Tag: Sifu demontrates

10 Exercises #1

At a recent Bagua Zhang class Sifu leads the group through the ’10 Exercises’.I learned this set from Master Leung Kay-Chi in the park in Boston during the summer of 1979, when I first started to study Bagua Zhang.These 10 Exercises are shot in real time (with 10 repetitions each exercise) and will be published one per post. This is the first of ten posts: #1 Exercise, nine more posts to come. I have a number of variations that I use for the various martial arts and classes that I teach. This particular set of posts will be the originals (as I remember them) that I learned from Master Leung.Many thanks to Master Leung for sharing these very special exercises with me all those years ago. I’ve been practicing them regularly now for three decades and have taught them a few thousand times. I have seen excellent results, especially for those that have practiced them regularly (daily), over an extended period of time (decades). Lesson 1:The 10 Exercises are excellent calisthenics! Do 100 repetitions each and see what I mean!!They are also an excellent set of Qigong exercises….With T’an T’ien Breathing..Do them slowly with mind intention…They will help you to develop correct inner and outer principles and feelingsthat lead to excellent martial arts skills, balance and whole body power!They will help you to cultivate robust health: A strong, flexible, coordinated body and….. a calm and centered mind……

How to tie a Karate or Arnis belt

Sifu helps his grand daughter Genna R. learn to tie her White belt. Thanks to Dylan R. for his excellent camera work!Lesson 1:Starting at the T’an T’ien (Hara – Middle) of the belt, place it on the T’an T’ien of their body (Belly button).While holding the belt at their middle, take the left side all the way around first and put that end under.Then take the right side all the way around, on top, (no twists please) and keep that end on topAdjust the tightnessThen take the ‘right’ side which should be on top and go under bothFlip the bottom one overTake the top one over the bottom and up through the middlePull side way’s carefully,to ‘set’ the knotadjust the ‘ears’ downwardThe opening in the knot should be facing to their right sideat Black Belt we change the knot so that the opening goes to the leftLesson 2:Originally, all belts were white they were what held the Samurais underwear together it’s called a Gi (sounds like key with a softer K)belts should not be washedafter each workout the Karate-Ka would wipe their browthe new knowledge would then go into the beltthe sweat, tears, blood and dirt from the workout becomes part of the beltas time goes on….eventually the belt would turn yellow…then green….brown and finally would be BLACK! If you saw a Karate-Ka with a Black Belt you knew that they were a serious practitioner having earned that color belt by actually practicing!Lesson 3:After their belt turned black and the Karate-Ka continued on the path to masteryThe black outer casing would wear out and the inner white part would show through…The Karate-Ka had made a full cyclereturning back to the beginning!Lesson 4:If you see a Karate-Ka with a Black Belt and the outer casing is wearing off and the inner, white part, is showing throughIf the belt is ragged and wornYou know that they have practiced a lotcontinuously, for decades and decades……You’re now looking at a Master!

Modern Arnis – double stick against single stick Tapi Tapi

JRRMAS staff member PR and Sifu practice a double stick against a single stick Tapi Tapi (counter their counter) drill that Sifu learned from Chuck Gauss (Thanks Chuck) a few years ago. The drill has an excellent flow to it.Lesson 1:This type of drill trains the sensitivity of your hands, wrists and arms. Training sticks greatly assists in the development of your bodies sensing abilities (Tien Jing – Listening Skill). Once you can feel, follow and lead through the inanimate stick…the skill of listening with just your body will be greatly enhanced.Lesson 2:One of the great gifts from Prof. Presas was the idea that working with a single and double stick serves to speed up the developement of you empty hand skills….The Prof. was absolutely right!

Internal Exercise Set – Part Six

This is Part Six, the conclusion of the Internal Exercise Set based on Master Haywards Twin-Cities Warm Up’s. If you click on the Label to your left, named Internal Exercise Set, all six parts will be grouped together on one page. Part one will be at the bottom.Lesson 1:The Internal Exercises in these six video clipsare in ‘real time’just follow Sifu as he does the exercises:With as much awareness of your body as you are capable of…..Pay attention to:The point of balance in the middle of you foot (feet)The alignment of your entire body – follow gravity – Be relaxed Balance between Peng expansion energy and Sung releasing, opening, rooting (rubbery – not stiff)Distinguish between the exercises that use the whole body “One unit”and those where you are isolating a particular part or area of you bodyBreath using T’an T’ien breathing (abdominal breathing)Now the real part……..Do them once per day and enjoy Robust Health!

Internal Exercise Set – Part Four

This the fourth part of the Internal Exercise Set based on Master Haywards Twin Cities Warm Ups. I tried to upload a longer segment but I can only upload a 100MB clip! So after 5 or 6 tries this is all I could get to upload.If you look at the ‘labels’ to the left side of the blog. Click on the ‘Internal Exercise Set’ and all the Parts will be grouped together in reverse order with the first Part last on the page. “Practice everyday and do your best” Grand Master T. T. Liang

Wudang Sword basic Stab practice

Sifu and JRRMAS Staff members WF, SK and BL practice lines of basic Stabs (Thrusts) with Broadswords.Lesson 1:Take any single techniquethe more basic the technique is ….the better!Choose your technique wisely…..One, that is a common denominator to the Art or FormThen…..while paying attention to principles and details repeat the single technique in a line or rowamassing as many repetitions as you have the capacity forRemember the idea is develop and refine …..Changing the way you do the technique should happen daily…Because: Mastery is the goal! Lesson 2:To achieve Mastery in Martial Arts…Correct practice is essential!A basic level that is available to everyone is around 10,000 (correct) repetitionsMastery is only available to those with a life long,regular daily practice and is around 36,000 repetitions!Repeating rows of the basic, is the main practice methodRows makes it relatively easy to repeat the basic 100 or more times in one practice sessionThen the secret is to do that practice daily……It’s amazing how quickly the repetitions will amass!

6 year old practices Single Sinawalli

Sifu and his 6 year old (he is now 7) Grandson DR practice Modern Arnis’ Single Sinawalli with padded sticks, before the Youth Karate-Do class. Besides stick work DR has been exposed to the Jian (double edged straight sword) and the Broadsword. He very much enjoys the weapons practices with Sifu.Lesson 1:When teaching younger students weapons…The practice always starts and ends with respect!The weapons should be fun …but it’s NOT play time…..The practices should be formal and with a qualified teacherYounger students should learns to hit weapon to weapon first..NOT weapon to body! Lesson 2:Correct weapons training will greatly speed up the training process of your empty hand techniques,proper relaxation and whole body power. It will help to strengthen you hands, wrists, arms and shoulders…..it will also help to keep the joints moving properly with good flexibility and range of motion. Lesson 3:Weapons training is an excellent addition to an overall health maintenance program as it will help to keep your hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders strong and flexible. Grand Master T. T. Liang was still able to write calligraphy when he was well over 100 years old and was still practicing double Dao (Broadsword) and Jian (double edged straight sword) forms well into his 90’s! He still remains such an inspiration!

Modern Arnis, Anyo Tatlo, Empty Hand Form 3

Sifu practices Modern Arnis’s Empty hand form 3 Lesson 1:Modern Arnis is truly a remarkable Martial Art!It combined the Soft and the Hard,the Internal and the External,the straight and the curved.It flows but is punctuated with strength! Lesson 2:Modern Arnis is relaxed, then strengthens when it issues then it returns to relaxed again…..In order to be prepared:to flow, to follow, to control,to be ready,to issue again! Example:The checking hand of a Modern Arnis adept has a very heavy feeling. When practicing Trapping Hands, the checking hand strikes (stregthens), it does not push, but rather it relaxes after impact and listens, in order to flow, follow, control and then position to strike again.”The live hand seeks the path” Prof. Presas