Purely an intellectual exercise... 108 movements

[JP3]

So sir, do you relate to Emile Khadaji or Pen? I love those books...

I've read all of them, which took a while as they're hard to find. To answer your question, "yes."

Great books.

Another great read, which will keep you laughing so hard you are likely to crack a rib or sprain your liver is: "Thong the Barbarian and the Cycle Sluts of Saturn."

 

[Juany118]

I've read all of them, which took a while as they're hard to find. To answer your question, "yes."

Great books.

Another great read, which will keep you laughing so hard you are likely to crack a rib or sprain your liver is: "Thong the Barbarian and the Cycle Sluts of Saturn."

I'll have to hunt for the last but the Matador series is now on Kindle.

 

[JP3]

On Kindle, eh? I'll have to see if they're on Audible yet.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

On Kindle, eh? I'll have to see if they're on Audible yet.

Another Audible addict, eh?

 

[wingerjim]

OKay, I do not know much about non-YM based WC/VT forms but here is a question. Like YM Lineage do they all have 108 movements?

With the answer to that question I then ask the following. I go and hang out on occasion at a Tien Shan Pai school. I see the forms broken down into, shall we call them, more digestible bits. Same with the Japanese arts I am familiar with.

So for the "exercise". Why the long sequence instead of say two 54 count segments for each. The only thing I can come up with is that 108 is a sacred number in Buddhism.

Good question KPM. My school breaks it down into 10 smaller movements but in no case are there 10 or 108 movements....more like 25 and 300. Even when you consider there are matching movements on each side of the dummy the numbers just do not come out the way I would count them, so yes, I believe this is just a number that is important to Buddism...see below from Wikipedia.

Many East Asian martial arts trace their roots back to Buddhism, specifically, to the Buddhist Shaolin Temple. Because of their ties to Buddhism, 108 has become an important symbolic number in a number of martial arts styles.

• According to Marma Adi and Ayurveda, there are 108 pressure points in the body, where consciousness and flesh intersect to give life to the living being.[11]
• The Chinese school of martial arts agrees with the South Indian school of martial arts on the principle of 108 pressure points.[12][13]
• 108 number figures prominently in the symbolism associated with karate, particularly the Gōjū-ryū discipline. The ultimate Gōjū-ryū kata, Suparinpei, literally translates to 108. Suparinpei is the Japanese pronunciation of the number 108, while gojūshi of Gojūshiho is the Japanese pronunciation of the number 54. The other Gōjū-ryū kata, Sanseru (meaning "36") and Seipai ("18") are factors of the number 108.[5]
• The 108 moves of the Yang Taijiquan long form and 108 moves in the Wing Chun wooden dummy form, taught by Yip Man, are noted in this regard.[8]
• The Eagle Claw Kung Fu style has a form known as the 108 Locking Hand Techniques.[14] This form is considered the essence of the style, consisting of an encyclopedia of Chin Na techniques, and is said to be passed down from the founder General Yue Fei.[14]
• Paek Pal Ki Hyung, the 7th form taught in the art of Kuk Sool Won, translates literally to "108 technique" form. It is also frequently referred to as the "eliminate 108 torments" form. Each motion corresponds with one of the 108 Buddhist torments or defilements.