8 Ways of Bak Mei

[TenTigers]

anyone know the exact definition of gau choy? It wasn't in the glossary in the book, which is funny, as it is mentioned in the book elsewhere. We use it as an angled downward hammer fist utilizing full body connection/dropping weight/short power.

[TAO YIN]

They can represent many different techniques. For teaching, some teachers show 8 basic techniques to get across the physiological actions of each way. All of the poems have these words, and sometimes a few others, to represent what is going on in the system.

For example, sometimes you have Chum Choy, and sometimes you have Chung Choy. So that is telling the practitioner to practice scenarios with a sinking punch and to also practice scenarios with a rushing punch.

I think that it is good to look at, and to figure out 8 basic techniques to work on, and go from there. To me, when I start mixing it up to much, it becomes mixed up and goes away from the idea of my understanding of Bak Mei.

I more or less try to do them like the poems, save for maybe a few moves. Done like the poems, almost all of the movements in the system are set up as 'perfect' (bad word) as any person's body would be able to do them.

Cheers,

Tao

[TAO YIN]

Ten,

Gau Choy rocks! Doesn't it mean, mellon punch? Or some such? Like how you would strike a mellon to easily break it? And the mellon representing the head? I am not sure of the Chinese meaning of Gau. Would have to see the character.

I think in most Bak Mei it is in one form; 4 doors 8 directions form. But then again, I have only seen it done in that form in a few schools.

Anyways, techniques can be trained various ways. One of the techniques that is found in Bak Mei that closely resembles Gau Choy is called Soy Kuil. A practitioner can for sure train it that way, but it takes away from the meaning of the technique, which is killing the bridge.

You find Gau Choy in most SPM.

[Firehawk4]

Does Pak Mei have San Sik Separet techniques like Wing Chun Does ? If so what are they ?

[TenTigers]

I don't have the hanzi for it. I doubt it means dog strike.
Gau also means sneaky.
It is kinda sneaky, the way it can generate so much power from such a short distance.
If you have your hands up by your head like a boxer(which, if you're infighting is what you should be doing) it comes in really quick. You can cover from a hook, and drop it right on their face, and it's right back up again. In SPM, we use our forearm to strike with too, and it's like an iron bar.

[LaterthanNever]

Sifu Kellerman always asks good questions..

I would say perhaps another romanization could be "Kou" or 'Kau" in mantis..as in the Kau/Mantis hook..but obviously not since isn't BM a southern style?