High Pat on Horse
We had some debate in class today about the correct shape for the extended right hand in High Pat on Horse (HPoH, Yang, Long form). I’ve been treating it as a mid-section (to the chest) push with the palm. Others see it more as a chop with the edge of the hand. In application, I guess it is what works at the time!
I’ve always been a little ‘anal’ since my long distant Taekonwdo days about knowing exactly what is the ‘weapon’ I am using, and what is the ‘target’? Those TKD guys were very specific about that, and I think it is a good thing to keep in mind. I want to get this right if I am to be passing it on to others.
Wild Colonial Boy: Tales of a Kung Fu Cop
In 1975, Dan Docherty, a young Scots law graduate and karate black belt, left Glasgow to spend nine years as a Hong Kong police inspector. As well as serving as a detective and vice squad commander, he also took up Tai Chi and won the 5th Southeast Asian Chinese Full Contact Championships in Malaysia in 1980. In 1985, he was awarded a postgraduate diploma in Chinese from Ealing College.
Shōgun
Shōgun is an American historical drama television series created by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks. It is based on the 1975 novel by James Clavell, which was previously adapted into a 1980 miniseries. Its ensemble cast includes Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asano, Takehiro Hira, Tommy Bastow, and Fumi Nikaido. Although it is an American series, the cast is mostly Japanese and the majority of the dialogue is in the Japanese language.
— https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shōgun_(2024_TV_series)
Xingyi Quan - book roundup
I have been reading up on Xingyi recently and buying all the books I can find. Not practising it enough of course and desperate to get some more ‘FaceTime’ on the Five Element Fists with my teachers. We have a linking set which I am making progress on, but still want to go back to drilling the basics.
The way of the warrior
In this podcast there was a reminder of the wonderful 1983 BBC series - The Way of the Warrior - which has been uploaded to YouTube.
I watched this series with my father, but can’t say I remember the individual programmes. He bought the book that accompanied the series and I am currently looking for a copy.
The quality of the video compared to modern standards is shocking! Nevertheless, there is so much there worth learning, you just have to push through.
Wrath of the Dragon: The Real Fights of Bruce Lee
Wasn't sure it was going to be my sort of thing, but enjoyed it a lot.
In his early fights Bruce often used 'vertical punches' and 'chain punches' to great success. Ben our Kung Fu sifu has done quite a bit of training with us on the latter.
The Art of the Straight Line
I had no idea that Lou Reed, the singer from the Velvet Underground, was for many years a Chen practitioner.