What skill/technique are you learning right now?

Discussion in 'General Martial Arts Discussion' started by Nachi, Oct 6, 2021.

  1. Tom bayley

    Tom bayley Valued Member

    Taking responsibly for your own learning is something that is vital in all forms of learning. Much of my day job as an academic skills tutor is supporting students to do this. It is a very big step , it involves a lot of deep emotional stuff about self identity, confidence, assertiveness and ego. As well as specific skills to do with "how does one actually go about it?". As with much of life I find that it is an ongoing process.
     
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  2. Tom bayley

    Tom bayley Valued Member

    Hi simon. I get how the double hip can be applied to straight strikes, punches /jabs etc. but could you explain how it is applied to slaps, which to my mind are more circular in application ?

    there are overhead slaps in flower boxing that use the double hip. but I can't think of any forms that use the double hip to generate a more conventional "slap to the side of the face" motion.

    Cheers.
     
  3. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    Peter Constadine has a video demonstrating the slap.

    Starts at about 1:00.

     
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  4. Tom bayley

    Tom bayley Valued Member

    Many thanks simon.

    i was really confused until i got to around 6.10 in. then we get a section that shows the mechanic nicly. in practice it looks not too dissimilar to hip shake used in kung fu or karate. I was looking too much at the loading of the left hip and not enough at unloading afterwards. Due to a core injury I find it difficult to commit weight that far forward on the lead leg without jamming the lead hip joint. got any suggestions on how I could work on that? what position are you in just before you fire the motion to initiate the movement? got any tips on keeping the hips level as you move. (I think this is one of the things causing the jamming in my case)? where is the lead hip in relation to the lead toes, heal, and knee at point of maximum load? as you move the load back to the striking side where does the lead hip end up in relation to the lead toes, heal and knee.?

    many thanks again good stuff.
     
  5. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    @Tom bayley, hopefully this goes some way answering your questions.

     
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  6. hewho

    hewho Valued Member

    Was lucky enough to do a session with Rick Young when I went up to Scotland earlier in the year, and every time I've done Ne Waza in Judo I've attempted to use a triangle from mount that we went over. Struggling to hit the choke from mount, but fairly consistently isolating the arm and going for the armbar from there.

    Other than that, I'm trying to work more on combining foot sweeps and reaps to set up throws, rather than relying on sneaking in hip throws when my partner makes a mistake, in aid of being a more assertive player.
     
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  7. JCole123

    JCole123 New Member

    I think most people learn that way, i.e. capitalize on mistakes but then learn to be more dominant later on. It takes time but will transform your game in the long run. Here's a good article I found on kazushi and general combinations in martial arts which is important to learn.
     
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  8. Tom bayley

    Tom bayley Valued Member

    Re power generation and "double hip".

    Many thanks to simon for taking the time to shot a vid to explain. in my personal experience the idea of pivoting at the hip rather than the center is strong through many arts. kung fu and karate included. It is often trained by using stepping to accentuate the shift of the weight fully onto the pivoting side. look at how the footwork sets up the hip movement in the clip below.



    The key difference between this and the first "double hip" clip is the position of the hip off the lead leg. in the clip it is strongly emphasized that the lead leg be as straight as possible with the hip forward. where as in the hung gar clip the lead hip is relaxed back. in my opinion this has a significant impact on the transmission of body weight forward. in the straighter leg, hip and weight further forward version, the center of gravity is taller so there is more drop forward into the strike. this increases the acceleration of the strike at contact and so increases the power.

    for me it is the position of the knee and hip relative to the north south ballance line that is the principle difference from what is most frequently practised in kung fu and karate. this changes the pattern of body movement and acceleration through the strike which accounts for the requirement for altering the timing of the punch.
     
  9. Flying Crane

    Flying Crane Well-Known Member

    Hi Tom, I like the hung ga clip, I assume that is you in the video?

    a quick comment on what I am seeing. At times it looks to me like you are turning from the shoulders and dragging the feet into the turn. This isn’t optimal for power in this method as your feet act like anchors and hold you back. If you can adjust your execution and begin the movement by pushing with the feet and legs, and engage your torso rotation with that push, you can improve the power with everything that you do. Push from below, don’t pull from above.

    I was seeing a similar issue with some stepping, it seemed you were stepping out with the lead foot and dragging the rear foot after. Instead, push with that rear foot to drive the lead foot out. The rear foot may at times slide up afterward, but that is ok if it is a result of the momentum from the push. But if it is simply being dragged from behind, then again it bleeds power away.
     
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  10. Tom bayley

    Tom bayley Valued Member

    No i am older and fatter. i actually belong to a different line than this one so there are some stylistic differences. I chose this clip because it has a good camera view of the stepping

    as for your comments. I get how you can read the external movements this way. However being familiar with this form I can say that there is a lot of internal tendon power in the mechanics. the movements are initiated by the legs and hips. the power leg looks on the surface as though it is dragging but actually it quite likely is just catching up with the rest of the body. the leg is used to drive the body forward at the start of the movement.

    if you practice this form on a rug that is not fixed to the floor you move around the room as the momentum of the movements drag the rug around.
     
    Last edited: Nov 9, 2021
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  11. Tom bayley

    Tom bayley Valued Member

    This said, if your observations had been correct your comments would also have been correct and your advice is very good. thank you for taking time to look at the video and for your very sound advice.
     
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  12. Tom bayley

    Tom bayley Valued Member

    Hi simon

    in you opinion would you say the clip bellow shows the double hip or not? the pivot is hinged on the side of the body not the centre, but the front knee is bent much more than in the double hip examples above. this does change the mechanics of the movement, particularly the involvement of the gluts.

     
  13. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    I shall try to keep this thread alive!

    So I am getting back to training after going through covid. Well, I am only back to Taiji for now, but I am planning to show up to karate soon, too. I missed our Christmas karate event where my partner actually learned a whole new kata - Kururunfa. He said he'd teach me, too, so I am looking forward to it! I wasn't feeling like much exercising where there was an opportunity, so thus far he's only showed me the first few steps, but I am looking forward to it as it is a nice kata! A bit complicated probably, but I am in no rush to learn it to perfection. It is only needed for grading for yondan, which is very very far off for me.

    I have started going to Taiji classes, which should be easier to take easy for the time being and I started learning the sword form. :) Well, not yet. I only had three classes with the sword now and we only learned the very basic exercises/techniques so far. But I really enjoy it. The sword is such a beautiful weapon and feels really nice to try something wiht it. So I've been practicing the basecs we've learned at home, too, and it feels really nice. I am always looking forward to the next class :)

    Has anyone else started learning anything new with the new year?
     
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  14. Dead_pool

    Dead_pool Spes mea in nihil Deus MAP 2017 Moi Award

    I'm trying to use sumi gaeshi more often in BJJ, both standing and whilst doing ground work, as well as try to do more pressure passing, I tend to rely on running around guards in passes and jump on heads, arms and legs a little too much and it's making me predictable.

    I'm also still carrying on using leg attacks to set up guard passes and transitions straight to the back.


    All in all I probably need to focus a little bit more too!
     
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  15. Grond

    Grond Valued Member

    Learning to walk away. Be seeing you.
     
  16. axelb

    axelb Master of Office Chair Fu

    Focusing on closed guard and omoplata setups. I never managed to get it until recently, watched instructional, worked setup with dummy and then the coach has us drill a few times then things clicked. So a good opportunity to go with the flow. Extra bonus, when my closed guard fails I work on defence :D
     
  17. aaradia

    aaradia Choy Li Fut and Yang Tai Chi Chuan Student Moderator Supporter

    I seem to have developed the REALLY bad habit of sometimes pivoting on my heels in CLF! Don't ask me how or when. But I think I have been doing it awhile, because pivoting on the balls of my feet during these moves feels weird and I get off balance easily. :( My instructor caught this recently. I wonder if this has been contributing to my knee issues....

    I also noticed, while paying attention to this, that sometimes I am locking my right knee instead of having a bend in it. That I think, is a reaction to my knee problems. However, I think it may also be continuing the cycle of issues.

    I have no idea why I started doing this. I mean, instructors have been talking about the importance of the proper pivot and the bend in the knees since DAY ONE. So, this is a priority to correct right now.
     
  18. aaradia

    aaradia Choy Li Fut and Yang Tai Chi Chuan Student Moderator Supporter


    Mod Note: to help keep this thread alive, it has been made a sticky thread. . :) It is exactly the sort of thread that exemplifies the best of what MAP is and wants to promote.
     
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  19. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    This is really interesting as I have the exact opposite problem :D In Karate, most turns are done on the ball of the foot, which feels very natural, but I'm told in Taiji, the majority should be done on the heel, which I struggle with. I am doing my best to pay attention to this and it is becoming easier bit by bit, but in some pivots, it still makes me lose balance.

    Oh, thank you! :)
     
  20. YouKnowWho

    YouKnowWho Valued Member

    Both are correct, but for different purposes. When you turn on your

    - ball, you are not commit right at that moment.
    - heel, you are committed right at that moment.

    Sometime you may do both at the same time. For example, when you stand in horse stance. If you want to change into left bow, right arrow stance, your will turn your left foot on your heel, and your right foot on your ball.

    [​IMG]
     
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