Question about jumping and landing

[Laeticia]

Hi all,

I know next to nothing about CMA. I've seen some of the new wushu-moviespectacles and the Shaolin world tour show some years ago (with the cute small monks and all), but that's about it.

I was watching a MA show yesterday (21st MA festival of Paris - quite a show), and there were chinese groups doing their MA, and after a while I started to feel very curious about a detail I saw over and over again.

(and here's the question: ) Why do they land flat on their back or on their side, lying on the floor? What's the point?

Cheers,
Laeticia

 

[7starmantis]

Well, first your talking about a show which is done for its crows pleasing effects. However on an applicatino level it would be for learning how to fall, break falls, and conditioning the body. There are some styles of CMA that teach to fall on your opponent even.

7sm

 

[Jade Tigress]

We are taught breakfalls early in our training (I started learning them at white belt level) and it is invaluable. I'm only a green belt now (intermediate level in our system) but when I was a yellow belt (beginner) I was sparring with a more experienced student. He knocked my feet out from under me and I came down high and hard. It was fast and unexpected but the breakfall training I had kicked in before I knew it. I smacked out and kept my head up landing on my back and wasn't hurt at all. Had I not had trained breakfalls I probably would have been injured, possibly cracking the back of my head on the floor.

We also learn to do breakfalls while landing on our side, so this is probably what you were seeing. But as 7sm stated, in this instance it was most likely done for the crowd pleasing effect.

 

[7starmantis]

Good post, I think most CMA's use alot of sweeping/throwing techniques, and thus learning to fall is very important. I think people would be surprised at how difficult it is to fall properly, especially in the heat of a fight. I had to stop doing scissor takedowns on a few of my younger classmates as they kept smacking their heads on the mats (or grass) and getting hurt. These are experienced students many of whom are at the black level! Its not something to take for grant it, I'll say that much.

7sm

 

[Laeticia]

We also learn to do breakfalls while landing on our side, so this is probably what you were seeing. But as 7sm stated, in this instance it was most likely done for the crowd pleasing effect.

Thank you for the replies!

The show effect was on my mind too, but I thought there could be something else too, because otherwise they wouldn't have practised it as much...

You learn something new every day.

Cheers,
Laeticia

 

[tshadowchaser]

I have seen some Dragon forms where the person doing the form would fly and then land on their back. Usualy I could see what looked like a sweep movement being done while they where getting back to their feet but that may have just been my interpatation of what I was seeing

 

[mantis]

conditioning the body