Wing Woo Gar
Senior Master
Dr Yang is encouraging us to speed up AND resist as we progress. We are on the second of six levels with around 130 total techniques in his Chin na system. Using his Shaolin white crane for entries to the Chin na locks has added a layer of complexity that I really like. I can see this stuff being very useful for an opponent that needs to get grips on me. The Shaolin white crane leans heavily to defense which is quite different than my primary gung fu style which is very aggressive. It’s giving me a lot of new insights on how to blend these ideas. At some point I would like to explore his long fist style but I only have so much time. My body doesn’t really seem to want to train more than 10 or so hours a week currently. Maybe Summer…As a beginner aikidoist I am finding the method very interesting and I see a lot of value in understanding this approach to leaning and developing skills in joint locking and understanding the structure and how it affects the application of the techniques. This stuff can be effective even with sloppy technique and too much “muscling”. It is far more effective when technique is accurate and timing is precise and structure is on-target. It becomes effortless. That is what we strive for in our practice.
These techniques can be destructive with a very very small application beyond “just enough”. I cannot figure out how to safely practice that kind of thing in a faster-paced sparring scenario. Some things cannot be safely done at full speed like that. So we work methodically and cooperatively to help each other develop the skill without damaging each other. I don’t see another way to do it.