Summer Kung Fu Self-Defense Intensive: Day 17 Training Agenda
Montreal, Canada
Kung Fu Self-Defense - Autodefense Training Agenda for Day 17 (9 August 2008)
The following is a tentative outline for the topic to be covered for this day:
Body Conditioning
Standing Postures One, Two, Three
Stances: All stances
Punching and Blocking
Basic Punches: straight, long fist and side straight, back fist
New: Rolling Fist from Back Fist.
Partner training using the punches and blocks.
Kicks
Front Kick
Self-Defense Practice - Practicum
Self-Defense using the front kick
This agenda is subject to change without notice.
Troy Marquis, BA, Sifu
Tai-Mar Kung Fu Self-Defense - Autodefense
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Summer Kung Fu Self-Defense Intensive: 3 August 2008
Montreal, Canada
Day 16
Summary
In addition to our usual routine of body conditioning, we practiced applying the Twisted Stance in advancing and retreating. Although in a practice scenario where you are doing Twisted Stance over and over with a pause in between each move, realistically this will not be the case in a combat situation and as such, it will not be so leg intensive. We also practiced our basic punches and worked with the trees to strengthen our blocks. As for kicks, we looked at the front kick.
Stances
Twisted Stance
The twisted stance is a transition stance through which you often have to pass in order to get to other stances. One of the chief benefits is that it cost very little in lost momentum (unless you stop). As the body moves into the Twisted Stance, once you reach the maximum lateral distance of the movement, your stance “twists,” transferring the lateral momentum into:
-
a kick (usually Side Kick)
a Horse Stance (for further attacking or defense).
Twisted Stance can also generate centrifugal force which can be channeled into the arms as one unwinds the stance, and it is an excellent stance to support blocking and evasion. Try to pay a bit more attention to you movement and you will notice how useful Twisted Stance is - in fact, you will wonder how you ever got along without it.
Kicking
The front kick is basically three moves: one, lift the knee; two, extend your foot (heel kicking for the time being) and three, bend your knee to retract your kick. Placing your foot on the ground after the kick depends on whether or not you want to advance or step back. Whether you kick with the lead foot or the foot furthest away from your opponent, you still effect these three steps. We will be working quite a bit with front kick for the remainder of the intensive so you will get lots of practice.
Kung Fu Self-Defense practice - Practicum
We continued to work with the Double Block/Sternocleidomastoid chop as requested. For a fuller explanation of this self-defense technique, see Day 15.
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Items Not Undertaken
The following items were not looked at in the self-defense class.
Basic Series One
Focused Free Blocking Practice
Self-Defense Techniques
Circle Punch from the Cat Stance
Kicks
New Kick: Inward Crescent
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The kicking training techniques that I demonstrated at the end of class will be part of your future training, but for the remainder of the intensive I will probably only introduce you to one or two of them.
“It is said the warrior’s [way] is the twofold Way of pen and sword, he/[she] should have a taste for both Ways”. - Miyamoto Musashi, A Book of Five Rings - The Classic Guide To Strategy
Troy Marquis, BA, Sifu
Tai-Mar Kung Fu Self-Defense - Autodefense
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Quote from: Musashi, Miyamoto. A Book of Five Rings. trans. Victor Harris. New York: The Overlook Press, 1974. 37.
Summer Kung Fu Self-Defense Intensive: 2 August 2008
Montreal, Canada
Day 15
Summary
Today’s class began with body conditioning through Standing Postures and and stance training followed by Basic Series One. We will continue to reinforce what has been taught thus far so for the remaining sessions, much of the summary will be condensed given that we are in the review phase of our training.
Punching
We continued our basic punching training (a lot of punches were thrown this day): Straight Punch, Long Fist (with an added Side Straight Punch). When practicing this on your own, remember that the Long Fist has a different range than the Side Straight Punch so do not feel you need to compromise your Side Straight Punch to “reach” further. Also, much of the power in the Side Straight Punch comes from moving back into the Horse Stance.
Blocking
For blocking, we continued with Outward and Downward Blocks, single handed; then I introduced these blocks double handed which lead into our self-defense practice - practicum for the class.
Self-Defense Practice - Practicum
Using focused sparing in pairs, we looked at an attacking opponent (two hand attempt to grab the neck from the front) countered with a Double Outward Block (head inclined in anticipation of the head butt), followed up with a chop through (not circular) the opponents neck (targeting the Sternocleidomastoid muscle). A solid blow to the Sternocleidomastoid had the potential to numb or interfere with the function of the arm on the corresponding side of the neck (by way of the cervical plexus sensory nerve) as well as causing a massive amount of localized pain that radiates up into the head.
To effect the “chop” through the Sternocleidomastoid, I recommended a straight chop through the neck rather than a circular chop. You can use Standing Posture Two to effect the chop and the raising of your leg to add torque (and style) to your strike. Furthermore, you should use the twisting shoulders in Standing Posture Two to assist in getting velocity into your strike. For some, Standing Posture Two, in its purest form, is awkward so feel free to modify the practical application of Standing Posture Two to suit your situation and body capacity.
Due to your interest in this kung fu self-defense move, we continued working with the move on Day 16.
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Items Not Undertaken
The following items were not looked at in the self-defense class.
Back Fist
Kicks
Front Kick
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Keep working hard.
Troy Marquis, BA, Sifu
Tai-Mar Kung Fu Self-Defense - Autodefense
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Summer Kung Fu Self-Defense Intensive: Day 16 Training Agenda
Montreal, Canada
Kung Fu Self-Defense - Autodefense Training Agenda for Day 16 (3 August 2008)
The following is a tentative outline for the topic to be covered for this day:
Body Conditioning
Stances: All stances
Basic Series One
Punching
Basic Punches: long fist and side straight, back fist
Blocking
Focused free blocking practice
Working with the trees
Kicks
Front
New kick: Inward Crescent
Kung Fu Self-Defense Practice - Practicum
Circle Punch from Cat Stance
This agenda is subject to change without notice.
Troy Marquis, BA, Sifu
Tai-Mar Kung Fu Self-Defense - Autodefense
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Summer Kung Fu Self-Defense Intensive: Day 15 Training Agenda
Montreal, Canada
Kung Fu Self-Defense - Autodefense Training Agenda for Day 15 (2 August 2008)
The following is a tentative outline for the topic to be covered for this day:
Body Conditioning
Standing Postures One, Two, Three
Stances: All stances
Basic Series One
Punching
Basic Punches: straight, long fist and side straight, back fist
Blocking
Basic blocks: Outward, Downward, Double Outward and Downward
Partner training
Kicks
Front Kick
Self-Defense Practice - Practicum
Self-Defense using the front kick
This agenda is subject to change without notice.
Troy Marquis, BA, Sifu
Tai-Mar Kung Fu Self-Defense - Autodefense
Montreal, Quebec, Canada