Some formula

[Ray Pina]

Teacher reviewed some theory for us last night...

*Closing is more powerful than opening*: extend your arms outside a friend's extended arms. Press him. It's easier to close than open. (Gracie knows this)

*Push and Pull is even stronger*: From inside your friend's pressing arms, if you push, say towards his bicep or shoulder, you are even stronger.

A lot of our class is working on ideas like this, and then expressing them through a simple technique.

[MasterKiller]

How is pushing toward their bicep different from opening? Do you mean that open is harder when your arms are outside theirs, but when yours are inside you should push?

[Ray Pina]

You can only use "open" movent from the outside if your are cross armed ... right to right or left to left .... but remember, opening is weaker than closing. (I'd choose to pull in instead)

Just hold your own arms out and imagine resistance: it's easier to close the arms, then to fight outwards to open them.

So, if your being collapsed and find yourself inside -- and the guy is bigger, or same size -- fighting outward is a losing battle. I would say push or pull, combined with an upward or downward motion.

Which brings us to the drill we were doing: Hsing-I drill fist. Most say it's for hit, and yes it is. But the gem of the IDEA is how to lift and open someone after they have collapsed you.

These are only ideas to use, don't think of them as techniques in themselves.

Sounds funny I know, but this is how most of my training is now.


Here's a good example: hold your arm in front of you ala overhand karate block. If someone tries to collapse you you may want to resist and fight. But what if they are stronger?

If you simply drop your elbow, you'll find you are now collapsing them without effort.

[norther practitioner]

simple physics really... it is all about moments..


Simple formula:

T (torque)
F (force)
L (length)

T=F*L

the longer the length, the more torque you get keeping F equal.

Thats why door knobs are on the outside.. however to resist a force on the end of your arm, you need to apply that same force times what ever the length of you outstrecthed arms is. so the shorter the arm length the stronger you are, but the longer the arm, the harder the hook....

Wow, I just finally put that Engineering degree to work.