Tournament Training

The next CCKSF Kung Fu tournament is being planned for October this year. Students that are interested in competing should start thinking about it and slowly begin to prepare.

Although it isn't necessary to do any kind of special training, it is a way to increase your chances. For anybody that is interested in trying, here are some tips on preparing.

Forms:

1. Decide which form(s) you will be performing and make sure that it gets some exposure during your workout even on days that you are focused on other things. Just running throught the forms a couple of times continues to build on your muscle memory.


2. Clarify any confusion you have on the techniques of your form now. This prevents trying to make late stage changes the week before a tournament.


3. Self regulate - look at your stances, look at your body positioning, look at your techniques. The less time we spend on correcting your form, the more time we have to work on improving your form.


4. As we get close to tournament time, shift your focus to the forms you will be using for competition. Since there are other forms with the same or similar moves in the style, it is best to avoid confusion.


5. Prior to tournament day, make sure you are comfortable with the routine of the tournament - introduction, procedures, etc. If you are not sure, ask.

Fighting:

1. Fighting is much more difficult to prepare for because your opponents are unknown. Start by making sure you get a bit of practice in whenever possible, even if it is just working on specific techniques instead of free sparring.


2. Make sure to practice against various opponents instead of just one regular sparring partner. This will give you some work with different fighting personalities, different favourite moves, different sizes and different levels of aggressiveness.


3. Vary your fighting style between aggressive and passive to give you options depending on situations that may arise during the tournament fights.


4. As you get closer to tournament time, make sure you take some time to fight in more aggressive situations. Make sure your partner agrees and have some of the instructors watching...this will simulate some of the more aggressive tendancies that come out during the tournaments.


5. Well before tournament day you should review the rules to make sure there are no surprises.


6. Make sure that you are prepared to have fun and learn from the tournament whether you win or lose.

I want to be clear that this preparation is optional. The main idea is to compete to experience the atmosphere, push yourself out of your comfortable setting of your school, see what other styles do and make a few new friends so those students that choose to go without preparing can still have a valuable experience. As you gain more experience in martial arts, you will find that you can be asked to perform without much notice so it is much better to be prepared all the time.

Blocking Theory

Blocking techniques are obviously very important to protect you during a fight. With a bit of work and the proper understanding of the techniques, everybody can become proficient at defending themselves. The next step is to use the blocks the way they are intended which normally means there is more than just stopping an attack.

In a past post I spoke about blocking softly. This is exactly what should be done when redirecting a strike or trying to control with a grab but there are times where you are trying to do something else with the strike. There are times when the technique is intended to be hard because you are trying to damage the striking arm or leg. Look at the blocks you are executing and determine if it is something that is intended to deflect or something that is meant to be more aggressive. With practice and/or the help of your instructors you will see when you can use blocks for the various purposes. Take some time to make some mental notes the next time you are working on your techniques and you will notice a difference in your fighting. Deflections will become harder to detect and hard blocks will become more of a distraction to your opponents. Better understanding the blocks will also help you focus on the correct angles to execute your block.

Lama Training In Class

We are at an interesting time in our class where a group of the students are learning Lama forms. We do this for fun and as a break from the core training in Fut Gar. For those that are not familiar with how I ended up learning from multiple instructors, I wrote about it in a past post.

I thought I would take some time to point out some differences from Fut Gar that should be kept in mind during the training:

1. There are points in Lama forms where you will be leaning. In Fut Gar we are always keeping our body straight with no lean.
2. You need to be in a Gung Bo for many moves. Although this is not used in Fut Gar hand forms for reasons we have discussed in class, there are reasons to use the stance in Lama.
3. Your back hand will be extended during many techniques in Lama. In Fut Gar, we are typically pulling back to an elbow directly opposite of the attack.
4. In Fut Gar we generate power mainly from the turning of the waist but in Lama you will notice that we will discuss other methods.
5. We will be using a wider Ma Bo in Lama than we do in Fut Gar.
6. You will likely find that you are burning out of energy. This is common whenever you try to do a different style because your body has not adjusted to the new way of moving.

There are some things that don't change:

1. You should be looking at your opponent during the techniques. Of course I mean at their shoulders and head, not at their feet.
2. You should continue to think of why you are executing techniques.
3. Your striking and blocking surfaces will remain the same.
4. You will still be told to lower your stances.
5. Have fun with the training.

Yes There Is a Purpose

With the evolution of martial arts, it is impossible to avoid changes to techniques in traditional forms over time. This could be due to imitation of another individual, incorrect execution, incorrectly remembering the technique, misunderstanding of a technique, overemphasis of a technique (changing the form to match the application of the technique), rushed learning leading to imprecision, or shortage of knowledge in the instructor leading to their own flavour of execution. In fact, I have seen instructors change forms over time to something they believe is easier to execute or "looks better" when they perform. Unfortunately, this takes away some potentially important details in the style.

Instead of changing forms, I would encourage martial artists to think about what they are doing. In my experiences, there are purposes for executing a technique a certain way and for specific hand positions. The purpose could be defensive such as defending an area of the body, striking to a blind spot as a defense (Fut Gar students will be very familiar with this concept), protecting from follow-up techniques, or as a backup in case your technique is unsuccessful. The purpose could be offensive such as setting up your next technique or could a hidden meaning. Before changing a technique, I believe it would be much more useful to ask what all the potential reasons are for doing something a certain way. This not only will help preserve your style but also take you through the exercise of self learning something you have not specifically been taught.

For those that make changes because it looks better...yes, I have heard this reason. An experienced martial artist appreciates a form done correctly and done well. Changing a few moves will not make a difference. Instead of adding flash, it is probably much better to practice your forms until you are known for your precision and outstanding execution.

James Moves Forward

Sorry about the delay but here are a few pics from James' grading. It was a long but successful night at the school.

Old Fut Gar Article

Thanks to James for sending this to me. I had not seen this in a long time. The Fut Gar article was an article that was posted on the wall in Master Chen's old school. The other interesting thing, I believe I actually have this particular magazine somewhere (from the cover) but was not teaching Fut Gar at the time.



Not sure how the embedding will work but hopefully you can see it.

Hands Up, Hands Down

Today's class spent some time focused on hand positioning during your techniques. In Fut Gar we are always pulling to generate power on our strikes, so as we punch with one hand, we are pulling back with the other hand. One thing to keep in mind as you are engaged in a fight is that you need to properly position your hands. A few notes on this:

1. If you block high with one hand, the other hand should automatically drift lower to protect your ribs and if you block low with one hand, your other hand should automatically drift higher to protect your head. I have often been asked how to block faster but the reality is that you just need to get your hands to locations that make them more effective and cut down the amount of time to get to the block.
2. As you face off with your opponent, keeping one hand directly between you and your opponent forces them to go around it before they can get to you. This also minimizes your required movement to execute a block because a slight move of the hand to one side or the other allows you to deflect the attack.
3. Don't forget that you can block more than once with the same hand. If you have executed a block and that hand is the fasted block for the following attack, use it. There is no rule that you have to alternate hands :)
4. Get yourself back to a set position as soon as possible. This just gets you into the habit of getting your hands ready for an attack whenever there is no activity.

Happy training.

Fun Reminder Slideshow

I was digging through old pictures and was reminded of a slideshow from one of my old posts. Some of the newer students may not have seen this - October 2008

A Few More Pictures from Grandmaster Chen's 88th Birthday

Respect Your Weapons

Kung fu practitioners will learn weapons at some point in their training. This is always an exciting and fun time in a student's training, especially the first weapon. Something to keep in mind is the respect for your weapon. This is something that has become forgotten in some schools. A few hints when you are training:

• Always be aware of your surroundings - this helps avoid hitting your weapon on something (or someone)
• Don't throw your weapon around - when not using your weapon, put it down slowly
• A lesser known one for you that only more traditional Sifus would know - when standing holding your staff, don't place it on the ground but instead you should be resting it on your foot
• Respect also goes to other students' weapons - do not touch someone's weapon without asking for permission

It is important to have your own weapon because each weapon will feel a little bit different. Getting used to your weapon and the feel of it will improve your performance. For this reason, it is even more important to take care of your weapon.

Long Overdue Blue Sash Pics.

It has taken me a while to get these up but here are a couple of shots from Megan's grading. She is our newest Blue Sash.

Reverse Engineering Your Form

The students that have been at class the past few weeks have had an opportunity to participate in the painful exercise which could be called reverse engineering your form. We all enjoyed the exercise of figuring out what caused your form to move in a certain way and what caused the combinations to fit together. What started as an exercise turned into something that took an entire class. This shows how much thought can go into defining a form. We will continue to do this in class in the future but keep thinking about it at home. Remember to keep asking why and trying to figure out the answer.

First Picture from Grandmaster Chen's 88th Birthday

Here is a first picture from the birthday dinner with Grandmaster Chen. I will try to get more but unfortunately my memory card on my camera burnt out so I am not sure I can get the other pictures. This picture was taken by Harry who spent the time to organize the event.

5 Staff Hints

I would like to begin this post by reiterating the importance of staff in Kung Fu which I wrote about in a previous post. It is further reinforced when you look at the list of weapons forms taught in Fut Gar Kung Fu. I previously also wrote about defending with your staff. There are a few other hints in using a staff that will help you in your training.

1. In my post about defending with your staff, I mentioned a dead staff. The other side of it is the live staff which is the staff that is on top when there is contact. If you are in this situation during an exchange, you can choose to attack if you see an opening or wait to see if the opponent moves. When you are in the live staff position, almost any move by the opponent will create an opening which you can attack.
2. During your execution of techniques, keep your staff close to your body. An experienced opponent will be able to separate you from your staff if they can get their staff between your staff and your body.
3. Be very aware of where the end of your staff is. This applies to other weapons as well and basically is getting to know your weapon length so you can control it properly. You will also learn to be aware of your surroundings and which techniques will work given the space and environment restrictions.
4. Keep your hands at the end of your staff. When blocking or striking, your back hand should be at the end of the staff to fully use the length of your weapon. There are some techniques that would be exceptions to this hint but in general this is true.
5. Slide your front hand for power. Gripping your weapon too hard to allow movement in your hand will limit the power of your strikes and blocks. As you strike or block, allow the staff to slide through your hands for additional power.

Happy Training.

Pictures

Just a few pictures in class from August that were taken by Amrit.

Attacking in Reverse

Those that were in class tonight worked on a few retreating exercises where we were striking while backing up. In my fighting, I often use this as a way to keep my distance. It is not necessary to fight in the traditional way where you advance when you strike and back up when you block. I think it is too predictable to fight this way all the time. An effective strike while retreating can completely interrupt the momentum of an attacker's series of attacks and allow you to turn the fight in the other direction. Fighting is difficult when the opponent can confidently charge into you. Put some doubt in the opponents mind by throwing a strike at any time. They will not charge as eagerly if they think they may be diving into a fist.

Experienced Martial Artists That Try Classes

In my 20+ years of teaching I have seen hundreds, maybe thousands of students (see past blog post) pass through the doors of the school. I have had anyone from the person with no experience at all to the person who is at an accomplished level in another style train with me. The one thing that I always watch with experienced martial artists is the attitude they bring with them. I always ask about previous experience because I love seeing what types of styles are out there and hearing a bit about how they train. Once I get past this initial discussion and we are training, everybody trains the same way and everybody starts from the beginning of our system.

It has been interesting watching the reactions of trained martial artists as I break the news to them. Some have an excellent attitude and are very happy to learn everything from scratch whereas others will be taken aback by the suggestion that they need to start with learning stances and blocks. A true martial artist understands that every style is not the same and you need to learn from the beginning to become proficient at a style. Those that do not understand this normally don't remain in the class as they are too busy pouting instead of learning. I have even had one young man insist that he come to the advanced class as his first class....of course that was met with a thanks but no thanks response. Demanding anything as you meet your potential instructor is probably an indication that you are not ready for my class.

I would suggest that those that are determined to try a new style of martial arts should completely clear their minds of previous training as they enter the door because there are likely many things that are taught differently than the previous style. This is not to say that one is right and one is wrong but rather that theories differ between styles. Having an open attitude is the best way to learn the new style quickly.

5 Points to Defending with your Staff in Fut Gar Kung Fu

As the majority of my students know, I believe staff is the most important weapon we teach. The reasons were outlined one previous blog entry. This is further emphasized by the number of staff forms we teach in the Fut Gar style. Here are 5 points taught in Fut Gar Kung fu that you can keep in mind during training, whether it be visualizing the application of the technique or in practicing fighting techniques:

1. Be sure to shift your stances on blocks. Typically we shift far enough that target area that we are defending is totally moved away from its original position.
2. Defend more than just your block. Using the angle of the staff, you are often able to defend your head while blocking a strike to your legs.
3. Know the body and staff angle required to allow you to counterattack. Work on being precise with your blocking angle to allow quicker attacks.
4. If your staff is underneath your opponent's staff during contact, we call it a "dead staff" which means you do not try to initiate the next technique because it will leave an opening for the opponent to strike quickly.
5. Relax. It may be difficult when you are blocking another staff but relaxing will make your blocks faster and avoid the urge to attack your opponent's staff (trust your technique to deflect the attack and you will see that you don't need much power).

Keeping these things in mind will add some extra focus to your techniques during practice and help improve your forms.

Our Newest Instructors

I would like to offer congratulations to the newest instructors of The National Fut Gar Kung Fu Training Centre. A few weeks ago I had the honour of naming 2 new instructors to teach our Kung Fu system. I'm sure that they will make me proud as they pass on their knowledge and thirst for learning to future students. Each of these instructors accomplished something of special significance to the school.

Silvia Castellarin became the first female instructor with her promotion. Those that have trained for any significant time in Kung Fu will know that this is a very rare accomplishment.















Jason Chin is our first instructor from students at our current location. He also is the fastest to reach the rank of instructor with our school.

Congratulations to both of you!!!!

20th Anniversary Dinner

It will be good to see everyone at our 20th anniversary dinner tomorrow night. We have actually been around longer than 20 years but have finally gotten around to arranging the dinner. Our school is now loaded with senior students, some of who began with me in our early days at Brock University. Here are a few facts:

• We have moved from St. Catharines to Hamilton to Mississauga to Toronto over the years.
  
• We have been in our current location since 2000.
  
• We are currently up to 3 full instructors (not including me) and 3 instructors in training at our school.
• We began with Lama Pai as our core style and Choy Li Fut as a complimentary style.
• We have been teaching Fut Gar Kung Fu since 1998.
  
• The students continue to make teaching fun after all these years.