05.13.06 - Saturday Practice

New Items Today:

• Warm Ups with Elliott
• Variation to Hidden Wing

Reviewed Other Items:

• Orange Belt Techniques
• Purple Belt Techniques

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Warm Ups
We started out with Elliot doing the warm up exercises today. For the most part we did the same things that Bill usually leads us off with but we did a few other items as well, such as arm circles and the like. After a pretty good warm up, Bill took the class through a few more stretches and the Orange belt techniques and then we got started with class.

Purple Belt Techniques
Bill worked with me on the Purple belt techniques while the other guys worked their techniques on the mat. We started out with Stopping the Storm. Immediately, I noticed I was having problems with range and the initial block/parry/grab. We worked on this quite a bit until I felt I was getting the hang of it. Done properly, I need to raise my hand with the palm facing up, which I wasn’t doing. I think my tendency was to simply reach up and try to grab the attacker’s arm, never making the initial contact with my own arm. Of course, there are numerous ramifications to doing it this way but the bottom line is that it’s the wrong way to do it! After I started to better get the hang of the block/parry/grab, the next challenge was in anchoring the elbow.

When I grab the arm and pull it toward me, my elbow has a tendency to come out and away from my body. Done properly, the elbow should come straight back and be anchored right next to my ribs. Sifu described that in doing this, I am marrying the forward momentum of my attacker with my own body torque to pull him forward. Doing it with the elbow out forces me to largely ‘muscle’ my attacker’s arm and sacrifices much of my leverage. Practicing it correctly, I certainly see what he is talking about – needs more work.

Next up was Hidden Wing. This technique is a defense (escape) from a right rear shoulder grab. As for difficulty, this one isn’t too bad and I think I have most of the gross movements down now. I did have some questions about unstable footing though as I am coming off from the hammer fist and stepping forward. At issue was the placement of my right foot as I am stepping forward with my left. The initial moves involves a stomp to the top of the attacker’s left foot – and my foot pretty much stays there, so when I move forward to kick, I’m basically standing on his foot. Sifu acknowledged that my general foot placement is correct but demonstrated how my concerns were largely unwarranted. The move happens very quickly and is more of an adjustment forward than a situation where I am literally standing there on the guy’s foot.

As we were working with this technique, Sifu grabbed my left shoulder with his right hand, which is different from how the technique is practiced as ‘ideal’. We worked through how the same basic technique could be applied by utilizing a spinning left elbow, followed by a left hammer fist to the groin and topped off with a left heel kick to the solar plexus. It was interesting to see how easily the same technique could flow with just subtle changes.

Circling Serpent was next. The first thing Sifu said after I went through this in the air a couple of times was that I needed to work on the hand checks. “All Kenpo hands should be intentionally placed.” This is a one of the maxims that is repeated throughout training. He also commented on the actual position of my hand. I need to keep the thumbs in (or suffer getting them ripped off) and I need to slightly bend the fingers instead of doing a fully rigid flat hand. Both of these items will better protect my hands and make them stronger at the same time.

There are some things I need to work on for the next technique as well - Hooking Thunder. I asked about the crane hand. This is the first time I have ever used it and wanted to make sure I was positioning my hand properly. Basically, just bring all of your fingers in to a 'point' and then bend your wrist inward, keeping everything rigid. Using this in the technique is a little tricky at first but not bad.

As we worked this one slowly, Sifu stated I was angling off instead of moving straight back. Part of the effectiveness of this maneuver is to move out of the way of the kick so that the energy of the kick is dissipated just before you hook it with your crane hand. Angling off to the side changes the dynamics such that you lose much of your leverage and the position you want for the follow up moves. Additionally, if you pull the attacker’s foot to the side instead of bringing it straight in, you run the risk of creating an orbit for the attacker. Another item that he noted was my under punch. It is not an uppercut. The arm and hand need to stay rigid and work as one unit through the entire thrust punch.

Just before wrapping up class, the White belts demonstrated the Orange belt form, followed by the Purple belts demonstrating their portion of the Master form. It was a pretty solid work out and my gi was soaked pretty good by the time we finished – always a good sign.