Wen Hsiu Quan

Hello, everyone! :) I was going to draw a fresh set of sketches for today's post, since I have to show the application of the first two movements of our Grappling Form and I still don't have anyone to demonstrate this stuff on. Fortunately- I have finally mastered one of the legendary techniques from the Ninja of Konohagakure- The Kage Bunshin No Jutsu! So- I decided to put it to use by summoning up a shadow clone on whom I can demonstrate the throw. Now- against empty air the movements have these two main components: The one legged stance with the outward block: And the inward sweeping movement that ends in the horse stance like this. I admit that my horse stance looks rather narrow in this photo. You can get into a lower stance if you like. This movement is done first to the left, then to the right. I am sure that I will not need to explain the block and throw to the right in next week's post. A form like this one contains some movemen...

Hi! I hope you are having a great weekend so far. Last week I showed you the first grappling form and said that I was going to deal with each of the movements one by one. So- today we will look at the very first movement. The one at the very beginning. Yes- I know it does not look as cool as the actual fighting moves, but it is there for a reason. Once you understand this movement you are actually set to go on to the next in the correct manner. Those of you who know a bit of Taijiquan (It's Tai Chi, but you will never hear me use that term. It's cringy as hell and hurts most Chinese martial artists' ears.) would recognise this movement as the one at the beginning of most Taolu (forms or Chinese kata). You would also know that this signifies sinking of the qi, but for the sake of those who don't know all that- let me go on to explain. This is probably the first introduction you will have to the internal aspects of this form. At the beginning you stand upright...

Hi, everyone!  This form was created while I was writing the first book. It was not the first form I have created, but I like this one better than its predecessors because I paid extra attention to the movements at the time because I had to explain it in the book. While I prefer to have a more realistic approach to my solo training forms give me a chance to practice those techniques that I would not often use in sparring or perhaps even in a real fight, but that are fundamental. If you have learnt only punching and kicking, you are not really ready to defend yourself. Grappling plays a huge part in a fight and even if you don't like using it, you can't stop your adversary from using it in a fight. That is what this form is about- grappling. Of the four takedowns that feature in it one is what I call defensive while the other 3 are what I refer to as aggressive takedowns. Defensive takedowns use the momentum of an opponent directing his force towards yo...

4 years ago I have written the first book on Wenhsiuquan. It was a lot of fun and dealt with the mechanics of throws and wrist locks. It may seem weird to have the first book about a martial art that uses mainly striking deal with grappling techniques, but to me it made perfect sense. To me the important part of learning martial arts techniques lies with the stances and posture. Pulling and pushing someone is actually a great way to test one's stance. Also- from a stance that can withstand getting pushed and pulled comes some really powerful strikes... Other books followed soon thereafter- The book about defense...   The book about striking- And lastly- the book on training. After all the books got printed and made available I started to put a page or two (or more...) of each book at the bottom of each blog post. Anyone who was sharp enough to have picked up on this may by now have all 4 books in his possession. After having written these books I hav...

Hi, guys and girls! :) I have realised this week that for a person running a blog about his own style of martial arts I write a lot about other styles. Sure- I have reasons to do so, but I think it's time that we focus on my style- the style of Wenhsiuquan (Wen Hsiu's Fist) for a change. Even if it is just to discuss one kick... The idea to write today's post came from a video that got shared on my Facebook timeline. The video explained how the reverse roundhouse kick (I notice that in the US it is called a "Hook Kick") is done. When this Saturday came around the video itself was no longer to be found on my timeline. Fortunately- Jesse Sensei knows very well about what kick I am talking about since he has his own video showing how it is done. This is also the first species of this kick that I have learnt as a white belt in Shukokai (yes- I was a white belt, but karate people will tell you that 14 year old white belts get taught cool stuff quicker if...

Some years ago, back when I was a kid, I thought just like a lot of people do today that I just had to get that black belt to have all the skills I have ever wanted in martial arts. Nowadays- we know that this is not how it works, of course... I have long since forsaken the quest for any kind of belt. While I respect the wishes of those who still works towards getting their next belt- I'd like to tell you a bit about the other side of the coin. A side which seems to be silenced on social media in this day and age. This morning I have designed this short form using Shaolin's Snake Fist. I have created forms using the Leopard Fist and Tiger Claw as well some time ago, but the Snake Fist actually came to take up much of my mind this week. The reason for this is that it has finally begun to get strong enough to hurt more than just the eyes and larynx. You see- since I have started working out with this punching bag I developed the habit of practicing the...