Wen Hsiu Quan

Hello, everyone and welcome back! :) We are finally here... The last movement in the last form to be discussed on this blog. Well- at least for the time being... I had lots of fun creating these gifs and will most definitely use them in future posts. Thank you to those who have followed this series, thus far. I know many of you are far away and we may not be able to meet in person. You are, however, welcome to email me or inbox me with any questions or comments that you may have. Well... on to today's move... In the book the movement starts with an outward block like this... From there you can assume that you have a firm hold of the opponent's attacking arm when you move in with the hammer fist. After striking downwards with the hammer fist the fist shoots diagonally upwards with an uppercut or as we call it here- a cannon punch. I must admit that I am using more of a downward forearm strike than a hammer fist in the above demonstration...

Hello, everyone. Today we are at the second last movement in the Striking Form. The movement is shown like this in the book and I do admit that those are not very good photos to illustrate the movements involved. In the Form this movement takes you back to the place from which you have started. For this reason my back is turned towards you in the photos. Well... you would still get the movement if you read the text, but we do like pictures better than words, right? Well... here is a demonstration of what the movement is supposed to represent. The downward pressing block is not unusual and can be found in a number of Asian martial arts. I got tired of defending against straight punches in my gifs, so I had my shadow clone try to shove me. As you can see, I (the one without the shirt) ride the oncoming force as I step diagonally backwards. Had this been Push-Hands practice I would probably just have pushed back, but in this movement we consider a ...

Hello again, everyone! This video shows the form that I had created for my book on striking. It is actually very straightforward and basic, so I did not really see the need to explain its applications at first.  Later on I decided to break this form down in later posts anyway because: 1. Along with the movements in any form comes the principles on which those moves are based- and knowing those principles are actually more important than knowing the moves themselves; 2. I have so much fun making those shadow-clone gifs anyway. Where the previous form was made to give you the feel of different ways of defending against attacks, this form is meant to give you an idea of the different ways in which you can attack with strikes, punches and kicks. In the application of these movements it is not necessary for the opponent to be attacking at all. From a moral point of view we can assume that the opponent has threatened to attack or is about to attack. ...

I could probably have called the movement "Tiger Bares Teeth and Black Tiger Steals Heart" because that is more or less what Kung Fu students would call it. Still- the stances featured in this movement and the techniques used are common to both Karate and Kung Fu. They can be found in Korean Arts like Taekwondo as well. The block itself here does not use the tiger claw hand form that is seen in Shaolin Kung Fu. If you want to use it, however, I really have no objection. To me the fingers spread apart like in the tiger claw form indicates a readiness to grab the opponent's wrist upon blocking it. In Kung Fu the tiger claw can also be used to dig into the punching arm's bicep, disabling that arm from further use in the fight. What I have done here, however, is a simple block and a punch. Really straightforward, actually. The stuff one teaches white belts... Nonetheless- I thought it a good idea to summon a shadow clone to show you some of the applications to th...

Hello, everyone and welcome back.  Today I introduce you to the form that appears in my book on Defense. If you have read the book before you may find it familiar. If not- it is still a good time to join us since I have begun posting breakdowns of the forms and their applications. Although it is called the "Defense Form" for ease of reference the form does contain attacks. Every block or sidestep here is shown with an attack that immediately follows it.  When I decided to document Wenhsiuquan techniques I have especially paid attention to this book, because much of the difference between Wenhsiuquan and its sources lies with defense. Wenhsiuquan drew upon Karate, Kung Fu and Jujutsu. Jujutsu does have blocks and parries, although it is more known as a grappling art. Of these 3 martial arts Karate has the most blocks and parries that I know. I have not yet seen any Kung Fu forms, for instance that contain a rising forearm block ( age uke ). Su...

I have found out only very recently that we have a long weekend coming up- so my self defence group has ditched me to head off on vacation. I was promised, however, that I will soon get to make a demo video. So- I forgive them. Fortunately I had this post to write as well-  In this blog's beginning I have written a post about form practice in Wenhsiuquan saying that I use three different types of form in training: 1. Power Form; 2. Combat Form; 3. Energy Form. These 3 types of form were not developed or invented by myself, but were already there for me to be used when I embarked on a lifetime of martial arts study. The very first kata I have tried to learn was a Shukokai kata called Rohei . It is in Tommy Morris' book on karate without any explanatory notes or those useful arrows that you find in books about kata. At 14 I joined the Shukokai dojo in my town and I got a proper introduction to kata. Before the year had passed I have learnt Taikyoku...

One of these forms use the leopard fist in my favourite ways. My fingertips (and also those of a lot of people I know) are not strong enough for snake fist and spear hand, but anyone can use a leopard fist.  In Japanese it is known as "hiraken" or "half fist" For those of you who need a picture- here's two. This fist's two easiest target areas are the ribs and larynx. From the right position you can also attack the kidneys. The other form- again has more throws. Two of the techniques in this form deal with a straight push/ punch by grabbing the attacking limb and pulling it in. This is how leg or hip throws can get executed. Three of the other attacks uproot the opponent by seizing on of his legs. It is already a given that we do not fight in the same way we do kata. This is exercise- not fighting. It is also a good way to memorise techniques and to work on them while not under fire. What self defense techniques do you li...

If it isn't fun you won't feel like doing it, right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCH6pCzyT4g https://www.facebook.com/groups/taichisecretmovements/ I always believe that if you really want to know the essence of any style- you should study its kata. Styles without kata- well... it's just that much less fun. So far- I have been lucky enough to have an instructor who taught me the application of each movement in the kata I have learnt. I have also learnt later on that not all forms are a rehearsal of combat techniques. Often the kata in itself is an exercise to develop speed or power. In this post I will give a couple of hints on understanding kata better. Here are some pointers: 1. A slow kata is meant to develop power and technique. This means that you pay should pay attention to aspects such as your stance and breathing, when your muscles have to be relaxed and when which muscles have to tense. 2. Fast katas are meant to develop speed and agility. This is no chance to take shortcuts through movemen...

The Japanese call them kata , the Chinese taolu and the Koreans poomse. Bruce Lee did not seem to like form practice and many modern martial artists eliminate forms from their training regime. I,along with traditional martial artists, not only view these forms as an excellent way to preserve the heritage of our art, but also as an excellent training method to develop one's technique. Given the right form strength and agility can also be developed. What is your opinion?

While I do recommend a good weight training program it is very obvious that martial arts provide an excellent cardiovascular workout. It is also an excellent way to release tension. A common denominator to most styles is kickboxing. The techniques of karate, taekwondo and kung fu can all be adapted into a sparring form that employs fists and feet. While I do recommend sparring with more advanced techniques at a later stage kick boxing is usually the safest way to start free sparring.

Form practice usually involve multi-directional attacks. It is a very bad idea to be surrounded in a real fight and the fighter has to keep all his opponents in front of him as much as possible. It is, however, necessary to practice attacks in all directions as well as defences against attacks from all directions. Keen senses and a good use of peripheral vision are skills that forms cannot develop. With a clear mind and keen senses multi-directional attacks make the fighter a one man fighting force capable of disposing of multiple opponents.