Rochester Area MA Gathering and Picnic

[kj]

You are invited to attend the 4th annual Martial Arts Gathering and Picnic sponsored by Rochester Wing Chun Student Association.

The date is Saturday, July 19th at the Ridge Hill Shelter in Webster Park, Webster, New York
(Located in Western New York, at Lake Ontario; see map links at bottom of this message)

Pizza Picnic Starts at Noon
Followed by Exchange and Workout
Dinner optional at Asian Buffet (formerly China Buffet) 2186 Empire Boulevard, Webster, NY

Water, soft drinks and snacks will be provided.
A $7.00 donation is requested to help defray costs of shelter and lunch.
RSVP (rochesterwingchun@yahoo.com) not required but greatly appreciated!

In the past, this event has been attended by practitioners from various families of Wing Chun, Tae Kwon Do, Hung Gar, Kenpo, Tai Chi, Pekiti Tirsia, San Miguel, and Boy Scouts. :)

Please come and share food, drink, camaraderie, and experience Wing Chun and other styles of Martial Arts in a friendly and constructive atmosphere. Feel free to share concepts and ideas, forms or kata, and workout to your degree of comfort. All participants are expected to attend in good will, and to sign a waiver upon arrival.

Out-of-towners: Please feel free to drop us a line if you'd like tips on lodging or sightseeing in our neck of the woods.

You can reach us by email at rochesterwingchun@yahoo.com , or by phone at (585)-671-0870.

Hope to see you there!

- Kathy Jo Connors, Mark Stoddard and members of Rochester Wing Chun Student Association


MAP LINKS:
Shelter Map (http://home.rochester.rr.com/beacons/images/Ridge%20Hill%20Shelter.GIF)
Park Area Map (http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?Pyt=&ed=f3HeUep_0ToRHbqsA_l4pWAEcUdc.JofnCuA50f2eAP4cNa uU8hGxmDl42_cU_o-&csz=Webster,+NY+14580&country=us)
Restaurant Area Map (http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?Pyt=&ed=V_WG.up_0TqKTXoVG7kTYMdV8cnDgCfofxXd4qwHX9qdGYL E05hVZZmq3Z0G&csz=Webster,+NY+14580-2000&country=us)

[TjD]

kathy,

whats the gathering usually like? any chances for some friendly chi sau?

i could see if any of us from the albany area would want to drop by :)


travis

[John Weiland]

Hi KJ,

Sounds like great fun. Wish I could be there. I hope you have a good turnout and a grand time.

All the best,

[kj]

Originally posted by TjD
kathy,

whats the gathering usually like? any chances for some friendly chi sau?


There is a social exchange and a workout aspect to it. For us though (me and mine), we always try to get in as much working out as we can. Some people like to eat and talk more, and that's okay too.

We usually have more Wing Chun people than other arts, though always appreciate the mix, which seems to get better each time we do this. So there is always friendly chi sau to the degree of people's mutual skill and comfort, and sometimes working with other arts in a cooperative and safe yet challenging manner. The constraint is that control must be exercised at all times and the level of intensity must remain mutual. "Fighting" is strictly prohibited. As is ill will of any sort. ;)

Our aim is to maximize the workout opportunity balanced in friendliest of atmosphere's. Some people like to eat and chat or tell stories too, especially the kind you don' t hear so much on the internet, LOL. Making new friends and acquaintances has its own value of course. :)



i could see if any of us from the albany area would want to drop by :)

We would love to have your company! Some of our other friends from Saratoga Springs area should be coming out for the day too. It's less than 4 hours drive from your area, and easily a day trip. Just give us a clue when you can so we can size the pizza order appropriately.

We have at least one RSVP from Toronto already, and a tentative from Pennsylvania. So people are coming from all directions, in addition to the locals. We just put out announcements yesterday, and expecting a pretty good turn out this year. Definitely the more the merrier.

Regards,
- Kathy Jo

[kj]

Originally posted by John Weiland
Hi KJ,

Sounds like great fun. Wish I could be there. I hope you have a good turnout and a grand time.

All the best,

Thanks, John. Maybe you'll head out our way and join us one of these years. :)

Regards,
- kj

[kj]

We have only had the announcement out one day, and already have 11 confirmations, and another 14 or so who are trying to arrange and will likely attend. Most of these are from out of town, and we haven't heard from most of the "locals" yet. So it looks like we will have a good turn out this year. :)

Regards,
- Kathy Jo

[reneritchie]

Have a great picnic!

[Sihing73]

Hi Kathy Jo,

While I would love to attend I am doubtful of my ability to do so. I promise one day we will get up to your neck of the woods. However, on this weekend I am scheduled to be attending a Pekiti Tirsia seminar featuring Leo Gaje, the head of that system. I kind of promised a friend that I would attend and lend my support.

Now if you were offering free ice cream..........;)

Peace,

Dave

[kj]

René, thanks. Hopefully you all can make it down again one of these days.

David, sorry you can't make it. I know how hectic your schedule can be. Your advance order for ice cream is in for next time. :D

Regards,
- Kathy Jo

[TjD]

Kathy,

i talked to sifu today and he thinks its a good idea to make the trip. we'll try and get a number by sometime next week. how soon would you like an RSVP?


thanks,
travis

[WCis4me]

Hi Kathy Jo,
Unfortunately I have family from out of town here during that time and wont be able to make it. Since it is a yearly event though I will definately try to make it for next year. Sounds like a good event. I don't think it is really that far from me either.

I hope everyone has a great time and learns much.

Regards,
Vicky

[kj]

Originally posted by TjD
i talked to sifu today and he thinks its a good idea to make the trip. we'll try and get a number by sometime next week.

Terrific. :):):)


how soon would you like an RSVP?

We don't need an exact number right away, though if we could get a good approximation by about a week in advance, that would be helpful for our preparations and shopping. Having a good number before that Saturday will help us to ensure there is enough lunch for everyone.

Regards,
- Kathy Jo

[kj]

Hi Vicky. Thanks for the well wish. Ontario isn't that far from us in the scheme of things. Hopefully you can make it down for another event. And by all means let us know if you ever happen to be passing through this way.

Enjoy your time with family; that's the stuff that's really important.

Regards,
- Kathy Jo

[WCis4me]

Originally posted by kj
Hi Vicky. Thanks for the well wish. Ontario isn't that far from us in the scheme of things. Hopefully you can make it down for another event. And by all means let us know if you ever happen to be passing through this way.

Enjoy your time with family; that's the stuff that's really important.

Regards,
- Kathy Jo
Thank you for the standing invitation and well wishes also. You are really not that far (Mind you a few hours driving doesn't seem far to me lol). You are about a 5 hour drive from me, 270 miles approx. Definately not too far for me to travel sometime in the not so distant future.

Regards,
Vicky

[kj]

Things are shaping up nicely!

It is still early, and already we anticipate around 25 people, and the numbers still growing. Responses so far from people in the lines of Ip Ching, Moy Yat, Fung Hon, and Leung Sheung, including Dr. Jack Ling. Some others who've responded so far are from Hung Ga, Taiji, Mudong, and someone who specializes in fan and stick fighting.

There is a very good chance some people from the Jiu Wan lineage will join us, and likely some Pekiti Tirsia and San Miguel people. Plus many more hopefuls from Wing Chun and other arts.

Quite a few people are coming in from out of town. It is easily managed as a day trip from anywhere within a 4 hour or so radius. Others from out of town are banding together to save on overnight motel, so affordability isn’t a great issue.

Hoping more of you can manage to join us too. It promises to be a great day. :)

Regards,
- Kathy Jo

[TjD]

well i'm back from a nice vacation, and wondering if everything is still on for the gathering.

if so i hope to see everyone saturday :D

[kj]

Hi Travis.

You bet - everything is still on for Saturday, and the turnout promises to be good. It will be great to see you and the others, and any who may yet decide to join us too. I'm looking forward to a great day!

Regards,
- Kathy Jo

P.S. Hope your vacation was great. :)

[TjD]

thanks again for such a great day!

i really appreciate all the time and effort you guys must have spent to get such a good day together :D i'm already looking forward to next years. the chi sau was great; your roots are admirable, and mark stands like a mountain :D i wish your leg was better so we could have chi sau'ed more

since i had this long drive home to reflect over the day, i have a few more questions for you guys.

in chi sau, its definately obvious you really focus on the root. it seemed you really liked to stay under me - while for me, and at our school we still focus on the root, but instead of staying under; we stay on the inside of our centerline. it seems that your style of chi sau really lends itself to throws - do you practice any of these?
i'm wondering because when we do chi sau we really try to exploit any opening we see, to get that KO or gain control in one way or another (it almost made me feel like i was striking too much :D ). it seemed that you guys weren't as concerned with exploiting openings, but rather making sure your root was there so you could set something up - a throw, some kind of chin na, etc. am i totally off on this?

do you do any other drills that focus more on the striking aspects, along with chi sau?

i was very impressed with what i saw today i'd love to drop by and visit the school sometime. you guys definately are a model example of how WC people should present themselves to other WC people :D

i will definately let you know if we're doing anything around here.

thanks again,
travis

[kj]

Hi Travis.


Originally posted by TjD
thanks again for such a great day!

Yes, it was a terrific day! :)

Even though a few respondents could not make it at the last minute, we still had a turn out greater than we originally anticipated. I haven't double checked the headcount yet, and it was a little difficult to keep track with people coming and going. But at one juncture point I counted over 30 people present, and I know not everyone was still there at that time.

Thank you so much for coming out - it was truly wonderful to meet and work with you! I am also glad that you took the opportunity to work with so many hands while you were here.


i really appreciate all the time and effort you guys must have spent to get such a good day together :D i'm already looking forward to next years.

Thank you. We are looking forward to the next one too. :)


the chi sau was great; your roots are admirable, and mark stands like a mountain :D i wish your leg was better so we could have chi sau'ed more

LOL. Thanks again, and I will be sure to tell Mark in case he doesn't see your comments here.

Despite breaks to respect the leg, I am glad I was able to work as much as I could. The knee is still a bit sensitive when it comes to prolonged force just yet; you should feel a difference next time, and as I get back into working order.


since i had this long drive home to reflect over the day, i have a few more questions for you guys.

Despite your long drive, you made it home long before we did. We kept teenager hours last night, LOL.


in chi sau, its definately obvious you really focus on the root.

Being the foundation of everything else, the horse and posture are a huge emphasis with us, painstaking in every sense of that word, LOL.


it seemed you really liked to stay under me - while for me, and at our school we still focus on the root, but instead of staying under; we stay on the inside of our centerline. Having a low center of gravity, and almost a scooping sense, can give the partner a sense they are being lifted or uprooted.

Good observation. Believe it or not, we too enjoy being on the inside. I think several factors contributed to your accurate perception of us being "under" when working with you.

While we don't have a preference to work "under" the partner's/opponent's hands, we do tend to practice with our hands lower than most people (for reasons of course). My perception is that you may tend to practice with hands and elbows at a somewhat higher elevation, or perhaps emphasize head and neck strikes somewhat more than we do. Combine these different practice tendencies with the fact that both Mark and I are relatively short, I think this is in part why our hands tended to be underneath a great deal when working with you. At least mine were; knowing Mark's hands, I presume your experience with him was similar in that way.

You also correctly observe that we do prefer to keep the center of gravity low, and try to keep the elbows substantial through the connection to the horse. Elbows down, shoulders down, settled, and all of that. I suspect this is also a part of what you felt, and it definitely contributes to another sense of "under," and one that we distinctly enjoy when successful.

"Scooping" is a very appropriate word for that sense of "under and in." It does indeed help in uprooting and disrupting people, as you noted. Even with my limitations and relatively low skills, I surprise some pretty solid guys once in awhile.

We are very much concerned with controlling the whole person, not just with striking. While "control" might be a bit beyond reach in some situations (given my current skills), at a minimum I still hope to disturb the partner's/opponent's ability to maintain precision or generate power, and at least somewhat dilute the threat to me.

It is harder for someone to hit with the same kind of power or precision when they are falling or unstable, for example. Furthermore, to the degree that they must compensate in recovery, they may offer me continued opportunities if I'm savvy and responsive enough to optimize on them.

All of this requires me to be mindful of the entire person, at least as much as managing hands or hitting. Now I certainly don't claim to excel at this, LOL, but it's part of what I'm aiming at.

What you felt was surely a function of our current stage of development, as well as some signatures in our way of practice. A year from now, or five or ten, hopefully we will have retained the good attributes and improved much in our weaker areas, just as you will.


it seems that your style of chi sau really lends itself to throws - do you practice any of these?

Not explicitly. We don't tend toward much that would require "trying" for this or that. Greediness of any sort, even anticipation, begins to interfere with listening and the level of sensitivity and utilization we are after. Also, we are averse to anything that would take us away from our core (as would some kinds of throwing and chin na efforts, among other things). However, if the opponent is "incidentally" thrown, I can't say that we mind, especially if we've stayed with our core principles in doing so.


i'm wondering because when we do chi sau we really try to exploit any opening we see, to get that KO or gain control in one way or another (it almost made me feel like i was striking too much :D ).

it seemed that you guys weren't as concerned with exploiting openings, but rather making sure your root was there so you could set something up - a throw, some kind of chin na, etc. am i totally off on this?

I would rather say we want to exploit the right openings when we can. We don't want to be afraid to hit, but also not greedy to hit. For example, I have gone through stages where I would avail myself of available holes with relative consistency, but at the unfortunate expense of trading punches or attacks. So I needed to learn (and still learning) to be sure I've taken care of the immediate threat, and not just take the openings. And of course all the while I must do my utmost to maintain my stance and posture. I must also minimize any other vulnerabilities that the opponent can exploit, like muscular tension or over commitment of any sort.

I must be mindful of these things, being that I am the smaller weaker person, conceptually if not in actuality at all times. I cannot afford to give the larger, stronger, faster, younger, more skillful, prettier opponents something to leverage or exploit against me; so I am indeed conservative in some ways. We sometimes say we like to be "passively aggressive."

Combined with other factors, these things may help to explain in part why we don't seem to be hitting as often just now.

Definitely we are trying to maintain the root and structure, but not to set up explicit throws or for chin na. Though as before, sometimes elements of these may naturally occur, and we won't mind. ;)


do you do any other drills that focus more on the striking aspects, along with chi sau?

We distinctly shy away from canned response drills. However, it is not at all unusual for us to break out specific motions and responses for analysis and diagnostics.

Another important exercise for us is feeding hands, where the teacher or seniors feed the learner. The tempo, randomness,and complexity of this varies dramatically over time, and of course the challenge is increased as the learner progresses.

These in addition to the sets, solo exercises and sandbag work of course.

I do think we need to attack more assertively, but for me it is somewhat a matter of first things first. Right now, I still have a lot of work to do in order to improve control. If I can improve control sufficiently, then attacking at will and leisure can become more natural, and without as much compromise as if I tried too hard for it. Finding the right balance of "enough but not too much" is always a challenge.


i was very impressed with what i saw today i'd love to drop by and visit the school sometime.

We are just learning, and have a long way to go. We enjoyed you immensely as well!

As I mentioned to you yesterday, I am impressed with how together you are already. I can disturb a lot of people without much trouble, and you are not that easily disturbed. Even though your hands tend to operate a little higher than ours at the moment, it doesn't result in you becoming hugely disconnected; you have a pretty good sensitivity and you adjust and adapt well.

I like what I saw and felt, and will look forward to your continued progress. For me, I need to get healed and my stance up to par. I also need to practice to deal more effectively with higher hands like yours. ;)

Please let us know any time you are in the area, or can arrange a visit. We will love to see you and work out whenever we can. If there is anything we are "greedy" for, it is many hands to work with, so that we can all continue to learn and improve.


you guys definately are a model example of how WC people should present themselves to other WC people :D

Thank you so much for saying that. As the old adage goes, it takes one to know one. :)



i will definately let you know if we're doing anything around here.
thanks again,
travis

We'll stay tuned. Thanks again for making the drive out to join us. Please give my best to your teacher and classmates; we'll look forward to see them at the next opportunity. It was terrific working with you, and we already consider you an old friend.

Regards,
- Kathy Jo

[TjD]

Originally posted by kj
Being the foundation of everything else, the horse and posture are a huge emphasis with us, painstaking in every sense of that word, LOL.


laugh yeah i could definately feel the focus on that. while we still have the same huge emphasis, it seems we apply it differently, as our chi sau is definately more aggressive, and yours more "passive aggressive" to use your term. the chi sau was definately good as it constantly made me keep my own root in check, whereas with other people i guess i can be a little more sloppy because they wont notice it (but thats my own bad habit) :D




Good observation. Believe it or not, we too enjoy being on the inside. I think several factors contributed to your accurate perception of us being "under" when working with you.

While we don't have a preference to work "under" the partner's/opponent's hands, we do tend to practice with our hands lower than most people (for reasons of course). My perception is that you may tend to practice with hands and elbows at a somewhat higher elevation, or perhaps emphasize head and neck strikes somewhat more than we do. Combine these different practice tendencies with the fact that both Mark and I are relatively short, I think this is in part why our hands tended to be underneath a great deal when working with you. At least mine were; knowing Mark's hands, I presume your experience with him was similar in that way.


yes i can definately see this. however with good root and structure, when your hands are under someone it usually feels like their whole body is under you :) mark did do one thing which i'd really never experienced before - along the lines of you keeping your hands lower than i'm used to. he would drop his hand to his side completely (ie. the arm went straight down). is this normal? usually we go around the hand and get on top before letting our arm get that low. is there a particular use for this?




You also correctly observe that we do prefer to keep the center of gravity low, and try to keep the elbows substantial through the connection to the horse. Elbows down, shoulders down, settled, and all of that. I suspect this is also a part of what you felt, and it definitely contributes to another sense of "under," and one that we distinctly enjoy when successful.


i think elbows down, shoulders down, settled, etc is the common ground all good wing chun has. i definately like having that "sense" of under, especially because when you're larger like me, if your under someone they're probably in the air and definately uprooted :D




It is harder for someone to hit with the same kind of power or precision when they are falling or unstable, for example. Furthermore, to the degree that they must compensate in recovery, they may offer me continued opportunities if I'm savvy and responsive enough to optimize on them.

All of this requires me to be mindful of the entire person, at least as much as managing hands or hitting. Now I certainly don't claim to excel at this, LOL, but it's part of what I'm aiming at.

What you felt was surely a function of our current stage of development, as well as some signatures in our way of practice. A year from now, or five or ten, hopefully we will have retained the good attributes and improved much in our weaker areas, just as you will.


agree, agreed, agreed :D 5-10 years from now will really be an interesting time. while i feel like i have a good sense of my upperbody, my lower body is still somewhat lacking in having that "wing chun feeling" as compared to my upperbody. hopefully i'll get that figured out before then.




I would rather say we want to exploit the right openings when we can. We don't want to be afraid to hit, but also not greedy to hit. For example, I have gone through stages where I would avail myself of available holes with relative consistency, but at the unfortunate expense of trading punches or attacks. So I needed to learn (and still learning) to be sure I've taken care of the immediate threat, and not just take the openings. And of course all the while I must do my utmost to maintain my stance and posture. I must also minimize any other vulnerabilities that the opponent can exploit, like muscular tension or over commitment of any sort.


i seem to think along the lines that if theres an opening that will get me hit, it's not really an opening. that being said, i also think that theres a counter to everything, so chances are if i take an opening i can figure out how to counter the response to it eventually with sensitivity, root, good wing chun, etc. in my chi sau i put an emphasis on "trying to end the fight quickly." i'll take an opening and either do a strike i think i can get KO power from, or take control and do the same - get myself into a winning position as quick as possible. even though chi sau is just play, i think it can train these aspects of combat without killing the other person.



Combined with other factors, these things may help to explain in part why we don't seem to be hitting as often just now.


yes, it seems our approach is different. we are defniately more agressive. but both sides have their advantage. mabye one day when we're sitting on top of the wing chun mountain it will be somewhere in the middle.




We distinctly shy away from canned response drills. However, it is not at all unusual for us to break out specific motions and responses for analysis and diagnostics.


we do as well, and this wasn't what i meant by my question :D canned response drills are very not WC imho. i was just wondering if you practiced chi sau/sparring/other drills in different ways where striking was more emphasised.




Another important exercise for us is feeding hands, where the teacher or seniors feed the learner. The tempo, randomness,and complexity of this varies dramatically over time, and of course the challenge is increased as the learner progresses.


i'm not really familiar with the term feeding hands. how does this work?

[TjD]

well those few questions really exploded! i had to split that post in half! :D





We are just learning, and have a long way to go. We enjoyed you immensely as well!

As I mentioned to you yesterday, I am impressed with how together you are already. I can disturb a lot of people without much trouble, and you are not that easily disturbed. Even though your hands tend to operate a little higher than ours at the moment, it doesn't result in you becoming hugely disconnected; you have a pretty good sensitivity and you adjust and adapt well.

I like what I saw and felt, and will look forward to your continued progress. For me, I need to get healed and my stance up to par. I also need to practice to deal more effectively with higher hands like yours. ;)


thanks for the kind words :) i really think a lot of my weakness comes from the waist down. if you had focused on messing with my legs to unbalance me, i think you would have wiped the floor with me :D lately i'm really focusing on that half of my body with chi gerk and my home practice so i hope it wont be a problem for much longer.

i think its kind of ironic that you think of my hands as so high. in class people tend to think my hands are the lowest of all of us (except mabye for sifu) :D mabye as our height difference made it seem to me that you were always under, the same happened the other way around making you think i was being higher. at our school i think close to half if not more of my strikes are sternum height or lower.

also perhaps since you are lower and train lower, my hands gravitated upwards where you didn't have the same experience, while yours went lower as i didnt have the same experience down that low (or in marks case, sometimes i literally couldnt get my hands that low and needed to get my legs in the way of his hands) :D.




Please let us know any time you are in the area, or can arrange a visit. We will love to see you and work out whenever we can. If there is anything we are "greedy" for, it is many hands to work with, so that we can all continue to learn and improve.

im guilty of the same thing. i'm always on the lookout for someone who can really challenge my WC; because without any challenge my progress stagnates. i'll definately drop by on my next time i can make the trip. being able to touch hands with you guys is worth the trip.




We'll stay tuned. Thanks again for making the drive out to join us. Please give my best to your teacher and classmates; we'll look forward to see them at the next opportunity. It was terrific working with you, and we already consider you an old friend.


i think you can learn more about someone in 20 minutes of chi sau, than in 2 years of talking :) i'll give my sifu your regards tomorrow and thanks again; it's nice to know i have friends out in rochester :D


--travis

[kj]

Originally posted by TjD
mark did do one thing which i'd really never experienced before - along the lines of you keeping your hands lower than i'm used to. he would drop his hand to his side completely (ie. the arm went straight down). is this normal? usually we go around the hand and get on top before letting our arm get that low. is there a particular use for this?

Unfortunately, I did not see when you and Mark were working out. He may have been experimenting with something we call abandoning hand. This does not mean the hand/arm goes entirely limp or becomes disfunctional, rather it "receives" and "accepts" what is incoming rather than force against or hold it off. The nature of the movement can be very similar to the gum sau sections in the first set.

I am no expert in this hand, especially as it takes a lot of skill and confidence to pull off, IMHO. When used to good effect by someone very skillful, it can dramatically catch an over committed opponent off guard by redirecting their incoming energy or force, sometimes off balancing them or even dropping them, and/or setting them up for a subsequent attack.

If in fact that was the hand Mark was experimenting with, and you didn't perceive what it was for, then he may be wanting more practice, LOL. I'll have to ask him about it.


i'm not really familiar with the term feeding hands. how does this work?

It is something Leung Sheung used to do for his students, and a practice many of his students (at least the ones I know) still carry on as a core practice. Essentially they feed hands, attacks and movements to the student in such a way as to elicit certain types of responses and attacks. It is a controlled scenario, driven by the instructor or senior, and allows for iterative practice of techniques, attacks and applications in a random and unpredictable way. The student must both defend and attack, and is challenged by ramping up just beyond the student's comfort zone and current skill level.

As you know we train at a distance from our teacher. So we have to do our best by feeding each other in his absence. The lack of his hands to work with and feed us routinely is even more challenging than being away from his ever watchful eye, IMHO. Working with as many hands as possible should continue to help us in compensating, though it remains a challenging road.

It may be a personal shortcoming, but I am challenged to discriminate between offense and defense. It is all too interconnected, both tightly centered on the same principles.

Regards,
- kj

[kj]

Originally posted by TjD
i think its kind of ironic that you think of my hands as so high. in class people tend to think my hands are the lowest of all of us (except mabye for sifu) :D mabye as our height difference made it seem to me that you were always under, the same happened the other way around making you think i was being higher. at our school i think close to half if not more of my strikes are sternum height or lower.

I think you may tend to operate higher only in relative degrees. We too are nominally at sternum level. You don't operate nearly as high as a lot of hands I've crossed with, and I think are closer to us than many if not most. Furthermore, your arms are not disconnected or without substance. The difference in our heights and horses no doubt combine to make it seem more noticeable. It was also somewhat noticeable when I let myself get hit in the head, LOL.

Regards,
- kj

[kj]

P.S.


Originally posted by TjD
i think you can learn more about someone in 20 minutes of chi sau, than in 2 years of talking :)

I agree!!!

Thanks again. :)
- kj

[yuanfen]

May be may be not. Depends on what gear a person is using- me thinks.

joy

[kj]

Originally posted by yuanfen
May be may be not. Depends on what gear a person is using- me thinks.

joy

I read the comment as a testament to the "flatness" of internet dialog, more so than holding an exchange of a few minutes as some type of "proving ground."

Naturally, I am assuming you refer to gear more in terms of intensity, rather than glove weight or spring colors. ;)

Regards,
- kj

[kj]

Hi again Travis.

Just to follow up a little on the abandoning hand; Mark confirmed that indeed he was experimenting with it.

At one point you mentioned that you used your leg to counter Mark's low hand. Possibly it was this hand.

Regards,
- kj

[TjD]

Originally posted by kj

As you know we train at a distance from our teacher. So we have to do our best by feeding each other in his absence. The lack of his hands to work with and feed us routinely is even more challenging than being away from his ever watchful eye, IMHO. Working with as many hands as possible should continue to help us in compensating, though it remains a challenging road.

It may be a personal shortcoming, but I am challenged to discriminate between offense and defense. It is all too interconnected, both tightly centered on the same principles.

Regards,
- kj

i too find it hard to discriminate between offense and defense... moreso to the point that i often think a strong offense is the best defense :D (contrary to the old sporting adage).

i'd like to see/experience these feeding hands. i don't think we do anything like that in our classes. they sound interesting :D i'm lucky to have my sifu near, but he faces the same problem you do. hong kong is a far way to travel, and like i said we havent seen sigung in about 2 years. in his absence, i hope we haven't moved too far off the path he's shown us.



Originally posted by kj

Hi again Travis.

Just to follow up a little on the abandoning hand; Mark confirmed that indeed he was experimenting with it.

At one point you mentioned that you used your leg to counter Mark's low hand. Possibly it was this hand.

Regards,
- kj

i'm pretty sure the hand i was talking about before was the abandoning hand you're talking about. it was quite interesting. all i could really do was guard it by keeping my hand/arm near his forearm. sometimes i could strike without opening myself up to it, sometimes i couldn't. its definately an interesting hand i've never seen before though :D

it definately wasn't what i used my leg to counter. mark would somewhat often enter a horse stance and strike (he definately uses that horse stance well) and my gan sau was not low enough, even when i dropped my stance - **** my long legs! so instead of reaching down and breaking my structure, i had to put those long legs to good use and put them in the way of those fists :D

all in all a great day, and i'm really looking forward to visiting again - it gave me a lot to think about and new insights on things i need to work on :)

cheers,

[kj]

Originally posted by TjD
i'm lucky to have my sifu near, but he faces the same problem you do. hong kong is a far way to travel, and like i said we havent seen sigung in about 2 years. in his absence, i hope we haven't moved too far off the path he's shown us.

We have a lot in common. Ironically, the additional challenges and responsibilities have been a mixed blessing. It would be so much easier just to show up to class a few times a week, and leave the bulk of overhead and day-to-day technical leadership to someone else. OTOH, we are compelled to be more self-reliant in all manner of ways, which brings its own benefits and rewards.


all in all a great day, and i'm really looking forward to visiting again - it gave me a lot to think about and new insights on things i need to work on :)

Same here!

Regards,
- kj

[kj]

I thought some of you might enjoy this small sampling of pictures (http://www.fototime.com/inv/9F72965E85C932B) from Saturday's picnic. There are more pictures yet to be processed; if there are any especially interesting ones, I'll add those too.

In addition to Wing Chun people from about 7 different Wing Chun groups, people joined us from Judo, Taiji, Tang So Do, Hung Ga, Kuntau, and Mudong (Wudang). It was interesting how people from such different arts found ways to share and work constructively together.

Hopefully more of you can join us next time too.

Regards,
- Kathy Jo

[PaulH]

Hi KJ,

Who is the spectacled man in white T-shirt? He looks very calm and relaxed.

Regards,

[kj]

Originally posted by PaulH
Who is the spectacled man in white T-shirt? He looks very calm and relaxed.

Assuming you mean the guy with goatee and shaved head, that is my training partner, Mark Stoddard.

Regards,
- Kathy Jo

[PaulH]

Funny I got a hunch that is the man, but you remove all doubts for sure. One can sense he has skills just from the look. My congratulation on your terrific training partner!

Regards,

[kj]

Originally posted by PaulH
Funny I got a hunch that is the man, but you remove all doubts for sure. One can sense he has skills just from the look. My congratulation on your terrific training partner!

Regards,

I will be sure to relay your positive comments to him. I know he will appreciate hearing it.

Regards,
- kj

[yuanfen]

Mark is a good guy.
Joy