techniques

Well good day everyone. It's a fine day so far. Kinda windy and smokey, but still a good day. Any how.  Been hitting up the open training the last two weeks. It's been a lot of fun.  Two weeks ago I go a lot of help with 18 temple motions. I enjoy that form. Well, any thing kung fu, I enjoy. Hand forms are a lot of fun. Some of the basics of how to move are in our forms. This week, I had the pleasure of finally working with another human being! Out in the beach here, it's near impossible to find a training partner, let alone, have someone come out here, or meet with someone. Busy, everyone, including myself, are busy. A weird little word. So small, but has such a huge definition. Ah, sorry I'm busy. Doesn't explain much, but, it tells you eniugh. So that's cool, I don't mind, I'm used to it. But, in order to properly build and put techniques together, you need a person, in the final stages.  Mr.S, was there to literally lend an arm, and you know what, we built and played with some really cool techniques. A few came outta nowhere. There was a few that turned to be straight up muscle and no tech. Put that one away! Some that came outta the books, and some that were like, wow! What was that? That was awesome. Let's do that again!!

  I really enjoy playing with techniques. And, I guess it shows. I was complimented on "seeing" these techniques! Thanks, that was a nice compliment to hear. Honestly, I put a lot of time and effort into seeing ways the body can move in respect to our style. I'm not perfect of course, but, I'm darn close!! Just kidding! Constantly drawing in my book. Writing out techniques. Looking at the pros of this and the cons of that. Kung fu is always on my mind. Techniques and movements are almost always cycling in my mind.

   I have this thought. A circle, is a very devastating shape. No beginnings and no ends. No corners or hard lines. Circles can be ovaled, or very large, or very tiny. Somebody moving in non-linear fashion, can be exceptionally hard to judge and predict. Circular motions, once started, can start slowly, but, the energy inside a circle continues to build and build until it is unleashed. Therefore creating something like a tornado! Don't believe me? Spin yourself in a circle, keeping your energy in constant and you will be in a continual state of acceleration.  Try it. It's a solid test to my testimony.

  The thing for me, is, all of my techniques have come out of our ciriculum. Mainly, from our hand forms. Here's another thought. If our hand forms are, ways to teach our bodies to move and adapt to different situations, then, we must learn to apply these forms to our realistic movements. I may be off the mark here, but, stay with me here. If our hand forms teach different ways to move or "how to move",  and the techniques in our ciriculum tech us "How to strike" then, I feel, when we put all of that together with an opponent, you learn "when to strike"; therefore creating an endless supply of learning lessons.

   For example. Yesterday before we called the afternoon, we were just playing. What would you do if I did this, or that? Nothing more than opening doors for different movements. How the body flows this way or that way, in regards to my partner and a knife or his foot, or his hand? From there, you can calculate timing, movement speed, and hopefully find the best way, for you, to diffuse a situation. Simply from him slashing his knife, I learnt, how his body moved, in an exaggerated fashion; therefore showing me, when I should compress or expand. The "how to move". That leads me to, depending on the circumstances of where the weapon is and where his body is, in respect to mine, I can see how I would try to dis-arm my opponent. What techniques will work here. The "how to strike". From there, while still in motion, while putting the first two steps together, you can feel and see the "when to strike". All three components put together create, your self defense.

   While we practice and figure things out, there are failures, learning lessons. After trying that and trying this, will you truly find success. You'll get stabbed and slashed and punched and kicked, but, honestly, how else will you learn what works for you? That's why we train! Some of mr.S's techs worked great for him, and not so much for me, and vica-versa!  I am me and he is him. It would work for me, maybe not the best for him. But, we will never know unless we train and try.

"It doesn't make you bad loosing to Rob Van Dam; it just makes you like everyone else"
        Rob Van Dam (1970-present)

So, until next time everyone.
See you soon
Mr.Duncan