Recap, YSB Knoxville study group meeting, Monday, May 21

Last night's study group meeting was another success. Here's some back story and a recap of what we covered.

The back story for the curriculum really goes back to the weekend. I decided I was interested in doing something different and taught myself the video version of the Phoenix System Moving with the Force, extending, attack method strategy and drilled it along with extending strikes over the weekend. I was particularly taken by the following connection I made: The shooting punch seems to have significant mechanical overlaps with the extending strikes, with this perhaps being the reason that the technique appears in the form I was studying. This week's Monday night study group meeting was built around introducing the shooting punch in this context.

He Jinbao demonstrates a level extending strike on George Frederick.

Since the foundation of the extending strike method, particularly the level extending, upward extending, and lower extending strikes, is best approached by studying the extending strikes, after a short turn (20 minutes, Phoenix), we studied those three similar extending strikes, drilling for accuracy and power, particularly looking for that characteristic extending force from the shoulder.

He Jinbao uses an upper extending strike to crowd and defeat Andy Swan.

Four other extending strikes were introduced but not the focus: upright, inside, dropping, and whirling extending. These were presented to broaden the context of the use of the extending force.

Once these strikes were thoroughly drilled and examined briefly for use, we were ready to introduce the shooting punch strike. Like the three extending strikes we drilled, we examined this punch at three levels: middle, high, and then low.

He Jinbao hits Andy Swan's zhangmen point with a shooting punch.

The middle shooting punch strike was drilled first and compared against the Lion System's smashing fist to make clear the use of the shoulder in creating the shooting nature of this fist. Various striking areas were presented and trained with a partner, using different setups to get to each: the zhangmen point, the kidney, the floating rib, the lower thoracic and upper lumbar spine, and the solar plexus.

The upper shooting punch strike was drilled next, and the particular focus when taken to partnered application was actually on feeling the transforming force involved in changing from one hand to the other in repeated strikes. Various targets were discussed including the armpit, sternum, jaw, face, various parts of the neck, and lower aspect of the rotator cuff.

The lower shooting punch strike was drilled last, focusing mostly on power development and targeting. The primary targets discussed for this strike were the bladder, root of the thigh, the feng shi point, and, for those with nimble, strong, stable legs, just above the knee on the thigh. The intent behind presenting such a variety of targets in all three situations was primarily to open the practitioners' minds to the almost limitless possibilities of Yin Style Baguazhang striking.

He Jinbao uses a lower extending strike on George Frederick's upper arm.

This particular theme was carried into an interesting discussion that closed class. The particular goals of the Phoenix System attacking methods were discussed with practical demonstration and experimentation, particularly using the dodging strike and extending strike methods, especially in the way that their use is improved by gaining a tactile sense of transforming and removing forces. Dodging strikes were presented in a variety of contexts, including striking targets both high and low (including, for the nimble and strong, the back of the lower leg and the back of the knee).

Due to a question, the conversation finished with a very brief demonstration for the newer folks of the Lion System's seizing and grasping techniques, including the opportunity to feel them in use.

Bradley Moore performs a binding seizing strike on Jim Lindsay while He Jinbao supervises.

Remember the other lesson of the evening: lian, lian, lian: train, train, train, and what that really means. Work hard!

A new weekly challenge will be posted for the group later today or tomorrow, so keep your eyes peeled. In the meantime, continue that standing strengthening work we challenged ourselves with last week!

Photos courtesy of Yin Style Bagua.