Wen Hsiu Quan

Although I am more focused on Chinese martial arts at the moment it is no secret that I have a very special place for Aikido in my heart. Long before some Youtubers went out showing how its basic techniques DO NOT work in an actual fight I have found that its principle of "blending" could actually find application in my Karate- especially in managing what we call ma ai or the distance between two fighters. As long as you match the movement of your opponent step by step with your retreat the gap will be open. Miss a step and the gap gets closed and you can get hit. A similar feeling comes from the "sticking hands" or chi sao exercise of Wing Chun Quan. Meet your partner's every move as it happens and your defense will remain unbroken. Get out of sync and you get hit. We know, however, that life outside the dojo also never stands still. Even if you prefer to "go with the flow" you still have to "go" when it is called fo...

I don't know about you, but I like stability. I like a set routine and I like having friends stay with me for as long as they can. We have possessions to which we hold on and relatives that we cherish. Still- we live in a changing world. When the changes in this world involve friends moving away, relatives dying or treasured possessions being lost we feel unhappy. Our natural mindset is to resist this kind of adverse change and we find that the longer it takes us to accept it the longer it takes for us to move on.   Kata, Taolu, Randori  or any form of set practice in martial arts feels comfortable when it has become familiar to you. We know, however, that a good kata performer is not necessarily a good fighter. The reason for this, of course, is because fights are dynamic. Your opponent's timing is not always in sync with yours (although Aikidoka strive to have you synchronise your timing with that of your opponent) and positions, attacks and de...