We started this week practising to fall properly, it doesn’t sound like much but believe me, when you start to throw each other about you need to know how to break your fall or your going to get hurt.
From the squatting position we first fell back, hitting the floor with both hands just as your body hits the floor thus ‘breaking ‘ your fall.
We then went to the side, from the same squatting position stretching one leg out to the opposite side, falling and breaking it with the hand nearest the floor. We then enhanced on this by stretching the leg out but instead of falling, placing it on the floor and pushing the hips forward, whilst making an almost crab like shape with your body. I was unsure to the meaning of this exercise, then Sifu Mark enlightened us all by demonstrating a nice looking defence to combat being caught in a sprawl, using this movement. This predicament would usually occur when you shoot for the double leg and your opponent reads this and reacts with a sprawl.
Basically you then find yourself on your hands and knees with your opponents weight on your back and their arms wrapped around your waist, you then stretch your leg out to the opposite side, push your hips forward and arc your body out (pushing with the back of your head), you are then free to take your opponents back and strike at will.
I found this an impressive looking defence and yet another fine example of Sifu Marks ability to string together endless attacks and counter attacks and yet more options if those San Da moves don’t quite work out.
It is essential to have this ability rather than one fixed attack, because as we all know in real life things rarely go exactly as planned.
Unfortunately I aggravated an injury I picked up on Sunday's Kickboxing San Da session and bust my rib so I had to sit out the rest of the San Shou class.
In Wing Chun you react a lot by what you feel, Sifu Mark explained when you are in the clinch you also have to feel for weak areas to attack, you can pull your opponent one way when he resists, pull him back the other way, constantly searching for the moment they are off balance and vulnerable for the takedown.
Our Wing Chun students went on to spar, firstly, 1 person boxing the other wrestling (I feel its good to do this type of sparring so you are forced to learn other skills rather than becoming complacent with one type of style you are used too) then sparring with just kicks, some are more comfortable kicking than others but it is essential to have this skill to some degree if your fighting the San Shou way.
It was a good San Shou Kickboxing lesson but I’m gutted I’m injured again (must be getting old) I just cant wait to be fighting fit and back in the game, especially with two San Shou/Da tournaments on the horizon (gulp!), I’m a quick healer, just hope I’m quick enough.
http://www.londonwingchun.co.uk
Day One of Project San Shou
In my humble opinion Wing Chun is a very special martial art that focuses on fighting for a self defence context. Being tired of the criticism levelled against the style of fighting that I hold true to my heart, I started an experiment to prove that the skills of Wing Chun can be transferred to any other environment of fighting.
Of course, we’ve had to make adaptations to our training and approach to fighting, but to fight in the ring you have to utilise universal fighting methods. Effectively, I’ve taken ordinary Wing Chun students and instructed them in a range of skills that require timing, distance judgement and true fighting spirit. Over a period of time they’ve learnt to kick, punch and wrestle like any other fighter, but with one difference they’ve kept the concepts of Wing Chun in the forefront of their minds.
The concept of this experiment is simple: all martial arts must have a common variable to function effectively. If we train and prepare these variables, then any Martial Art is comparable to each other.
I hope over the period of time that you’ll find this Blog informative enough to follow our progression to the final destination. We’ll share our highs and lows, good techniques, what’s worked, what hasn’t, and more importantly our eventual success in competition format.
You’ll follow the progress of Student A in his own words, and I will drop in from time to time to share my experiences on coaching Wing Chun fighters for a whole new world of combat.
So here goes the journey of a Wing Chun Fighter…
http://www.londonwingchun.co.uk./sanshou.html
Of course, we’ve had to make adaptations to our training and approach to fighting, but to fight in the ring you have to utilise universal fighting methods. Effectively, I’ve taken ordinary Wing Chun students and instructed them in a range of skills that require timing, distance judgement and true fighting spirit. Over a period of time they’ve learnt to kick, punch and wrestle like any other fighter, but with one difference they’ve kept the concepts of Wing Chun in the forefront of their minds.
The concept of this experiment is simple: all martial arts must have a common variable to function effectively. If we train and prepare these variables, then any Martial Art is comparable to each other.
I hope over the period of time that you’ll find this Blog informative enough to follow our progression to the final destination. We’ll share our highs and lows, good techniques, what’s worked, what hasn’t, and more importantly our eventual success in competition format.
You’ll follow the progress of Student A in his own words, and I will drop in from time to time to share my experiences on coaching Wing Chun fighters for a whole new world of combat.
So here goes the journey of a Wing Chun Fighter…
http://www.londonwingchun.co.uk./sanshou.html
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