Wen Hsiu Quan

Hello, everyone! I hope you have also had a good morning's workout and that you are having an awesome weekend. Today I am at the last post in a series of posts that got written for my friend Nicolas in the U.S.. Nicolas loves sword-fighting and is into HEMA and Lightsabre League battles. Even though weapons training is not a big thing with me I do practice with weapons on Saturday mornings. To me, however, it is more of a physical workout than training for an actual fight using the weapon. That does not mean that I do not practice fighting techniques at all. So- how does one get a physical workout while practicing fighting techniques? Well... One way is with forms! In the previous posts we have looked at some exercises that are also basic attack and defense moves. We can string all these together in a single pattern that can get practiced regularly. This way our bodies get used to doing all the movements that we need it to do when we use the sword. Here is our form f...

From Monday the 1st of June 2020 I am finally going to have full 1 hour online classes every Monday and Wednesday night from 18h00 South African time to 19h00. Joining fee is $5 per week. My Paypal link or bank details can be requested in my inbox here or at boshoffm3@gmail.com. All you need to do after paying is to email me the proof of payment to the above email address or- if you manage to do it- to send it to my page or Messenger Inbox. I shall then reply to your email with the Google Meet link. Hope to see you soon!

Hello, everyone, and welcome back.  This morning started rather shakily as I have given my first webinar.  I had a lot of fun pointing out the internal aspects of the Shotokan kata Heian Yondan and explaining why Karate techniques are done the way they are done. I have not forgotten, however, that we still have the Jian to talk about. This is the second last post in the series and the next time you see me we will be doing a short sword form.  Before I do that, however- let's first look at the defense and counterattack techniques of this weapon. You still remember which part of the blade is used for blocking, right? Well- when you are defending- it is that part that shall make the most movement because that is the part that shall make contact with your attacker's weapon.   You have probably practiced these body rotations against body thrusts a couple of times now.  Only thing I can add is that I like to keep the...

Hello, everyone and welcome back. Last week I have posted some basic techniques in the form of warm-up evercises that can be practiced over and over. Those exercises are done standing in one place with only one exercise that has some shifting back and forth- with one foot. Sticking the blade into the other guy is simple when the other guy is within range and standing still. You will not necessarily want to start fighting from within range, though. Once you realise that you are in the kind of fight where not stabbing first means that you might not get to stab at all, starting from out of the opponent's reach and closing the gap between you when you have your chance to stab becomes an important skill to have. Fencing with a partner will of course help, but you have to first prepare your body for the job that it has to do. The first drill is actually a good way of getting into Wudang Kung Fu's footwork. You might recognise the cat/ tiger stance that I use in this video. ...

Hello, everyone. A week ago I was chatting with one of my martial arts friends on Facebook- Nicolas Killen- and we somehow ended up talking about swords. Now- you will know from previous posts (very recent posts) that I have a Katana and a Jian. Nicolas said that he would like to learn a bit about Chinese swordfighting and I said I would gladly help out, so- During the weekends to come I am going to post some basic lessons for use of the Jian- or- Chinese straight sword. The one that I have has a dull flexible blade. I have not seen any with sharpened blades, though-  So- I don't entertain any fantasies of dismembering or decapitating anyone... It does not render the weapon ineffective, though... To use the sword properly you need to understand its design. The sword has one section designated for defense and 3 for attacking. Let's look at these parts from the handle up... The pommel often has a tassle attached to it. It can ...