Nice, and thanks for sharing EM. I've just moved to a place with limited training space, so my boys and I have to be creative with the space we have. Training is in an 7 x 8 meter (brick) courtyard.
So use it to your advantage! One of our moving step pushing hands formats is done in a 3 by 6 foot area (we have a specially build raised box for it), which is great because if your opponent is being aggressive you can only move back by one step at most. It really teaches aggression, how to deal with aggression and keeps things moving really well as there is no room to be passive. It also really ups the rate of turn-over as a "winner" tends to be decided in less then 10 seconds. To the OP’s point, we do pushing hands from the first lesion. We start every lesion with seven stars (moving step fixed patern), then go on to fixed step free style for about 20 – 45 mins. We then put out mats and put our raised box on it.......winner stays on. Lots of sweeps, arm locks and throws. We then remove the box and do winner stays on in a much larger area (about 9 by 18 feet) where if you leave the area you lose, sweeps, throws and locks allowed (including chokes). We then tend to either grapple with no area or sparr. Every one is free to partake in as much or as little of this as they like from the first class. Slough is not that far away if you want to come and try it out.. Also, I haver decided I will be winning the Pushing hands in Oxford in December!
Wel we did the push hands class last night it was the first class that I have attended that fixed purely on PH. We started with a warm up based on Da Lu which then moved onto Da Lu with a partner although it was controlled to begin with. We then moved onto an exercise where your partner would lead you by pushing and you would concentrate by moving your waist and your arms moving naturally(haven't explained that well but it's a variation on that waist turning exercise and swing arms). We then did some fixed step push hands then moved it on to free push hands although being newbies it was hard not to use force so we did an exercise where one only attacked and the other could only defend which really improved everybodies footwork and using the principles to defend ourselves. It was a good two and a half hours work which everyone enjoyed. The good thing was there was only four of us who turned up so it was like a semi private lesson. Regards Peter Peter
We got the idea from Dan's first pushing hands tournament. He used something like a PingPong table with a 3 foot drop! In think quite a lot of people got hurt! Ours is raised by about 6 inches.
Hey, I remember the picture from your guys website. That was your teacher up there in the photo right - it looked pretty scary! but what a great way to add pressure. A fair drop like that with some padded out matts would be real interesting to have a go at. kick ass! are you doing the 3 formats?
No, I will just do the least restricted rule set of moving. Think we are going to get most of the club to enter.
Exactly what are we talking about when we say PH? 2 slightly different classifications that I use:- 1) Competition oriented PH:- fixed-step, restricted step and unrestricted step (which I discovered for the first time last week) and maybe others. Generally this is what I refer to as PH. For me this PH is the distinctive hallmark of TCC that I have not experienced in anything else- I wish that this was practised in every class - its also the part I find hardest. 2) Evasion and what I call "blending" PH exercises:- 7 stars stepping, 9 palace step evasion, Da Lu, Cai Lang, 4 directions PH and maybe others. With both 1 + 2, how they affect one's applications practise is what is most interesting to me i.e. how to bring PH (1+2) into one's instinctive reactions i.e. in a 'real' scrap there wont be a 'competition', 'rules' - just instinct and survival.
In my mind TCC applications should not have choreography - just a general principle of attack, defence, countering and counter-countering. Bringing the transient and spontatneous nature of PH into applications is what I am getting at. For one reason or another, its not always possible to train like this.
Thank you for clarifying. If it were up to me, TCC would have more of [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIc5NIfrnJs"]this[/ame] and less of [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r59gWTzKSw"]this.[/ame]
A small example. Yesterday I was in Brussles (I am working across the border in France) - which has its fair share of street pirates. Out of nowhere, a chancer tried to acost me and block me in on a wall. I simply side-stepped him and gave him a very small sideways push - but enough to unbalance him - and for me to esacpe comfortably - leaving him cursing at me in French and English. I can only put this down to instinct - evasion and not over-reacting - there was simply no point getting involved a more serious scrap with some wothless street scumbag who was no longer a danger to me.
There is a problem with a lot of TCC (as practised commonly) being overly fluffy movements from teachers and students who do not want to train in a martial context - it drives me potty sometimes. Finding teachers and students who want to train this way is an on-going battle ad struggle for me - as I travel a lot. At this moment I have to travel to Paris which costs me a lot of money - but its better than the Chi-bunny tripe available locally in Lille.
"Applications" dont matter, application does. One is a set of dead tricks and the other is an expression of skill.
Bringing an expression of skill into one's TCC... Well in my case, maybe but with blood, sweat and occassional tears - but certainly not with chi or meridians. Today I travelled to Paris to practise with a fellow in a public park. Todays session was all about Saber and its application - in weapons and empty-hands - small spiral movements inside bigger expansive movements. The fellow (Patrice Becker) could really jump high, land in control and continue the execution. Thats my contribution for tonight - I have to get some kip before work tomorrow.
I was talking to Nigel Sutton last night and he has seen the clip and said it was a good example of push hands. So if it is good enough for him it is certainly good enough for me. Regards Peter
