Softness in Hung Gar...

[mok]

[PM]

dear mok,

thnx for the interesting topic. i 100% agree - most Hung Kyun schools have almost bad shotokan karate flavour, stiff, dead strength. in my opinon, Kung Kyun as so called "hard" system of gungfu is just one of the many bullshits out there.

one of my teachers said - Hung Kyun power is not like the one in taai gik kyun, nor like the one in karate. there always has to be softness in hardness, and hardness in softness. gong/yau, yeung/yam, fu/hok...

the correct power is very difficult to build up, most of the schools fall into 2 extrems - either no power at all, or stiff strentgh. ging is something else.

the power should be alive, flowing, not locked - ie. ging lik (coordinated, whole body integrated and focused power), not sei lik (dead strength - locked, isolated, muscular only). everybody knows that, but just few really can do it.

according to how we train, even the the tensed facial expression is not good - power should be somewhere else, and the spirit should be reflexed in the eyes, not in the face.

just couple of notes, hopefully others will also add their 2 cents. in my opinion, it is very important topic.

[Subitai]

[Chris H]

[JE]

[Subitai]

Hey Matt,

Did you delete your latter post? I didn't reply yet sorry.


I was just shocked that some of my views are finally getting through to you.

Haha, I like how you're always hungry for more knowledge. ... Unlike myself...i'm just always hungry for more PHO noodles.

"O"

[mok]

[banditshaw]

[APAV]

[PM]

banditshaw: there are many methods. couple of tips:

- do more stretching (not only legs, but also hips, shoulders... ). do stretching in the beginning and the end of your training session

- try to relax as much as possible in your stance training (jaat ma) - toes should grab the floor, hold your fists tight, but that is it. do not tense your back, belly, shoulders, legs... breathe in, when you breathe out try to relax more

- train more single exercises/drills - when doing a simple drill or combo it is easier to do it correctly. forget about power and speed first - concentrate on being relaxed, coordination of lower and upper body, and smooth, flowing power. do a move and stop for a while (hold the posture), do another, and stop a while. coordination with breathing is important

- follow the same procedure when doing the sets. learn to listen to your body, to the body mechanics.

i hope some of those pointers help

[markt]

Hey all,
Was 'denali' on the previous forum. Sometimes not too keen on posting in forums these days s posts seem to stick around longer than our current understanding. But.. enjoy training and discussing Hung Kuen so why not..

I come from Chan Hon Chung branch and haven't had much exposure to other branches so I can only speak from my experience.

In my opinion, Hung Kuen should have a combination of hard and soft from the beginning, but it's not something you can understand at first. I'm not sure how someone could teach Hung Kuen as 'all hard'.. what about the breath ? Gung Ji should have a balanced mix of techniques..

but I think by the time the student learns Iron Wire, then you are more ready to understand the difference between gong/yau and can go back to what you learned previously and start doing what you learned before 'more correctly'.

But be careful about getting caught up in comparing our softness to other styles.. Our soft is not the same as other styles like Taiji.. and it really is different in both appearance and training method.

[Chris H]

Good to see you here Mark.

[Chris H]

[Tom Bayley]

[banditshaw]