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Wing Chun Chi Sao & Contact Juggling
Mar. 20th, 2009 04:54 pmNow, in truth, if you followed the exact forms, terms, and movements of a traditional wing chun education, you'd probably sneer at this.
But it hit me ~ pun quite intended, as usual ~ while![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
aequitaslevitas and I took our chi sao practice up a notch or two, that what we were doing had an awful lot of similarities with contact juggling, such that you could benefit by cross-training.
In both arts, you are maintaining contact with the object you're working with: in contact juggling, usually one or more heavy spheres; in chi sao, your opponent. So, sure there are differences. If you step back from the ball, it falls. If you step back from the opponent, they probably stay standing. However, the goal in both is to maintain contact, to maintain control of the object.
Circular motions are the order of the day in chi sao. Sure, there are some direct strikes, but they are met with and trapped by circular motions. In contact juggling, the goal is to make it look like you are, literally, revolving around a sphere.
Although you may start with a bunch of set named moves, the real goal is to blend them into something that is much more fluid. In chi sao, you are coupling your movements with those of another person, reacting to their attacks, and positioning yourself to be able to target them. In contact juggling, you are often attempting to make it look as if the sphere is alive and you're trying to react to it or contain it.
It would be interesting to attempt some form ~ probably not all that recognizable once it comes down to it ~ of chi sao with one or more spheres...
But it hit me ~ pun quite intended, as usual ~ while
aequitaslevitas and I took our chi sao practice up a notch or two, that what we were doing had an awful lot of similarities with contact juggling, such that you could benefit by cross-training.In both arts, you are maintaining contact with the object you're working with: in contact juggling, usually one or more heavy spheres; in chi sao, your opponent. So, sure there are differences. If you step back from the ball, it falls. If you step back from the opponent, they probably stay standing. However, the goal in both is to maintain contact, to maintain control of the object.
Circular motions are the order of the day in chi sao. Sure, there are some direct strikes, but they are met with and trapped by circular motions. In contact juggling, the goal is to make it look like you are, literally, revolving around a sphere.
Although you may start with a bunch of set named moves, the real goal is to blend them into something that is much more fluid. In chi sao, you are coupling your movements with those of another person, reacting to their attacks, and positioning yourself to be able to target them. In contact juggling, you are often attempting to make it look as if the sphere is alive and you're trying to react to it or contain it.
It would be interesting to attempt some form ~ probably not all that recognizable once it comes down to it ~ of chi sao with one or more spheres...
. I didn't really discover who or what was going on with those tricks until I caught Michael on television. There was a PBS special - which, unfortunately, doesn't seem to be available on DVD. A little while later, Deb and I were lucky enough to catch a live performance with Michael.
provides the tune!
by James Ernest, which provides detailed descriptions and clear, easy-to-follow line drawings for a number of tricks. For additional video lessons, check out Brine Child's lessons on a variety of tricks - including 
- it's hysterical watching him watch the cartoons! ] 
. I've been doing this for quite a few years, but the stopping and starting hasn't left me with the greatest of progress. As our VCR died, the old tape is useless, and it was very valuable in seeing exactly what should be done. We've got the 
, so we'll be able to work along with that until the book is located.
is the humbly titled Pilates Errant. It's downstairs somewhere, along with an earlier edition of 
(which supplied some great warm up exercises I do remember!), the incredibly informative (for those looking to increase stretches, prevent and rehabilitate injuries, and add some flexibility) 
, the more martial-arts oriented 
, and, to add to the fun, a first edition of 
.
adds some traditional martial arts stretches - most of which I knew from the Kenpo days back in the late seventies. Anyway, it helped formalize the stretches a bit, giving some of them names and so forth.
. Hands down, this book - in places "just" a collection of notes - is the best source I've found on the physical process behind the martial arts and/or exercise (disclaimer: I'm not looking for technical materials, however, this makes the technical accessible). It also covers, as the title indicates, a bit more of the philosophical side of things. There's also his four fighting method books: 
, 
, 
, and 
. I have two of them - vol 2. is sitting on the bed next to me as I type this, the other one I have is down below in a box. I've read them all, as I studied my instructor's copies when I was training with him.
DVD, but I expect to fill that out and formalize it at some point when 
. There's also the matter of a number of additional DVD volumes, should he decide he wants to pursue this style further.
DVD. We made it into the first two moves. This week, we're stepping back a bit and working on some Bagua Zhuan Xuan Gong and more basic techniques from the book 
. This book has a wealth of information on the style, from history, lineage, guiding principles, its own qigong (Bagua Zhuan Xuan Gong), translated writings handed down on techniques and so forth, examples of basic techniques, and basic training (like carrying cinder blocks on your shoulders to build up strength and doing low stances under tables to ensure consistent height is maintained and doing walking practice against an opponent while you both step on a circle of brick-ends.) There's also some forms, including the Swimming Body one on the DVD and a weapons form.
. I'm still working through the first form, and likely will for a while, until I feel confident enough to move on to the second. That's one reason to play around a bit with the Northern Shaolin sword style - which is designed for a light, one handed, two edged blade, not a heavy single edged katana. It's a far cry from tradition, but it adds a bit of variety, and, as I mentioned, fun to it. Also adds a deep physical workout, as there's things you can do with a light bit of bendy steel that really make you work hard when you try to maintain the same pose with some solid steel in your hand.
and 
at the ready, and a school a friend teaches at down the road. This is one style I'd really benefit from taking at a school, with an instructor. Maybe one day it will happen. =)
. I searched for it, but I did not actually expect to find it. Wow. I'm impressed. Anywho, the book is divided into two sections: the XBX 12-minute-a-day plan for women and the 5BX 11-minute-a-day plan for men. I use the advancement charts for all the five basic exercises for guys, and, at this stage, I use 2 of the exercises from the XBX (a lateral bending, slightly easier than the TKD version, to give a bit of depth; and a knee raising one, similar to what shows up in the yoga, shiatsu, and other books, except it's done while standing instead of lying prone.)
& 
) - an art that really takes two to practice, and Justin should be able to do so with me. Aikido is fairly high on the list for arts I'd like to study in the traditional manner, although thus far it hasn't worked out for me to be able to do so. I love the circular style, as well as the way you use your attacker's force against them.
.
during our warm up. Unlike some of the more full-routine, flowing forms of Qigong, 18 Buddha Hands is composed of 18 sections, with one to three exercises in each section and a standing pose between sections. Each exercise is repeated 8 times, so, while they each have a flow to them, it is repeated, and fairly compartmentalized. We taught Rachel how to do the first section. Further work will be difficult - I didn't find the book in my searching today, and the video will be subject to the cantankerous VCR. 
dvd - going through their warm up (partially; the deep stretches will need to be worked up to), the breathing exercises, some stances, a basic block, and a couple punches. We stopped the video to work with the arm shield and strengthen our punches. It took a few tries to get the feel of the standing stance, and it was pretty funny - once you hit it right, you felt glued to the floor. While this is one of the things Bruce Lee railed against with his theory on footwork, it demonstrated that this was exactly the right style to mine for Nickelodeon's 
show. 
, just to wrap up the day.
