Candle Punching?

[bowser666]

It is quite all right. That is the purpose and greatness of training. There are so many ways to do it. What works for one may not work for the other etc..... As long as the end result is the desired result I say.

 

[JadeDragon3]

When I took my test for my black sash my sifu made the three of us that were testing have to put out a candle flame using a roundhouse kick. We had to kick above the flame with enough speed to generate enough wind to put the flame out. If any of us knocked the candle over then that person failed and would not get thier black sash. I passed the test, one person knocked the candle over, and the other one put the candle flame out. The one that failed started to cry.

 

[Ninebird8]

I have found candle punching to be quite useful in developing the proper motion and waist action for fa jing power. One of my three masters, my Sifu in Houston, is the senior student of Dr. Yang Jwing Ming and his candle punching developed from the fa jing of Southern white crane is incredible to watch from 3-4 feet away. Combining candle punching with sand bag training, where the idea is to use the punch to stop the bag rather than send it flying, is also quite useful for developing stopping power. It is a great complementary methodology for developing the movement of chi from waist/hip to shoulder through the elbow expressed out of the hand. But, like another commentator wrote earlier, one must be careful not to overextend the punch, open hand, or whipping motion as deleterious effects to the shoulder may result.

 

[punisher73]

I really hate those kinds of quotes. They don't fight back, but to strike just overt one and extinquish it shows a great deal of speed. Boards may not hit back, but to break three with no spacers, and you show a great deal of striking power. To rip a phone book in half takes a great deal of grip strength.

I agree. Candles, don't hit back...but neither do heavy bags, wooden dummies, makiwaras, or boards, but we still use those as training devices to help accomplish a certain goal.

I think candle punching can help newer students with their focus. In our style the emphasis is not the whipping action of the punch, or the retraction part of the strike that "pulls" the flame out.