What do you see - what are you able to see

This is my favorite illusion as the 2 images are so opposite. You love one image, and hate the other. BUT they are the same thing.

This is the same effect looking and seeing forms & jurus have on me. When you look at the strange shapes in a form they look

• silly
  

• exotic
  
• mystical ...
  

Take your pick. (I showed my mother once, the stance from Wing Chun's first form and she started laughing. Picture that stance and the fuk sau and you get the idea).
Then you make a breakthrough and you 'see' what you have been looking at. This is one way the illusion metaphore works. But this isn't the point of this blog entry.

The other aspect is interpretation of the martial arts by practitioners. One aspect of the 'arts' and I am thinking about high art - picasso and such like. See how that needs interpretation for some works. This is the 'art' side I am thinking of for the martial. I am thinking that half the work involved is not in following physical patterns and mimicking them but interpreting them.

In this next picture by Duchamp a work of art is created out of a urinal. He calls it 'the fountaine'. He is being cheeky but the point is interpretation gives this meaning.

"The creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator brings the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and interpreting its inner qualifications and thus adds his contribution to the creative act."

My point is watching experts do their moves is not enough. You have to be active in its interpretation to give and extract meanings out of the martial art shapes. I watched and re-watched forms DVDs and struggled with their interpretation ... and like the pictures above, sometimes you get a snap and you seeeeeeeeeeeeee the idea hidden away in there. Sometimes you don't and you aren't taken in by 'la fountaine' like avant-guarde luvvies.

Sometimes the forms need a leap of faith to interpret and you need much effort like this picture .... 'Nude descending a staircase'. This picture and its type (as above), only makes meaning in relation to a theory. Once you have base ideas in place the picture has value and meaning. Otherwise it's

• silly

• exotic

• mystical

This is why the same thing looks different to 2 different martial art practitioners. Culture also serves to affect what we see. it may not be possible for some practitioners from other traditions to see what you see. They don't share the theory that lets you see.


Here is Duchamps self-portrat. He gave up art for chess. The art side of that is in the interpretation of shapes on squares. He was on the same track if you ask me.

Tai Chi Pole Work - their dummy variant ?

This is a great demonstration of 'wooden' apparatus. This way of using the pole means he gets balance into his feedback from the pole. The way he does his push hands is like chi sau (a bit) and there is value there, as there is some resistance from gravity.
The way he recovers the pole once it has hit the floor is very good. Well worth looking at how he does that / inverts the pole / throws the pole and mimics headlock [?] / partial sweeps or leg trap. Foot work is intricate as he turns his back in a judo throw like way. His arm shapes are like tan to bong transitions.

You 'could' do this on the main pole of the wooden dummy for wing chun, if your design is a plug into base type. Take out the arms, but that would be one heavy pole. If your structure is correct your tan to bongs would work, but the throws on that, plus recovery from the ground would be like a sandbag drill.
I wonder ....

Snow Stops Play

I went on the dummy for the first time for ages maybe since November last year. The snow had kept me off, as the ground was too mushy. The picture is proof. (I went to pak sau the dummy and palm the body of the dummy expecting the snow to fly off. Errr ... no ... nothing happened. What an anti-climax).

So it's March and I get going on the dummy and what do I do ? Punch a bit, then put the arms on and see what I can remember of the 108 moves. I can do the 1st part seamlessly, then the second part has this funny kick in it, while your arms are also blocking too, (Peng Nam, now not Yip man). My head thinks 'I have modified this and don't need to do it, like this', but also my heart says 'no' this is the real and authentic move. You must stay true'. I compromise and do the kick separate from the arm moves.

This got me thinking that to keep the whole form going in my memory and replay it and maintain it over time, is quite a tax. Is it worth it? I think Bruce Lee's idea of splitting up the form into segments and using the parts you want from it in various orders is better. It is a 'drill/form' then. Also put in elbows for punches in that form, knees for kicks, punches for palms and palms for punches is more likely to arouse the brain than just recall alone, as you are being creative. Doing the whole form in the first place does introduce you to the variety of moves that are out there, however and an honest attempt at them, is beneficial.

The ideas I was using on there intending for sparring went out of my head the next day too. Something I would like to do is to use the dummy in a social context. I.e. have more than one practitioner around. This could be to act as another set of eyes, to see my footing. It could be to offer up new ideas to drill with, it could even be to represent a 2 on 1 situation !? All I have been doing is solo dummy training, with the rare video seen by someone else for feedback. I have never compared notes with someone on the dummy, who is also a practitioner too, and argued through merits of using it this or that way. Have yet to use a wall mounted dummy either - but have used on mounted in a trellis that is supported. It can be chased left and right.

Can't think of direct dummy applications for ground work in guard or mount that are sensible. Maybe you could lye the dummy on the ground and aim for token arm bars ?! You could not have that dummy on you in guard ! (could you ? NO - stop it. Way too heavy).

Going against orthodoxy or tradition ?

If you go against the 'done way', 'tradition' or the 'orthodox' then expect to be confronted by someone like this man in this picture:Return of the Body Snatchers remade around 1978 is one of my favorite films. The idea that others are not as they seem, or just not 'aware', or others cannot see what you see is quite provocative. The film is almost an allegory.
I had a conversation the other day, with learned colleague who recalled a situation where he advised someone to punch with gloves to avoid a pain in their arm. Person with pain-in-arm related advice to Sensei. Sensei didn't agree. So no change in the scenario and .... pain got worse.
This is a martial arts application. It could apply to differences in 'the Yip-Man' 108 which is a sacred form for some people.
It could apply to your company or society, whatever. It can actually benefit you to be not part of a crowd and to step out or change company to get a new perspective. A new set of analogies. A new set of phrases to think with - whatever. This poor chap, above, in the film did at least try but he succumbed.
(Actually this picture was animated and had the man shaking his finger at you, like in the film, but its 'been lost in translation').

Watch this practitioner - what snappy form!

Wow, watch this practitioner doing the 108. Doesn't matter if you approve of Wing Chun or not. You can't fail to see this practitioners short range 'fa ging' power being snapped out. This is the 'snake style' ,I feel, coming out in her expression of Wing Chun. Those side-kicks she does come out of no where and are really angled nicely. Lovely dummy too - can't fail to want to own that piano black object.
When she does combination of strikes she doesn't pause between them to admire her handy work. she blasts them out, as If they were musical notes they would be triplets, (one beat sliced into 3). You can learn from her, whatever discipline your into, as she has good form.
Someone one the youtube web site said watching her is like a view of what Beautiful Springtime must have looked like ! IN the comments she replies she has been doing this 40 years ! OMG - she looks 20.

Some Videos I Made Earlier

Here are some vids on the dummy. They have the pegs taken out of the base to make the dummy move about and absorb energy. They are a drill on the dummy, involving backfist and a trap; boxing slips, and short and long range palms. I corrected one palm set, and tried it a new way. The videos had to be fixed from portrait angle, from phone, using software. Otherwise you would have to turn your head 90 degrees. I chose that angle as it allows for capture of body and dummy length. I am fond of portrait angles, but know of someone who is vehemently opposed to this camera angle and prefers landscape. This is an aesthetic rift that has emerged.

Baz Luhrmann - Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)

This is a top song. Listen to it more than once. Listen to it once a month.

The Funeral - by M.Quoist

Here is an extract of parts of a Prayer / Poem by Michael Quoist.
I read this today in memory of my Mother.

People were following:
The family - some crying,
Some pretending to cry ;
Friends - some grieving,
Some bored or chatting.

Leaving the cemetery, some of the family were sobbing: "All is finished".
Others were sniffling : "Come, come, my dear, courage, it's finished !"
Some friends murmured: "Poor man, that's how we'll all finish."
And others sighed in relief: "Well, it's over".

And I was thinking that everything was just beginning.

Yes, he had finished the last rehearsal, but the eternal show was just beginning.
The years of training were over, but the eternal work was about to commence.
He had just been born to life,
The real life,
Life that's going to last,
Life eternal.

Heavy Metal Dummy

NGC - Pan Ing Lan on this metal Dummy.

I have never seen this design before. It looks like a modified Choy Le Fut dummy. Watch this man clank his arms on this metal object. I would not try this at home children. I wonder if he helps himself out by angling in his muscle to buffer his bone as it clashes. If you 'sheer' in your movements you could get some use out of metal as a medium on the dummy. I have stuck a metal pole in the bottom arm of my dummy as an experiment and it is functional but it makes a clashing noise at it buffers the main body of the dummy. Also without a whole and metal pin there are no lap sau, (pulling hand), type moves, for what that is worth.

Watch him go behind the dummy - that is interesting. You can get a choke on that maybe. The base of the dummy is not raised that high either. Also those arms are sprung loaded at the front. That could be used for Thai clinch type moves. The hand conditioning looks 'very dedicated' - his knuckles are testimony to this. I read somewhere if you train your finger tips like this, it will impair any fine skills you may need your fingers for - piano, threading needles etc. I guess your nerve endings become less sensitive.

Owning Strawberries

Do you see this image. It represents a character of a short cartoon on the web and is also on Youtube. Its the evil strawberry.

After much thought and consideration I believe this character represents any learning activity that creates grief an displaces the learning goal in a distant place - a forbidden fruit if you like. Its a parable.

In any learning activity that does not come easily, it is hard not to feel frustrated and angry and act like this child - sour grapes !

The key to all this in acquiring a hard skill - and I am thinking of sweeps and throws in martial arts for me at the moment - is resilience. Its a characteristic of the learner that needs to kick in when a barrier to the learning goal emerges. Not dealing with set backs can make you give up and in adult learners who have unrealistic goals, this can happen. I teach adult learners social sciences. Some are very grade aware and have high goals and expectations for obtaining these high grades that makes the subject matter irrelevant almost. Learners in this category are high risk suspects when it comes to managing setbacks and wanting to give up their study.

Developing a different attitude to learning - seeing it as a long haul issue and seeing the intrinsic pleasures are a way to overcome set backs. Josh Waitskin talks about this in his disciplines of chess and Tai Chi. Of how the apprenticeship of learning *IS* the goal. Leave the learning train - lose the attachment to the discipline almost is what comes across. It is a psychological condition coping with set back.




Why am I talking about this ? Yesterday I was going sweeps and I am re-learning and re-learning and not really making head way in this set of moves. I have been here before with Vale Tudo and some of the moves there, which I could not really adapt to. I know what to expect and what is happening to me when I am learning however. I have realistic expectations to a degree with this aspect of martial arts. This realistic view aids me. I could get red faced like this child here, but I just have to accept the moves are hard. I did this while learning parallel park. I can remember the sweat under my arms and the pressure n my face when learning this manouvre for my driving test. I decided to take all pressure of myself and say I will get it when I am ready. Not rushing this. Love the learning and relish the innocence.

This is similar to my feelings of chess. Those innocent days in 1987 when I was learning from books and reading how the Sicilian defence creates asymmetry and nodding at the principles but not really getting them are to be cherished. The mystery of it all does add something. Chiseling away at the mystery is good too, however.

The big difference academia, chess and martial arts and driving here is the sensory motor side. Its very binary in terms of having a skill on the latter 2. You have the technique or you don't. You park in line and can see it for yourself. You can apply a sweep or not. No in between.

You work to get that strawberry in time or you don't.!

Seeing is believing ?

This is a training video with 2 others. I saw what I looked like 'doing boxing' type moves. For a few years now I have been told 'chin down'. I thought I had this idea down by 2005, but it crept back up. Here in this video it creeps up when I try and deliver upper-cuts. OK I am aiming to deliver uppercuts for my friends defences, but if he counters, my chin is on a plate.
You can hear Granmaster K telling me chin down. I have heard this a hundred times. BUT now I see it.

Yuk. I look a poor sight. I disgrace myself.

So what ? This shows the value of video and the idea of seeing is believing. Think of how people put bias on 'eye witnesses'; 'Doubting Thomas' came to believe only when he saw; and the statement 'I will believe it when I see it'. Well this video is massive and got me thinking about video too in general.



Its not totally true that seeing is believing is it. We see lots of adverts on TV and don't believe them ...because we have critical skills. Watching and seeing are interpretive acts. We are matching things up in our heads to what we see.

The issue is these skills can be sharpened.
When it comes to watching martial arts instructionals, we can arrest these skills - excessive reverence can be a cause. Master X or so and so's student does this - it MUST be true. It’s a trap.

Worth thinking about too is how old is this material ? Has the practitioner moved on and changed or modified their techniques ? Maybe they have had a Pauline conversion and renounced their style all together since that video was made as there were flaws in their approach !?

Do you have another instructional that has this same type of material - if so then contrast the techniques. Get a friend in to watch with you to help contrast the moves. Take time to tooth pick their differences. Maybe the practitioner isn't verbalising something that they need to that your friend sees ?

Remember to look at the feet - even in hand techniques. The feet show weight distribution for example or how to move the upper body. They are tied often to the hands. If the camera cuts-off the feet then maybe you have to search down the tape or DVD for an example or find another example elsewhere.

Keep a log of what videos you have seen or own. This will act as an index to look up this or that move. It shows you too how far you have moved in your 'journey'.

Search for reviews on your instructions before or even after you buy them. These can be useful in verifying the value of what you have
. The BJJ community is very vibrant in reviewing instructionals that come out in its domain. There is something very different about BJJ / Vale Tudo knowledge and its socially shared nature. I wonder if its something to do with the physical proximity of training mano-a-mano that creates this ?!

Write notes to accompany your DVDs. These could be stick-men that break down a move. The pause function and A-B repeat is excellent for this [If you have never used the latter - THAT is your homework ok!]. Give your notes to your friends - it could be questions like I don’t get move @ 22 mins in - can you work out what this means ? Or do you trust that arm-lock @ 52 mins ? It could be an index of moves in writing.
After a few viewings the details will melt away or go 'fuzzy'.

Watch the video once and let it gloss over you - this is 'looking'. Then once you have a 'mental map' of what is there focus on a portion to train on that day. And a new portion another day. This creates 'seeing'.

Write reviews. This verbalises your thoughts and forces you to evaluate what you have seen. Evaluation is a high level cognitive skill. Practice it. It goes beyond mimicry or description.

Treat your DVDs with care. Avoid scratching them and implore your ruffian friends not to scratch them when you lend them. If they do get scratched, then there are some remedies like tooth paste being wiped into the scratch.

Can't see properly ?

I have a migraine now. My vision has gone all spangly and I cannot see that well. It is not good. I can be sick too with numb arm and messed up speech - like a mini stroke in this situation but this isn't as bad as when I was a teenager.
What if I was out and about and some delightful youth wants to cause a confrontation ? Goodness what nightmare.

What isn't addressed by self-defence literature is what to do if you cannot see properly and need to defend yourself. I wear glasses and if these get knocked off, then with my minus 9 vision I am looking at burrs. With migraine vision I am have blind sports.

Crazy moneky guard would be a good fail-safe here, as you don't have to be that active in your defense - no searching for bridges or interacting on a high reflex demanding defence like a pak sau.. To be honest you may not see it coming with a migraine. You would have to feel the attacker if you could not see them. Here grappling chi sau (for want of a better word), would be of value in searching for that bridge if you want to make contact.

I have tried sparring with no contact lenses in. I did get hit more but it wasn't that bad. If the light was failing that would be worse. At night I could not run as yo wont see where your feet are being placed too easily. With no glasses imagine loosing your keys to your car ! I have a spare pair of glasses in the car thankfully - its required by law in some states.

Learning forms

I am learning a form at the moment. To do this needs a special form of concentration, slow repetition, frustration and imagination.
I am getting the core of the form of a DVD and this is a good medium vs VHS. The DVD player has A:B Repeat function and this allows you to segment the sections. My method is to plough through these segments and not dare move on until you 'get' the shape your on.

Once you 'have' that segment you go back to the start and re-stack the units so far. This needs discipline as you want to race ahead and get it over and done with. You may have to turn the sound down or off, as the repetition of phrases can be unbearable BUT on the other hand the ideas are being vocalised too and if you are an 'auditory' learner, then you may pick up these commands and make them meaningful.

To make the shapes stick in my memory I develop silly names / ideas and thread these together like a mini-story. The form I am focusing on has these 2 circular hand shapes at the start. I told myself they look like the 'Mr.Man' character Mr. Dizzy.

It is worth seeing the form 'done properly' by different people so you can see what is the margin of difference in expressing the shapes. In this DVD there is an elbow strike that hits an arm with a slap in one expression, or slides along it in another. Sometimes that hand is up like a prayer hand, sometimes it is flush to the forearm. A few years ago this difference would have phased me. "It must be one or the other or its all wrong", I would have thought. But forms are seldom like that totally. Its the idea/s in there that they signify that count more. I know this from the Wing Chun forms, their deviant expressions and simialrity. If you learn to look then you learn to see. I.E. Wood through the trees. The big idea can be expressed in varying ways.

Breathing is meant to me mapped on to the in and outward moves - or ying and yang type moves. This is hard. I find it hard to belive that the practitioner in the DVD gets a full breath in sync. with his moves. Only way I can get close is to go very S-l-o-w like tai chi nearly. It may pick up when I can swithc of my brain and do the moves with out thinking.

I know there is a debate out there about forms and why bother etc. etc. this isn't the place to go over this. But I would rather know them then not and realise they are the basis of teaching / learning and keeping the inventory of moves and ideas in your face. Without the forms you may regress into technique collecting. I think JKD could be accused of this.

Josh Waitzkin in his book 'The Art of Learning', however, does say it is possible to become a form collector in its own right. To avoid that you need to know the applications too. I have to go over the applications and the form again to keep it in mind, to avoid just doing funny shapes. I know from studying the Wing Chun forms that the applications are myrriad from the same moves. They can be literal or very abstract. The DVD only scratches the surface with applications, the man says so too You will have to use your imagination to eek out the meainings of this. One way to do this is by analogy.

Here is a link to someone useing imagination to the application to the same shape:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdQlQ2w-McQ&feature=channel_page

Another way to mix things is to do the form in differnt ways. Hard like uber-Karate. Soft like Tai Chi. Mixed mode etc. This could benefit you in different ways, breathing, reflex etc. This form I cannot do very fast and I am in slow mode for now. The DVD has the masters student doing it in 4 angles, fast too. This is useful.

A dummy on the dummy

Nice animation here. I bet its based on a real actor / real modeling of a Wing Chun practitioner, as there are breaks in the footwork pivots. (Doesn't matter).
Good angle chosen to capture depth.

If you didn't go pigeon toes does it matter, so long as you fuse your spine base and pelvis ?

Stop Smoking the Bong Sau

This video is from Bulshido.net
These people could be seen as 'rationalists' in the sense they seek to expose the mysticism in the martial arts : death touches, deadly screams and other mystical claims by equally mystical gurus.

Here they have a video of Wing Chun. They make fun of it. The message of this site is to test the claims made by the arts and not take it on faith. I can see why Wing Chun is fair game for this, as the culture around it does prompt some mystical attributes. The tradition and lineage worship isn't helpful. The search for the 'pure' and true lineage keeps away any conflicting evidence that may arise.

One interesting comment in the text to this video was the idea that there are diminishing returns from studying traditional MA. The more you do the less you get out of it hour for hour. You become so good your trained to be 'bad', as you become 'stylized'. I.e. Sculpted into inflexable and inappropriate responses.

Vietnam Wingchun Nei-gia Kuyen. (Look for Human Dummy @1.20)

Wow - look at this at about 1.20 into the video. They have a human dummy to assist the demonstration of the form. How novel.

The shapes in this variant look like 5 animal system.

Form and function squashes the debate

Look at the Wing Chun wooden dummy. Really stare at it.

Look at the length of the arms. Look at that leg. See how short they are from the body of the dummy.

'That' short, means it's a short range system and most of the moves, (not all), in the 108 reflect that you will be in this short range. (Only the kicks on the flank are where disengagements in that space occur - but you come back in).

So what ? The forms leading up to this 108 set are now being deployed with more footwork. You are in a showcase now of what fighting may look like, to a degree, in this optimized set of skills. When you specialize you leave things behind. This system has voluntarily left behind the long range kicks - it hasn't got any. This means it doesn't want you to get into a long distance game. No kick-fencing. It does give you tools to smother long low kicks, however. It does know 'others' do things that way.

Also in the form there are no long range punches. The arms partly influence this. They are so short, you have to do a calculated shuffle if you want that in. Look at the Choy Le Fut dummy. See how long the arms are on that - the central movable one. That is designed that way, as CLF, as long range aspirations in it. Design means intent - or at least it used to in the Middle Ages.

All this tells you of the design assumptions in Wing Chun's aims and optimizations. It has a small content because it only specializes in a limited range. THAT is its specialty. IT didn't claim to do anything else if you ask me. (assuming we have the perfect knowledge set of 'Wing Chun'), then it is a deliberately limited art to get you up and running. THAT story of Beautiful Spring time is to reinforce that point. SHE had a short term goal that needed seeing to. To 'sort out a bully', in a short time frame. Things had to be excluded.

The 108 repeats and drills many shapes and explores different scenarios of a 'small' array of moves in a short space.

Carrying on from this I would not even bother getting dragged into 'is Wing Chun good for sparring with'. No, it isn't as that uses space tactically - back and forth - and kick boxer / boxers have different appreciation of that space in sparring.

In its optimised space - if you can get the other person in that zone - that is what Wing Chun is for. Wing Chun is good at what Wing Chun specializes in. Pull it out of the ideal shape and its less useful. That is why I would not get pulling into, a verbal debate in the same way. That too, is out of range, by design. If you bring Wing Chun into different terrains with claims for it, then its a pain. You have to show how you can fight with others in different ranges in your ideal structure, (that makes it Wing Chun still and not become de facto kick boxing). Or you have to cite others who can - and this leaves you in a virtual world of possibilities not your own experiences. So don't bother. That argument is out of range too. Stay away from that and 'stick' to the aims and claims of 'the design'. That dummy is the design.

Short aims. Short arms. Limited content.

Will the real Robin stand-up

I have to defend the honor of the wooden dummy sometimes from non-believers and this needs Super Hero like skills.

This is in fact the Robin that came to aid me in the previous post and gave me magic powers. The picture is of the Boy Wonder doing Gum Sau, and that is a roof top dummy on the edge of the picture.

The Robin was correcting my Bong Sau - or wing arm technique.

Bong sau is good if your hands are low by your sides, say you are carrying shopping. None of the Wing Chun literature tells you that. They assume bong sau is from stance. We are not in stance in everyday life. When we are suprised we have no defensive / offensive structure. So we need to think about that one. Upright stance IS our structure when surprised - or is it a lean back - becuase we are shocked ?

Boxers have a version of bong sau when they drop the lead arm and hide behind their shoulder. I think Fillsack on youtube does it in some boxing sparring he shows. This is a conscious effort to drop the lead arm, that was up in the first place, into that shape.

Wrestlers have their bong sau to get rid of a one armed grab around the neck, in a shrug like motion. I have once done it then after than never did it again in sparring.

Bull fighters have a bong sau like action with their cape BUT their footwork is the real deal as it angles off in a box-step / spiral. This type of step-off to the side and slightly forward can be seen in Master Wong's 116 video - which I have below somewhere. It comes early on, and is followed by a dumog-like action / lap sau. That is some good footwork for that form and its not in Yip Man's version.

The 'A' frame in grappling 'in guard' is a supported bong sau. Bong sau is in Kali when you block a straight thrust with your stick - again matador.

On the dummy Bong sau can be sticky with a diagonal forward motion, that crushes the opponents structure. OR it can be ballistic and you can bounce off them. You can have inner-gate bong sau - the first section of the dummy has this and you repeat it often. Its to correct a mistake and you get to the outside gate with your step circle slide footwork as you tan sau.

Here are 2 pictures from http://www.kifightingconcepts.com/IKF_6-2005.htm



Here is an outer-gate 'wing arm'. That leads to 'the-very- hard-to-do-in-a- struggle', lap sau. Nice finesse here actually that the lap sau is on the same arm, that has been bumped right by the bong sau.

Hands make the way - but not on the dummy

Did some drills today for aiding sweeps in Silat. Si-gung Sackvill showed me them in the garage academy. I put gusto into drilling them slowly, as if it was 2004 again and I was going over my dummy form and the sacred 108.

Anyway, what I wanted to day today was get the dummy involved into the Silat swing of things and do the sapu on that. You can't on the dummy with all the pieces are plugged in. Hands make the way for you to impale yourself.

So you have to take out the leg, and the central arm and one of the top arms. This leaves on arm left pointing on the triangle 'V'. You have to imagine you have made the way and left the path free now (no hardship) and then you can 'uproot' and have a flush - or near - flush torso to the dummy body and push that away on a 'T'.

I used the 'T' there as the 'I' part of the 'T' is me coming in and the cross-part is the force for the opposite lever for the top half. Next comes the foot which needs some imagination or an air sweep the other way 'L'.

My dummy is in a trough, so the thing can rock forward that helps too.

I hope this is all worth it and I have not got a fundamental flaw in here.

Getting a Wing Chun Wooden Dummy - was it worth it ? 5 years on.

Hi people,

I got my Wing Chun dummy 5 years ago in winter of 2003. As I had written earlier on this blog, I had coveted the dummy for about 9 months before paying for one. It is a fair amount of money and I had to do some research into which one to get, what type and even should I get one.

Overall I would say yes. I am glad I got the dummy. The deep indulgence of learning the 108 moves and the research around that were exhilarating. The effort needed to go through the moves, cross-check and adapt and verify were quite time consuming. I had to make adaptions to my knowledge. When I went to Australia I had come back with some new Wing Chun knowledge that added finesses to what I had learned. 'Chasing the arm' was something that reinforced the need for forward focus - e.g in tan sau make sure you don't use it as a wax on wax off block when sparring when scared.

The searching for video knowledge was useful. Seeing the diverse uses of the dummy were interesting. Jospeh Simonet and Randy Williams are two good diverse starting points. The JKD literature on the dummy isn't as good as I felt it should be. Although Lucay Lucay does use sticks on his dummy.

Also there have been moments of doubt when using the dummy. A learned friend - in sync. in the spirit of 'aliveness' from Matt Thornton, had said the dummy was not a good tool and to forget it. This is because trapping doesn't work.

This was in 2004. Already there was an emergence of a different way of thinking in martial arts and the dummy was not part of that. This put much dissonance in my mind. Why spend time doing forms on it if they are not of value. Bruce Lee said this, but he still has his sets on the Wooden Man. This is the argument on the next level.

After some thought and training in garage with friends I can say that the dummy is of obvious value when there is stiff arm energy. When there is a constant pushing type force for you to feed off. When there isn't don't expect to have much dummy knowledge flow in to be of value off you. I think, that it is worth training the dummy in a non-stick ballistic way then too.

The number of dummies on the market has increased - and designs have diversified. E.g. you get half dummies on sale now.

I use my dummy outside and if I costed out the time I have used it in 5 years then it is value for money as I really do use it. I think there are untapped uses for the dummy out there - for MMA type drills that would work, for example plum Thai head hold can be mimicked and escape too. (Maybe I do a video).
Silat uses of the dummy are out there but rare. Only seen one Silat dummy video on YouTube (which is linked below in a previous post). Simonet has handshapes that are Silat like in his form.

These days I split up my form into mini drills. I rarely do the whole form. The reason why is the upright stance needed for it isn't that useful I find and in sparring my chin must not come up. A couple of times I have hooked punched and my chin surfaces to get countered. The tension between tradition and practicality does rankle with me sometimes. But its my journey and my body. I am responsible for my training and evaluating what is best for me. The (traditional) form can't dictate what I can and can't do.

Of all moves on the dummy probably pak sau - slap hand - is the one that comes out in sparring the most. Bong sau very rarely sees the practical light of day - beyond weapons. Tan sau is of use and getting it pushing into the body of the dummy is good practise. Double garn sau does have some uses I have found out in its 'jaws' you can catch a committed stab energy.

When I was doing the research in 2003 for the dummy the arguments against classical and traditional training were only angry rants on forums. I didn't know they were a real issue - due to BJJ and Cage fighting. Now if I had been exposed to this argment and the people I now know and share with I wonder if I still would buy a dummy now. Mmmm. The people around me would not be sympathetic to it. That may infleunce me. Its my like of Wing Chun that goes back to 1988/9 that put the seed in my head. The symbolism of the dummy is quite strong. The VHS instructionals were like £30 or £50 in the 80s. And the wooden dummy was seen as one of the last hurdles in the journey. I think this has an issue in sympathising with it. It makes you desire it as you are getting closer to the unobtainable goal. I just jumped in later unoffically and untraditionally, as we can these days, with no apprentiships.

Dummies don't hit back. This is true. Learning not to flinch and turn the head can only come from human interaction in training. This could not be obtained from dummy training.

Robin

I was training today on the dummy. It was frosty but the ground was nice and hard. Not like Somme 1916. When I train sometimes a robin comes and watches me. The robin is a small bird with red chest. It is very brave. I think it thinks I will churn up the ground for worms with my dummy being some strange machine.

Something odd today, however. The robin came within inches of me and would not go away. Its really trying to say something you sense. I waited for it to go a distance away and got some bread and threw it in another direction so I could carry on training, I wonder if the clacking of the dummy actives the worms that the robin wants ?

Cheep cheep.

Silat Jurus vs Wing Chun Forms

Yo !

I am going through some basic juru training in Silat. As I have some knowledge of Wing Chun forms, (including different lineages versions), I wanted to do a mini-comparison.

From a beginners perspective when you examine Juru 1 and Sil Lum Tao as entry level forms the differences are interesting. Silat has more double hand movements in it. Wing Chun has some double hand movements initially for the generic salutation, then focuses generally on single hand movements.

In Juru 1 there is this underarm slide that looks like the underarm slide in Biu Gee. This is interesting indeed. The application I was shown is very simialr to Wing Chun's. But the gap in being shown these in your Wing Chun 'career' vs the Silat novice is measured in years.

I wonder if the concepts gained in Silat are more mature / faster than those in Wing Chun (as expressed in modern teaching of Wing Chun ?!). Would a Silat player come out with more concepts than a Wing Chun player in a similar timeframe ? 2 hands go into battle early on plus you get footwork and lower level training introduced.

I always thought Silat and Wing Chun look simiar in the hand movements. Hence this comparison. There is no point trying to shoe-horn Wing Chun into the Silat mold and vice versa as they are different mentalities. BUT if you want the same function out of these systems then the comparison is 'fair-use'.

On youtube look about for Silat jurus and forms and contrast this with Wing Chun forms. See a variety of practitioners.

I am begining to think Silat is a more flexible passport into other systems.

Sparring MMA again

I did some MMA type sparring today. Rather I sparred with someone who does MMA skills with takedown vs me.

I can't match this at all and have to aim at getting better than I was before and not flinch and fold etc. when punches rain down on me.

Interesting point was made when it was said trapping does exist in MMA ... on the ground. Its that on the ground - say in mount - the defender can only go in 2 dimensions and so the arms are more predictable to trap.

THAT is interesting. You can pin and hit in a more stable fashion than in stand up when if someone retreats, then your stickyness melts.

Do the Twist !

Twisting in Wing Chun is different from twisting in Silat.

If you watch the 2nd form Chium Kiu on youtube, you will see that they twist the whole body into their pivots.

Silat however, twists the top half of the body. I am learning that that yields more options for legwork. The baset sweep is a good example. You have to keep your base and turret independent to sweep, as the top half creates torque. Maybe I can find some vids to show the distinction.

Divorce !

It's true. Me and Wing Chun (my beautiful springtime) are getting divorced !

It's the upright stance. I believe this is a barrier to learning moves from other disciples. The hook and cross type moves from boxing have the top-half move. The angling-off with the stick again head moves off line. Judo moves have head forward and so does wrestling. (I wrote about chin up below, in another post).

I have invested time in the forms and 'being correct' but the dividends maybe minimal, given that the rewards from other disciplines are being removed. This is a point worth considering if you want to cross-train. Wing Chun could be a barrier to learning mmmmm ..... *if* the upright stance is creeping into your other moves unintentionally.

Actually this isn't a real divorce. it will be a separation of that element. The dummy moves will have to be less upright therefore. The arm shapes can look like other shapes too. The kicks are ok as you still sit down when kicking too, in other applications. That can stay.

Arbitration maybe needed to settle costs and payout for Wing Chun. Or she can pay me. Either way the association cannot continue the way it has been.

Close Range Strikes/Neck Crank/Clinch- Bob Spour SAS Combat

This move is actually a variation of the 1st move of Yip Man's 116 movements on the dummy. The footwork can be seen as a 'box step'. The Peng Nam 116 has that footwork in too.

John Searle on Ludwig Wittgenstein:

This argument here applies to Wing Chun Schools who bicker over 'correct' technique. Different schools have different rules over the same moves meaning and interpretation ...... and use.

first half Slam Set 1

This is someones 1st half of Simonet's Slam set. The angle of the camera is interesting as the near side isn't that blocked. (Better than my filming efforts).

This is good work.

Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

This video makes me laugh. It can be applied to anyone / thing in an organisation that proclaims authority over knowledge.

My homework for you - should you watch this - is to think of examples in your learning where you once revered someone / an idea and then had Dorothy's experience.

Leaders of large martial art schools that are very strict on their knowledge could be a target of this ?!

Authors@Google: Josh Waitzkin

This is a good review of themes from Josh's own book that deals with sports psychology, motivation and skill improvement.
This is the 2nd time I have linked to his work / book on this blog. This explanation is more reasoned.
It's a good interview on a good medium.

Key Point Aesthetics vs Practicality

Yesterday had some light sparring activity. During this I had my chin up - what's new. Again I get told to keeping it down. I know this is an issue but like a bad child the habit resurfaces. I try to blame the Wing Chun straightblast and chin up (they keep their chin up becuase the head can be arched back with it out the way).

I am countered with the reply:

"You will get some YMCA practitioner who has spent £2 on his boxing sessions knocking you out. Not even Yip Man would fight like that. Choy Lee Fut would even tuck their chin in.".

This is all right. I know it. But the chin still creeps up. This is what happens when the aesthetic of forms creeps into practice. I must re-invent my forms with chin down. Going right-side forward on the dummy will help here I think as its a realistic stance and the chin has to have something to be tucked into.

Note to self: need to research how other practitioners get their chin down. I recall in a book by Henry Cooper a rolled up newspaper was wedged under the chin to reinforce the lesson.

New Age Symbolism ?!

> The similarities have struck me of these two events. And made a profound impact upon me !

Now look here >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The Master Doing Chium Kiu & 116

Here is Chium Kiu and the 116 being performed by Yip Man, not long before he died of throat cancer. It is worth seeing how Chium Kiu is applied in the 116 movements dummy form.
Bruce Lee went to film Yip Man doing the form but was turned down. Yip Man was not too pleased with Bruce teaching non-Chinese. Ironically, Yip's son went on to teach non-Chinease too. And Wong Jack Man ...

This Is The DVD That Got Me Started

This is the DVD that got me started on the Wing Chun dummy. I have written about it earlier in the blog but here is a DVD clip about it. I like the way Michael Wong is ballistic on the dummy - absolute contrast to many other practitioners of the 116 movements. Note: it's a contrast, not the alternative.

The form is Pen Nam's form it has eagle claw moves in it, too, plus a re-juggling of many of moves that Yip Man's system has. If you know this form then you can add in Yip Man moves to spice it up. Yip Man's moves has more diverse kicks, (but not as diverse as Randy Williams / Austin Fong's system). There is some straight blasting in this form but not in Yip Man's form.

Robot on Dummy

This is one dummy display that IS hard to match ! Maybe it's getting at the idea of simulation and 'aliveness' that Mat Thornton criticizes traditional training for, (no footwork). Ok - no it ISN'T, but ...good work here. I got this off youtube and its by Andy McGrath a 3D animator interested in Wing Chun. Good skills. www.anthonymcgrath.co.uk

Extreme Slam Set Segment

I bought this double-VHS set when I got my dummy in 2003/4. What I liked about this set was the insights and uses of the dummy. It went beyond what the classical instructional tapes had and was better than the JKD dummy tapes I had. JKD dummy use is very fast and hard to see what the practitioner is doing, (ok that's not totally true). Here Simonet had some integrated moves from other arts and does show multiple applications for the same tool. That is worthy.
Here I liked the straight blast that ends in the eye jab / fuk sau shape.

Sticks On The Dummy

Here is Addy Hernandez - Joseph Simonet's co-worker using the dummy, [minus its leg] for stick work. Fair use of the dummy. Lucay Lucay does something similar. If you are worried about splinters, then use rolled up magazine, or just put a tree branch in where the arm was.

Jeet Kune Do TRAPPING 1 Also Applied To Dummy

This is some good teaching and application video from Youtube. It's about the controversial skill of trapping:

Some people debate the value of this skill. Some say its H-a-R-d to implement. Some say it is hard - but you need to practice it - therefore.

I only know about 2 or 3 traps properly. You either excel at this or don't bother, I sometimes think. Complex or compound traps just arn't going to happen in an assault, they are best seen as using energy in different ways.
Interestingly Geoff Thompson said trapping is useful - it's how its applied. A basic pak sau and punch is well worth knowing, I believe as it could be seen in practical situatuations - e.g. finger pointing aggression; grab attempt. Remember you can re-feed your punch - dont bother swimming for another solution. OR just change your angles for a new line of attack.

Some JKD schools like Ted Wong's don't do trapping I understand. Maybe trapping will be reclassified to fit into wrestling and stand-up grappling. I can see chi sau going this way - see Alan Orr's www for ideas there.

Anyway what I liked here was the use of the dummy / other person. This is a clear video. Credit to the teachers.

Useful Quote From Josh Waitskin

Here is a good quote from Josh Waitzkin author of the book The Art of Learning.

From: http://onthemat.com/articles/Josh_Waitzkin_Interview_01_25_2008.html

"But to answer your question—honestly, a very large percentage of Tai Chi practitioners have their heads in the clouds…and they are the ones who make the most noise, stage the silly fake demonstrations, and create a cultish mindset that a practical fighter can just walk right through. I’d write them off too. Plus the system has little groundwork and most teachers are still closed minded about that element of the martial arts. Frankly, I think this problem is rampant in many traditional martial arts—teachers are terrified of looking bad and losing students so they create a world that denies what they don’t know."

What is interesting here is Josh is an uber MMA. He cross-trained Tai Chi, Brazillian JJ and chess !

He has ideas of how they are linked. What I liked in this quote is how he shows learning can take place in a bubble. If you stay in one place you miss out external voices that may want to test and question your premises. I can identify learning in martial arts when people refer to the techniques validity, via a master, in the system.

What has this got to do with the Wing Chun Dummy. Well it can be applied as a reminder to the learning of the form in its own right - rather than applications. You may get a shock if you arn't thinking about applications. Also you look on youtube and the comments people make about diversity of use of the dummy. It shows how people think there is one right way. That is the 'closed' mind set mentioned here in the quote.

It could be BJJ and Vale Tudo develop a closed mindset too if they end up thinking, due to their corrections and criticisms, they have arrived at THE method and stop pressure testing it and examining even old ideas again.

Triangular Footwork

This footwork #is# in the 116 movements if you choose to see it. The leg is in the dummy to make you vector on the 'V' shape. (I had drawn some pictures earlier on in the blog - see archives for these ideas, but now I know how to link to youtube its a good idea to revise this).

Doesn't matter if the 116 movements has the 'exact' footwork, as your drills can just absorb differences).

Psychology-Richard Grannon- Learn To Deal With Verbal Threat

Look at this. Self-defense orientated video. Here the instructor offers models of what pre-fight rituals look like. This is aggressive behavior that men get into before a conflict. This is worth knowing about. (Geoff Thompson started making people aware of this in the mid 90s).

The hands up can be used when on the dummy - pretend you're fencing off people in each of the forms sections maybe, or in your drills ? Hands up at all times above the dummy arms. Maybe the dummy arms touch you ? - then its elbow range.

Here the video uses talk to diffuse the situation and be vigilant, too, for aggression.

Parts of this video offer very new approaches to 'the fence' - @ 6 mins in he looks at type of talk stance. This is even sideways on like a therapist ! This is interesting - (maybe if you are trying to win the person over to be your friend / be friendly. Get this wrong and your dead).

Words of Wisdom PT 1

Here listen to the 'new paradigm' for learning and training MA by Matt Thornton. See his chess analogy too @ 6.30 onwards. Very apt.

Silat Meets Wing Chun

Here we have Wing Chun mixed with Silat. This could be trained on the dummy - those chopping straight blasts. It wouldn't need padding either, as the blade of the hand can chop hard on the dummy.

The way they talk about Silat's evolution, it is feasible Southern stylists came from China with Wing Chun ideas and they were adapted. Plus the weapons of Kali ....

Wing Chun - Dummy form explained

Here the teacher shows dummy applications from the form. Good stuff. Worth watching all the way through.

Opening Credits -- The Taking of Pelham 123

This can be the tune for the dummy. This is Shire's peice that repretsents the hussle and bussle of diverity in New York.
Well the dummy can represent that in its moves - or the moves you apply to it. Joseph Simonet's work on the Slam Set is very diverse. I dedicated this to him !

CCK TCPM Wooden Dummy Form

Here is another Kung Fu use of the dummy (non-Wing Chun. I can see some similarities in how Randy Williams uses his dummy form and this. Eg. use of elbows and knees in the form here. Leg sweeps too. Some differences - a 360 tiger tail spin in this. High protecting arm in this form too.
If its possible the best camara angle for dummy forms is 3/4 down view. Its hard to see the near side when the practitioner is camera side.

Master Donald Mak demo in Hong Kong

Look this is an 'air dummy' - someone doing the form like an Air Guitar ! There is a Nike advert out there with a woman doing the same thing.
This practitioner has nice crisp movement.

Human Weapon Kung Fu - Chain Punching

Glad to see this topic being addressed. Wish I saw all of this program.

How Many Wing Chun Fighters Does It Take To Change A Lightbulb ?

The above joke title applies to Wing Chun especially as there is so much hair splitting. The answer is : 5. One to screw in the bulb - the other 4 to say they are doing it wrong !

I am prompted to say this because I saw on someone elses' blog they had a youtube.com video on their wooden dummy use. He had to disable comments as he was getting slated. Even if he was perfect in his sub-style of Wing Chun he would STILL get slated I bet (see above joke answer).

You don't get this in MMA, Thai boxing, Judo etc. These arts are very effective. They test their techniques full contact too remember - an acid test.

Steve Sinclair's wooden dummy knowledge

Go here for some good insights:

http://www.ukwingchun.com/Wooden_Dummy.htm

very sensible comments made.

For example he shows the double 'garn sau' hands - that are broad apart onthe dummy but are close in application.











I have his video on wing chun 'Pure and Simple' and its very good indeed. Not many people talk about it, strangley. It's the only one that shows you how to use the hit fall wine - Dit da Jow - to condition your hands after sand bag use. He does this in a circular motion really rubbing hard into the area. I use this and believe it works - but don't know why - it could be just the rubbing itself ?

Josh Waitzkin: The Art of Learning on ABC News - Part 2

Here is part 2. The clips about Martial Arts look more like Ju Jitsu than they do Tai chi. Then at the end he says why ! Hope he succeeds !

Josh Waitzkin: The Art of Learning on ABC News - Part 1

This is the first of 2 videos on a chess master who also is into Martial Arts. He has a book out about the learning processes behind both. I want this.
I know this isnt about the wooden dummy - but I have to make an exception - because I have an interest in chess too and the learning process too. So should you. There is a debate out there about 'transferable skills' / 'sports specific' skills etc. in learning. Search for transferability in what you do. Get a pair of eyes that see ideas in other disciplines. Be a magpie don't be like water - as you fit into someone else cup.

Choy Li Fut's Version Of The Dummy

clips of wooden dummy in cinema

Who Do You Believe?

Look at these three pictures. They are from a known Wing Chun book that has positive reviews, (Alan Gibson Simple Thinking Intelligent Fighters); and a JKD book that has positive reviews, (Teri Tom The Straight Lead). I know this post is not about the Wooden dummy but I wanted to make the point.


Here the Wing Chun stance takes forward pressure.


















Now look at this picture from Tom - same stance - similar test - different result ! The JKD stance is solid but the Wing Chun stance buckles under a palm. Mmmmmm.













This is Ted Wong here, too, involved. He was Bruce Lee's training partner. And he appears in Randy Williams' Wing Chun training videos so he no stranger to these issues.




So what's going on ? What sense are we to make of all this ?



The point is how when you crosscheck your information in martial art research you sometimes get 2 different answers. I have seen this Wing Chun stance pressed forward so I know it can withstand some pressure. Alan Orr - a MMA inclined Wing Chun player - has this useful drill that is worth checking out below. I adapted it from his www page just to examine a point :

http://www.alanorr.com/htdocs/articles/wcpowerarticle.html






I may invite all 3 authors - Gibson, Tom / Wong and Orr - to reply to what they see here and explain what the issues are involved here.

It would be interesting to get feedback from each of these experts: to explain how the same forces applied to the same structures yield different results ! What is it I am missing here ?

PS. ON reflection this should be telling us to pressure test the knowledge we are given and double-check it. Take nothing on trust alone. If the Wing Chun stance takes time to perfect and eek out its nuances then I can imagine the JKD comparison being 'accepted' by the student as 'true'. I am not in a position to judge properly what is 'true' here. I may have missed a point. But I suspect this example isn't isolated in martial art literature. (It isn't isolated in chess literature. You get the same positions on the board sometimes evaluated differently - it drives you nuts if you 'need' your answers given to you).

Silat Suffian Bela Diri - Kuntao (Empty Hands) Mook Jong

Look at this - a Silat man using some shapes on the dummy.
Other than Joseph Simonet this is the only time I have seen a Silat man use a wooden dummy. Applications need showing ideally.
The use of the drills seem to be mainly conditioning - eg the ones that bash the arms @ 90 o angles nearly. But there are some moves that sheer along the arms. Believe me these are sought after moves when training after a while as you save your arms from destruction.

Sifu Chung Kwok Chow Wooden Dummy

Here is a video that illustrates the traingle idea that I drew below and that Randy Williams uses in his drills video on the dummy. Its a 'male triangle' in Kali speke.

Stopping The Shoot ?

When I tried to spar recently I found it really really hard to stop the shoot for my legs. MMA people are good at this - ie they change the level. Wing Chun doesn't.

I thought maybe this idea could be worked either on the bottom arm or the leg even ! You simulate pummeling for under-hooks [I need to keep elbows in here] and then drop your hips a level and shift your legs back. You're meant to simulate the force driving you back as you prevent your hips being forced back and your legs grabbed.

I was a bit half-hearted in this as I didn't want my hands to slip and break my face but with practice I bet you could get quite aggressive on this and even drop to the dummy leg level. It is just an idea. ( I wanted to give it a try to drop to leg level but the camera would need readjusting and it was getting dark).

Low Kicks on the Weeble

Here are some Wing Chun type kicks on the dummy. They are low line kicks. They are straight line and I know they are awkward to deal with. I am wearing my safety shoes while doing this. The heel takes the force so Wing Chun slippers would not be up to this.

If you cant tell by now I don't take myself too seriously - the Weeble [tm] stuff etc.

Straight blasting the Weeble [tm]

"When in doubt straight blast". I think Bruce Lee is attributed with this phrase. When I saw these punches I thought they looked like Rabbit punches. I know JKD uses these too as well as Wing Chun.

The Straight Blast gym under Matt Thornton use boxers crosses in fast succession not this type of punching I am doing. That is really harder to do and is really committed body weight forward top half.

I know this punching makes people flinch at least. I throw in elbows too on the pads. The punching isn't an end in itself.

Weeble Dummy [tm] ?

In a conversation with a learned colleague the wing chun dummy doesn't 'give' and can be limited for some martial art applications. This was a reason why one of his Wing Chun friends had stopped using it in favour of a punch bag.

I am a fan of the dummy so set about creating the 'Weeble Dummy' [tm]. Ahahaha. Seriously I know that my dummy can be made to give 'if' you remove the wedges from the corners of the trough its in / and / or put it on bricks. I put my dummy on bricks to stop it getting too muddy and stuck in there. Also it heightens it when I want it higher. THAT is heresy I know to traditional wing chunners who like it low so their stance is low and legs bent. Joseph Simonet in his Slam Set dummy said his dummy is modified as he is is taller and not expecting small people to fight him (actually he didn't say it like that but you know what I mean).

In another Blog on wing chun [see below] the Classical dummy should not give 'if' you want your structure to be tested and force going back down your legs.

Anyway enough of the apologetics. I wanted the dummy to rock so I can do this drill shown on the video. The leg is taken out so I can move the whole unit with my arm and without the leg acting as a break. I put 2 x pads up for the elbowing. I could have used my Thai pad and belt to keep it up there alternatively. The dummy weighs about 13 stone. I have added extra weights on the base to make it heavier - although they may have slidden off in this drill.


I TOOK THIS VIDEO OFF. On re-watching the elbow I used looked like one from a Wing Chun stance, Lan Sau , up-right stance etc. [like a 90 degree elbow attack - I should have had a more Silat angled elbow - pointed forwards more and hand 'home' on the neck, less space between the elbow and my chest and an angled torso - ready to flick out to grab the dummy.

2 triangles or one ?

Look take the 2 shapes below and add them in for a footwork matrix !? Good stuff eh.



Look there is no north south line. One of the things I regret is learnining to step forwards and backwards in a line mechanically. No doubt it has its place but the 'V' and '^' angles of stepping are really useful and worth in-graining early on in someone. Backwards steps are a bad habit to rely on to get out of 100% pressure. In a confrontation in public if someone is blocking your path a step diagonally forward or away would move you around - or away - from their colleague who may be behind you unbeknown to you.

The is a place for forwards and backwards lines but maybe their practice should not be moving me away from these other angles.

Footwork - angles to think about.

Here are 2 diagrams to show footwork ideas on the dummy. These can be interpreted classically or Jeet Kune do style borrowing from Kali. Randy Williams' work on the dummy does use this type of approach from a classical view - ie body stance is upright in Moving on the 'V' or male triangle. A Kali approach angles the body away from center line however in addition.

The 'V' shape:

Here stood at point 1 a blow from the left hand side or even center can be avoided by stepping to point 2A. In Kali this is where the 'pressure' of the attack is evaded. Maximum attacking pressure is @ 1. Therefore we need to be away from point 1.

(Invert for a right handed attack ie- step from 1 to 2b).

You can experiment how tight you get to the dummy with the prefered range: in tight if you want for grappling finishes. At a distance if you have a stick / boxing / kick boxing range. In retreating you can slide back from 2A, 2B along the 'V' again. This type of retreat I notice Alan Gibson makes in his book on wing chun (vol 1). He uses garn sau hand shapes [a cutting parry - if you like but it doesnt matter (non wing chun people just think block / counter strike / cover) ] to in retreating from attack diagonally away. He likens it to zig-zagging away from a sniper bullet. The point is to avoid a step backwards in a straight line from a frontal attack. That allows pressure to build up against you in an escalating manner.

A more traditional way to see this 'V' shape is to step off to 2a and apply say bong sau / lap sau and a stamping kick to the leg of the dummy.

The 'male triangle':

Here is another method of stepping. The Yip Man form has this in the 116 movemnts and involves moving from 1a to 1b with the right leg and the left leg circles in to 1c. Once there it can sweep or kick back with the heel on the calf muscle - whatever. the point is it bisects the opponents stance by cutting in on the triangle.

Williams work on dummy drills shows another application of this triangle where hand shapes like tan sau and punch [tan da] are applied from standing square on the base line and the hand movements are applied as a leg plunges in to 1c. When I have done this I either step deep in to the base of the dummy or try to collide with the leg to impact with a clashing movement (ouch !).


Male triangle vs 'V':

The 'V' evades the attack in a counter-attacking way / the 'male triangle' is wither direct straight in (OR can be evasive but circles in too). The choice is based on (your) style and context of the conflict.

IF YOU READ THIS PLEASE COMMENT

Catching-Up !

Ahhh. I typed in my name for this place on google search to see what came up. And someone had noted it. So ... this jogged me back into action here again. Thanks Dojo Rat !

I have been meaning to put up progress on here and talk about things. It gets a bit demoralising when no one replys to my messages here #but# if its being read by at least one person who goes off and ponders then its worth it. Also if it helps me reflect on ideas then this needs to be kept up.

OK. Whats new. I have been looking at footwork on the Kali / Silat side of things. Wing Chun does seem to have a paucity of official footwork so I have always been wanting to check up on the Silat side of things.

What I have been doing is stepping on a 'V' shape - first one side then the other. This gets me to the outside gate. In a way this IS what the 116 movements does in the form it makes you move from centre to flank, back to center to flank .... in a 'V' shape if you like. BUT here the 'V' Kali does just go to the edge 1st of all - not just if the center is blocked.

Also I have been stepping in on the male triangle ... imagine a pyramid pointing forwards. I have been stepping forward to the point away from me with a circle step [like in the form that goes to the leg sweep in the 116 movements.]. The legs meet at the peak of the triangle and I sweep one foot back to the corner of the base. The sweep is called a biset - it drags back to base.

I tried to make a short video of myself using the dummy for a test. The dummy had no leg on and I was just seeing what it would look like. I was really hitting the dummy hard and wacking it - showing off if you like - and on the video you cant pick this up at all really ! I have more respect now for the videos I see on places like youtube. I bet these guys do really have some force in there that doesn't come across on that medium.

Using the dummy without the leg plugged in is very useful. I have reconfirmed this after watching Jospeh Simonet's slam set tape I have. It lets you do things that are prohibited by the 'official' form or space wise - like stand toe to toe and 'pummel' like grapplers for underhook.

I will post some pics here of other training things I have done or attempted and gave up!

Elbows, Knees And Kicks And Confidence Stuff.

I went to Vale Tudo the other day after a break of many, many months. I did this because I don't attend any clubs anymore and this was a gathering of people I knew semi-formally.

One bad habit I had that was revived was trying to deal with low kicks with my hands and arms. This is a really hard habit to break. I thought I had broken it but its come back.

I had a think and I believe its the dummy form that encourages this. When moving across the dummy, there are double garn-sau to kwan sau transitions. The double garn saus must be in there affecting me. I need to erase this but may have to drop the double garn saus [these are pictured in the DVD cases in posts below - it must be dramatic or something].

Why doesn't the Yip-Man lineage dummy form include knees or leg blocks to kicks ? Only the one performed by Randy Williams includes some knee and leg defenses. I must transplant some of these into what I do and / or drill them. (He has a bong gerk type move to the lower dummy arms too - if I recall).

Also whats not in the 116 movements are elbows. Why arn't these in the form ? You don't have to strike the dummy but can simulate. Space could be made for this by removing the tok sau moves that are over-represented, (be honest do you envisage using double-tok sau in a confrontation ?!)

Is this heresy ? Does it matter if you mess with tradition ?

Also while I am at it all my Wing Chun stuff goes out my head when in Vale Tudo. I would have to consciously tell my self 'I know some wing chun shapes' to use them. This is funny because when not doing Vale Tudo - say if I am frightened by something then wing chun shapes emerge. I wonder why this is.

Actually one wooden dummy move does look like a Vale tudo move. The circling hands of the 116 form (kau saus ?!) do look like pummeling for under-hooks in vertical grappling.

I go through ups and downs in faith in my dummy / WC skills. I don't think I would last that long in a traditional WC method vs Vale Tudo style approach. A skilled player can close the range so fast they are chest to chest straight from boxing range - with no in-between it seems. And then they dive to a lower level like a U-boat. Some fast footwork must be needed to counter this to keep the range or something.