First Lesson

[jks9199]

A little late to the party... but in an established class, my first class set of lessons is our bow (how we open class), warm-ups, 3 blocks, 3 punches (there's a bunch of underlying/overlapping elements that go along with blocks and punches), a very brief intro to fighting stance, and some drills. That's a lot to fit in an hour though, so I might trim the number of blocks and punches.

For a brand new class, I would modify that. I'd teach the bow. Do some warm-ups. How to make a fist. Then introduce a defensive combination (stance, step, block, punch). Drill it for a while. Then let them practice that in pairs, with close supervision.

There was a stretch where I made the mistake of trying to teach too much detail to new students, and they'd be lucky if they walked out of the first class with a single block or punch. I was trying to teach them to my level -- and not remembering that it took time to get there. This pace drove some students away... The trick is to balance teaching enough to keep their interest without sacrificing too much quality at any given time.

My typical class structure is opening (bow, warm-ups including basic drills), lesson, some sparring/reaction exercise (maybe partner work, free sparring, or sparring the bat), a brief talk (safety principles, history, Q&A, etc) sometimes, often a power/precision test (for fun), and closing out.

 

[windwalker099]

Are we getting weaker and weaker through each generation?

You could look at it as function over form.

What does a method actually give you, compared to the time it takes to train?

Same with other training. Stretching might be essential in Shuai Jiao, but in White Crane we did more impact conditioning. Everything we trained had a reason. "fighting"

We used to run half a mile before class. Light stretch. Sit in horse stance for 20 minutes while doing upper body drills. We'd time it with incense or a kitchen timer. At the end, the instructor would come in and hit us to test our structure. That was just the warm-up.

Then class would begin.

Focused based training builds something according to need and expected outcome. When the goal shifts to preserving a tradition, the method can drift from the outcome it once supported.

Most traditions started as practical systems. Fighting methods. They worked, because people needed them to work.

Tradition matters to those who seek to preserve it, even if the training itself no longer serves the function it was originally developed for ... a need that may no longer exist in today's world

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

in White Crane we did more impact conditioning. Everything we trained had a reason. "fighting"

If you (general YOU) don't train kicking skill, the leg stretching may not be important to you. If you have good kicking skill, you can keep your opponent outside of his punching range. If you can kick high, you can kick low. The other way around may not be true. In order to be able to kick high, you need leg stretching.

In CMA, it's said, "southern fist and northern leg". Most of the southern CMA systems don't emphasize kicking. In northern CMA, you use 70% kicking and 30% punching.

my_triple_kick.gif

Shared with Jumpshare

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my_5_kick_combo.gif

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jumpshare.com

 

[windwalker099]

In CMA, it's said, "southern fist and northern leg". Most of the southern CMA systems don't emphasize kicking. In northern CMA, you use 70% kicking and 30% punching.

your links don't work...

Yes, "Southern fist and Northern leg" — Mantis has a lot of kicking actions, and White Crane did too, though the approach is different.

I've found Taiji takes things in another direction.

In Taiji, it’s said that the whole body is the hand — movement isn’t divided into punches or kicks, but arises as a unified response. One key quality is suppleness, which develops gradually and stays true to Taiji’s core principles.

Suppleness isn’t just flexibility — it’s the fluid, adaptable strength known as 柔 (róu), allowing the body to move freely and respond without tension. Some practices, emphasize range of motion — they rely on structure, tension, or muscular effort. Taiji develops a different kind of power — one rooted in softness, not force.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

This praying mantis video covers the kicks in the first praying mantis form 蹦步拳 Beng Bu Quan. There are many other kicks in other praying mantis forms that is not covered in this video.