Candid Camera

[EarthDragon]

We all know how our techniques are supposed to look and how they look when they are shown to us by our shrfus. But has anyone ever taped themselves playing a set or just revieing you basics?

I decided it was time to tape my 4 year student performing his 5 sets. When he finished and then watched, he said wow do I look like that? I said do you think it looks good or bad? he said not as good as I thought it would look. or nowhere near the way it looks when you or xi-shueng plays it.
So I said.... then you have set a goal for yourself hmmm?

Just wondering who else has taped and watched and what they thought?
Have you found it helps or hinders?
Did the camera really add 10 lbs? LOL OK comments?

[BeiTangLang]

I've done that before. It is an interesting tool to use. The diu-sao, for example, is very misleading in that it looks so different from the "first person" to "third person" perspectives (At least it does to me...).

I found that my forms do not look like my sifu's in-play, but that is not a discouraging thing as our body sizes are way different (as well as our practice habits & experience). Look at your stances/footwork according to _YOUR_ size & do not compare it to others except on a technical basis. Even with the same size, bone structures are still different.

Use the tape to check the stance positions, body harmony & hand positions against "yourself".

Very good topic of discussion albeit a general discussion.

~BTL

[monkeyfoot]

I now video myself when I can get the chance to use a camera.

I had been going for a long time thinking that my forms were done correctly when I performed them at full speed. Once I looked back on the videos I realised that speed was affecting my rooting/stancing with some stances being a mix (eg hill climbing had a kinked rear leg making it a mix of hill climbing and circle entrance).

I now feel that video has allowed me to have a deeper knowledge of my forms and how my body works when performing the form. I sit with my video player on slow-mo and watch my footage over and over, re-film, rewatch, re-film, re-watch.

Video is a really effective way of improving.

craig

[Frogman]

I found that the camera adds at least three inches to the height of my stances haha. !!Really Sifu I know I was much lower then that!!! Video is a good way to look at your movement and get an understanding of how you’re doing each movement and how it looks to others. When you do a form and your looking at your fist it is hard to tell what your foot is doing. To stop and check your position with each movement takes away from the form, so a camera is a great tool as it lets you look at your form as if you were looking at someone else. Of course, I personally am more critical of how I look then others.


RibHit

Edit (One other good thing is you can look back and gage your progress. I have a video from a few years back and one from recently doing the same form, yes there is a difference. In a good way…)

[ninjaboy]

i prefer to use video footage of when i am in action against an opponent....i feel that is a truer method of gaging (sp?) your abilities because your strategies should vary from opponent to opponent as btl mentioned regarding body type differences.

having lived in china for a couple of years now, i feel that there is too much emphasis, here and abroad, on performance ability and 'what the other person sees'. unfortunately, a value judgement is placed into the mind of the viewer which has very little, if any, correlation to actual combat ability more often than not.

neil

[Sifu Darkfist]

This last post by Ninjaboy falls into an important concept. Both Form recording and sparring should be taped (esp if you compete San Shou). In fact i find pitting 2 on one sudent with the camera running helps the fighter tremendously they grow really fast. and then we add more adversaries.

[yu shan]

I use video to record what my teacher shares with me. These are my notes and for my eyes only. The real treat is when I can get my teacher doing something, I cherish these moments and study his every movement.

I have a couple of students fighting MMA. They tape their fights and bring to me. This video really helps these fighters with seeing mistakes or what they "could" have done.

Neil, I have some good video of you and Oso going at it up in Ohio, you interested? Man, you got this charles manson glaze in your eyes.

[ninjaboy]

i would definitely love to see that footage! we weren't exactly at our best that morning but i'd like to check it out regardless....

hey oso, have you seen it yet?

neil

[yu shan]

Neil, I will work on this... my cam corder fried, gotta pick up a new one.