5-6-2001
Well for a fantastic day outside, perfect weather, this morning Tai Chi was almost lost in the revelry of new understanding. I began this morning watching Orlando’s Pentjak Syliat tape (haven’t looked at it for a few years, but there’s so much there I got lost and almost missed getting out for class in time.
Then everyone was on entranced on our discoveries from yesterday on use of the knee release as a counter for a lock, we just jumped from topic to topic.
Now, you may not be a Tai Chi student, but I believe the process we undertook today can be considered in your own Bunkai analysis too.
Further Thoughts on Countering a bent arm Armbar.
I began with my continued thoughts on an interesting counter against a bent arm armbar.
If you were throwing a hook at somebody and they side shift and grab your wrist, and pressed up on your elbow bending your arm and then turning with the bend to generate a bent arm armbar, if you release your knee, dropping your center, and drive your left palm across your right biceps, they won't move you. You have both their arms locked, your dropping weight controls their center and your left hand is then free to lock or strike as you wish.
1. What I’ve discovered as interesting was when the bent arm armbar was applied I apply my knee release and drop, but now I slide my left hand up their left arm (fingers on top of their arm) concluding with my fingers grabbing their wrist and my left thumb resting on the inside pad of their thumb. By then releasing my knees further, I drop my right elbow (which they were trying to control) directly on top of their thumb (which I’ve locked their hand) and they drop to the floor from the thumb lock press. Very fast and painful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s2q4B2N9NI
Tai Chi Chaun’s Repulse Monkey
John Dinger then wanted to show us an application of the Yang TCC Step Back and Repulse Monkey which came to him during karate yesterday. He was standing right foot forward and had Doc Harper grab his right hand with both his hands and begin a right outer wrist turn.
2. John then countered the wrist turn by stepping back with his right foot (now in left front stance) pulling his attackers hands forward as his right hand pulled back (palm up) to his waist. At the same time his left hand (palm down) pressed out against their hands, easily allowing him to pull his hand free. [Most especially when I emphasized releasing the knees when the left palm strikes out. This drops you out of the zone of the defenders focus, and increases the force of your strike too.]
This fully followed the movement of the YTCC form and was not an application we had been working.
So I then began to work some other options.
3. Why step back? A quicker response was when your right wrist is grabbed you can simply release your knees, drop down releasing the focus of their grab on your wrist and immediately counter with the left palm strike into their wrist.
4. Why use the left hand? Simply release your knees, drop down and pull your hand free returning to your waist.
5. Why not counter with your right grabbed hand too? Simply release your knees, drop down and pull your hand free returning to your waist, then turn the wrist over and strike out with your fingers into their throat (also a continuation of the Step Back and Repulse Monkey Movement.
At this point Doc Harper began to realize the Step Back and Repulse Monkey had parallels to his Goju Seipai Kata where the back foot steps out and both hands (open) cross each other parallel. But, gracefully I refrain from trying to find words to describe this at this time.
Another Tai Chi Application
I then began to concentrate on application found at the end of Ernie Rothrock’s Yang Tai Chaun first section.
Where from a right foot forward right palm strike to the front, you circle the hand clockwise, down, back, up and over, at the same time raising the right leg (in a crane stance) and then putting it down as the right hand circles down. At that point the left hand presses out to the front, then the left foot steps out and the right hand continues to circle back and then vertical punch alongside the left hand.
Learning the form it is a very difficult section to keep one’s balance and technique together. The closing movement including the punch is straight out of Hsing Yi.
When I first studied Tai Chi, I wasn’t interested in the martial application. Then I ran across the equivalent of a BaguaZhang Comic book and one day noticed this techniques was used to escape and counter a bent arm armbar. However, I always found this difficult to utilize.
Today using the knee release when the bent arm armbar was being applied, made it easy to circle my arm back and turn it over (rising and then returning to the knee release as the Arm circles over), use my right hand to flow into a wrist grab, to then pull them forward, and finish by sinking (again) with a sharp left palm strike into their ribs.
Sorry, that’s quite a mouthful, but again, the knee release appears to be the secret.
Unfortunately at this point we started working on so many variations I really cannot recall where we went at this point, but there is definitely a lot of information here to consider.
I’m thinking of looking at Chinto later this week, it’s similarity to Aikido and Baguazhang technique make me reflect further on the use of the knee release.
Then consider the impact on Kobudo (to be researched even further), I speculate coordinating the release of the knees will vastly increase the power of Bo Strikes, etc. I also suspect this must first be practiced slowly to make sure your hand and finger speed are up to what I suspect will.
The strongest term from Hank, the use of the knee release as a force multiplier, becomes more evident to my way of thinking.
Wish you all had been here, it would have been fun.
Victor
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