Nice experience

[Armin]

Hi to all,

there's an experience I'd like to share with you:

yesterday my private student/friend and I put it all to the test. Wearing helmets, these vests from Tae Kwon Do, nice Kwon-cups and ellbow-, knee- and shin-protection we did a quarter hour of full-contact sparring with no rules (except of stopping when the other one goes down - and no groundfigthing).

Well, let me first apologize to Sifu Meng - I know we did that too early, but you know, I like to put stuff to the test. :D

After all, I can say, that it worked out pretty fine. Most actions were some kind of a series of punches going to the center. Punches were mostly stopped through other punches that had a better position, e. g. a Tan Sao position. In some cases there even was something like a Fook Sao or a Bong Sao.

If I had to compare, I'd say that our techniques looked very similar to the techniques you do in the Pak Sao drill. Very short movements and always going to the center.

Now we plan to do that every Saturday.


Best wishes,

Armin.

[JimH]

That sounds great.

I would suggest:

1. Tape the sessions and share with your Sifu if possible or just to study yourself.

2. Get other styles involved so you will get a chance to see how the system works against other styles.

3. Work defenses against common attacks, strikes, kicks, grabs, shoots, weapons.

4. Some street scenario training is also good for working self defense and de-escalation concepts as well as working preemptive attacks.


Have fun!

[Armin]

Hello JimH!

1. Tape the sessions and share with your Sifu if possible or just to study yourself.
You're right - should have done that. Next time!

2. Get other styles involved so you will get a chance to see how the system works against other styles.
That happens several times.

3. Work defenses against common attacks, strikes, kicks, grabs, shoots, weapons.
We do that all the time. The question was how to deal in free-sparring.

4. Some street scenario training is also good for working self defense and de-escalation concepts as well as working preemptive attacks.
That sounds interesting. Hm, got to try it.

Well, we actually we do a lot of scenario-training - one or several are the attackers, another one is the defender. Tasks set are usually defending against on special attack or several attacks (one attack out of a 'pool' or free combination) and even free attacking.

As I said, the question was a test of skills in a free atmosphere, not in a scenario. I've been training 'scenarios' for more than, let me count, 18 or 19 years. But free-sparring wasn't done often, more or less once per year or even less (can't remember the last time!).

Look, 'we' started with something new (to us) in Decembre 2004. We knew that it is meant to work fine, but, you know, there's always the question how far you are. Are you already able to apply what you are training? Well, as I said, we put it to the test. It works. Although we have to work on it.


Armin.



Have fun!

[Armin]

Hi!

After two weeks, an update. After my experience in free-sparring, I started with my students to spar, too. In our first session, I let them do free-sparring first, to give them an idea, what their problems are. We put that on video. Please don't mind if I don't put them online - the guys do s**k :) .

But now they see, why they need a good structure and what we try to achieve with our exercises. And even better: now they had a first glimpse on how Ving Tsun works. You can see it, when they are doing poon sao or some drills!

So, we started like from the beginning. I had the idea, to give them the opportunity to put their structure to a test in a free-sparring-scenario. One student, the attacker, was free to attack with whatever he wanted to (one exception: no kicks - after all we are on Siu Nim Tao / beginning Chum Kiu level). The other student, the defender, was not allowed to do any technique. His only defense were his wu sao/man sao-position and his steps.

Well, at first, they had some problems. But after one or two minutes, they got the idea of it - and it worked out pretty fine! No matter what happened, they held their structure, even when getting hard contact to their hands - even when the attacker came into short bridge-distance.

Maybe next week or in two weeks, we'll start with the basic-defense maneuvers (tan sao, fook sao and bong sao). And of course counter-attacks. I'll try to put that on video and make it accessable to you all (but first I got to understand how my silly video-camera works - see PS).


Armin.

PS: Well, I have a problem. I use a JVC GR-D20(E). I tried to use the DV-in, but somehow Adobe premiere has problems to find the camera. Even more, if it finds the camera, it records the film on harddisk, but there are 'timeouts', where the picture freezes for two or three seconds and than restarts at that point. in that tim you hear the sound of what isn't shown. :confused: Does anyone of you have an idea, what I'm doing wrong? Will firewire help???

[sihing]

Armin,

We use a similar drill also. The first drill is to work the Man/Wu sao structure. In our method when we have the placement correct in relation to our opponent (we always try to have the opponents foot/knee down the center of our stance), the opponent will not be able to penetrate our upper gate at all with any long/mid range punch due to our Man/Wu Sao structure. So the drill is just what you said and do, have the partner just throw random punches and you as the WC person have to maintain good positioning with the partner and let the Guard do the work for you.

The next drill is 1 hand vs. 2 hand. Similar to the one above only one hand is used to defend, lead Man Sao, against your partners random punches. This will teach economy of motion in structure and footwork/placement in relation to your opponent, as well as other things. As one increases in skill the drill gets harder as more movement is required from the partner throwing the random punches and more punches are allowed to be thrown. Also the person defending is allowed to attack also. After becoming skilled at this drill one will find it a piece of cake when they have two hands available.

James

[Armin]

Hi James!

So, I'm not the first, who had this idea? :( I thought, I could make millions!!! :D :D :D

The next step seems very logical - I'll keep that in mind. Thanks!

One more question: These exercises keep both partners in the long bridge-distance. Any related exercises for short bridge-distance?

And please, don't forget my camera-problem - there are millions of millions of milli-seconds I have to put on my harddisk!!! :)


Thanks,

Armin.