The Minotaur: The Singh Family Wooden Dummy

I got mine for around $200 all in, but they typically cost around 300 or so. I wa a bit skeptical until I actually used one...they are a lot harder than you would credit

 

Have you found it to be durable? This looks like something I may be interested in for training in the future, but only if it's durable and doesn't end up tearing at the seams from being thrown or jerked around. 200 - 300 is pretty pricey for something that will only last a few months of serious training. What has been your experience with durability?

I'm also assuming since you paid that much you got one that is around 50 lbs?

 

Meridian Manipulation and Knowledge a Must for High-level Adepts

Hello brother and thanks for responding to the meridian discussion. These are great questions BTW.... No Bro, I meantion those meridians as essentials that require a method of ensuring that energy is not blocked for any reason ... just living life sometimes in the western world causes clogs and knots in the Zhong Fu and Extraordinary Meridian Vessels. But not for everyone because some people live a life free from those types of situations that cause an imbalance of the Mental, physical and emotional bodies just to name the most basic concerning martial artists....

I am a Pranayam who is training in the esoteric parts of Taoist alchemy that you may be familiar with in the classic book Taoist Yoga: Alchemy and Immortality by Lu K'uan Yu. I am blessed to have a competent teacher. I am retired and home school my child. I have trained enough to enter a level of being that I no longer require meat and live mostly now on Milk, Oatmeal, Nuts, Fruits and dark chocolate ... and I just love greens and rice ... lol ... My limbic impulses are finally under control enough to restrict and redirect sexual impulses through a multiple day session of Pranayama... Now brother this is definitely abnormal regimens and still I use liniment and massage my major energizer points before each session in preparation for asanas, Form training and especially Iron Body conditioning....

The Minotaur like standing form training, or sparring if all is balanced properly, is not just for fighting. My vedic and taoist bioenergy training folds my limbs and enacts certain accupoints on my legs and hands through asana and mudra. As you know when a limb is bent it restricts energy flow to that area of the body. Eight Paths Meditation, although great for standing dynamic or static regimens is not suitable for Folded Limb Asana postures. Microcosmic meditation regimens are very good for these postures as they help collect and circulate energies through the govenor and conception vessels to include the Gridling and penetrating vessels where most of this energy is stored in the extraordinary meridian system. Still before and after a microcosmic session it is good to massage these points at a minimum before moving to more dynamic standing postures.

Wudang training methods are not as invested in iron body conditioning methods, at least not in the way of striking, as those found in the Chuan Fa systems coming from the Chan Buddhists of Shaolin. As a Western Internal Pugilist I find value in both methods. In truth that is what the Minotaur is.. and mixture of both but I am really inlove with movement as a Western Boer so I have to have something that moves like the two-ended bag. If you look at the attached vid you can see how much I love it... lol ... I train heavily in Tiger conditioning methods because I believe in them when a weapon is not available in the defense of my loved ones. The heavy slaps with no effort you hear when I touch the Minitaur is the result of such training as depicted through the 72 Arts of Shaolin manuel and dilligent training in stress positions while striking the Iron Palm bag, rolling the heavenly dragon roller and pinching the flower... Now with the Gada I have my circle and point drills because I can mix the Gada work with my Brassring work.

While doing these external regimens I perform my pranayama breathing sequnces of ratio controlled inhale, retention and exhale (1:8:4 or even) while using the mudra from the kUJI kIRI or a less volitile mantra. This includes assuming the Asana properly. I have found that the application of these internal skills during these regimens actually help me measure imporovement in external exercise performance. Thus my evolving personal credo: The Mind is the Greatest Weapon and the Heart the Greatest Shield when Internal Skill is measured through External Regimen.

None of this means anything until performance is sustained and is shown to possibly improve into ones 50' and 60's and perhaps beyond. I have found that to do this I must have external and internal training.... balanced with great knowledge of personal healing and harming methods. As a result I can do some pretty cool tricks.. lol... which lets me know I am doing something right and thats all they should let me know... also that one can accomplish these things without being in an Inner-circle Asian lineage discipline. There are significant numbers of very accomplished Internal and Exteral masters who are warrior scholars who publish and lecture on some very good stuff.

In closing on this subject Robinhood: nternal and external training is a must to varying degrees in Martial artists who train throughout their lifetime. This necessitates Jing Luo knowledge and external alchemic knowledge and skill. What I presented are the minimum skills one must practice daily.


About the Minotaur and its purpose in my Family system; I am a Wuwater Tigerboxer functioning in the area of Western Tai Chi Chuan. I train my loved ones and particular loved ones outside the family (Normally ex-military types and Professional) in my own system at first because it was a business necessity when I was the owner of Angel's Gym to distinguish iself to reflect my approach and rebuild a champion producing institution in the land of the Special Operations community of Fort Bragg NC... The system has produced competitive amateur and finally professional champions from novice beginnings in boxing, kickboxing (to include winning a Muay Thai IKF state title over a Traditionally Trained Muay Thai competitor), Grappling and MMA with wins over BJJ. I am very proud of thise victories because I believe BJJ is an incredible Western Art that does everything Taiji Quan should do but on the ground. I have rarely qualed or deafeated a BJJ person in their own element. In fact I larned how to deal with it by taking continuous ass whuppins... Its a knuckledragger method but it works.... We had great wins under Sifu Duerson's direct oversight after years of pooling his and my knoledge of grappling and striking in an Event Hosted by Ed Clay's Gameness Event against grapplers. It has also attracted for Pugilistic Training US National Champions in Muay Thai and Boxing and was used as a professional institution for Professional MMA and Boxing Champions to find sparring Partners with. I am very proud of these accomplishments because the methods that helped manifest them came from very hard study of the classic way of performing Western and Eastern Pugilistic practice and innovation for an application of those principles in combative and competitive situations. Edition one of my first book is about this... called Illusive Pugilism

The second edition is about Internal Pugilism... The internal side is more combative or close quarters battle oriented and in that sense I personally train a Army Spec Op Sniper, Ex-SF Security Contractor and a Police Officer who are all current operators using my family system. I have invited one of them to come to the forum and I am sure they will explain its effectiveness and the importance of the Minotaur and why they want to own one.... They have felt what you see me doing in the video but doing it to them.... Sela..

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnCG6FzU9A4"]Wuwater Boxing: Internal Boxing for the Combat Athlete - YouTube[/ame]

 

That last vid you posted was pretty nice.

from a pure grappling perspective, especially a BJJ one that focuses on the ground, i fail to see how the minotaur is useful.

it doesn't seem to useful because it doesn't imitate grips in the way as a gi or body and although i can seem it's use for TC and the like, i dont see how it would benefit a judo-ka or wrestler in a way because of how different the skill training is e.g. no focus on forms or anything that doesn't yield practical application immediately.

i honestly cant see many grappling coaches having patience with the minotaur and the the concept of push hands and the like altogether for their athletes.

it seems hard to imagine someone without a little training in push hands and it's application in combat actually utilise this tool.

 

That's also my concern too. The moment that you get into a clinch, the moment that all the nice flow of the Taiji push hands stop right there. It just seems to me that "how to break grips" is missing in Taiji push hands training. You may not like to grab but you cannot prevent your opponent from grabbing you.

 

exactly - i understand the use before you enter the clinch but once you have over under or arm and collar this tool becomes pretty useless - and in BJJ and freestyle, if you've taken grips, the other guy has too and that when the match really begins.

 

funn you should say that

The key is patience and knowledge: This is James Watts... He is a 2011 Pro Champ. This is a video of me training him for his 1st MMA Match... at 8:40 he beginns his intro to Taiji Quan Pushhands.... He was a Champion HS Wrestler.... He became a believer.... But again you have to have the knowledge and patience.... most don't... Master Wang, a Wing Chun and Chen Taiji Quan adept displays an unusually proficient application of traditional Taiji Quan in combative situations.... I have used it in a combative situation against a Boxing adept ... It ended very quickly after I attached and performed Chin Na... I used it quite without thought after using my Kun Tao Silat training to bridge... Please go to my youtube to see how we trained Angels Gym NAGA Champs on their first go at the 2009 NAGA Southern regionals... again thanks for engaging...... Respect

Oh... One of my Students who is a Spec Ops Guy has been invited to come to the room to discuss the applications for grappling. He has reminded me that the Minotaur is for very highlevel pugilists who strike and grapple in tandem... but I told him many of the guys in here have highlevel skills and knowledge .. but I am not that good at communicating... He should be in this weekend... He is a knuckle dragger and my student when I was not that good at comportment... it was a tough school and I was a very not nice man in fact cruel as a coach... it was my way.... it is not anymore but he may be alittle rough.... I hope you all accept him and groom him like you have me.... lol

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rNkE3545Nw"]Basic San Shou Training for MMA Competition - YouTube[/ame]

 

Retail agreement

BTW ZAAD... My retailer is in 100% agreement with you.... lol.. damn damn damnn.... lol

 

About the gripping

It does not happen often but I have been able to control a grappler with pushhands techniques dependent upon the level of skill the grappler had in defending against strikes. I used the idea of yielding when met with explosive or when meeting embracing force tight circling to control the elbow and shoulder on the flank.... The flank movements are bridges that require hand and foot coordination because I had to strike to unstructure him.

Pushhands wudang or shaolin sticky hands both require striking to unstructure when the other person is soundly centered, sunken, explosive and arythmical. In this scenario you gotta "Cut" or do the Jailhouse Rock stuff as their pugilistic method is built for very close quarters combat against weapons like shives, knives, razors and clubs. I posted a link on it and it is very good reading... As I mentioned before history states that Milo the Undefeated was neutralized by the art called Acrocherismos or "High-handed" Kato Pankration on his 7th attemt at winning an olympic pankration event by Timitheseus. I could not find forms that approximated this kind of fighting but there are art work of a highhands method.... Volgstiges Ring-Buch is the best evolution of that type of fighting and I think its basically a European version of th Supreme Ultimate Fist... I have the 2man form illustration on my Angel's Gym facebook page....

BTW... Thanks to all of you for making this thread so exciting and visited..... The Minotaur is of course my baby but whether you guys want it or not your comments make me think of better ways to use it and improve it. Already a modification is in process as there will be tiger finger holds for attacking with the fingers and also the horns will be put on both sides for even more uncalculated movements that the adept must negotiate... This will make me a better Martial Artist and to be honest that is the devises most important 1st goal.... you see I use this thing every day as a sparring partner and a method of circulating energy through my internal regimen.... Much love and respect...

 

If you are interested in internal cultivation check these videos out.Some of the best explanations I have seen.

http://www.traditionalstudies.org/i...al-cultivation/ic-online/126-daoyin-of-ysb-cp

Lohan patting coupled with shaking and healing sounds is a great way of moving stagnant chi after a workout.

 

Awesome... Also .. I would like to know about your methods, variations on traditional ways.... things most would not know.... The stuff I have mentioned is basic but central to what I do at a minimum.... I know there is alot of knowledgeon this point... thanks for the link...

 

i checked out your NAGA vids:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o16Ll1J2VyA&feature=plcp"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o16Ll1J2VyA&feature=plcp[/ame]

i dont see you in the vids or any push hyands or anything that would make the minotaur seem useful for the pure grappler or any one competing in just grappling.

i agree, the minotaur would be most useful to those who use trapping and striking in tandem but i dont see its value in a grip contest like wrestling or bjj or even MMA. (again BJJ is mainly ground based grappling so i really don't see specificity in the minotaur)

The MMA guy you were training, it was mainly conditioning right?:
- you were doing conditioing with him and a little push hands at the end.
- he seemed to do most the striking and ground and pound work by himself.
- he resorted to his wrestling strageties during the match so you can't really claim any credit unless you taught him to wrestle.
- the other guy had NO ground game, he "cockroached" when he was taken down and couldn't work the ground

the most you can claim credit for from that vid if you only conditioned him was the fact that he didnt tire when he was punching the guy or keeping dominant position.

 

Well Zaad you got me on that... I dont think the Minotaur would work for the pure Grappler because it is made for a Pugilist who strikes and grapples in Tandem. The Guy James is competing against had more fights than him I believe and this was his first MMA match. The guy came from a BJJ Camp or school. James came to my gym as a HS wrestler with one Muay Thai match.

When he tried out for a sponsored spot at my Gym against MMA guys trained by us he found that that was not enough to feel confident about going MMA for the first time. He was a phenomenal explosive athlete and had a hard right hand and great takedown. I know cause I sparred him alot and he took me down alot but he had problems with our method of striking while on the back and standing up. We worked on that and after almost getting concussion for not listening he began to use the techniques you see him use in competition... and the ones on the bag drills.... we made him even more explosive and the goal was for him to skillfully overmatch his opponent. We had many Taiji Pushhands sessions that he said were hard for him to understand but being ripped offbalance by an old man made him keep training. He told me that he felt the sensitivity stuff that he learned on his feet better when on the ground. I thought at the time that would be ok... as it turned out it was.

Conditioning was not a problem for him as he was a beast and the drills he was performing on the vid were of my design for better or worse directed at technique... They were also directed at controlling the opponent while on the ground which he does in a the manner that I trained him in and is very specific in the book. You might want to talk to Putrid about that as he has read the book and can tell you about my methods and rules. Afte you can match that up with what you saw... I think he did very good.

I think that the guy did not get off had nothing to do with that guys lack of skills. He clearly did everything to get away.... almost flipped James... James just did everything right that night against a guy not ever having been controled so well and thrown and struck so effectively.. this is especially true at the end where James has his back and delivers heel strikes to the guys inner thigh... ouch... James was not always that successful but his losses he made into learning lessons that eventually got him a belt...

Thanks man for engaging and making me analyze what I put out on video.... I know there is a connection between I put out there for you to see and the devise that I came up with... alot of the things you can do with the minotaur I did not show like it goes to the floor and you can work it quite well... if you are a Pugilist who strikes and grappes at the same time and your best way to end a mach is with strikes.... But if submission is the only way you can end a match then I see your point. But this is good as there are alot of products out there that is for the BJJ athlete and no one else.

Plus even though I have been grappling since HS in the 70's I hate doing it over striking... now the grounding mechanism built into the physics of extended play with the Minotaur will make a person very difffficult to take don unless you strike very well or get lucky.... Its an opinon but given my experiences a very good one.. as is yours from your skill set and from your perspective... Critiques do have one thing working against them and that is they have never felt it... but believe me... wrestler weree the first athlete to see the Minotaur being built... in IOWA no less... and they are fascinated with it... cannot wait to get there hands on it and played with it. The owner of the shop that buillt it has sons who are competitors in their teens and they had to be pulled from it as they practiced greco roman innovations and found out how powerful circular arm movements can be ... that was unexpected

SFC Mike Butler will be joining the convrsation very soon. He has your skill set and was my student. Angels Gym was very well known for training Wrestlers pugilism and having them go to the national level of championships and state championships.... Jacob Butler and Mikey Vernagallo are two national level champions that improved their skills through my style of pugilism... Putrid read the book and can tell you why.... Thise lessons of method I constructed are an abstact and direct connection to the design of the Minotaur.

Sometimes when I was coming up in martial arts and in the militry I could not see the reason for things and the potential of thINGS NOT SEEN OR EXPERIENCED BEFORE... I got over it as my skill set grew ... this may or may not apply to you but time will tell ... when Mike comes on seek him out and talk to him... he may help because I am sure you re engaging me to learn jut a I am you.... thanks bro.... respect

 

Oh I forgot Zaad... on the NAGA vid I worked with Jason Rivera extensively as he was a sponsored Angel's Gym fighter.... He now is in Wanderlei Silvas camp and has an amatuer belt.... He was also the IKF State Champ in Muay Thai 2009 a month before he won the NAGA thing. His excelling at Grappling is what took him out of Angel's Gym and to Silvas camp but what got him in was his refined striking and grappling standup and escape techniques masteresd through Sifu Duersons and a Tudo Vale expert who was a Ranger we had as a trainer for him. If you look in the vids you can see me doing cage stuff with Jason.... those were the days..... Hair is too long now ... lol

 

i hear this a lot from people on this site (mainly one particular poster who refuses to state his lineage) but i have a decent grounding in reality and know that most things have a scientific basis that the layman will ignore e.g. aikido is pure physics just like wrestling and judo, and what i've seen of push hands looks to be the same.

the problem is that if your want your product to become an international seller you need to train several international champions using it.

not just that, the champions need to say that it actually helped them and need to endorse it.

it's like then conversation we were having on another thread - loads of BJJ guys do yoga but only a few are top athletes and of them, none will say yoga was the main factor for their success, they'll say it was their coaches and hard work.

they wont thank a cool training tool unless it really is helping them leaps and bounds or they're getting paid to endorse it.

PS - that other guy in the MMA match didn't even close guard, as soon as he was taken down he lost all control and couldn't even keep or close guard.
he was against a wrestler - guard was his biggest advantage, he shrimped out really far and didnt even take advantage. it's like he didnt even do his homework on the guy he was competing against. good on your guy for keeping top position.

 

The Minotaur saved my life. If it wasn't for The Minotaur, I wouldn't have been able to win my last championship fight, which payed me enough to buy a new house for my homeless family. The Minotaur put food on our table, and put my children through college. It is the most effective training tool on the market today. Thanks The Minotaur!

Check please.

 

Zaad my man... you have awesome points and please do not think I was saying you were not a skilled combat athlete... I am sure you are... The mistake is mine if I ever think that the Minotaur will be widely purchased... It will not be.... That is not its purpose. It is for very very integrated and highly skilled and scholarly combat athletes well grounded in esoteric aspects of Martial Science... It is not really for competitors.... Although some have already found interest in testing it and that is surprising... As far as the best martial artists using it will make it sell... you are right... The testimonials will be out next year ... But the best one is really me....

I built it for me. As good as you see those striking and grappling performances you should know that they are several years old... I move much better now... Much stronger and healthier... That is the point as is described in my new article for Kungfu Online... there is a link in a previous post on this thread... please check it out... This thing is for the Seasoned Combat Athlete.... that is why Wastelander knew what it was for and how to use it... He is as ancient as I am... but probably as strong as the average 20-30 year old through regimen.

Well that is it isn't it... Your points have really directed my mind to where this thing needs to be marketed to.... Thanks man...

 

LMAO ... I will use that dude in the book.... could not get a more self relegating passge if I paid for it..... thanks

 

hahaha man my point about a guy refusing to state his lineage and always talking about internal/external was directed at a different poster who doesn't talk sense like you.

you might post walls of text but you generally make a lot of sense and some good points.

marketing is the best strategy.

combat sport is the way modern combat training methods receive their most
press and publication, rightfully so considering those athletes are hardcore.

it's why many people use sledgehammer training - cos chuck liddell did it!
despite the numerous people who used it before him, he became famous and attributed his success to it.

similarly with the wood man thingy and Ip Man.

or even hindu squats and Gama.

find someone to famous to use it!

 

Good advise

I will try man... I will try... for right now... I am still learning what it could be... For me it just feels good to use... old man stuff.... communing with the paramisiums... lol ... eating air as my wife says.... my wife and I are really planning to make a retreat in central america.... it will come in handy theerre to teach my style of internal pugilism and get me preped if I meet a high level practitioner who wants to cross hands and share energy..... Thanks for all the help Zaad in learning and the props.... Sat Sri Akal... respect