Kinda depends on your personal fighting style, doesn’t it? I don’t spar much, but lately Sifu has been in a sparring frame of mind. What I’ve noticed is that what works for one person won’t for another. I’m short and squat, but quick, so I usually sink into a low horse and use the cresent walk to get around. I’ve noticed that taller guys have trouble attacking me in this stance, and when they do, they tend to leave themselves open for a nice upper cut to the chin/breast bone. But my weight IS 50/50 for the most part. It also leaves me open to front and cresent kicks, though. I’m working on blocking with hands instead of knees and shins. I just can’t get 'em up fast enough.
When you are attacked in real life, you’re going to have to respond from whatever position you are in.
When you are attacked in real life, you’re going to have to respond from whatever position you are in.
Not true, unless you walk around totally un-aware of your surroundings. Most people get ‘in trouble’ because they simply arent paying attention, or dont want to. The majority of violence on the street is not as random as the randoms want you to think.
Predators hunt prey.
“not true???”
So you go around all day in your little special “stance” ready to fend off any number of threats at any time?
Not only that, you lie AWAKE at night in a perpetual state of readiness? After all, you are “paying attention” all the time and cannot be assaulted at any hour of the day?
Do you realize you might actually get attacked at night (like so many women have experienced)? Or in your car? Or in an airplane? Or with your girlfriend? Or in the bathroom?
Real life isn’t a kung fu movie in which the hero can easily dispatch tons of armed invaders by going into his little stance and jumping out of sleep any time he wishes.
Just to add something here. I may be wrong but I believe when people are talking about stances they are talking about classical “combat” ready stances. You know hands up, elbows in, chin down, on guard, mano a mano, which is good as a solid stance is critical to stability and movement throughout a confrontation but their are also “situational” ready stances which should be noted as they do not showcase combative intent and still allow for a effective pre-emptive or counter attack to a violent situation.
Some of those that I practice-
Jack Benny- This is the classical jack benny stance or as I like to call it the thinking mans stance do to the inquistive position of the arms.
Pretty deceptive and great for launching chin jabs, chops, tiger claws, hammer blows, what have ya.
Folded Arms- Arms lightly folded under chest. Great for launching strikes such as a knife hand with the arm hidden under the top arm.
Hands on Hips- More bladed but again deceptive with the strikes coming from below the attackers field of vision.
Hands Up- Typical “hey man” I don’t want no trouble palms out muay thai guard position. Great for pre-emptive strikes and counters and it has that psychological advantage of making you look like the non-aggressor.
On the topic on percentages I am going with the 50/50 but in a fight you will be transitioning rapidly so I think the basics are more important so much than perfect percentages. Such as the elbows tucked in, chin down, positioning, protected vitals.
Cheers
When you guys are talking about 50/50 being slow are you flat footed (rooted) or is your weight more on the balls of your feet?
I cant describe push hands. Taichi sticky hands. One person feeds energy, the other recieves and redirects. Or so.
I fell in love with push hands with my first ward off and roll back, and you’re right Yenhoi it is hard to describe. I think grapplers would take to it and get it real fast though. “Taichi sticky hands”? More like sticky body IMO.
Do those same ones myself BJ.
Rogue,
The Jack Benny is old school cool.
It’s a favorite of a friend of mine. He’s even add a little chin or cheek scratch to both help the sucker get distracted and used to seeing the hand moving. Then it’s either a pop to the nose or a kick to the gut to start the fun.
Originally posted by Black Jack
Just to add something here. I may be wrong but I believe when people are talking about stances they are talking about classical “combat” ready stances.
That’s what I was talking about, anyway. Everything my Sifu teaches has a “form” version and a “self defence” version. You learn the form version first to get the body mechanics down, then work it up to the self defence version and practice using it from the ready position (hands loose at sides with open palms and feet at sholder length apart) in drills and controlled sparring.
I think grapplers would take to it and get it real fast though.
Well rogue, we pretty much DO sticky hands, just more free form. And definitely sticky body. 
Originally posted by Merryprankster
[B]
Well rogue, we pretty much DO sticky hands, just more free form. And definitely sticky body. [/B]
We’re going to have to find a new term for that. That’s just wrong.
HKV: my point was that you need to pay attention to whats going on around you, then you are not at just any ole position or mindset when “the **** hits the fan.” I dont know about you, but I dont go and sit on the toliet when I have any suspicion that I might get ATTACKED any minute. Maybe your envoirnment is in need of changing.
You are wrong. Violence does not happen COMPLETLY at random.
:rolleyes:
I still don’t understand the trajectory, the path of movement of the kick. And your on-guard stance - are the heels lined up in a line facing the opponent, or are they spread apart? The first option protects the groin more. Against a front kick, you can shift your weight to the back leg as you lift the front knee and brush the kick to the side with your hanging lower leg a la Wing Chun. Against a round-trajectory kick, you could step forward and out with the front leg and raise your REAR knee to block the kick a la Muy Thai. But the best option of all is to simply move out of the way, and throw a low gan sao or gum sao to track the kick.
Originally posted by fa_jing
But the best option of all is to simply move out of the way, and throw a low gan sao or gum sao to track the kick.
??? What is gan sao and gum sao?
Good ideas about moveing away and blocking with the knee. I’ll have to try it that way. My arm blocks dont work well on round trajectory kicks/punches.
gan and gum are lower gate wing chun hand movements/structures. Basically reach down and touch the kick, so you can read your opponent, track is energy, stick to his movements, etc.
:eek:
Weight distribution aside, your problem may be one of time and distance. If you line up with someone leaving an open line of attack and are with in his critical distance, then you will likely get hit. By critical distance I mean that distance which your opponent can launch and land a non-telegraphic attack.
Do you recall the angle and distance between the two of you? Did your friend launch his attack non-telegrpahically or did you see it coming?
Dude, I think the guy was throwing a thai style push kick at him. It really does look odd if you think of throwing a kick for damage and then you see this thing come at you.
YOU might not get attacked sitting on the toilet, yenhoi, but rest assured that my students (particularly my female students) might and have.
Whether you like it or not, attacks often occur in ambush situations. And even if you know that they’re coming, often one doesn’t have a chance to go into his pert little stance before the first assault comes. People will WAIT until you let your guard down - which is what stalkers do.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that you can’t fight your way out of that. There are things to train that teach you how to prevent and fight out of unusual situations, which we work on all the time in school.
Having a good stance is only one part of the battle. Getting INTO that stance when somebody sneak attacks you - that’s a different story.
You actually teach your students how to fight thier way out of the toilette?!?!? Now that’s dedication to your students!
Being that I practice taiji, I would say avoid 50/50 weighting. Other styles will say different. Whatever.
But Tzuchan, you mentioned that you start out 50/50 in push hands, right? NEVER EVER be double weighted with 50/50 distribution in push hands. You will get rocked so hard by anyone that’s really good or can see that you’re double weighted. Trust me.