Aikidoka

I have started practising zazen, zen medititation. Here is a useful article on its practise, from http://www.mro.org/zmm/zazen.shtml "Zazen is a particular kind of meditation, unique to Zen, that functions centrally as the very heart of the practice. In fact, Zen Buddhists are generally known as the "meditation Buddhists." Basically, zazen is the study of the self. The great Master Dogen said, "To study the Buddha Way is to study the self, to study the self is to forget the self, and to forget the self is to be enlightened by the ten thousand things." To be enlightened by the ten thousand things is to recognize the unity of the self and the ten thousand things. Upon his own enlightenment, Buddha was in seated meditation; Zen practice returns to the same seated meditation again and again. For two thousand five hundred years that meditation has continued, from generation to generation; it's the most important thing that has been passed on. It spread from India to China, to Japan, to other parts of Asia, and then finally to the West. It's a very simple practice. It's very easy to describe and very easy to follow. But like all other practices, it takes doing in order for it to happen. We tend to see body, breath, and mind separately, but in zazen they come together as one reality. The first thing to pay attention to is the position of the body in zazen. The body has a way of communicating outwardly to the world and inwardly to oneself. How you position your body has a lot to do with what happens with your mind and your breath. Throughout the years of the evolution of Buddhism, the most effective positioning of the body for the practice of zazen has been the pyramid structure of the seated Buddha. Sitting on the floor is recommended because it is very stable. We use a zafu - a small pillow - to raise the behind just a little, so that the knees can touch the ground. With your bottom on the pillow and two knees touching the ground, you form a tripod base that gives three hundred and sixty-degree stability. There are several different leg positions that are possible while seated this way. The first and simplest is the Burmese position, in which the legs are crossed and both feet rest flat on the floor. The knees should also rest on the floor, though sometimes it takes a bit of exercise to be able to get the legs to drop that far. After awhile the muscles will loosen up and the knees will begin to drop. To help that happen, sit on the front third of the zafu, shifting your body forward a little bit. By imagining the top of your head pushing upward to the ceiling and by stretching your body that way, get your spine straight - then just let the muscles go soft and relax. With the buttocks up on the zafu and your stomach pushing out a little, there will be a slight curve in the lower region of the back. In this position, it takes very little effort to keep the body upright. Another position is the half lotus, where the left foot is placed up onto the right thigh and the right leg is tucked under. This position is slightly asymmetrical and sometimes the upper body needs to compensate in order to keep itself absolutely straight. By far the most stable of all the positions is the full lotus, where each foot is placed up on the opposite thigh. This is perfectly symmetrical and very solid. Stability and efficiency are the important reasons sitting cross-legged on the floor works so well. There is absolutely no esoteric significance to the different positions. What is most important in zazen is what you do with your mind, not what you do with your feet or legs There is also the seiza position. You can sit seiza without a pillow, kneeling, with the buttocks resting on the upturned feet which form an anatomical cushion. Or you can use a pillow to keep the weight off your ankles. A third way of sitting seiza is to use the seiza bench. It keeps all the weight off your feet and helps to keep your spine straight. Finally, it's fine to sit in a chair, though it's important to use a cushion rather than to sit on the hard surface of the chair, and to keep your feet flat on the floor. You use the cushion, or zafu, the same way you would use it on the floor - sitting on the forward third of it. It's very important to keep the spine straight with the lower part of the back curved. All of the aspects of the posture that are important when seated on the floor or in seiza are just as important when sitting in a chair. The importance of keeping the back straight is to allow the diaphragm to move freely. The breathing you will be doing in zazen becomes very, very deep. Your abdomen will rise and fall much the same way an infant's belly rises and falls. In general, as we mature, our breathing becomes restricted, and less and less complete. We tend to take shallow breaths in the upper part of the chest. Usually, we've got our belts on very tight or we wear tight clothing around the waist. As a result, deep, complete breathing rarely occurs. In zazen it is important to loosen up anything that is tight around the waist and to wear clothing that is non-binding. For instance, material should not gather behind the knees when you cross the legs, inhibiting circulation. Allow the diaphragm to move freely so that the breathing can be deep, easy, and natural. You don't have to control it. You don't have to make it happen. It will happen by itself if you assume the right posture and position your body properly. Once you've positioned yourself, there are a few other things you can check on. The mouth is kept closed. Unless you have some kind of a nasal blockage, breathe through your nose. The tongue is pressed lightly against the upper palate. This reduces the need to salivate and swallow. The eyes are kept lowered, with your gaze resting on the ground about two or three feet in front of you. Your eyes will be mostly covered by your eyelids, which eliminates the necessity to blink repeatedly. The chin is slightly tucked in. Although zazen looks very disciplined, the muscles should be soft. There should be no tension in the body. It doesn't take strength to keep the body straight. The nose is centered in line with the navel, the upper torso leaning neither forward nor back. The hands are folded in the cosmic mudra. The dominant hand is held palm up holding the other hand, also palm up, so that the knuckles of both hands overlap. If you're right-handed, your right hand is holding the left hand; if you're left-handed, your left hand is holding the right hand. The thumbs are lightly touching, thus the hands form an oval, which can rest on the upturned soles of your feet if you're sitting full lotus. If you're sitting Burmese, the mudra can rest on your thighs. The cosmic mudra tends to turn your attention inward. There are many different ways of focusing the mind. There are visual images called mandalas that are used in some traditions as a point of concentration. There are mantras, or vocal images. There are different kinds of mudras used in various Eastern religions. In zazen, we focus on the breath. The breath is life. The word "spirit" means breath. The words "ki" in Japanese and "chi" in Chinese, meaning power or energy, both derive from breath. Breath is the vital force; it's the central activity of our bodies. Mind and breath are one reality: when your mind is agitated your breath is agitated; when you're nervous you breathe quickly and shallowly; when your mind is at rest the breath is deep, easy, and effortless. It is important to center your attention in the hara. The hara is a place within the body, located two inches below the navel. It's the physical and spiritual center of the body. Put your attention there; put your mind there. As you develop your zazen, you'll become more aware of the hara as the center of your attentiveness. Begin rocking the body back and forth, slowly, in decreasing arcs, until you settle at your center of gravity. The mind is in the hara, hands are folded in the cosmic mudra, mouth is closed, tongue pressed on the upper palate. You're breathing through the nose and you're tasting the breath. Keep your attention on the hara and the breath. Imagine the breath coming down into the hara, the viscera, and returning from there. Make it part of the whole cycle of breathing. We begin working on ourselves by counting the breath, counting each inhalation and each exhalation, beginning with one and counting up to ten. When you get to ten, come back to one and start all over. The only agreement that you make with yourself in this process is that if your mind begins to wander - if you become aware that what you're doing is chasing thoughts - you will look at the thought, acknowledge it, and then deliberately and consciously let it go and begin the count again at one. The counting is a feedback to help you know when your mind has drifted off. Each time you return to the breath you are empowering yourself with the ability to put your mind where you want it, when you want it there, for as long as you want it there. That simple fact is extremely important. We call this power of concentration joriki. Joriki manifests itself in many ways. It's the center of the martial and visual arts in Zen. In fact, it's the source of all the activity of our lives. When you've been practicing this process for a while, your awareness will sharpen. You'll begin to notice things that were always there but escaped your attention. Because of the preoccupation with the internal dialogue, you were too full to be able to see what was happening around you. The process of zazen begins to open that up. When you're able to stay with the counting and repeatedly get to ten without any effort and without thoughts interfering, it's time to begin counting every cycle of the breath. Inhalation and exhalation will count as one, the next inhalation and exhalation as two. This provides less feedback, but with time you will need less feedback. Eventually, you'll want to just follow the breath and abandon the counting altogether. Just be with the breath. Just be the breath. Let the breath breathe itself. That's the beginning of the falling away of body and mind. It takes some time and you shouldn't rush it; you shouldn't move too fast from counting every breath to counting every other breath and on to following the breath. If you move ahead prematurely, you'll end up not developing strong joriki. And it's that power of concentration that ultimately leads to what we call samadhi, or single-pointedness of mind. In the process of working with the breath, the thoughts that come up, for the most part, will be just noise, just random thoughts. Sometimes, however, when you're in a crisis or involved in something important in your life, you'll find that the thought, when you let it go, will recur. You let it go again but it comes back, you let it go and it still comes back. Sometimes that needs to happen. Don't treat that as a failure; treat it as another way of practicing. This is the time to let the thought happen, engage it, let it run its full course. But watch it, be aware of it. Allow it to do what it's got to do, let it exhaust itself. Then release it, let it go. Come back again to the breath. Start at one and continue the process. Don't use zazen to suppress thoughts or issues that need to come up. Scattered mental activity and energy keeps us separated from each other, from our environment, and from ourselves. In the process of sitting, the surface activity of our minds begins to slow down. The mind is like the surface of a pond - when the wind is blowing, the surface is disturbed and there are ripples. Nothing can be seen clearly because of the ripples; the reflected image of the sun or the moon is broken up into many fragments. Out of that stillness, our whole life arises. If we don't get in touch with it at some time in our life, we will never get the opportunity to come to a point of rest. In deep zazen, deep samadhi, a person breathes at a rate of only two or three breaths a minute. Normally, at rest, a person will breathe about fifteen breaths a minute - even when we're relaxing, we don't quite relax. The more completely your mind is at rest, the more deeply your body is at rest. Respiration, heart rate, circulation, and metabolism slow down in deep zazen. The whole body comes to a point of stillness that it doesn't reach even in deep sleep. This is a very important and very natural aspect of being human. It is not something particularly unusual. All creatures of the earth have learned this and practice this. It's a very important part of being alive and staying alive: the ability to be completely awake. Once the counting of the breath has been really learned, and concentration, true one-pointedness of mind, has developed, we usually go on to other practices such as koan study or shikantaza ("just sitting"). This progression should not be thought of in terms of "gain" or "promotion"; that would imply that counting the breath was just a preparation for the "real" thing. Each step is the real thing. Whatever our practice is, the important thing is to put ourselves into it completely. When counting the breath, we just count the breath. It is also important to be patient and persistent, to not be constantly thinking of a goal, of how the sitting practice may help us. We just put ourselves into it and let go of our thoughts, opinions, positions - everything our minds hold onto. The human mind is basically free, not clinging. In zazen we learn to uncover that mind, to see who we really are."

Does not repeated air kicking, esp. snap and side kicks, cause severe knee problems in later life, like arthritis? This is what I always learnt, so I keep air kicking to a minimum.

If your training for a martial art that has rounds, do interval training like Jack says. I like 30 secs sprint, 1 min walk, 1 min jog (Bruce Lee's favourite). I swap between doing 7.5 miles for stamina, and 3 miles for speed.

4th Kyu Tomiki Aikido; studied for 1.5 years. Ungraded Wing Chun Kung Fu; studied for 7 months. Dabbled in Seven Star Praying Mantis and T'ai Chi Ch'uan. I train in martial arts to gain control over body and mind, and to understand the underlying philosophies. _________________ "Those who shun illusion for reality, who meditate on walls and the loss of self and other, on the unity of mortal and sage, and are undeterred by written holy words are in accord with the faculty of reason." Bodhidharma [ This Message was edited by: Aikidoka on 2001-11-30 13:18 ]

Pressure points on the arms and wrists are very useful to make an opponent submit or tap-out when you are in a dominant position, without causing serious injury or giving your agressor an excuse to sue for use of excessive force. However, if you try and put them on someone who is still standing, it'll just make them mad!

I know the feeling, and it's great! But don't get too psyched ... heavy bag training is not the same as fighting. Your technique may be powerful, but watch you don't leave yourself open to your 'opponent', and that you are moving, feinting and varying your blows the whole time. Don't imagine you will have all that time to compose yourself in the real world.

My knuckles and feet normally turn red after a while when training on the heavy bag, but I don't worry about it. However, if you twist your ankle making bad contact, then I would stop and rest.

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The info I posted earlier only covers Northern Mantis. So to be fair I have to cover Southern Mantis as well! Taken, as always, from http://www.shaolin.com "Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu HISTORY OF SOUTHERN PRAYING MANTIS If Northern Praying Mantis is the epitome of popularized, widely dispersed kung fu, then the true southern counterpart must be the most secretive. It was developed as a style by the Hakka Chinese, considered to be outsiders by the other indigenous peoples of Kwangsi province, and the need for personal defense was indeed great. Little is known surrounding the origins, but the style evidences elements of Lamaistic training, and close adherence to Yin/Yang philosophy. Practitioners are skilled in Dim Mak (death-touch techniques, using non-apparent attack modes) and healing arts. Two schools developed, these being the Chu and Chow, and both share so much in common as to use the same name for the method, "Bamboo Forest". The secrecy surrounding Bamboo Forest Praying Mantis is replete with myths and legends, largely initiated and propagated by the practitioners themselves. Becoming a student is extremely demanding and involves nothing less than being adopted by the master and pledging one's life to him. Even family ties are second to attitude and mental readiness in choosing the disciples. Unlike the northern schools, southern mantis rarely emphasizes one type of technique; the mantis hook is employed, but so are numerous other trapping and controlling maneuvers. The typical closed fist of other styles is absent from the southern sect, which instead favors the mantis fist, a modification of the leopard punch, but concentrating all of the striking force through a single finger. Stances are low to moderate, but firmly anchored to the ground. There is tremendous use of the knees, elbows and low, powerful kicks. There are few feints or distraction strikes; everything is designed for 100% power output, and is, thus, potentially lethal. There is reason to believe that at least some of the Southern method was a direct result to ward off a political oppression during the mid-19th century, which is further reinforced by the secret society nature of the sect. Bamboo Forest employs fighting philosophies common to Wing Chun and White Eyebrow kung fu, and there is stylistic evidence to support the idea that strong exchange of information has occurred between these schools."

kicker - no, not the same problem as you. patrick - sorry to pester! you provide a great service and put in a lot of effort which we all appreciate.

"Cycle punches As stated above, cycle punching is more than just hitting an opponent with rolling blows. Cycle punching actually involves every other major concept in Wing Chun, including parrying, gate punching, rotation and often trapping. Therefore the motion of the arms in cycle punching is critical! To begin, the punch must not, as is often though, begin on centerline at your own chest. It is the motion of going to centerline that affords the parrying motion, and allows the continuation on into a gate punch. Rotation must also be added to cycle punches to provide power. However, this rotation should be minimal. Also, a punch is not finished after it reaches or does not reach its target. It is not useless until it re-chambers for another strike. A returning punch can be used to drop down and parry any incoming strikes to the lower gates, and can also serve to keep an opponent’s arm pinned to their side by dropping down in its cycle and hitting the elbow of the checked arm. Another important concept to cycle punching is the concept of circularity. Whatever the circle may be, whether it is in downward motion to bat attacks downward, or vice versa, at least a slight circle should be kept in all motion at all time. Linearity requires stopping and re-starting of motion, something that takes far to long when we are striving for efficiency. Want to learn more? Shaolin.com's instructional CD-ROM covering Wing Chun has the full Sil Lum Tao form with basic to advanced applications. " This should help. Taken from http://www.shaolin.com/ _________________ "Those who shun illusion for reality, who meditate on walls and the loss of self and other, on the unity of mortal and sage, and are undeterred by written holy words are in accord with the faculty of reason." Bodhidharma [ This Message was edited by: Aikidoka on 2001-11-18 09:22 ]

It's not just that Patrick - you get the dynamic frameset but no page. All the karateforums banners and buttons but not the features themselves.

Martial arts isn't just kicking the c**p out of people; it is learning mental control in stressful situations, and not resorting to brutality or thugism.

Same thing as KSNDoug and Slim, error message.

A 5 yr old black cat, who's getting lazier and lazier ... zzzzz ... nowadays he only get's up at meal times.

A lot of different styles have been discussed in this forum, but I'd like to know how we are distributed between the kung fu styles.

South America - aztecs, incas, etc. all used blowguns.

South America - aztecs, incas, etc. all used blowguns.

Good point, I don't believe that he ever fully understood the system, he concentrated too much on techniques instead of principles.

Very interesting - although I feel that it should be known that Wing Chun is not just an external style, it incorporates both internal and external aspects and develops internal power through qigong and other chi exercises.

PRAYING MANTIS KUNG FU INTRODUCTION Praying Mantis Kung Fu (Tang Lang Ch'uan) is a comparatively recent innovation by martial arts time standards, having developed in the north of China during the latter part of the Ming Dynasty. Because of the newness of the northern schools, the history and diversification can be readily traced. The southern branch of praying mantis kung fu is not so easily studied; it was developed by a different group of practitioners at a different time and for different reasons than the northern counterparts. Consequently, the two main schools show very little in common, yet both share the origin from studying a moderate-sized predatory insect. In this section, the origins, and the important motivations for their development, will be examined, and comments about stylistic and practitioner's differences discussed. HISTORY OF NORTHERN PRAYING MANTIS KUNG FU It is generally conceded that the founder of T'ang L'ang Ch'uan was the boxer Wang Lang, who developed the method of combat around 1600 A.D. Wang was most probably a Ming patriot who left his native Shantung province to improve his kung fu at the Honan Temple. It was during this stay that Wang was disappointed with his level of skill, and by chance came upon a praying mantis in battle with a much larger cicada. The mantis overcame the adversary, and Wang took the insect back to the temple to study its movements. These he systematized with his previous knowledge, incorporated the erratic footwork of the monkey style, and thus created the basic northern praying mantis style. The diversification from Wang's original style becomes more complex as each splinter group claims a more direct lineage than the next. The story widely believed is that three students were chosen by the founder, and each told to collect a mantis and name his variation of the master's teachings on the basis of a character unique to his insect. One student had a mantis with seven spots on the thorax, and his school became the seven stars praying mantis, and so on. The subtle distinctions may be described as follows: Seven Stars: Footwork follows a pattern resembling the seven classical stars in Chinese astrology, i.e., being intricate in nature. While all branches stress emitting power from the waist, this school is largely soft-style, evading direct power confrontations. Plum Blossom: Stresses plum-flower fist strategies, such as three or five staccato punches in sequence; using a fist in preference to open hands; and generally being considered an introductory style, not going on to truly advanced techniques. Six Combinations (Six Harmony): Combines three Yin and three Yang principles to evade or absorb an attack softly and attack in a hard manner. Spotless (unmarked, bare, plain): The branch northern stylists refer to as "southern", the wrists are kept bent and hands open in order to generate a whipping power over short distances. Relies more upon hand work than other northern styles. Secret Door (closed door): The most prevalent family style of mantis, uses low stances and great use of elbow strikes. Transitions are far more complex than other styles, used as feints to get into the preferred close-range striking position. Jade Ring: Named for its peculiar footwork. Dragging Hand: Uses grappling and grabbing techniques, not unlike Aikido. Back of wrist strikes are common, and the style prefers breaking to striking (mantis' answer to Ch'in Na.) Eight Step: Emphasis here is on sticking hands, and leading an opponent to a point of vulnerability. Little actual evasion is employed, as practitioners are taught the superiority of leading the assailants. Tan Tui: "Detecting legs" aims to check opponent's move into a favorable attack position. Kicks are uncharacteristically low and fast, delivered with snap, and rarely above the knees. Practitioners of this branch are taught the use of feet over and above handwork. T'ai Chi (also known saying/Yang or Tai Mantis): Delivers all strikes with great internal power, using a penetrating strike rather than sub-surface impact. Parries are favored to blocks, and power generates from the ground to the waist to technique. Common to all northern mantis kung fu styles is the use of the mantis hook, the hand being held to resemble a mantid's talon, and is used for striking, blocking and parrying. Advanced practitioners learn to lock onto the opponent to employ sticking or leading techniques, but never maintain a strong grip. In this way, the practitioner may take a "free ride" into a strike as the opponent withdraws, or the mantis hook may release the opponent and allow him to yank back and off-balance. Mantis further employs breaking of joints, particularly at the elbow. Ironically, most breaking techniques are themselves elbow strikes, but the star-of-the-palm is also utilized. Stylistic variations of northern mantis kung fu, as noted above, are actually quite minor, and a practitioner from one branch will usually have very similar training from one to another. The hand motions, elbow strikes, and nimble footwork are common to each. As so often happens in creating "new" styles, one branch may use a heel adduction stance while delivering a particular punch while another may use a forward or cat stance instead; one may favor the closed fist, another the open hand. The forms themselves are quite uniform, following very closely a single pattern of movement and targets, though using variations in stances or type of strike employed. The evolution of numerous schools stemming from the northern T'ang L'ang is in part enhanced by the multi-faceted training undertaken by expert boxers. It has always been rare for a Chinese kung fu practitioner to study a single style. Normally, one is introduced to the popular style being taught by a relative or a town instructor, and with time the man may go on to study other styles from other teachers as they become available. Before settling into a given style, this exponent may have been involved in ten systems of combat, and was often involved in actual application, before mastering the chosen branch. Thus, one sect of mantis may use a solidly-planted front toe kick taken from the spring leg style in a form, while another master may teach his students to use a flying a crescent kick taken from his Northern Shaolin kung fu training. Personal bias of the individual founder was often as important as practicality in making such distinctions. In the purest form, northern mantis kung fu as taught in the Shaolin Monastery at Honan was to include all of the material that would eventually be fragmented into the non-temple "family" styles, and include a ch'i set as well. Because the parent style was invented to overcome the conventional northern styles, it was the pinnacle taught to the most advanced adepts in the temple. This special place accorded mantis only served to increase respect for the radical new style, and for that reason mantis masters are in far greater demand than supply. The existence of so many family sects of mantis kung fu must, then, be a cause of consternation, for how did the most revered combat method of the temple manage to escape to the populace at large? History tells use that during the period concerned, until the latter 17th century, the Honan temple became a center for insurgents against the newly established Manchu hierarchy. Patriotic boxers from all parts of China took "refuge" under the Shaolin roofs, more to learn to combat the new regime than to undertake the ways of the monks. Some priests, and other highly skilled boxers and military men, trained rebel forces to overthrow the Manchus, and in so doing disseminated many of the external styles, including T'ang L'ang Ch'uan. Remember that true internal sets and ch'i development were carefully guarded secrets by the true priests, and besides, these methods required too much time and subtlety to be of use to insurgent soldiers. Once the soldiers had gone back into the world, those that survived kept their skills a closely guarded secret, passing on their knowledge only to a very close member of the family, usually the sons. The exact extent of such dilution can be seen if one compares the identical form being performed by a Shaolin Mantis stylist and a family practitioner. There is no good or bad involved, because each had different uses; they are merely different. The forms for northern mantis kung fu are fortunately finite in number, and may be listed in order of complexity as follows below. Bear in mind that complexity entails physical ability at one level, and use of inner power at another. A physically simple set may in fact be far more advanced than it appears. 1. Bouncing step 2. Four way running, hitting step 3. Avoiding Hardness 4. 18 Ancestors 5. Punch and Jab 6. Lo Han skill 7. Small circular fist 8. White gibbon comes out of cave 9. White gibbon steals peach 10. Plum blossom fist 11. Plum blossom falling fist 12. Plum blossom hand 13. Very important fist 14. Six harmonies fist 15. Seven stars fist 16. (Interception form) On this list, forms 1 through 5 are basic, and any one serves as a good introductory set. Number 6 is a ch'i set, and requires years to fully master, for which reason it is introduced early in training. Forms 6 through 10 are intermediate, 11 through 15 advanced, and 16 a recent composite used as a very basic introduction and physical conditioning exercise . (I almost forgot: Taken from http://www.shaolin.com - public access information about the Shaolin Temples) [ This Message was edited by: Aikidoka on 2001-10-22 03:30 ]

I have often found that people in my kung fu club, inculding me, tend to lose their composure when sparring. The precision of the moves is lost in favour of flurries of blocks and punches. How do other kung fu students cope with this?

In the Wing Chun technique the 'straight blast' a large number of fast, light punches are used to break an opponents rythm or force them off balance. Doing this I can do 7/second. With full force boxing jabs I can do 4/second.

"Wing Chun Martial Approach There are two concepts that are essential to Wing Chun: centerline and simplicity. The centerline is guarded meticulously with hands on center and elbows down and in. Movement is small and extremely efficient, utilizing subtle shifts of the body to deflect, evade and counterstrike all in one motion. At its most advanced level, contact with the opponent is maintained at all times to constantly check arms and legs, trap, and utilize the opponent’s movement to guide and even to increase power. Once the first blow is struck, the Wing Chun practitioner will march an opponent back with a constant barrage of swift, low kicks to disrupt the stance, and a flurry of cycle punches that serve as both offense and defense, batting everything off center and continuing in for the strike. Because of its simplicity, Wing Chun can be used effectively by beginning practitioners; also because of its simplicity, at its most advanced, Wing Chun is a devastatingly efficient style. Wing Chun concepts Stance and center of gravity The stance in Wing Chun is either a high horse with weight evenly distributed, or a T-stance with weight 85% on the back leg. There are advantages to either stance. Because of the high stance, it is very important to maintain focus on keeping the center of gravity as low as possible. At more advanced levels this is done by "rooting." It is crucial to never lean backward in this stance, even the slightest amount, to prevent being uprooted. Once balance is lost, it is difficult to regain the offensive. When moving out of either stance, maintain a lowered center of gravity and slide over the ground with each step. Never transfer weight to the stepping leg until that leg is where you want it to be; a leg off the ground is easily swept. Foot checks and kicks Kicks in Wing Chun are characteristically low and swift. At advanced levels they are used as much to check advancing legs and kicks as they are to kick themselves. When checking, be sure to turn the foot out to the side to gain greater surface area for contact. Remember that a careless opponent can be taken off balance by checking advancing steps. The legs are often overlooked in Wing Chun. This is a great mistake that limits the effectiveness of the style. Do not fall into this trap. Rotation Rotation, along with gate punching, is crucial to taking Wing Chun to the advanced level. Mastery of proper rotation allows for complete efficiency, in movement and power. Rotation allows for subtle shifts in body position that aid in deflecting attacks and generating power over short distances. But be careful: over-rotation leaves one in a very vulnerable position, and although one might think more rotation would generate more power, the opposite is in fact true. Also, be careful to avoid generating rotation through rotation of the torso on the hips. Rotation should begin at the feet, which in turn rotate the legs and the hips. The torso should move with the hips, like a gun turret. Parrying Part of being efficient is parrying instead of blocking. Linear attacks are more easily guided across the opponent’s centerline than forced outward. When facing circular technique and not able to parry, employ rotation or other body movement (usually in and to the opposite side of the attack), to position yourself inside of the point of power on the incoming technique. There is less power on a punch as you get closer to the shoulder. In this case the block you are forced to use is more an extra assurance than an actual block. Another important point to remember when parrying is to meet and intercept the attacking arm as far out as possible. This way, when you deflect the attack off centerline, it will travel further off to the side by the time it reaches the distance of its intended target (you). Also, be wary of applying too much lateral motion to your parries. You don’t want to follow the attack off centerline; you want to force it off centerline and remain there. The best way to do that is to attack the centerline with outward motion. Because your arms come from the side of your body, and thus off centerline, the motion of moving to centerline itself is enough lateral motion. The "pop" from your parries should come largely from forward motion. This way if you glance off your parrying arm will end up in the face of your opponent, not off to the side somewhere where it does little good. Remember, strive for efficiency. Gate theory In gate theory, the body is divided into gates, or sections, that added together cover the body from head to toe and shoulder to shoulder. This is the area that must be protected from attack. In addition, another dimension is added with the outer gate, so that every section of the front of the body has an inner and outer gate associated with it. This is to distinguish whether it is the outer or inner hand that will defend against an attack to each gate. Certain attacks are better defended against with the outer gate than the inner, and vice versa. Dividing the body in this way, the practitioner can classify each technique according to the gate that it defends against. Trapping The concept of trapping is very important in Wing Chun, the idea being to take the opponents limbs out of action. There are two main ways this can be done. The most common form of trapping is to get one of the opponent’s arms under the other and to press in or down, thus allowing you to occupy both of the attacker’s hands with one of yours. The benefits of this are obvious. A simple form of this type of trapping is crossing the opponent up by parrying one arm toward the center and pressing inward. This opens up the side of the opponent as well as putting one arm in the way of the other. Another type of trapping, less commonly utilized but no less important, is pinning the opponent’s elbow to their body. A good cycle puncher will keep one arm pinned to an opponent’s body by checking it on the return stroke after each punch, and all this while marching the opponent backwards. Gate punches Gate punching is the ultimate in efficiency, as a gate punch effectively parries or blocks an incoming attack on its way to its target. To effectively execute an outer gate punch, one must utilize the method of parrying described above. In this way, a parry can be continued on into a strike without a change in motion. Slap parries require a change in direction to continue on towards an opponent, and therefore cannot be used for gate punching. In this gate punch, it is the motion of bringing the arm from slightly off center onto center that facilitates the parry. The forearm effectively bats anything off of centerline, and then carries the hand in for the strike. The inside gate punch is much more difficult to execute, and involves forcing the opponent’s arm of centerline in the direction against all of the opponent’s strength. This leaves your arm inside of his, and effectively amounts to a block. As always, the parry is preferable to the block, so keep this in mind. Cycle punches As stated above, cycle punching is more than just hitting an opponent with rolling blows. Cycle punching actually involves every other major concept in Wing Chun, including parrying, gate punching, rotation and often trapping. Therefore the motion of the arms in cycle punching is critical! To begin, the punch must not, as is often though, begin on centerline at your own chest. It is the motion of going to centerline that affords the parrying motion, and allows the continuation on into a gate punch. Rotation must also be added to cycle punches to provide power. However, this rotation should be minimal. Also, a punch is not finished after it reaches or does not reach its target. It is not useless until it re-chambers for another strike. A returning punch can be used to drop down and parry any incoming strikes to the lower gates, and can also serve to keep an opponent’s arm pinned to their side by dropping down in its cycle and hitting the elbow of the checked arm. Another important concept to cycle punching is the concept of circularity. Whatever the circle may be, whether it is in downward motion to bat attacks downward, or vice versa, at least a slight circle should be kept in all motion at all time. Linearity requires stopping and re-starting of motion, something that takes far to long when we are striving for efficiency." For more great information on Wing Chun and all the Shaolin Kung Fu styles go to http://www.shaolin.com/

Wing Chun is a lot more flowing than Shotokan Karate, your background is more likely to hinder than help you. It is easier to start knowing nothing than to come from another art. But it is nor impossible.