Very glad if I can help. Sounds good!uglyelk wrote:What is a chudan block? Could you describe or post a pic?
----------
Sorry Jim Can't do the photo, clip thing.
Chudan block is a generic middle block. This started as an arm conditioning drill and we were stiking incoming straight punches with a Kyokushin cross body forearm block. Good arm to arm contact. And yes it did evolve into this uechi /wc
forward energy thing.No longer going side to side , I was meeting the punch by pushing/ punching forward. Some punches were jammed up, some delevoped but were deflected by the punching block. (intercepting counter)
In WC the 'block' is always on the line. If I may suggest: Try keeping it (the 'block') on the line but instead of moving the arm from side to side move it into the attacker's center: In other words from your center to his. Just as the tool meets the incoming shoot it into the line - forward into the line and step in.
-----------
I hear you and agree Jim. I have played with this sparring a bit. In the drill I started jamming the punches before they developed and could have landed over top of the arm. Boxers call this slidding. (Like a right hand over a jab)
When I have played with this in sparring I find little difference between block and strike as the motion is the same.I find I start jamming straight punches close to the oponents chest. One after another. I begin to chain punches together jamming and striking. This does not have full power but does create huge opennings for a kill shot. Every move is a closing step, your in their face crowding during this.
The chaining punches are fast and furious. This attack and technique really messes up my training partner. He ends up turning turtle.
I'm not sure but I suspect this is very close to what your folks call bricking up the middle? It's kind of neat!
Any way since you've joined forums I've learned a little bit of WC concepts and believe that it is a very compatable style to Uechi. If I ever have the oppourtunity to explore the style I will take advantage. In the mean time what would you recommend as far as reading for some one who's interested in WC concepts.
Laird
When you say chain punches do you mean WC Chain Punches or just chaining together various punches?
Be happy to share any ideas I can. Feel free to PM me or email any thoughts in the future.
Rene Ritchie's Complete Wing Chun is good. Tapes are good too. One of my old long distance classmates, Benny Meng, has a series of tapes as does my Late teacher. I have not seen Benny's tapes or all of my Sifu's but I'm sure you would be able to pick up some ideas there. The system is really focused on close range and the way they train it is very stylized - as in Chi-Sao but you need the tools first. Although chi-sao doesn't cover everything it covers so much that it's hard to quantify. In other words try to get some chi sao experience if you really want to 'know' the system.
When I was in college in upstate NY I didn't have access to a WC school but I managed to learn a little from books. It wasn't exactly right but I was able to make use of things in sparring so I'm sure you could benefit from even more exposure. If you can meet up with someone even once in a while who knows the system pick up some little by little. The theory alone helped me out before I really began really learning the system. The internet is also full of information. IMO some of the information out there from certain sources is simply not correct. But there is a lot of good info out there too. Here's one such site:
www.wingchuninteractive.com
The applications are over simplified but do express the basic concept of some of the movements and use of energy. In some cases where the demo uses one hand we would really use two - one to issue energy and one to hit with.
One tool that's missing is Biu Sao, which is very useful. It's in one of the Uechi forms as well and in fact the consecutuve 3-4 movements in that form are identical to a part of our third form Biu Jee.
Keep sticking!
Jim
