Is there a "Mantis Sliding in the Mud" form?

[Emeraldphoenix]

Bob is fine. Heat and humidity got to him. Tenn. aint Ohio. We have had pretty cool year this year. Compounded with little sleep and he didnt eat. Bad combination.. that's all.

You were very quiet over the weekend, dont worry about the school thing, it will all work out.

[Oso]

didn't eat???? ya'll need to get him edimacated...kung fu needs food.

but, yea, we were pretty much swimming in the air it was so humid.

Thanks...things are coming together on the school. I did a lot of work yesterday.

[mooyingmantis]

Matt,
Mike speaks highly about you and your group. I hope to meet you next time, or at the next mantis conference in Las Vegas.
Yes, Mike's arms are *&^% hard. I was teasing him the other day that those scrawny little things that he calls arms should be named "bars of steel". I started three star training over thirty years ago and I still hate banging arms with him.
BTW, ask him about the time he had his hand x-rayed years ago (80's). Interesting story!
Richard

[Metal Mantis]

(Well, I had composed a long reply, but upon trying to send it, my work computer took a poo. I will just give the thanks out now, due to my frustration)

Thank you Shibo Kevin for sharing your time and knowledge with us! It is always a pleasure to train with you, even when I am vomiting in the bushes...

Thank you Shifu Jim for putting this together and being understanding to my ignorance in the past... See you tonight in class...

It was good to meet Biggie and his folks, sorry to hear of your family emergency, I hope all is well... You will be in our thoughts...

Oso, it is always fun to get tossed around by you, foul mood or not :-) Perhaps I will make it over for Bel-sher (sp?).

I was glad to share one of my favorite parks in the town I grew up in... Now that I feel it is broken in, I will be sure to train there more often...

The 18 Essentials are exellent... I look forward to spending many many many hours feeling what is expressed best by my body and evolving understanding... I look forward to more...

~Be well~

[Oso]

Richard: I'll probably not make this years conference due to financial constraints....read that as 'i'm broke'

I'll have to ask about the hand x-ray...sounds like it might be similar to when I broke my hand punching something stupid and they couldn't get a needle stuck in the back of my hand to give me the lidocaine shot.



J - 'Bele Chere'...it's french you cretin. I hope you do...looks like the big band to see this year is Galactic...but, we stumbled on that other band with the bad ass bass player so there's always something good.


http://belecherefestival.com/music.php?sub=line_up

I look forward to spending many many many hours feeling what is expressed best by my body and evolving understanding... I look forward to more...

carefull there buddy...someone might mistake you for a hippie....

alright...time to go do my best impression of Shibo....

[K.Brazier]

Hi all,
Great thanks to all who came. The training was long, but the collective energy pushed us thru right to the end.
It was a pleasure to deal with a large group of a single minded determination to master everything in a single weekend.

" He also taught everyone "strike four gates". "

This was taught to me by Mantis 108. IMHO, one of the simplest and yet most important aspects of mantis.

"This SFG is a very good tool for improving footwork and the ability to strike with power from an angle you normally think would not contain power. I learned alot about this subject from this little exercise. "

It is more than a tool. This type of footwork shows up repeatedly in the mantis that I teach. It is an essential aspect of how to move the body within the Mantis style. I regret not having the time and chance to go into details of how it is used to apply various methods of deceptive striking.

"Kevin mentioned that we were probably only going to be able to learn 9 out of the 18, I can see why now. "

On the bright side, learning the last nine should be easier than the first nine.

" Each technique was first taught as a "line drill", then after doing these many times over a very long distance, we paired off with a partner. "

This is my own addition. Normally, the student would be well acquanted with all these techniques in the forms and no line drills would be taught.

But, this method of training individual techniues is valid. Many times I would see my elder, alone under the Banyon tree, working a technique over and over.

"We also repeated the line drills with Kevin calling out, we had to respond to the name of the essential. "

I started this, but realizing that 2 days is too short to learn moves and chinese words or their abstract english equivelents is too much I stopped. Later you must call out the terms and have the students do the moves for the partner practice.

"I see the importance and necessity of "knowing" the types of strikes needed in the initial engagement."

Yes, I agree. In my own observations I have noticed that the winner of fights is usually the guy who got the good strike right off the bat.(Not as often in tourny though).

" These really helped me with my entering the engagement aswell. Maybe with Oso`s help and Kevin`s permission we could put up some clips."

Send me some stuff,, I'll edit and post.


"Also, the gathering took place on top of a civil war fort where many battles were fought. It was a very cool place, up high, secluded and beautiful. Kind of added to the ambiance... thanks Justin for finding this spot."

Now, my wife wants to move to Tenn.

Kevin

[Oso]

I haven't looked at my vid yet...I just have the first hour of the last session Sunday morning.



ok...so are we going to be in a bidding war to get Shibo to move to Nashville or Asheville?

cuz, he didn't get to see anything cool in February...I can beat the fort.

[yu shan]

You are so right Matt, no way Nashville can compare to Asheville! Shibo needs to see your area for sure... and not the winter time.

[Oso]

I was just kidding mainly...maybe we can do it old school way...you build him a house there and I'll build him one here...he can do winters there and summers here...

[Metal Mantis]

That's a bold statement there Oso, coming from a man living Asheville, who more often than not when I see is bare foot... Is not there some sort of Dredloc clause for living there?

"I started this, but realizing that 2 days is too short to learn moves and chinese words or their abstract english equivelents is too much I stopped. Later you must call out the terms and have the students do the moves for the partner practice. "

I see the value in this... I remember watching Da Shifu Shr teaching a form to Shiye John, he would call out the next move by naming the technic and Shiye would execute... I feel this helps to keep the mind limber and keep things seperate... To help one seperate from one thing to the next, not to say to put boudaries or an end point to something, but to see when an opportunity manifests and dissolves, to keep aggressive... Plus, learning the Chinese would help provide a more well rounded understanding of the concept of the app...

Anyhow, I should get back to freting guitars... Hope that was'nt too spacey for you there Oso...

~Be well

[Oso]

lol...actually, Eric hit the nail on the head when he called me Huck Finn when we were running back down the hill saturday. give me my druthers and ahd be in shorts on the river day after day

see, I actully feel like I 'get it' better than these wanna be hippies and peaceniks in this town...again, it's the hypocrisy of their actions that gets to me most.

Case in point the kids that own this building I'm moving out of...they want to keep the historic iron windows that create a much higher cost of heating and cooling...thereby burning more fuel to create electricity...but, anyways...

and don't go thinking you can out 'spacey' me you young whippersnapper

I was drinking tea and speculating about the lives of the people on the other side of a mirror when you were just a suckling at your mama's teat.

I done figured the answer out already, that's all. no need for speculation.

[feimantis]

I have been so happy being around all of the Pong Lai guys since I have started my training almost a year ago. What a group of great people. I enjoyed this seminar as much as the last. So far everything I have learned I have loved. Its nice to hit and be hit im hard headed so I think thats what I need to have things make since. I always enjoy seeing 18 elders and I think Kevin's seminars are something special. It was nice to see Oso and his crew again. I feel like a rookie around all you Pong Lai veterans maybe if you beat me enough I will learn something one day. See you this Saturday Yu Shan.

[Oso]

Good to see you again, bro.

We need to get together next time for some one on one.

I can pass on a few 'Fat Boyz' (tm) tips for the BBMA (Big Beautiful Martial Artist) to ya. From personal experience, you know.

Tip #1: Wait for 'em.

If they really want to kick your ass...they'll come to you. Then you can show them why Mohammed really shouldn't have gone to the mountain.