Applying Fanche in Sparring
Tonight in class I decided to see how well my students were grasping the fanche principle after a couple weeks of practicing the drills. So we put on the MMA gloves and hopped up on the leitai.
Dominic, my lankiest student, was able to apply the technique effectively against his classmates. His long arms whipped in and tagged the others over and over. It was fun to watch. :)
Dominic is the least aggressive of my students and I am hoping his success with fanche will help cure his timidity.
Prerequisite Training for Fanche & Lulu
For fanche and lulu to be effective, a few upper body prerequisites are in order:
1. The shoulder joints must be loose.
Stretching and arm windmilling can help accomplish this.
2. The shoulder muscles must be strong.
Windmilling with LIGHT weights (2 - 5 lbs wrist weights or dumbbells are enough) is a good start. Lifting with cables and weights, plus elastic bands are also good equipment-based exercises.
3. The forearms must be conditioned.
The ulna (for fanche) and radius (for lulu and reverse fanche) bones of the forearm can be conditioned through traditional three star striking on a post or training partner. Rolling a metal bar along the ulna and radius is also a good conditioning method.
Fanche in Zhai Yao San Lu
Two moves from Xiaofanche can also be found in Zhai Yao San Lu movements twenty-four and twenty-five.
Here are their names from the quanpu of Zhai Yao San Lu and a brief description:
回 身 六 手 翻 車 - huí shēn liù shǒu fān chē - Turn Body, Six Hands Fanche
Step the left foot forward with a left downward chop. Step the right foot forward with a right downward chop. Hop forward onto the left foot with a left downward chop. Step the right foot forward with a right downward chop. Follow with a left downward chop and a right downward chop from a stationary right Small Hill Climbing stance. The last right chop lands at knee height with the left arm held overhead guarding the top of the head.
一 肘 遮 半 身 - yī zhǒu zhē bàn shēn - One Elbow Shields Half the Body
Shuffle three steps forward with the level arm rising, falling, rising, falling, and rising in a blocking maneuver followed by a right insert strike. Each time the arm rises to block, the left rear foot comes up and touches the heel of the front right foot. Each time the lead right foot advances the arm drops to block, until the third shuffle when the right lead fist thrusts forward.
The moves can be seen here at 32:19
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8N7PPr7Ngo
The moves are explained in detail at 32:40
The Golden Cicada Escapes its Shell
Quote:
Originally Posted by
xiao yao
both those movements appear in zhong lu fan che, but with different names.
the second movement is done while retreating with more of a leaping type step
In Zhong Lufanche the retreating move that you refer to is called
"Golden Cicada Escapes it Shell"
I think it is not the same as One Elbow shields half the body.
One move is an escape and one move is a short range strike. Is hard to draw a parrallel between them.
I believe that Golden Cicada Escapes its Shell, while describing the technique that you do quite graphically, and poetically, might also be a reference to a character in some old martial art novel from dynasties past. Who escapes me at the moment. Have you heard of who is called Golden Cicada?
I want to say it was Tang Sanzang's name before he was incarnated as a humble monk. but I have to check. If it is Tang Sanzang then it probably refers to his enlightenment as a monk and realization that he was an immortal being at the end of the novel Xi You Ji