Hard and soft techniques

[Taz]

How would you define a hard or soft techique?

Thanks for the help.

[yingching]

Hard techniques are generally used to end a fight quickly, they often require more energy.
Soft techniques are used when your opponent is stronger, or perhaps better condition than you. example " emptying your opponents block or strike(make him vulnerable)"
Hope this helps,

[KickingMantis]

examples of some soft techniques are generally characterized as intercepting, rolling, sneaking in, plucking, knocking, hooking,sticking and breaking, opening your opponent up, lifting and then attacking.

hard techniques can overcome soft, hard can over come other hard by being harder, soft can overcome hard techniques by using technique; momentum, relaxation, sensitivity and feeling.

man its hard to master.

[yu shan]

YingChing
Does your 7* include 2-person exersises and 2-person forms? What about condititiong drills? Have a great day.

[Taz]

Kicking Mantis
Thanks for your response. From my recent experience doing 2 person drills, I have found that before I can hook or grab a leg or arm, I must intercept or block. This seems "hard" inorder to stop the momentum from continuing towards its target. Even getting off the line of attack. Once the block is complete, then I can grab or hook. I guess what I am asking, are there any pure soft techniques or must they present with a hard component first. Or is a soft technique characterized by the type of energy used.
Thanks for your help.

[KickingMantis]

Taz it really depends how you are blocking or intercepting. if you are using force gainst froce, more like a karate type of block, it can be considered "hard" per se. I have been taught and teach my students that you really dont need that much force in order to intercept or block.

for instance, your aggressor executes a straight punch, you can intercept by lifting it up, thus creating an opening to attack, there is no need for excessive amounts of force to do this. If too much force is applied, your opponent can use the momentum of that force to redirect the the energy into another forceful attack in another direction that you created by expeling too much energy.

Even if you were going to simply block and grab the attacking arm
after one becomes proficient, the movements occur so simultaneously that they are almost one in the same.

[EARTH DRAGON]

Kicking mantis has given the best examples of hard and soft. But to answer your question a purly soft tecnhique would consist of not meeting the force with force but rather allowing it to pass. Examples of kicking mantis's soft explaination, sticking yeidling etc etc

[yingching]

We generally start with:

3 Star Blocking to toughen the forearms, then move on to the 12 Character Principle(2 Person Exercises Jim Lim, Ou Lou Choy,etc...)
We also have 2 person drills for the 12 soft and 8 Hard Methods.
I also like to drill 14 roads as a 2 man.

As far as 2 man sets
Peach Flower Umbrella Boxing
Cluster Free Fighting
Double Broadsword vs Spear Broadsword vs. Spear
Double Daggers vs. Spear
Double Daggers vs. Empty hand
BroadSword vs Spear
several others.

Learning application from the Mantis forms (Bung Bo, Chop Choy, whatever sets you have) is far more important than the forms themselves. The 2 man sets do have some good applications, but for the most part teach you to move with a partner...

[yu shan]

YingChing
Thanks! You are a 7* brother, if I may ask, who is your Shrfu?

[yu shan]

Taz
Are you going on the Taiwan trip?

[yingching]

Yu Shan,
I train with Sifu Raul Ortiz and Sifu Raymond Fogg. Whe n the Opportunities present themselves I train with Grandmaster Lee Kam Wing.
Nice to know ya,
YingChing
Thought I would share a Lion Dance Picture that I just received from a show we did at Kodak headquaters in Rochester NY.

[Taz]

Kickking Mantis
Thanks for the information. As I improve, I should be able to intercept and grab in one motion

Ying ching
I'm not familar with all the 2 person sets you mentioned. Right now I'm working on Ou Lou tsai with a partner. Thanks for the response

[Taz]

Yu Shan
No I'm not going to Taiwan. I'm still teaching in March and can't take a vacation. Are you going?

[yu shan]

yingching
Nice Lion dance photo! Whas the team preparing for Lion eats the snake? If I`m ever up your way, would it be ok for a visit? Train hard Brother.

[yingching]

Glad you enjoyed the PIC, Perhaps someother memebers on the board could share some Lion Dance, or Martial Art PIC's. I'm working on putting some digital video clips on the Web-site in the very near future.
If you are ever in the area, feel free to come by. It is always fun getting together with other Mantis Practitioners...
Ying Ching

[Tainan Mantis]

yingching and Yushan,
Did you know that your GM's, Shr Zhengzhong and Lee Kam Wing are friends? They even got together to exchange kung fu.

hard and soft:
This is a good question that is not easy to answer. On this board there have been several discussions on the meaning of the specific terms 8 hard(rigid) and 12 soft(flexible).

The flexible deals with choices and alternatives "if pluck hand then enter hand"

but Rigid has no choice, "to the face straight punch"

12 flexible is a short summary of turning attacks into counter attacks with specific techniques or examples while 8 rigid deals only with attack.

And Rigid can become flexible in the same way an attack can be countered and recountered.

[yingching]

Did you know that your GM's, Shr Zhengzhong and Lee Kam Wing are friends? They even got together to exchange kung fu.

"This is a great thing, it is so good to see that there are Master or even students of different lineage that can get along. "

hard and soft:

This is a good question that is not easy to answer. On this board there have been several discussions on the meaning of the specific terms 8 hard(rigid) and 12 soft(flexible).

The flexible deals with choices and alternatives "if pluck hand then enter hand"

but Rigid has no choice, "to the face straight punch"

12 flexible is a short summary of turning attacks into counter attacks with specific techniques or examples while 8 rigid deals only with attack.

Very well described. i agree totally that it is very difficult to explain in this forum.


I hear you collect Mantis Tapes, books, etc... perhaps you can contact me outside of the forum.
YingChing

[yu shan]

Thank you Tainan Mantis and Yingching, it is Great to see sharing at all levels.

[yu shan]

YingChing
I am interested in contributing to photos of lion dancing and Gong fu, let me know! Let me know.

[yingching]

E-mail me through the web site..
Ying Ching