Online Classes

[skribs]

Classes went great! We did 5 classes, we had probably 10-20 people in each class, so maybe 75 people total. That's somewhere between 1/3 and 1/4 of our school made it today. Here are the lessons I can share:

1. Have someone who's only job is tech support. Someone needs to accept people into the class after it starts, but also you're going to get a bunch of calls, texts, IMs, and emails asking "how do I get on?" or other various questions.
2. Set the speakers far away from the microphone. You won't get the feedback squeal, but you will get students questions feeding back into the microphone. We moved our speakers after the 2nd class. One of our students (who took the 2nd class, and her son took the 5th class) said it was much better in the later class.
3. I recommend having an external video camera or webcam, instead of relying on a laptop's built-in camera. This way someone can be managing the computer without blocking the camera.

Overall, I'm really glad we did this. I think our students were grateful. Some of our younger students that have focus and behavior problems did really well today. I think they've been cooped up and it was good for them to be part of this.

 

[_Simon_]

yeah, i kinda figure, if you have the experience and you have the room at home to follow along for a video session, you ought to just be able to have your own training session. I've been training at home, outside of classes, for as long as i've been training martial arts. From the very first week that I took my first class. Practice what you know. Get creative and devise your own drills. It isn't that difficult. I think one big failing in many martial arts schools is that they do not teach people to take ownership of their own training. They teach people that they always need to follow someone. If there is nobody to follow, then they are helpless to train. I really do not understand that mentality.

Well said

 

[_Simon_]

This is one of my favor forms. If you have good foundation, do you think you can just learn from this clip?

Your thought?

Very cool!

I could give it a red hot go! But I tell ya I'd struggle bigtime, and wouldn't think I was learning it correctly. As my foundation is very different to this style, I'd have to probably learn an entirely new way of moving and of doing techniques first.

 

[_Simon_]

Classes went great! We did 5 classes, we had probably 10-20 people in each class, so maybe 75 people total. That's somewhere between 1/3 and 1/4 of our school made it today. Here are the lessons I can share:

1. Have someone who's only job is tech support. Someone needs to accept people into the class after it starts, but also you're going to get a bunch of calls, texts, IMs, and emails asking "how do I get on?" or other various questions.
2. Set the speakers far away from the microphone. You won't get the feedback squeal, but you will get students questions feeding back into the microphone. We moved our speakers after the 2nd class. One of our students (who took the 2nd class, and her son took the 5th class) said it was much better in the later class.
3. I recommend having an external video camera or webcam, instead of relying on a laptop's built-in camera. This way someone can be managing the computer without blocking the camera.

Overall, I'm really glad we did this. I think our students were grateful. Some of our younger students that have focus and behavior problems did really well today. I think they've been cooped up and it was good for them to be part of this.

That's so awesome to hear, good on you guys, that's a great idea and help to the students

 

[Gerry Seymour]

This is one of my favor forms. If you have good foundation, do you think you can just learn from this clip?

Your thought?

I don't think it's possible to learn what's in a form without explanation. You might be able to find application for the movement, but it's not necessarliy going to be what the form's creator had in mind, at all. Now if the form is a 2-man form, then seeing it (with the proper foundation to understand it), you would probably understand the application.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Classes went great! We did 5 classes, we had probably 10-20 people in each class, so maybe 75 people total. That's somewhere between 1/3 and 1/4 of our school made it today. Here are the lessons I can share:

1. Have someone who's only job is tech support. Someone needs to accept people into the class after it starts, but also you're going to get a bunch of calls, texts, IMs, and emails asking "how do I get on?" or other various questions.
2. Set the speakers far away from the microphone. You won't get the feedback squeal, but you will get students questions feeding back into the microphone. We moved our speakers after the 2nd class. One of our students (who took the 2nd class, and her son took the 5th class) said it was much better in the later class.
3. I recommend having an external video camera or webcam, instead of relying on a laptop's built-in camera. This way someone can be managing the computer without blocking the camera.

Overall, I'm really glad we did this. I think our students were grateful. Some of our younger students that have focus and behavior problems did really well today. I think they've been cooped up and it was good for them to be part of this.

For a cheap camera solution (at least with iPhones - it might exist for Android, too), there's an app called IV Cam. With a WiFi or USB connection, you can use your phone as a camera that can be used by any application running on your PC (where the client app runs). I've used it with my old iPhone 4s (now my normal webcam) and my 6s. One advantage here is you can have one phone you walk around with (via WiFi) and another you place on a tripod.

With speakers that aren't omnidirectional (and don't bleed too much sound out the back), you should be able to place them past the mic, so their backs are facing the mic, with relatively little sound loop. A directional mic helps, too (doesn't pick up sound much from the sides), but that's an extra expense.

 

[Flying Crane]

Wow.

1. I never said anything about under 10 brown and black belts. You put that all in on your own. And that's a whole different discussion.

you are correct. I brought that in as a related topic to the point I was making. It was not my intention to imply anything about your school or what you are doing. If I failed to make that clear, that is on me and I accept responsibility for it.

1. You and I both agree that children (especially below "brown belt" level) need structure, and that beginners could benefit. So you're complaining about the 12.5% of students remaining.

not so much complaining, but making an observation that I stand by.

1. Just because people can practice on their own, doesn't mean that they can't benefit from a structured class. It's socialization (which is hard with social distancing in effect). Maybe they learn better in a group.

sure, people can benefit from structured class. But my point is, people can also be more self-reliant than it often seems they realize. And from what I see, it seems that a lot of schools don't teach people to be self-reliant, which I find odd because in the end, your skills are your own and you need to rely on yourself and the skills that you have built, if you ever need to defend yourself. Again, none of this is meant to imply anything about your school or what you do. I realize that I am not in a position to pass any kind of judgement on what you do, as I've never witnessed it. If that was unclear, then again it's my bad.

Your post just seems to be a huge rant because people aren't training the way you plan to train during quarantine.

again, it's about being self-reliant in one's training. I've seen your follow-up post about how well things went with the first video session. I'm glad it's working out. You are correct: this Covid-19 pandemic has altered our reality in profound ways. How long this will last is anyone's guess. We need to be creative in how we approach our training. There is a place for your video sessions. Good on you for taking this initiative and getting it going before too many people drift off. I think there is also a place for people to recognize their own capabilities in self-reliance.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

You might be able to find application for the movement, but it's not necessarliy going to be what the form's creator had in mind, at all.

Can you find different application (other than the following list) from the following clip?

- front kick,
- back kick,
- right hammer fist,
- left hammer fist,
- left hand grab, right hammer fist,
- left front kick, right uppercut,
- right upper block (or right hook punch), left straight punch,

In the following form, can you find any "hidden" application?

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

As my foundation is very different to this style, I'd have to probably learn an entirely new way of moving and of doing techniques first.

Which move may sound too foreign to you in those clips?

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Can you find different application (other than the following list) from the following clip?

- front kick,
- back kick,
- right hammer fist,
- left hammer fist,
- left hand grab, right hammer fist,
- left front kick, right uppercut,
- right upper block (or right hook punch), left straight punch,

Yes. If I look at them as an exaggeration of large-circle Aikido movements, I can see them as odd grappling moves. The arm movements look as much like that to me as they look like strikes, since the strikes aren't what I'm used to.

In the following form, can you find any "hidden" application?

How would I know if what I found was "hidden"? Heck, how would I know if what I didn't find wasn't hidden?

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

I can see them as odd grappling moves. ...

The PM system is a striking art. If you think there are some throwing art hidden in their forms, you may give too much credit to the form creator.

How would I know if what I found was "hidden"? Heck, how would I know if what I didn't find wasn't hidden?

Because "hidden" is against the basic PM principle.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

The PM system is a striking art. If you think there are some throwing art hidden in their forms, you may give too much credit to the form creator.

Because "hidden" is against the basic PM principle.

I didn't say they were hidden in there. My point is that, if I don't know the system, the forms might be more mysterious than they should be. Since I don't know the style at all, and am entirely unfamiliar with the power generation used in it (using those big arm motions), my mind looks for something it can relate to. So, to me, they look more like exaggerated grappling movements than striking movements.

So, to me, pretty much anything can be "hidden" in a PM form.

 

[skribs]

I didn't say they were hidden in there. My point is that, if I don't know the system, the forms might be more mysterious than they should be. Since I don't know the style at all, and am entirely unfamiliar with the power generation used in it (using those big arm motions), my mind looks for something it can relate to. So, to me, they look more like exaggerated grappling movements than striking movements.

So, to me, pretty much anything can be "hidden" in a PM form.

This is my biggest issue with "finding hidden applications" in forms. Those hidden applications are "obvious" to those who already know the application. They aren't obvious to someone who has never seen it used, especially on another person.

 

[_Simon_]

Which move may sound too foreign to you in those clips?

It's just a very different way of moving, and is much more flowy than what I'm used to. I'm used to techniques having definitive starts and stops to techniques. Something I'd definitely love to explore though!

 

[Flying Crane]

This is my biggest issue with "finding hidden applications" in forms. Those hidden applications are "obvious" to those who already know the application. They aren't obvious to someone who has never seen it used, especially on another person.

Good point, and I would suggest that someone diligently training the system will have the proper background knowledge to understand the applications of what is in the forms. For those folks, it may in fact be quite obvious and not hidden at all.

 

[Dirty Dog]

This is my biggest issue with "finding hidden applications" in forms. Those hidden applications are "obvious" to those who already know the application. They aren't obvious to someone who has never seen it used, especially on another person.

I think it's also a matter of how you've been taught. I've always taught students to think about why, why, why they're doing that movement. As a result, those applications are obvious, without specific explanation.
One exercise we do is to pick a movement and ask students to explain what it's for. Lower belts go first, so they get the most obvious applications.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

It's just a very different way of moving, and is much more flowy than what I'm used to. I'm used to techniques having definitive starts and stops to techniques. Something I'd definitely love to explore though!

The PM form is designed for speed and not for power. The end of the previous move is combined with the beginning of the next move. This is how the form can move fast.

While Karate form may be designed as a grenade (or riffle), the PM form is designed as a machine gun.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Did.a bit of online training a few years back, it was Wudang Xingyiquan. I would not recommend it if one has no background in XIngyiquan, I am a Hebei style guy, but it was on the 5 elements and it was a combination of forms and explanations and variations. It was the expliations and discussion of the forms and the variations that were discussed and shown I found most useful.

 

[skribs]

I realized something yesterday. My day job is IT at a hospital. We have just started teleworking.

So at one job, I work from home to support the people who have to go in.
At my other job, I go into work, to support the people who have to stay home.

 

[drop bear]

This is my biggest issue with "finding hidden applications" in forms. Those hidden applications are "obvious" to those who already know the application. They aren't obvious to someone who has never seen it used, especially on another person.

Hidden applications is a silly concept for what you are trying to achieve through forms.

Forms are going to increase your basic range of movement. So you wind up being able to squat lower or reach further jump higher.

That way when you do application your body is in a position to do the technique you want it to.

They are not hidden. Basic core movements have multiple applications.

And understanding that stops you getting sucked in to this rabbit hole that is bunkai.