Well, as Michael will probably give out the dirty details I will give you my view on what I experienced at the seminar this weekend with Carl Dechiara.
Carl went over the basics as we always do but went a little deeper by explaining in some detail the internal ideals behind what it is we are doing, the idea of cultivating sensitivity as a key to what we do and how we go about that. All of this went on to confirm that we are practicing something that is on a whole new level compared to most of the wingchun practiced out there! This was confirmed not only by just seeing and feeling what it was we were doing, but by touching hands with a few students from other schools and seeing the difference. In talking to them during the seminar I heard similar things that you hear whenever you ask someone about their wingchun. “Yes we practice sensitivty, yes we practice rooting and work on proper structure, blah blah blah” but most people just don’t seem to get it.
The big thing I walked away from this seminar with, was a new respect for wingchun as an internal art, or atleast when looked at from an internal martial art point of view. What Carl teaches us coincides with a lot you might learn in taichi at the basic levels, root as a foundation for not only absorbing power but for delivering it. Generating your power through whole body unity, not through muscular application. Taking the energy that someone provides you and using it, taking it in and sending it back out at your opponent.
The reason I pushed for people to come is that you cant understand what I am talking about without feeling it. You have to feel what doing these excersises we do, utilizing our root the way we do, and using soft power to deliver the goods. We could talk about it all day but you wouldn’t really comprehend without feeling it.
Carl has spent a lot of time looking into the internal aspects of martial arts, this is after a long career in the external martial arts, and has extrapolated what is useful to us, researched on his own and with some high level instructors to finely tune not just our wingchun but our warm ups and the way we percieve our art. With the benefit of this knowledge, anyone and I mean ANYONE can get this impressive power and ability. No need to have athletic ability, no need to be a big strong body, just practice practice practice! You work these things just a few hours a day and it will come to you and you will get something more substantial then what is mostly being taught in the wingchun world today.
I still challenge you to check it out, stop by Carls school in Ohio, or check out a seminar he will be attending, see what it is I am talking about.
Hey red5angel
" All of this went on to confirm that we are practicing something that is on a whole new level compared to most of the wingchun practiced out there!"…
So,you had a good seminar?..
Psst!..Do you realise that this kind of comments p1ss people off?..And makes your Sifu looks bad?..:eek:
Old Jong, my feeling is that why get ****ed off if your wingchun doesnt suck? To get mad would make me think you have assumed I would be talking about you? I say you should always be evalutaing your art or how you do it but I think you spend a small amount of time with Carl your views will change.
I agree with the internal aspect of the art. I dont’ know why Wing Chun is not considered internal, while styles like Hsing-I are.
I’m looking forward to the Seattle seminar.
Don’t get me wrong
I’m not mad at all! I just give you a little and friendly advice that’s all! I don’t mind if you think you are in the best Wing Chun line in the world, would anybody stay in a line if he did’nt believe in the quality of his line?..I believe in my sifu and sigung teaching as much as you do with your’s but, I respect others also. I respect your’s but I lived long enough to know that NOBODY possess the only way or thruth.
There are good and bad people in any lines.
Old Jong, I understand what you are sayinga nd appreciate your concern. Have no fear though, I am very happy and excited to be where I am at, and I think many other people would be much more so if they checked it out.
Gnugear - I agree, and after this weekend I can see how the internal principles apply to wingchun.
Are you practicing and internal or external art?
Never mind this is meant for somewhare else.
All of this went on to confirm that we are practicing something that is on a whole new level compared to most of the wingchun practiced out there! This was confirmed not only by just seeing and feeling what it was we were doing, but by touching hands with a few students from other schools and seeing the difference. In talking to them during the seminar I heard similar things that you hear whenever you ask someone about their wingchun. “Yes we practice sensitivty, yes we practice rooting and work on proper structure, blah blah blah” but most people just don’t seem to get it.
Sometimes this is the students and not the instructors fault. Just because the students don’t get it does not mean that that particular school or instructor is not up to par but sometimes it is the students who are not up to par. It is also possible that alot of what you are experiencing has not clicked in the minds and bodies of other students yet. Or maybe you just have a knack for gleening out the little jewels that make your particular Sifu what he is to you. Alot of what happens in the training process is all about chemistry between instructors and students. Although I am sure there are instructors out there who have no chemistry with anyone.
I agree that sometimes it is the student but that is often how things get watered down. For instance, locally here we have an instructor whoes wc is not very good. One of his students decided he wanted to teach and so went off to form his own school, and now he is teaching wing chun that is worse then the stuff he learnt! This guy never went out to see what the rest of the world has to offer, didnt do any real exploring into what other wc was out there and ho wit compared to what he was doing!
In answer to your first misplaced question, they are just titles but for the sake of discussion I would say internal.
The second question was posted in error meant for another forum.
Taking the energy that someone provides you and using it, taking it in and sending it back out at your opponent.
Red, could you give a clear example of this? Are you saying someone hits you, and within that very brief time youu can actually take the force of their hit and return just that energy or that energy plus your energy, or some other combination of whatever is going on in the form of a hit back into them through a sophisticated physiological delivery? Do you feel their hit? Or or you talking about maybe something like a push, like say on the shoulder which you then use the shoulders/spine combo like a teeter tooter to ‘transmit’ it through your body back to them?
KF Cowboy - I am still learning this stuff myself and it goes pretty deep. Watching it makes sense and feeling it helps too!
As far as I can tell so far, you learn to take it in and deliver it in any form it comes. Its instantaneous, it happens as part of your reaction, almsot before the energy is really sent into you. You have to develope your sensitivity to this and learn how to take it in and unleash it. It can work like a fulcrum, like a spinning door. It can work in other ways too that are not so obvious on examination. Generally you take most of what they offer you and sort of load your own catapult, it gives more force to the stuff you are delivering on your own. It can also work like the teeter totter example.
I will see if I can get a more detailed answer for you. What it really comes down to though is seeing it and feeling it, thats the best way to understand it!
The way I have had it explained to me is that you have to imagine a little ball about where your dan tien is. This is what you rotate this incoming energy around.
Cool.
KF Cowboy, it seems we were on the correct path. In general the idea is that you have a ball about where you dan tien is and this acts as sort of a pivot for the energy, so you take it in one limb and the send it down around this spot and out the other limb. thats the simplest way of explaining it. Without being able to see it in action or feeling it, and even then, it is hard to describe in writing!
Ok, thanks! So this can probably only be used rarely, as that requires some sharp timing! It must also be for very specific and easy situations, maybe? (Pushes and grabs?) I don’t see it working against a lot of attacks too easily, like any quick punch or kick.
Well, from what I understand KF, it can be used for many attacks. You just have to develope the sensitivity, and understanding of your body, mastery as you will.
So it has to be done through catching the punch or kick on the arms and then channeling the force through the body and back out? I really don’t think that this is probable except in very rare and simplistic circumstances. It’s too cumbersome, inefficient, and highly unlikely. Maybe it can be practiced in chi sao, or better yet push hands, with cooperative and slower movements, but in a real fight? I would be amazed if it worked. No offense.
KF Cowboy - I think you may have the right concept but the worng perception, this happens instantaneously pretty much, it travels but it is almost instantaneous. If it helps think of a long pole. If you stand at one end and push the pole, it doesnt take anytime realy to move the other end, it moves with your push.
Well, I will keep an open mind.
Yeah, it is hard to explain here on the forum but if you ever meet an internal guy, especially taichi, or get to meet carl they can show it to you and you can feel it!