside of one of those classes, I'm not concerned with performing a specific art. I'm just working to solve a given set of problems under a certain set of constraints. I do that using whichever skills, tactics, body mechanics, and techniques seem appropriate for the task at hand. At this stage in my development as a martial artist I don't seem to encounter any problems with confusion over whether I should be applying this concept from art A or that mechanic from art B at a given moment.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

My approach to "hybrid" arts is a little different from what I've seen mentioned so far.

When I'm in class for a specific art, I train as the teacher instructs in order to understand the concepts and principles which make the techniques work and to develop whatever physical and mental attributes are necessary to execute them under pressure.

When I go to apply my skills outside of one of those classes, I'm not concerned with performing a specific art. I'm just working to solve a given set of problems under a certain set of constraints. I do that using whichever skills, tactics, body mechanics, and techniques seem appropriate for the task at hand. At this stage in my development as a martial artist I don't seem to encounter any problems with confusion over whether I should be applying this concept from art A or that mechanic from art B at a given moment.

Your "Tony-fu" is a personal hybridization of all you've studied. In my experience, there's little chance of real conflict within personal-fu, since we each naturally combine those bits that work together. If there is a natural conflict between styles (e.g.: angles in Shotokan, circles in NGA), those get resolved by personal preference. Some folks will simply prefer one approach over the other, while others will find themselves naturally choosing each in different situations.

The difficulty for most people comes early in their learning of one or more arts, where the principles of something else causes confusion (again, that example of angles vs. circles, which still causes problems for one of my students). This resolves itself once the habits of the new stuff get more engrained, then the natural response I mentioned above tends to take over.

Note for other readers: This is a bit different from my comment about actual hybrid arts, rather than a personal hybridization of whatever you've studied. NGA is a hybrid art (and Shojin-ryu is a variation of that art). My "Gerry-fu" is not pure NGA; it is influenced by Judo (not much change, since that's one origin art for NGA), Shotokan (same comment), FMA, Ueshiba's Aikido, and even some touches of stuff like Silat and other bits I've worked on in seminars. In the dojo, I do my best to stick to NGA most of the time. In my personal practice, some of the other bits come out more often.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Taunting option 1 does not preclude option 2; good balance doesn't mean you can't drop the foot without retracting. Training only option 2 will leave you only forward options.

Besides close the distance and set up punch, there is another important training that is when your opponent catches your kicking leg, your forward movement will put all your weight on that leg. It will make your leg to be very heavy to hold on. Form only records one strategy, if you use form to train, you have to change it to meet your goal.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Besides close the distance and set up punch, there is another important training that is when your opponent catches your kicking leg, your forward movement will put all your weight on that leg. It will make your leg to be very heavy to hold on. Form only records one strategy, if you use form to train, you have to change it to meet your goal.

Agreed. My point was that if we start from Option 1, we can transition to including Option 2. Going in the other direction, in my experience, is more problematic.

 

[Transk53]

No, it was a request for clarification. Your statement didn't make sense to me. So yes, language difference does make a difference.

Yeah no worries. Half the time I don't make sense to myself, kinda think one would have to be a Jedi

 

[Transk53]

Actually that was a word sandwich, none of which meant the slightest thing that I could decipher. But I thought it was only me. I mean no insult - it just seemed like a whole lot of nonsense words thrown together in a random way, like you were angry with verbs or something.

Yeah, it's not like I am Welsh or anything

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Agreed. My point was that if we start from Option 1, we can transition to including Option 2. Going in the other direction, in my experience, is more problematic.

This is what I may call the

- beginner level training,
- immediate level training,
- advance level training.

During the beginner level training, you use option 1. lift up foot, kick out, pull back, drop down. During immediate level training and advance level training, you start to train the other strategies. I like to use a low roundhouse kick to set up a skin bite followed by a scooping. It may not be what the original form designer tried to design it for.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

My approach to "hybrid" arts is a little different from what I've seen mentioned so far.

When I'm in class for a specific art, I train as the teacher instructs in order to understand the concepts and principles which make the techniques work and to develop whatever physical and mental attributes are necessary to execute them under pressure.

When I go to apply my skills outside of one of those classes, I'm not concerned with performing a specific art. I'm just working to solve a given set of problems under a certain set of constraints. I do that using whichever skills, tactics, body mechanics, and techniques seem appropriate for the task at hand. At this stage in my development as a martial artist I don't seem to encounter any problems with confusion over whether I should be applying this concept from art A or that mechanic from art B at a given moment.

Huh - I meant to post that comment in the "hybrid arts" thread. Not sure how I managed to get it in the "kata" thread. I'll repost it over there so that it's part of the correct discussion.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Yeah no worries. Half the time I don't make sense to myself, kinda think one would have to be a Jedi

LOL. Could you clarify the statement for me, then? I would like to reply, but if I did so now, I'd just be making it up.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Huh - I meant to post that comment in the "hybrid arts" thread. Not sure how I managed to get it in the "kata" thread. I'll repost it over there so that it's part of the correct discussion.

I noticed that after I replied. I'll copy my reply over there, as well.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

This is what I may call the

- beginner level training,
- immediate level training,
- advance level training.

During the beginner level training, you use option 1. lift up foot, kick out, pull back, drop down. During immediate level training and advance level training, you start to train the other strategies. I like to use a low roundhouse kick to set up a skin bite followed by a scooping. It may not be what the original form designer tried to design it for.

Okay, what the heck is a "skin bite"? Please clarify that before I decide you're literally biting your sparring partners!

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Okay, what the heck is a "skin bite"? Please clarify that before I decide you're literally biting your sparring partners!

That's a typo. It's suppose to be "shin bite" that you use your shin bone to press on the inside (or outside) of your opponent's leg to make his knee joint to bend side way.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

That's a typo. It's suppose to be "shin bite" that you use your shin bone to press on the inside (or outside) of your opponent's leg to make his knee joint to bend side way.

I'm still glad you described it, because when I read the first part of this reply, I was wondering how you got down there to bite their shin...

 

[Transk53]

LOL. Could you clarify the statement for me, then? I would like to reply, but if I did so now, I'd just be making it up.

Just thinking about the language. It is very simplistic in human terms. Whether it is the fist, the elbow or the knee, there is only one language. Oh and not to worry about making things up. Been doing that for years, although from my slant, it is simply what works. No biggie if you don't get that

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Just thinking about the language. It is very simplistic in human terms. Whether it is the fist, the elbow or the knee, there is only one language. Oh and not to worry about making things up. Been doing that for years, although from my slant, it is simply what works. No biggie if you don't get that

I was referring to the actual language - the words - not the different techniques. I literally didn't understand the post I quoted, and wanted to reply to it, but can't, because the words didn't make sense to me.

 

[jks9199]

Many MA systems perform a kick as:

- lift leg up,
- kick out,
- pull kick back,
- drop down,

as described as option 1. This can demonstrate good single leg balance.

Option 2 may look as if you don't have good balance and may not look as "pretty" as option 1 does, but option 2 is more combat effective than option 1. The original form designer might just design the form as:

- a kick is just a kick.
- a punch is just a punch. .

But

- a kick can be close distance and set up a punch.
- a punch can be a punch followed by a pull.

This is why the way that you train should not be restricted by the original form designer. If you have "fighting" in mind, your form training should look different from those who trains form for health, performance, self-cultivation, inner peace, ...

Perhaps. But, perhaps there's an advantage to being able to put your foot down rather than fall with it, or even kick again immediately?

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[jks9199]

Just thinking about the language. It is very simplistic in human terms. Whether it is the fist, the elbow or the knee, there is only one language. Oh and not to worry about making things up. Been doing that for years, although from my slant, it is simply what works. No biggie if you don't get that

Maybe you can go back and reread what you wrote? I think maybe fingers got out of sync with brain, or maybe spellchecker got you. It really didn't make much sense...

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