Reverse - Reverse

[SifuPhil]

Just taught a 2-hour T'ai-Chi class to my long-time (15 years) private student.

The current exercises are for him to show me not only the reverse movements - from a 108-movement form - but also to show me reverse - reverse.

Reverse is tough enough - you have to think like they've reversed the film.

Reverse - reverse adds in reversing direction and angles - if you normally move your hand out, you now have to move it in.

In reverse.



Guaranteed to induce a headache, but he did fairly well.

This might be a good exercise for staving off Alzheimer's Disease ...

 

[Shalimar]

I think my brain just turned inside out. Yikes.

 

[SeaBreeze]

Done simple TaiChi before, can't imagine doing it reverse, never mind reverse reverse. :lemo:

 

[SifuPhil]

I think my brain just turned inside out. Yikes.

It's advanced stuff, and yes, it serves a purpose (other than the primary purpose and ultimate law that he knows by heart - "It amuses Sifu!). It makes you go "outside" of the usual movements that you spent so much time learning, in order to learn new applications of the movements.

You wonder why I'm so messed up?

 

[SifuPhil]

Done simple TaiChi before, can't imagine doing it reverse, never mind reverse reverse. :lemo:

Heh, heh - you're probably better off.

 

[Shalimar]

So it encourages your brain to become as supple as your body?

 

[SifuPhil]

So it encourages your brain to become as supple as your body?

In theory, yes. Not always in practice - depends upon the student.


Usually the brain grasps the concepts first, but has trouble commanding the body to actually do it. When you learn to move a certain way over so many years, only to have everything that you knew thrown upside-down and hurvey-curvey, you find out how strong and supple your mind-body connection is.

I hate to say it, but at times it's quite amusing to watch - my poor student will freeze up, and you can see his brain going into overload.

 

[Butterfly]

I'm sure mine would go into overload, too. Even when I had to switch my cane to the other side of my body after my second hip surgery, I had to consciously THINK about how to move to use the cane correctly, but on the other side -- and it's basically simple stuff, like starting off on the other foot, and so on. I was seriously surprised I found it so hard to do.

 

[SifuPhil]

Believe it or not, I can do reverse-reverse in my sleep, but when I started to use a cane to walk to the store I looked like Jerry Lewis on a bad acid trip.

First, I didn't know what side to use it on. I had to go to YouTube and search for "use a cane" to figure it out.

Then the coordination thing - swing it like I was swinging my arm.

Then, how MUCH to swing it - several small furry mammals gave their lives before I got it down.

I guess it all comes down to what you're used to doing. Like I said, the mind and body finally match up.

 

[Ameriscot]

I've done some simple Tai Chi movements. Forget anything complicated!

 

[SifuPhil]

I've done some simple Tai Chi movements. Forget anything complicated!

Don't feel bad - that's the usual way.

 

[QuickSilver]

Sorry Phil..... no offense... Hubby and I took a Tai Chi class a few years ago... I couldn't stop giggling... It seemed silly to me.. OH.. and SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW.. translate boring.

 

[SifuPhil]

Sorry Phil..... no offense... Hubby and I took a Tai Chi class a few years ago... I couldn't stop giggling... It seemed silly to me.. OH.. and SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW.. translate boring.

That's okay - it isn't for everyone. The slowness is supposed to give you time to feel what your body is doing.

Later on it gets fast, I promise.

 

[QuickSilver]

Wouldn't a reverse-reverse be forward?

 

[911]

Phil--- I have trained under two Grand Masters during my employment with the PSP. I never specialized in any particular category of martial arts. I was mainly trained in proper take-down techniques and how to gain control when someone is close enough with a weapon either pointed at me or holding it in front of my face. We also have martial arts specialists that would be used as part of an entry team in certain situations. After every training session, I felt like a truck ran over me, not because my muscles were sore, but because of volunteering to be used as the dummy when the Grand Master would want to show a specialized take-down maneuver. For whatever reason, I liked being involved in that part of the demonstration. I am 6'2" and weigh 215-220 pounds and either of these men would use me like a loaf of bread. Only one time did I really get hurt. The day after a session, I got out of bed and could not turn my neck. The orthopedist said that my Trapezius muscle had been bruised. All I know was that it took about 3 weeks to heal. Desk duty is not enjoyable.

 

[SifuPhil]

Wouldn't a reverse-reverse be forward?

In a normal world, yes.

For us, it means changing not only up/down but also left/right, palm up/palm down, pulling a punch into your body, etc.

Phil--- I have trained under two Grand Masters during my employment with the PSP. I never specialized in any particular category of martial arts. I was mainly trained in proper take-down techniques and how to gain control when someone is close enough with a weapon either pointed at me or holding it in front of my face. We also have martial arts specialists that would be used as part of an entry team in certain situations. After every training session, I felt like a truck ran over me, not because my muscles were sore, but because of volunteering to be used as the dummy when the Grand Master would want to show a specialized take-down maneuver. For whatever reason, I liked being involved in that part of the demonstration. I am 6'2" and weigh 215-220 pounds and either of these men would use me like a loaf of bread. Only one time did I really get hurt. The day after a session, I got out of bed and could not turn my neck. The orthopedist said that my Trapezius muscle had been bruised. All I know was that it took about 3 weeks to heal. Desk duty is not enjoyable.

Excellent - you guys probably employ some of the same chin-na ("seize and control") techniques we do - joint manipulations, etc., although you probably don't do the bone breaks. Or maybe you do ...

My Sifu was a little old Chinese guy, five-foot-nothing, 95 pounds soaking wet and older than Methuselah. He consistently put us 6', 200+ pound 20-somethings across the room. He'd even call his shots: there was an old sofa on one wall, 15' away, and like Babe Ruth he'd say "left cushion", hit you with a double palm-heel and off you'd go stumbling backward 15' into the left cushion.

Amazing man.

And yes, I felt like the cat had chewed me up many times.

 

[SifuPhil]

Dr. Yang was my "second father" or "graduate" teacher - this is him showing chin-na. Another amazing man.

 

[911]

I guess we don't do 'bone breaks' because I never heard of it. If my memory serves me correctly, I believe that the Master would tell us that the move he was about to show us was part of Taekwondo and then another move may be from a different type of martial arts, including Karate and Judo. I think the last Master was fond of the Korean style martial arts because he seemed to speak fondly of his time he spent in Korea studying his trade.

No weapons training. Anyone displaying a weapon in a threatening manner, they did so at their own risk. I found the martial arts to be very interesting. It teaches more than just physical assault. It teaches self-discipline and requires the person to think about what he is going to do, rather than to just start wailing on someone. But like I wrote earlier, we used it for defensive purposes only. If someone draws a gun on me, I need to act quickly. It takes less than a second to pull a trigger, which has happened a few times in my 37-year career.

 

[AZ Jim]

You guys do the martial arts stuff and I'll drink to it. 911, I never drink and drive, I have seen the results too many times.

 

[SifuPhil]

I guess we don't do 'bone breaks' because I never heard of it. If my memory serves me correctly, I believe that the Master would tell us that the move he was about to show us was part of Taekwondo and then another move may be from a different type of martial arts, including Karate and Judo. I think the last Master was fond of the Korean style martial arts because he seemed to speak fondly of his time he spent in Korea studying his trade.

There are SO many different styles - it seems a "new" one is being created every day, but to be honest there are only so many ways the human body can move. It's like those exercise programs - Jail House workout, P90X, etc. - there are only a few principles at work, wrapped up in a lot of flashy stuff.

I've known students that, as soon as they get their 1st degree black belt, ask how to start their own styles and schools.

So yes, no matter how fancy a parry is a parry, a block a block. When you learn it in one style you almost always can pick it up in another.

My oldest brother was stationed in Korea and learned Judo from one of the ROK instructors - like me, he was thrown around mercilessly by this little guy.

No weapons training. Anyone displaying a weapon in a threatening manner, they did so at their own risk. I found the martial arts to be very interesting. It teaches more than just physical assault. It teaches self-discipline and requires the person to think about what he is going to do, rather than to just start wailing on someone. But like I wrote earlier, we used it for defensive purposes only. If someone draws a gun on me, I need to act quickly. It takes less than a second to pull a trigger, which has happened a few times in my 37-year career.

I'm surprised they didn't get you to study nunchaku, like they did in CA. It was a failed experiment, but I understand there's a small town PD that's trying it again.

And yes, a gun will beat bare-hand any day (unless you hold the gun an inch away like in the movies).