Wen Hsiu Quan

Hi, everyone! :) It is said that a picture is better than a thousand words. I think that one thing which is better than a picture is a moving picture. Like I have said earlier- the striking form is pretty much straightforward where its applications are concerned. That is the thing about striking moves in forms- you can easily see what they are meant to represent. The openings for interpretation usually lie with blocks, parries and grappling moves. Oh! And then you do get that bunkai researcher/ analyst that will give you some non-striking applications for apparent striking moves...   Well- none of that stuff is going to happen over here. This the creator of this kata speaking and he knows very well what he had intended when he put these movements together. First thing that I want to say about this form before I get on to discuss today's movement is: The first 3 knife hand blocks in the form were only meant to place you in a kamae or ready position from ...

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 am particularly glad about this long weekend. I have finished taking all the photos needed for the chapter on basics in my book. The next set of photos- if they are going to get taken- will feature one of my friends who have helped out with the book on grappling.  After the books have been completed I shall post some more about the actual experience of learning Wenhsiuquan. Sure- we get a lot of info on a style's ideals and values- even its techniques, but what about the stuff you actually experience when you are at the dojo? Thank you, everybody who has been reading my blog up to now. I hope you enjoy what is to come. 

I have enjoyed Black Belt TV's Move of the Day inserts since the channel came to South Africa. The inserts show some martial arts movie legends demonstrating the most basic of moves. This is actually a nice way of interacting with the viewers to get them interested in martial arts. The back fist demonstration, however, was not on. I recognised the type of back fist as the one I used to perform when doing the Shotokan kata, Tekki Shodan. Let's just say that I have found no use for that technique in actual combat and when I began developing my own style- that technique was gone before even the first unwanted techniques got thrown out. If I could re-write that kata- I would have put a descending hammer fist there! In the video I demonstrate and discuss the proper technique when performing the back fist strike. I have left out some of my favorite methods to perform the strike and used only the most common and basic examples. If you want to know more about the versatility of...

Most of our intent is channelled into the material world via our hands. Practicioners of any method of massaging or Qigong will also tell you that energy, positive or negative, are easiest detected with and channeled through the hands. It is therefore no surprise that humans, when they wish to attack each other, would inevitably use their hands to do so. It is unfortunate that with the development and modernising of martial arts a lot of emphasis has been placed on the fist. One of the reasons for this is that most martial artist deem the fist the safest weapon to use in a contest. The result of this view is that a wide array of striking, thrusting and grabbing techniques get lost. Personally I do not think it's any use if you practice a martial art only to find out that you are not equipped to dispose of adversaries above your weight class, or adversaries that are stronger than you. A simple punch may cause a lot of harm to an opponent of the same build as you, but will it ...