Member's Edition: Martial Arts

ALMA
MARTIAL ARTS
DECEMBER 1999
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 4
Member’s Edition
IN THIS MONTH’S ISSUE:

Shaolinquan, Taijiquan, Karate,
16th Century Fencing, Systema,
and much more!
http://www.spheral.com/alma/
ALMA MEMBERS EDITION DECEMBER 1999 . . . . . . . . . 1

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ALMA Martial Arts December 1999

Volume 1, Issue 4
“In a world of ignorance, knowledge is power” - Sun Zi
ALMA Staff
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Fabien Sena, Founder
Arthur Sennott, Editor’s Corner 3

Editor (US) By Fabien Sena
Qi Corner: May the Force... 4
Christophe Frugier, By Fabien Sena
Editor (Europe)
Fundamentals of Kicking: Part 1 6
Mark Kerr, Advisor By Arthur Sennott
Traditional Chinese Weapons and Related 8
Contributors Arms , Part 7
By Christophe Frugier
Yeung Yun Choi
Japanese Kata Illustrated: Heian Sandan 10
Vladimir Vasiliev
Italian Fencing: Lovino’s Traitè D'Escrime 13
Submissions By Christophe Frugier
Taijiquan Principles 20
By Yeung Yun Choi The authors and pub-
You may submit mate- lishers of this material
rial (text, photos) in a Increasing Fighting Skills with 25 are NOT RESPONSI-
zip file to Psychophysiology BLE in any manner
alma@spheral.com. By Fabien Sena whatsoever for any in-
Note that submission Chinese Taolu Illustrated: Xiao Hong Quan (Part 26 jury which may occur
does not guarantee 2) through reading or fol-
publication. lowing the instructions
Your Letters 39 in this publication.
Application: Systema - Self Defense Against 41
The activities, physical
Straight Punch
or otherwise, described
By Arthur Sennott and Vladimir Vasiliev in this material may be
Advice of the Month: Resistance is Futile 43 too strenuous or dan-
By Locutus D’Borg gerous for some peo-
The Other Side of the Coin (TCM Corner): Injury 45 ple, and the reader(s)
should consult both a
Prevention Strategies and Aids
physician and qualified
By Arthur Sennott
instructor before en-
gaging in them.

Page 3
Editorial: Martial Arts and the Year 2000
By Fabien Sena, ALMA Founder and Webmaster
So here we are: the year 2000. The Mil- of a “ product” derived from an true
lennium. We have all heard and over- and ancient “kill-or-be-killed” martial
heard much about this “unique event of technique. Those who are looking for
the millennium”. So let us now take a lit- true “survival” techniques can still
tle time to reflect upon the past in order to find experts to teach them.
attempt to sketch out what the future may
bring. This type of expert doesn’t teach for
the money and also doesn’t want
Over the course of the last thousand more than 4 to 5 students. Generally
years, the martial arts have changed dras- they prefer it if the local young
tically many times: from the battle- “hotheads” go elsewhere to play, per-
grounds to the civilian arts, as a lifestyle haps at a TKD school in the local
and a sport. This was also the time during shopping mall.
which the arts blossomed. Remember that
the time span from the late 17th century to the pre- There are also those who see the martial arts as a
sent is only 400 years, and that 98% of all martial spiritual way to achieve self-enlightenment and a
arts were ‘created’ during this period. The Chinese better life. They could seek the same goals with
styles boomed during the mid-1800s, while the other methods, such as religion, yoga, dance, and
Japanese styles really only developed after the psychoanalysis, but somehow it is the martial arts
1900’s. Korean arts, if we are honest, only began which appeal to them. This is good as well
during the second half of the 20 th century as did .
many Western styles and, more recently, a few The martial arts are a method, just like drawing,
Eastern European styles. writing, dancing, and sculpting. It doesn’t matter
what it is. Their original goal was to teach someone
If one takes a close look at history, one sees that the who to defend themselves against various types of
manner in which martial arts adapted to the needs aggressors. But as the aggressors change, so do the
of their time is also the key to why they survived. “responses” of the arts. Perhaps most people be-
Taijiquan evolved considerably (For better or lieve today that stress is their worst enemy. If Tae-
worse?) to meet new “standards” and requirements, bo helps them to fight it, then who are we to judge?
but it is currently one of the most popular Chinese
arts. So is “Jeet kun do” which is specifically Just because a particular response worked against
based upon the principle of adaptation. The three one “opponent” doesn’t necessarily mean it will
most famous martial arts, Judo, Karate and Taek- work against every opponent. Being both adaptive
wondo, successfully developed sport versions, and honest was, is and always will be the two core
thereby transformed martial principles into attrac- requirements for martial arts.
tive games of leisure. Should “traditional” martial
artists be worried about this ? The whole ALMA team (Arthur, Christophe,
Fabien and Mark) wishes you all a very Merry
I don’t think so. Those who just want to practice in Christmas and a great martial year in 2000. Time to
order to have fun and feel good by participating in begin a new era with a “fighting spirit” !
a “martial sport” have the right to enjoy the benefits

Page 4
Qi Corner: May the Force...
By Fabien Sena, ALMA Founder and Webmaster
The Purpose, Function and Requirements of Qigong

As qigong is the combination of material, mental abdominal muscles, which produces an effect simi-
and spiritual substances, and since it is also the lar to that of a massage. Additionally, the digestive
combination of motion and stillness, qigong is system is improved because the exercises also in-
therefore one of the better exercises for integrating crease the secretion of saliva and gastric juice. Thus
the body with one’s understanding of the self. As one’s appetite also profits from this effect.
we have said before, the ultimate goal of qigong is
to increase one’s lifespan and to permit one to lead It should be noted that food is a very important
a healthy and safe life. This goal can be reached part in qigong process. A healthy and balanced ali-
through the coordination and perfect harmonization mentation permits greater and longer effects. This
of all the organs and the mind. But before hoping to part is so important that it cannot be properly ad-
achieve any results, one must be sure to meet the dressed here but will be dealt with more thoroughly
minimum requirements. in Master Sennott’s articles. Very important in-
sights on this matter may be gleaned from his arti-
Firstly, qigong aims to strengthen mental concen- cles.
tration and therefore to assist in regulating the func-
tioning of the nervous system (excitement and de- Willpower, patience, dedication, a healthy life, and
pression). Obviously, this requires one to possess a healthy food. This may sound obvious but in our
foundation of strong willpower in order for one to modern world, a person who possesses all of these
be able to practice regularly, which is the key to attributes is an exception to the rule. Without these
achievement. As it takes time to perceive the first prerequisites, or at least some of them, it is futile,
effects of qigong (although this period may be quite and possibly eve hazardous, to even begin qigong
short if done properly), patience and faith in one’s practice.
teacher are also required.
Secondly, slow and rhythmic breathing, with their

associated internal calmness, result in a mutual har-
mony of the pulmonary and cardio-vascular sys-
tems. It should be noted that this effect can severely
retard the risk of heart attacks. A very easy test is to
see if a practitioner can willingly slow or hasten
his/her heartbeat. This benefit of reduced risk of
heart attacks of course also requires that the pulmo-
nary system not be “corrupted” by dangerous sub-
stances such as tar and nicotine while training.
Practitioners of qigong frequently naturally stop
smoking after a little while.
Thirdly, the advanced respiratory movements of

qigong create an expanded range of motion of the

Page 5
Fundamentals Of Kicking: Part 1
By Arthur Sennott
Basic Foot Strikes, or what one normally refers

to as kicking, are in some ways merely punches While reading the text below, and especially while
with the feet. Yet in other ways they are ad- trying to utilize the information, it should be re-
vanced “footwork”, which is capable of inflicting membered that all of the rules, theories, dynamics,
specific types of damage. Kicks are of course methods and goals of proper footwork, must be si-
both of these, as well as grappling and throwing multaneously at play with the specifics of kicking.
maneuvers.
Before we begin discussing the specifics of kick- Six Goals Of Kicking

ing, it should be noted that the study of kicking is
actually akin to an advanced study of footwork In addition to the “Six Categories Of Footwork”
As such, one should be fully familiar with all the outlined in the above mentioned article, their are
concepts and theories of correct footwork, before six goals to effective kicking. These are to:
beginning the study or discussion of kicking. To
this end, I refer readers to my article Footloose: • Cause Direct Impact Damage
The Components Of Footwork. • Move The Opponent Into A Dis-
advantageous Position
• Move You Into An Advanta-
geous Position
• Create Counter Pressure For
Grappling Or Striking Applica-
tions
• Seal Off The Opponents Ability
To Throw A Follow Up
• Cause Collateral Joint Damage
There is obviously some overlap in these catego-
ries, as well as those qualities common to all foot-
work. This is as it should be. In any fighting tech-
nique we are always looking for synergy. In an
ideal situation, all 6 of these should take place. Un-
fortunately in a real fight the ideal is seldom at-
tained. Though I think it suffice it to say, the more
of these goals attained, the better your chances of
successful application and resolution.
Cause Direct Impact Damage
This is the most obvious goal of kicking, and what

most people think of when speaking of the term. It
is also because of ignorance to the other goals, that
impact damage from kicks is frequently less than
what people anticipate. In order for there to be a

Page 6
reasonable amount of impact damage from a kick, a less defensible position. If this has been done, we
it really needs to be gained in concert with one of again meet our criteria for a successful kick.
the five other methods.
Move You Into An Advantageous
Move The Opponent Into A Position
Disadvantageous Position
Kicking is movement. When ever you kick, a step
On impact, one of the two forces colliding must can be taken, whenever you step, a kick can be
move. This is physics. When we kick someone, we made. If we can keep in mind that a kick is merely
want as much of the force as a step that impacts on your
possible to be transferred into opponent, then it should be
them. If we successfully transfer easy to see that we can use a
that force, then the opponent kick, to get from one place to
moves. That movement can take another. To be efficient, we
many forms. need to take advantage of this
quality. Kicks can be used to
Often it may appear that an op- advance, jam, retreat, trap,
ponent has not actually moved and even circle behind your
from a blow they have received. opponent.
You may not see the opponent
change position to accommo- In addition, to all the offen-
date the impact, but he will still sive benefits that this kicking
nonetheless move. When the goal can bring training kicks
opponent does not manage or as a positioning tool will also,
see fit to “roll with the punch the movement hap- keep you from opening up yourself, while kicking,
pens internally. Bones may break, ligaments may and bring great defensive improvements.
snap, or organs may bruise (bruising is the break-
ing of blood vessels), but regardless of the tissue Create Counter Pressure For
injured, something inside moves. The usefulness of Grappling Or
this effect to combat is I think quite apparent, and
Striking Applications
if accomplished obvious that our kick has been
successful.
As already discussed, when the opponent receives
a properly performed kick, he will move. By coor-
If on the other hand, the opponent does manage to
dinating another strike to impact against the direc-
change position, either by accident or design, we
tion the opponent has been induced to travel, the
have again accomplished movement. In this case it
power and effect of the secondary strike will be
is unlikely that the opponent will suffer as much
greatly enhanced. If the kick and “secondary”
damage from the kick, therefore we must insure
strike are timed to impact simultaneously, the
that his movement has created a tactical advantage.
amount of impact being absorbed by the opponents
To create this advantage, the opponent’s “escape
body will dramatically increase. This significantly
route”, whether chosen or imposed bring him into

Page 7
increases the possibility of breaking or dislocating in addition to injury at the site contact.
a piece of his body.
An commonly occurring example of this, would be
It is also possible to use the kick as an opposing a kick to the knee which causes a sprained ankle.
force to aid in certain grappling maneuvers, such as In this example the collateral damage is in the next
neck breaks, spinal locks, and a wealth of take- joint distal to the primary trauma site, but it should
downs. In principal, this works the same way as the be understood that damage can often occur a fair
simultaneous striking technique, though the direc- distance from the actual impact takes place. It for
tion of force tends to be in the opposite direction. example, quite possible to injure the neck, by kick-
Quite often when one part of the body is holding ing the ankle.
up or suspending, a joint of the opponent, a kick
will be administered which removes the opponents Kicks with a downward trajectory are ideal for
base,. Consequently, his full body weight is applied causing collateral damage, as they employ the op-
to the joint being suspended, with breakage quickly ponents own root, as counter pressure.
following.
This method of integrating kicks with grappling Conclusion

maneuvers is highly beneficial, as it allows one to
perform grappling techniques while remaining mo- That concludes this month’s installment. Next
bile. month in installment two, we’ll examine a simple
method of categorizing kicks, which will allow
Seal Off The Opponents Ability To you to know the strengths and weaknesses, advan-
tages and disadvantages, of each kick in your per-
Throw A Follow Up
sonal arsenal, regardless of style.
As stated above, a correctly executed kick, will
move the opponent. If a kick induces the opponent
to move at an angle contrary, to the line that his
next attack is arising from, it will impede his abil-
ity to throw it.
© Arthur Sennott 1999
This may have the effect of neutralizing the attack
About the author: Arthur L. Sennott began his
all together, or it may merely delay it. Regardless,
combined study of Asian healing and martial arts
the kick has allowed you to “steal time” from the
20 years ago. He currently maintains a split prac-
opponent. This should greatly increase your ability
tice between Cape Cod, MA, and Milford, NH. Ar-
to throw your own follow up.
thur combines his knowledge of Sotai, Kappo, and
Traditional Chinese Herbalism, to specialize in de-
Cause Collateral Joint Damage generative musculo-skeletal disorders, and trau-
matic injury management.
If a properly executed kick hits at the right angle,
the opponents attempt to “roll” with it can bring His current practice of martial arts includes Fili-
one or more of his joints through an unnatural pino Kali, Xing Yi Quan, and the Russian Combat
range of motion. When this happens, it will fre- Art: Systema.
quently cause an injury to joint removed from the
actual site of impact. This may occur in place of, or

Page 8
Traditional Chinese Weapons and Related Arms
Part 7: Acrobats and Traveling Performers
From the start, European acrobats and Chinese ac- ing the limits of the human body either through
robats were far from having only one rope to their training or trickery derived from other professions.
bow. As with the people who journeyed throughout In this aspect, shaolinquan in its modern version as
Europe, Chinese performers were preceded by their seen on TV follows perfectly in this tradition.
reputation of being quarrelsome and without faith
or laws, specialists of the twisted strike. It is not The use of weapons in routines was a common
within our scope of expertise to judge the veracity thing, either in routines containing pseudo-
of these affirmations. mutilation of one's body, such as supporting it upon
the tip of a spear or piercing parts of
It is necessary, however, to note that the body with miniature weapons, or
this social group developed (and re- in theater pieces which retraced the
developed if one believes Leung adventures of heroes or gods, One
Ting's book "Skills of the Vaga- example of the latter is "The Jour-
bonds") self-defense systems, both ney Toward the West" in which the
barehanded and armed. In addition, King of Monkeys makes an appear-
their originality and efficiency can ance with his magic staff.
be seen as the origin of practices
such as ninjutsu which use diver- This all occurred in spite of the con-
sion of attention, 'magic' techniques, stant contempt which Chinese soci-
and hiding. ety displayed for weapons:
In their shows, roving entertainers presented vari-

ous acts, including acrobats, tightrope walkers, co- "The best weapons are instruments of the
medians, storytellers, animal trainers, martial art- greatest misfortune,
ists, shamans, exorcists and magicians (these last All beings hate them,
three categories often overlapped). Even today in It is why the man of the Tao doesn't attach
Hong Kong, some martial arts masters again revive himself/itself to them [...]
these spectacular demonstrations by selling prod- Weapons are instruments of misfortune,
ucts with miraculous virtues to tourists. Therefore they are not the sage's instru-
ments;
It was natural that these practices gave birth to They are only for recourse in case of neces-
many different kinds of non-orthodox forms, some- sity..."
times efficient for fighting, and other times more
spectacular, depending upon their intended pur- (Lao Tseu - Tao Te King)
pose. It goes without saying that the demonstrative
forms which "paid" the most were those which It was common during shows to set aside a place
contained beautiful rolls, somersaults, screaming, on stage for a throne surrounded by weapon racks
mimicking and other spectacular movements, push- (See photo). Unfortunately, I must confess that I do

Page 9
not know why this was done. 'musclemen'. Well-known commanders of convoys
(piao shi) hoisted standards upon which one could
It was rare that these weapons would have any read their names, This was done in order to dis-
value for soldiers, often only being made of wood suade bandits from attacking the convoys. Some
or bad steel, but they were very often splendidly were so certain of their reputation that they allowed
decorated. Wooden copies of weapons are still convoys to leave under the protection of their stan-
manufactured, a practice especially common in dards in their absence while being escorted by
Vietnam, and it should be noted that even those guards of a lesser stature.
made of steel are sometimes returned broken.
It goes without saying that these weapons were me- We will look more closely at the piao shi, and their
diocre in comparison to their soldier counterparts, indispensable counterparts the brigands, in the next
but they still possessed a potential for self-defense, installment.
however negligible it may have been.
(To be continued...)
Because of the risks often incurred while traveling,
travelers and merchants rarely traveled alone, and © C. FRUGIER 1998, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED,
often took the precaution of surrounding them-
selves with a small troop of mercenaries or

Page 10
Japanese Kata: Heian Sandan

Page 11

Page 12

Page 13
Italian Fencing: Lovino’s Traitè D'Escrime
"Experience is a lamp which one carries upon one's learning the lunge, it was also necessary to learn
back that illuminates not just the path being how to evade it in time. This was not within the
browsed." reach of everyone, unless they had learned it from a
master.
This article begins an examination of European
fighting treatises from a different time and origin This manual, and I hope also those that will follow,
than our usual fare. This may seem paradoxical to are a recall that "barehanded combat arts" all have
certain of those among you who have followed their roots in armed forms.
ALMA since its inception, as ALMA as mainly
concentrated upon the Chinese arts, and only re-
cently upon the Asian arts as a whole.
In fact, the martial traditions of humanity all hold

potential interest for our research interests. In addi-
tion, for many of us these traditions are closer to
our personal roots.
Westerners were not very interested in advanced

levels of barehanded combat. This style of confron-
tation instead remained a kind of ritual that has
given birth to a multitude of visible ethnic and na-
tional struggles in modern times.
Armed combat has given arise to the publication of
a plethora of manuals through centuries. These
manuals are unlike the physical or oral transmission One would change to bare hand fighting when one
of knowledge from father to son, or master to pupil, was disarmed. It is ludicrous to attack an armed ad-
and that would become lost in time with the disap- versary with one's bare hands without at least
pearance of the necessity for one to protect one's knowing his weapon, and possessing the resolution
possessions and life. to make the transition from life to death.
Just as on a field of battle.
The coup de grâce these exercises bear is in their
spirit of sportsmanship. With the rules of "fair For those interested, I will leave this assumption as
play", most of the finesse techniques began to dis- being obvious: if the armed forms preceded bare-
appear, such as the famous lunge, as one swore hand forms, surveying the weapon forms of differ-
upon one's life and one's god to only use these ent cultures permits one gain a better perspective of
skills in legitimate defense, never against a member our own practice and possibilities, and to find the
of one's own school, and especially never to reveal smaller common denominator present in all exer-
their secrets. cises. This common point is surely the quintes-
sence of a movement, and to seize the idea behind
Besides, what would the lie expectancy of a secret it and its form will permit one to adapt to your own
lunge be in modern fencing or competitions if it record of a "lunge", with a difficulty that is both
was shot and analyzed in slow-motion to bring one foreseeable and controllable.
up-to-date on one's adversary's potential tactics? In

Page 14
Methodology But enough discussion, let me allow you to begin

your own research. Good luck and please discuss
The methodology of every researcher of truth what you find in our forum. And let me extend a
should be proper. big thank you to our friend Giovanni for his transla-
tions.
The most fundamental method is to compare illus-
trations from a manual with a form, for example, or
with an entire database of forms, such as the one
which Alma puts at the disposal of its members. Treatise on Fencing
Comparing these drawings leads to two questions: By G.A. Lovino of Milan
what is similar, and what is different? (Written circa 1551 to 1589)
The similarities are easy to integrate, but they are
also a good guarantee of the "seriousness" of your Foreword:
practice. What was proper in a military fight on the
fields of battle in the past owes to it being also vi- To the unconquered and most Christian Henry III,
able against a small hit such as the type which one King of France and Poland:
might be confronted with on a late Saturday eve-
ning after stumbling home from a bar (if taking into I could never, holy King, express in words how
account variations in the movement, such as hold- much I want you to know, Your Christian Majesty,
ing). that I am forever Your most devoted and humble
servant and will remain so for all of my life. But
Differences are even more interesting. What will seeing as I was not able to satisfy my most honest
lead one to this answer rather than the previous desire in an honored and convenient occasion, after
one? Why is it interesting that a foot is placed in a much discourse with myself about how to create
certain place rather than somewhere else? How can this occasion, finally I found a way to express to
it be involved into full footwork (See Arthur Sen- Your Majesty my affection and devotion through a
nott's article on the topic of footwork in the Filipino very appropriate tribute to the greatness of your un-
Arts, which integrated much from the Spanish fenc- conquered soul. This thing is a work that I have
ing school)? What hand form best corresponds to written over the years about the practice and theory
an armed attack? of the good use and handling of any kind of wea-
pon...
What technique can I directly integrate into my
own daily practice? Are the positions the same, and For this, I have dedicated this book to Your Majes-
if yes, why? The questions posed here should be ty, that it will provide a taste and guide to other
enough to get you started, and the format should be works of mine that I am preparing for you. So I
substantially the same for everybody.) send to Your Majesty this book by the hands of the
most generous S Luigi Arduino, most noble Mila-
The similar causes often lead to the same effects. nese gentleman, an example of real valour and
For example, some texts on fencing in France from courtesy. This brave gentleman, a dear friend to me
the 16th and 17th centuries express PRECISELY and desirous to serve Your Majesty, accepted the
the same principles as those found in the kyokuns task of introducing my book to Your Most Chris-
of karate jutsu as revealed by masters under the tian Crown and I pray you to accept this gift, with
umbrella of traditional karate. benign soul...

Page 15
V - Pompeo and Curzio went to fence in a fight in

Di Spada Sola de Lovino duel with the sword. Fulvio stopped out of step,
and Curzio too, in inside guard.
I - The way to put one’s hand upon the sword.
II - The first stop of

sword VI - Fulvio and Flavio have gone to the fence to
fight a duel with the sword. Fulvio as plaintiff
stopped in high guard; Flavio, waiting the attack,
stopped in low guard.
III - The second stop of

sword.
IV - Scipione, having called Annibale to a duel

with swords, after putting his hand on the sword,
uses the outside guard versus Annibale, as you VII - Ortensio and Fabrizio went to fence by figh-
can see in the picture. Annibale uses the inside ting a duel with the sword. Ortensio, the plaintiff,
guard, applying the point of the sword to the stopped with the left leg forward and the point of
hand of Scipione, to block his attack. the sword versus Fabrizio, keeping the left hand
forward to hit his sword. Fabritio stopped in inside
guard, waiting the attack of the enemy.

Page 16
VIII - Papirio and Valerio came together in duel XI - Alessandro went with Dario in the fence to
with the sword and both of them stopped at the same duel with a sword, and Alessandro, plaintiff, that
time in low step and inside guard. had to attack Dario first, stopped in outside cove-
red guard, with the sword a little on high. In the
opposite side, Dario stopped in inside guard half
covered.
IX - Ottavio is challenged by Marcello with the

sword; in the fence they stopped in inside guard, tur- XII - Gone in duel with a sword Detio and Bruto
ning each other the edge of their swords. because of honour, when they was in the fence,
Decio stopped in outside guard, and Bruto in in-
side guard.
X - Costante and Bellisario went in duel with the

sword in the fence. Costante stopped in outside XIII - Lutio gone in duel with Mario to fight with
guard, and Bellisario too. a sword because of honour, entered in the fence,
stopped in outside guard. Mario faced Lutio in
inside guard.

Page 17
XIV - Pulfio and Vareno gone in the fence with a XVII - Cornelio and Labieno have gone in the
sword for honour, Pulfio, that had to be the first, fence with a sword looking for the truth, there
stopped in outside guard, and Vareno in inside. both stopped in inside guard.
XVIII - Domito went with Trajano in the fence

with a sword, entering in the field. While Traja-
XV - Rutilo and Furio have gone in duel with the no stopped in high guard, he stopped with the
sword. Rutilo stopped in outside guard, a little on point of his sword to the hand.
high. On the contrary Furio stopped in inside guard.
XIX - Sertorio, as the provoker, has gone in the

fence with Antimo with a sword because of ho-
XVI - Entered in the fence, Sempronio et Car- nour, stopped in outside guard. And Antimo also
bone duel with a sword. Both stopped in inside stopped in outside guard, against every fencing
guard. style.

Page 18
XX - Torquato for honour entered with Metello in XXIII - Claudio and Nerone came together in
the fence to fight with a sword, and facing Metello, duel with a sword to find the truth, and Claudio
stopped in outside guard very high, and Metello stopped in inside guard, higher than low. Nerone
stopped in inside guard. did the same, stopping in the same guard of
Claudio. Claudio, plaintiff, goes to Nerone and
blocks his sword in the middle.
XXI - Martio to prove his word entered in the fence

with Attilo with a sword and here stopped in low XXIV - Gone in the fence, Horatio et Flamino to
step, well covered in inside guard. Attilo faced Mar- settle with a sword their dispute, Horatio stopped
tio in the same way. in outside guard, and Flamino in inside at low
step.
XXII - To settle a dispute of honour Coriolano et XXV - Emilio,to keep his honour, gone with Sul-
Scevola went in the fence with a sword. Coriolano pitio in the fence to duel with a sword, stopped in
stopped in inside guard, and Scevola in outside. inside guard, and Sulpito stopped in outside.

Page 19
XXVI - Trebonio, deceived by Lepido, goes with XXIX - Curione went in the fence with Trebatio
him in duel with a sword to clear of the lie, and to duel with a sword, and there they stopped in
when they arrive in the fence, Trebonio stopped in inside guard.
outside guard and Lepido in inside.
XXX - Tiberio, to prove the mistake of Cesareo

XXVII - Pallante offended by Diomede ask for him with a sword , went with him in the fence, and
to suel with a sword, and entered in the fence, Pal- entered, stopped in outside guard, and Cesareo in
lante stopped in inside guard. Diomede did the inside.
same, and stopped in the same guard of Pallante.
XXXI - Metio and Polinice went in the fence to

XXVIII - Antenore gone with Deifebo to duel settle their dispute with a sword, and entered in
with a sword to keep his honour, entered in the the fence, they stopped in inside guard. Metio,
fence with the enemy, stopped, low-lying, in out- plaintiff, trained to fight, finds the sword of Poli-
side guard; and Deifebo by the other side stop- nice outside, and advancing puts his right arm
ped low-lying too, in inside guard. through the neck and his right leg opposite to the
right.

Page 20
Taijiquan Principles
By Yeung Yun-choi of the Jingwu (Chin Woo) Association, Hong Kong
The Self-Stretching Principle The Development of Jin

There is a certain misunderstanding of the thirteen
Taijiquan is a series of dynamic self-stretching ex- postures as some kind of “Jin” or forces or ten-
ercises which is performed relaxed and extended. It sions. The thirteen postures are techniques and not
is also possible to create additional tension through thirteen kind of forces. However the power used in
additional turning and twisting. This is why Tai- Taijiquan is often coined as Peng Jin. This is a kind
jiquan is a very effective method to of springiness developed by prac-
strengthen the tendons since it im- titioners of Taijiquan. This can be
proves the blood supply to them. demonstrated by the different
One will probably notice this in the level of intensity in self-
movements of pulling the arm to stretching. The very high level is
develop tension across the back, very stiff and the low level is very
opening the legs to stretch the loins, soft while the right intensity is
and sinking the hips and pulling up very springy. This brings us back
the head to stretch the spine, etc. to the concept of Yin and Yang in
Furthermore, the breathing tech- Taijiquan, as a harmony of hard
nique and movements of the torso and soft, etc.
massage the internal organs,
thereby strengthening the smooth If one follows correct instruction
muscles. then one can also acquire this
springiness, and then it is just a
Pushing hands (Tuishou) in Tai- question of consistency. The con-
jiquan can be considered as a kind cept of power in Taijiquan is the
of aerobic training that improves one’s maximum speed in intensification from soft to hard and vice
oxygen uptake. It is a kind of resistance training in versa. The kind of power used in Taijiquan is
that pushing against an opponent’s weight requires coined as an explosive force. Just think of an explo-
some basic skills. These basic skills are referred to sion that sends out forces in all directions and re-
as the thirteen postures: the four straights, the four turns back to normal after a bang. The development
corners and the five stepping techniques. The of this power is practicing through the intensifica-
whole idea behind pushing hands is to substitute tion techniques in the routines and in pushing
striking with simple pushing. This is developed as hands.
a friendly contest of skills and power between
practitioners. However there are some people us-
ing it as an opportunity to kick and strike an inno- The Thirteen Postures
cent opponent whose sole intention is to play this
game of pushing. The thirteen postures or techniques are grouped as
Bagua (eight trigrams) and Wuxing (five elements).
This is why there should be rules if it is to be used Bagua consists of “Beng, Lu, Ji, An, Cai, Lie, Zhou
as a competitive event. and Kao”. Wuxing consists of “Jin, Tui, Pan, Gu

Page 21
and Ding”. Bagua originated from the “Book of ing hands exercises. Beng and Lu are deflecting
Changes” (Yi Jing) and means eight forms, animals techniques and Ji and An are just pushing tech-
or things. Wuxing also originated from the “Book niques. This exercise is performed by pushing for-
of Changes” and means five elements or four direc- ward and backward with the hands, torso and legs.
tions and the center. It can be done from very light or very heavily de-
pending upon the practitioners’ ability.
The following are just simple definitions of these
terms : Sinking down is a Taijiquan technique using the
body’s weight to make it difficult for the opponent
1. Beng is the outward turning to push. Alternatively, one can de-

motion of the arm. velop a very powerful push to
2. Lu is the inward turning mo- push that opponent away.
tion of the arm.
3. Ji is putting both hands to- Cai and Lie are additional hand
gether to press. techniques that can be used in the
4. An is pushing forward with pushing exercise to pull and push
both hands. diagonally. The use of the elbow
5. Cai is to pull downward and and torso have a similar impact as
to the side. the six hand movements.
6. Lie is to push upward and to
the side in a way opposite to The stepping techniques actually
Cai. improve the hand techniques in
7. Zhou is using the elbow in many ways. The following can be
various way good examples :
8. Kao is to tend forward with
the torso and move in vari- • To push and step forward at
ous way. the same time.
9. Jin is moving forward with • To turn the arm inward and
the front leg. step to a side at the same time.
10. Tui is moving backward with the rear leg. • To press with both arms and step backwards
11. Pan is covering the open side of the body and to encounter a very powerful push.
then stepping to that side. • To turn the arm outward and step to a side at
12. Gu is covering the blind side of the body and the same time.
then stepping to this side. • To pull diagonally, turning the torso and step-
13. Ding is stable or central and the emphasis is to ping backwards to the side at the same time.
return to harmony or the center. • To push diagonally, turning the torso and
stepping forward at the same time
The Applications of the Thirteen
The Principle of Neutralization
Postures
and Retaliation
Beng, Lu, Ji and An make up the four straight push-

Page 22
The fighting strategy of Taijiquan is art, therefore it is possible to include other “martial arts”
“touching, sticking, joining, following”. techniques in a game with rules like the taiji pushing
This simply means to neutralize any in- hands competition. For example, Xingyiquan (form and
coming force before retaliation. This em- will boxing) and Baguaquan (eight trigrams boxing)
braces the concept of harmony, as the in- would be good choices. Xingyiquan is very good with its
coming force will be neutralized by one’s stepping techniques that can produce very powerful push-
movement upon impact, deflected, or ing. Baguaquan is very good in moving with the torso that
even stopped by a force generated within can produce some very good neutralizing techniques.
oneself. The incoming force should then Other Shaolin arts have very powerful and fast hands tech-
be in harmony with oneself again. niques that are also good for pushing hands. Therefore, it
is a game open to many challenges. But the concept of
There is also the concept of absorbing and neutralization and retaliation is still the name of the game,
transferring during the neutralization and is unique.
process. Practitioners of Taijiquan can de-
velop springiness in their postures to ab- The PRC rules are very simple, one can score point by ei-
sorb an incoming force without any prob- ther pushing the opponent out of a six meters diameter
lem and transfer it to other parts of the ring, to cause the opponent to overbalance or fall. Hold-
body. Then it can be easily neutralized by ing, hugging, turning the joints in opposite direction, strik-
moving. ing and the use of foot techniques are not allowed. Partici-
pants are also required to pass a test of a Taijiquan com-
Deflection is simply the redirection of a petitive routine.
force when one can sense the direction of
the incoming force. Once a force is redi- Taijiquan is not just about pushing, it also has holding,
rected then retaliation can be any striking tossing and striking techniques like any martial art. There-
technique. “Therefore the concept of fore practitioners are also encouraged to participate in
“deflecting a thousand pounds with four other sports and employ Taijiquan techniques in other
ounces” is like a rudder turning the direc- sports.
tion of a vessel rather than directly con-
fronting an approaching force. © Yeung Yun-Choi 1999
An Introduction to Pushing
Hands as a Competitive
Sport
In the People’s Republic of China, push-
ing hands competitions were started in
1984 as part of the All China Taiji Cham-
pionships. There were many arguments
on the rules but they were finally agreed
upon in 1994. It is very common in China
that martial artists learn more than one

Page 23
Increasing Fighting Skills with Psychophysiology
By Fabien Sena
Psychophysiology is the synthesis between experi-

mental psychology, which studies mental processes
and the processing of information by the brain, and
neurophysiology which studies neurological mecha-
nisms and neurons actions.
In the field of martial arts, this fairly new science

helps us to gain a better understanding of ourselves
and our so-called “instinctive reactions” because
they occur too quickly to “self-analyze”. Actually
such an understanding is very precious in that it al-
low us to ameliorate the output in a fighting situa-
tion.
In combat a martial artist has to deal with several

kinds of constraint and uncertainty:
• Temporal constraints, known or not, which

modify behavior: In a typical competition, there
is a need to score points within a very limited generated in order to comply with applicable
time. This requires more aggressive behavior. laws.
In a boxing-styled fight with many rounds,
there is also a need to manage one’s energy so • Temporal uncertainty: when will the opponent
that one’s energy is not exhausted too quickly. attack.
This again modifies aggressive behavior ac-
cording to the length and number of rounds. In • Action uncertainty: What kind of attack and/or
a survival fight situation, there may be a need to action will the opponent perform.
terminate the fight before an opponent receives
reinforcements. As one cannot change the constraints (although one
can select the “most interesting” ones), there is a
• Spatial constraints, known or not (Tatami mat, way to decrease the weight of uncertainty. Actually
ring, concrete, parking lot, elevator, subway and being aware of the opponent possibilities allows a
so on) which modify strategies and the kind of more proper and efficient answer.
moves applicable in the fight. This also implies
using one’s environment as a weapon in a fight There are only two kind of attacks: percussion,
(pushing one opponent to a wall, using a table where a natural or artificial weapon aims at a mo-
to protect oneself, etc.). bile and intelligent target (you), and prehension,
where an intelligent and mobile object (still you) is
• Constraints related to the execution of moves “captured” and put off-balance (throwing) or out-
(for instance the kind of shoes and clothes worn side of its natural limit (locking). Here we can see
at the time of fight). Also if one is injured, or that a sweep is a percussion ‘breaking” the founda-
has to protect someone and/or limit the damage tion of the opponent’s balance.

Page 24
Speed of movement: When the opponent starts his

When it comes to defending against percussion, action, a faster execution can revert the attack or
there are usually only two solutions: dodging, allow the escape.
which puts the target out of range of the weapon,
and blocking, which stops the opponent’s weapon Non-resistance: In case of a projection or locking
with one or some of our own natural weapons or technique, non-resistance can allow one to mini-
another item, without receiving too much damage. mize damage and allow the escape.
On this point, it must be made clear that every However we must remember that the easiest way to
block implies damage, simply because it is the con- “counter” an attack (no matter the type of attack) is
frontation of at least two forces, so that the result- to “counter-attack” within the opponent’s technique
ing energy must go somewhere and always gener- timeframe by distracting the opponent and creating
ates a returning impact. Perhaps these impacts or a “time gap”. This is a very common rule in Ju-
micro-impacts have very little meaning at the mo- jutsu-type styles: first an Atemi, followed by the
ment but later in life they may prove to be very im- technique itself.
portant.
Now let’s explain how the brain receives informa-
Of course, I am not saying that blocking is bad and tion in martial arts:
useless, just that dodging may be safer.
However dodging also has its cons as it may create Direct sensorial acquisition: 90% of the time this
a gap between your initiative and that of your op- occurs through visual localization. Usually through
ponent, giving him/her an advance on you and fi- peripheral vision which increases one’s “reaction
nally resulting in you receiving a hit. time” (one use of the famous saying “looking at a
far away mountain”), and other times through focal
At a higher level, there is another possibility under vision when greater precision is required. In “close
very specific circumstances: deflecting, which is a range” styles (where at least one part of the body is
kind of combination between dodging and block- in contact with one part of the opponent’s body),
ing. After initial contact, the opponent’s weapon is kinesthetic perceptions (the location of the body in
redirected from its initial target. This kind of action the space, and the pressures applied to the body)
can only be performed when the correct trajectory provide fast and precise information.
of the weapon is estimated and the force is not ex-
cessively superior to what the defender can gener- Anticipation. The brain “bets” and tries to predict
ate. the opponent’s action by using “precursory infor-
mation” such as the direction of the opponent’s
About defending against prehension, the escape of eyes, the opponent's shoulder motions, position of
a captured object, the speed of movement and the the feet and so on.
accepting a loss of balance (non-resistance) are the
possibilities for a defender. From this “precursory information”, the brain cre-
ates new information and reacts according to the
Escape of the captured object: Usually by accept- new “self-input”. This is an instinctive process and
ing and following the applied force, one can free it is extremely hard to prevent the brain from antici-
the captured object. pating in this manner. In the case of a successful
prediction, the reaction is faster and often more de-

Page 25
cisive (Sen no Sen in Kendo, Karate or Aikido). In

case of an erroneous prediction, the reaction/ These rates have been calculated from observations
correction time will be greatly extended. So it is a of highly skilled table tennis players, so an average
“risk taking” process. practitioner’s times may be much longer.
Almost all styles try to abuse an opponent’s brain Furthermore, it should be recognized that the hu-
by using feints and false actions but when doing so, man nervous system experiences a “refracting
they also focus take the risk that the opponent will time” which occurs after processing approximately
not fall into the “trap” and instead execute a deci- seven information acquisitions without any “rest”.
sive attack in the meantime. A “ rest” is a pause in the processing time which
allows the brain to “adjust” the speed of transmis-
Acceptation. In the case of non-survival fights, ac- sion and re-center on its main goal.
cepting an opponent’s action may allow one to
study and memorize it. Later, when the same kind This explains the interest of automating attacks
of action is executed, the brain will be able to an- combinations to “overload” an opponent’s nervous
ticipate it with a better chance. This is a teaching system. Such an automated combination allows one
method found in styles like Judo, Aikido, Kendo to better focus on a decisive attack that will en-
and so on. With long practice, the brain will de- counter no resistance, as the opponent will be in
velop fast “reaction schemes” which can be almost “blank time”, and therefore unable to defend him/
as fast as an automatic reaction. However this may herself properly. However it has been noticed that
also imply some risks : automated techniques don’t have the same power as
“focused” techniques.
• Erroneous actions, due to improper analysis
• Improper actions, not adequate to the situation From the opposite perspective, it is very important
(too much power or not enough, as the action to not accept such types of combinations and to
will be the same as the one repeated previously) “break” from them as soon as possible. This can be
• Predictable action, the opponent can see the done by going out of range from all types of attacks
“schemes” and trap easily. or, by the opposite, which is to enter an opponent’s
close range in order to prevent him/her from exe-
Once information is acquired, the brain reacts ac- cuting proper “automated” techniques (like a boxer
cording to its analysis. A practitioner of martial arts does). Another good solution is to boldly dash for-
has to be aware of some physiological facts like the ward, accepting a few hits, in order to deliver a
speed of transmission or the capacity of the nervous strong and directed technique.
system.
Ultimately, a good knowledge of the human brain
• An action takes about 50 milliseconds to go and body, human reaction time and information
from the brain to the muscle, no matter how processing can allow a martial art practitioner to
far away that muscle is (almost the same considerably increases his/her fighting skills. How-
time for the hand or foot). ever, one must keep in mind that sole knowledge is
• Modification of the same action takes about useless without proper practice and guidance.
100 milliseconds. Some types of sparring (see previous month’s arti-
• A reaction (information acquisition of the cles) are required to truly exploit that knowledge.
opponent’s action + answer) takes about 180
milliseconds

Page 26
Xiao Hong Quan (Part 2)
9. Pushing both palms down, lifting a knee

The body turns 180 degrees right back to form a
right “Gong bu”. The left palm makes a large cir-
cle downward to join the right hand. At the same
time the left foot lifts and stretches straight to be
put in front of the right knee. Look forward.
10. Take a step, outside crescent kick

The left foot lands forward on the ground. Both
palms draws to the waist with the palm facing up.
The right foot lifts and stretches straight to kick
leftward and then swings right. Both arms extend
forward to clap the right foot with the left palm
and then the right one. Look forward and expire.
11. Inclining both arms in a right “Gong bu”

The foot lands forward to form a right “Gong bu”.
The upper body turns right, both palms change into
fist and move respectively left forward and right
backward until the left elbow stops above the right
knee. Both fist are on the same level as shoulders.
Look on the right back.
12. Raising an elbow and shrinking the body

The body turns 90 degrees left. The right foot lifts
and comes at the middle inside of the left foot,
both legs squat to form a right “Ding bu”. At the
same time the left forearm raises before the left
chest the eye of the fist facing back. The right fist
moves to the upper tight and goes downward to the
right ankle. Fist center facing back. Look right and
expire.

Page 27
13. Palm chops downward with straight kick
The right leg takes one step right. The body turns 90 degrees
right. The right fist draws to the waist the fist center facing up.
The left foot hooks up and swings directly to the upper front. At
the same time, the left fist changes into a palm and chops down-
ward from the outside of the leg, the palm facing right. Look
forward.
14. Inclining both arms in a left “Gong bu”
The foot lands forward to form a left “Gong bu”. The upper
body turns right, left palm changes into fist and both arms, very
bent, move respectively right forward and left backward until
the left elbow stops above the right knee. Both fists are on the
same level as shoulders. Look on the left back.
15. Cutting palm in Pu bu
The body turns 180 degrees to the right back. The left leg squats
fully and the right leg lifts and extends right to form a right “Pu
bu”. Both fists change into palms and come pushing the ground.
Look right and expire.
16. Lion opens his mouth
The weight moves right and the body turns right to form a right
“Gong bu”. The left palm fends until far above the head with
the palm facing forward and the fingers at 45 degrees to the
right. The right arm turns straightly outside and moves the palm
to the front of the right knee with the palm facing frontward and
fingers downward. Look forward.

Page 28
17. “Great rock spreads its wings” in Ma Bu

The body turns 90 degrees left. The left foot takes one step left , both legs
squat with both feet parallel and both knees stretching outside to form “Ma
bu”. In the meantime both arms shut both elbows before the chest with the
fist center facing back at the same height as the mouth. Look forward.
Then without a pause, the fists are pushed fiercely respectively left and
right, Both arms are on the same level as shoulders. The force is directed to
the fists. Look left and expire.
18. Raising an arm, shrinking the body
The body turns 90 degrees left. The weight shifts to the left leg. The right
leg bends. The right palm moves downward then to the upper front with
palm facing up. Left palm moves to the right until it erects before the right
armpit with the palm facing right.
Then the body turns 90 degrees right. The left foot goes to the middle in-
side of the right foot with the tiptoes only touching the ground, both legs
squats to form a left “Ding bu”. At the same time the right palm changes
into a fist and the right forearm erects before the right shoulder. The left
palm changes into a fist and rush straightly downward with the side of the
fist close to the upper outside of left ankle. Look left and expire.
19. Piercing palm in Gong bu

The left foot takes one step left. Both fists open into palms to draw
to the waist with the palms facing up. The body turns left to form a
left “Gong bu”, left palm jabs to the upper front with the palm fac-
ing up. The left palm is on the same level as the nose. Look for-
ward.
20. Jump inside crescent Kick.
Without almost any pause, all the body weight is transferred on the
front leg and the left leg stretches quickly to do a small jump. In the
same time, the right leg does and inside crescent kick, the right foot
is stretched and comes clap the left palm. The right hand is going
slightly backward, fingers pointing up. Look at the left hand and
expire.

Page 29
21. Exploding in the sky
As soon as the left as soon as the left foot lands, the body turns
90 degrees right and the right foot comes stamping the ground at
the inside of the left foot. Meanwhile, the left forearm moves
downward before the belly and the right forearm circles the left
arm to rush from the inside of the left arm upward. As the right
arm rushes straight , it bends out to put the elbow on the left fist-
eye. The right forearm raises before the right shoulder with the
fist eye facing back. The right fist is at the same height as the
mouth. Look forward and expire.
22. Scorpion swings its tail
Both legs slightly bend. The body turns 90 degrees on the left
and at the same time the left foot lifts and hooks up. The left leg
follows the rotation of the waist and the left foot raises up to the
right knee level. Look at left.
23. Lion opens his mouth
The body turns 180 degrees left and the left foot lands front-
ward. The weight moves forward to form a left “Gong bu”. The
right palm fends until far above the head with the palm facing
forward and the fingers at 45 degrees to the left. The left arm
turns straightly outside and moves the palm to the front of the
left knee with the palm facing frontward and fingers downward.
Look forward.
24. Pushing the left palm in Gong Bu

The left foot lifts and stretches straight to be put at the upper in-
side of the right knee. The right arm moves downward, and the
left arm moves upward. The left leg lands forward to form a left
“Gong bu”. The right palm moves by the outside of the left arm
toward the lower right until it draws to the waist with the palm
facing up. The left one changes into a straight palm to push for-
ward. The fingers-tip is at the level of the mouth. The force is
directed to the left palm. Look forward left and expire.

Page 30
25. Withdrawing a step and crushing with the palm
The left foot withdraws one step. At once the right foot withdraws
too. The upper body turns 180 degrees right to form a right “Gong
bu”. While the body turns right, the left palm moves to the upper right
by the outside of the right shoulder and arm toward the lower until it
draws to the waist the palm facing up. And the right palm crushes for-
ward from the inside of the left arm with the palm facing back. The
fingers-tip is at the level of the nose. Look forward and expire.
26. One step forward, pushing the left palm
The left foot takes one step forward to form a left “Gong bu”. The
right palm moves by the outside of the left shoulder and arm toward
the lower right until it draws to the waist with the palm facing up. The
left palm moves to the upper right and by the front of the right armpit
pushes straight forward with the fingers-tip as the level of the mouth.
Force is directed in the left palm. Look forward and expire.
27. Pushing both palms in “Duli bu”
The body turns 180 degrees to the right back to form a right Gong Bu.
The left palm draws to the waist with the palm facing up. Look for-
ward
Then the left foot lifts and stretches straight to be put above the level
of right knee to form Duli Bu. Both palms erectly push forward until
they are about 5 cm before the left knee with the palm facing forward.
Look forward and expire.
28. Clap the right foot
The left foot lands forward on the ground. Both palms draws to the
waist with the palm facing up. The right foot lifts and stretches
straight to snap kick to the upper front. The right arm extends forward
to clap the right foot with the palm. Look forward and expire.

Page 31
29. Left “ringing the bell”
Without any pause, the right foot lands forward to form a right
Gong Bu. The right palm changes into a fist and fends up until it
is above the head. The left palm changes into a fist and comes to
the chest, striking with the left elbow frontward. Look forward.
30. Plunging fist in Ding Bu
The body turns. 90 degrees left. The right foot lifts and comes at
the middle of the middle inside of the left foot, tiptoes only
touching the ground, both legs squat to form a right Ding Bu.
The left elbow moves downward to erect the forearm before the
left shoulder with the fist facing backward. The right fist inserts
downward to the right ankle with the fist facing backward. Look
right and expire.
31. Chopping fist and swinging front kick
The right leg takes one step right. The body turns 90 degrees
right. The right fist draws to the waist,. The left foot hooks up to
swing-kick to the upper front. In the same time, the left fist
chops downward from the outside of the left leg with the fist-
hole facing up. Look forward and expire.
32. Right “ringing the bell”
Without any pause, the left foot lands forward to form a left
Gong Bu. The left palm changes into a fist and fends up until it
is above the head. The right palm changes into a fist and comes
to the chest, striking with the right elbow frontward. The elbow-
tip is opposed to the left knee. Look forward.

Page 32
33. Cutting palm in Pu Bu
The body turns 90 degrees right. The left leg fully extends to the right
to form a right Pu Bu. At the same time, the left fist opens into a palm
to draw to the waist with the palm facing up. The right fist opens into
a palm and cut to the lower right along the inside of the right leg until
above the right foot with the palm facing down. Look right and ex-
pire.
34. Lion opens its mouth
The weight moves right and the body turns right to form a right
“Gong bu”. The left palm fends until far above the head with the palm
facing forward and the fingers at 45 degrees to the right. The right
arm turns straightly outside and moves the palm to the front of the
right knee with the palm facing frontward and fingers downward.
Look forward.
35. Circle the head and straight punch
The left foot takes one step forward to form a left Gong Bu. The right
palm changes into a fist to draw to the waist with the palm facing up.
The left palm moves backward and at the back of the head changes
into a fist to rush forward at the chest level. Look forward and expire.
36. Circle the head, seven stars
The left fist draws to the waist with the fist facing up. The right foot
takes one step forward. The left foot moves to the middle inside of the
right foot with the tiptoe touching the ground to form a left “Ding
bu”. At the same time, the right fist open into a palm to move upward,
over the head backward, and by the back of the head it changes into a
fist to rush toward the lower front with the fist facing down. The left
fist is against the inside of the right elbow with the fist facing down.

Page 33
37. “Great Rock spreads its wings” in “Ma bu”
The body turns 90 degrees left. The left foot takes one step left.
Both legs squat with both feet parallel and both knees stretching
outside to form “Ma bu”. Both forearms shut erectly before the
chest with the fist facing back. Look forward. Then from the same
stance, both forearms turn outside to rush both fists left and right
with fists facing down. Both arms are on the shoulder level. The
force is directed in both fists. Look left and expire.
38. Raising an arm, shrinking the body
The body turns 90 degrees left. The weight moves to the left leg and
the right one kneels forward to form a right “Gui bu”. The right arm
bends and the right fist moves downward and, by the outside of the
right knee, strikes upward until it reaches the same height as the
eyes with the fist facing back. The left fist opens into a palm close
to the inside of the right elbow with the palm facing right. Look for-
ward.
From the previous movement, the body turns 90 degrees right. The
left foot goes to the middle inside of the right foot with the tiptoes
only touching the ground, both legs squats to form a left “Ding bu”.
At the same time the right palm changes into a fist and the right
forearm erects before the right shoulder. The left palm changes into
a fist and rush straightly downward with the side of the fist close to
the upper outside of left ankle. Look left and expire.
39. Piercing palm in “Gong bu”
The left foot takes one step left. Both fists open into palms to draw
to the waist with the palms facing up. The body turns left to form a
left “Gong bu”. Both palms jab to the upper front with the palms
facing back. The left palm, as the same height of the eyes , is ahead
of the right one. The right fingers are closed to the inside of the
right elbow. Look forward.

Page 34
40. Clap the right foot

Both palms draw to the waist with the palms facing up. The right foot
lifts and stretches straight to snap kick to the upper front. And the
right arm extends forward to clap the right foot with the palm. Look
forward.
41. Pushing the right palm in “Gong bu”
From the previous movement, the right foot lands forward on the
ground to form a right “Gongbu”. The right palm draws to the front of
the left armpit with the palm facing right. The left palm moves to the
upper right by the outside of the right shoulder and arm towards the
lower left to draw to the waist with the palm facing up. The right
palms become erects to push forward with the fingers on the same
level as the nose. The force is directed in the right palm-heel. Look
forward and expire.
42. Pushing the left palm in “Gong bu”
The left foot lifts and stretches forward to be put at the upper inside of
the right knee. The right palm moves to the upper left by the outside
of the left shoulder and arm toward the lower right. The left palm
moves to the front of the right armpit with the palm facing left. The
body turns 180 degrees left. The left foot lands forward on the ground
to form a left “Gong bu”. The right palm draws to the waist with the
palm facing up. The left palm pushes straight forward with the force
directed in the palm-heel. Look forward.
The right foot lifts and stretches forward to be put at the upper inside
of the left knee. The left palm moves to the upper right by the outside
of the right shoulder and arm toward the lower left. The right palm
moves to the front of the left armpit with the palm facing right. The
body turns 180 degrees right. The right foot lands forward on the
ground to form a right “Gong bu”. The left palm draws to the waist
with the palm facing up. The right palm pushes straight forward with

Page 35
the force directed in the palm-heel. Look forward and expire.
44. Clap the left foot
The right palm draw to the waist with the palm facing up. The left foot
lifts and stretches straight to snap kick to the upper front. And the left
arm extends forward to clap the left foot with the palm. Look forward.
From the previous movement, the left foot lands forward on the ground
to form a left “Ma bu”. The left palm moves to the front of the right
armpit with the palm facing left. The right palm moves to the upper left
by the outside of the left shoulder and arm towards lower to draw to the
waist with palm facing up. The left palm pushes straight forward with
the force directed in the palm-heel. Look forward.
The right foot lifts and stretches forward to be put at the upper inside of
the left knee. The left palm moves to the upper right by the outside of
the right shoulder and arm toward the lower left. The right palm moves
to the front of the left armpit with the palm facing right. The body turns
180 degrees right. The right foot lands forward on the ground to form a
right “Gong bu”. The left palm draws to the waist with the palm facing
up. The right palm pushes straight forward with the force directed in the
palm-heel. Look forward and expire.
The left foot lifts and stretches forward to be put at the upper inside of
the right knee. The right palm moves to the upper left by the outside of
the left shoulder and arm toward the lower right. The left palm moves
to the front of the right armpit with the palm facing left. The body turns
180 degrees left. The left foot lands forward on the ground to form a
left “Gong bu”. The right palm draws to the waist with the palm facing
up. The left palm pushes straight forward with the force directed in the

Page 36
palm-heel. Look forward.

48. The hungry tiger jumps on food
The right foot jumps one long step forward. The left leg bends in the
jump. The left palm changes into a fist to draw to the waist with the fist
facing up. The right palm changes into an open claw to grab to the
lower right with the fingers hooking inside. Look at the right claw.
49. Luohan strikes the Mortar
Both feet lands on the ground, the body turns 90 degrees left. The left
fist opens into a palm. The right foot lifts and stomps the ground side by
side with the left foot. Both legs squats. The right hand changes into a
fist and goes to the lower left to strike the left palm before the knees.
50. Destroying the stomach
The right foot takes one step right and the body turns 90 degrees right
to form a right “Gong bu”. The left palm changes into a fist to draw to
the waist with the fist facing up. The right fist draws to the outside of
the right leg the to strike fiercely upward with the fist facing back, the
fist is as the same height as the shoulder. Look forward and expire.
51. “Protecting the ear” in “Duli bu”
The left foot lifts and stretches straight to be put to the upper front of
the right knee to form a right “Duli bu”. The right arm turns inside and
raise above the head, the fist facing left. The left fist goes up and down
to come join the upper knee, fist facing left. Look forward.

Page 37
52. Downstrike in “Gong bu”
The left foot lands left on the ground and the body turns left to
form a left “Gong bu”. The right fist rushes to the lower front
and stops at the upper inside of the left knee with the fist facing
down. The left palm moves along the upper side of the right arm
to the right biceps with the palm facing down. Look forward and
expire.
53. Raising an arm while shrinking the body
The body turns 90 degrees right. The left foot goes to the middle
inside of the right foot with the tiptoes only touching the
ground, both legs squats to form a left “Ding bu”. At the same
time the right palm changes into a fist and the right forearm
erects before the right shoulder. The left palm changes into a fist
and rush straightly downward with the side of the fist close to
the upper outside of left ankle. Look left and expire.
The body turns 90 right and the left foot takes one step left to
form a left “Gong bu”. Both fists open into palms and move ad-
jacently, the right palm moves downward and the left one moves
upward. The right palm, by the front of the chest and the outside
of the left arm, moves toward the lower right to draw to the
waist with the palm facing up. The left palm changes into a
straight palm to push forward with the force directed in palm-
heel. The fingers are at the same height as the nose. Look for-
ward.

Page 38
55. Circle the head, strike the mortar
The left palm draws to the front of the belly with the palm facing
up. The right foot lifts and the body turns 180 degrees right. Both
legs squat and the right foot stomps the ground side by side with the
left foot. In the same time, the right palm moves upward, over the
head backward and behind the head changes into a fist. Then the
right fist goes down to hammer the left palm-center with the fist
back at the upper front of the knees. Look forward and expire.
56. A Hero sits on the mountain
The left foot takes one step left. Both legs squat with both feet par-
allel and both knees stretching outside to form “Ma bu”. In the same
time the right fist hammers left and then fends upper right until it is
above 10 cm above the head with the fist facing down. The left
palm changes into a fist to go upward then downward until it is put
on the left knee with the fist facing back. Look left and expire with
the sound “hu”.
57. Finishing move
The right leg moves left to stand side by side with the right one. At
the same time, both fists draw to the waist with fist facing up. Look
forward.

Page 39
Your Letters
Robert Ekendahl asks ALMA members: and rotating it throughout the maneuver, so it didn’t
spill. As I popped up to a stand I had the wits about
“What is the coolest (not necessary best) use you me to take a big sip and say "wow that has some
had of your Martial Art [skills]?” kick"!
He added: ALMA's European Editor Christophe Frugier

added : Maybe the coolest use I had was, when I
“My own experience is (knock on wood) limited to slipped on wet tree leaves and was about to fall
a could-have-been serious bicycle crash where I, down on a street full of dog shit. I was falling when
without thinking, managed to roll forward a couple I had enough speed to stand in a perfect Ma bu
of times and stand up unharmed (apart for some [horse stance]. I was surely ridiculous, but above
scratches on arms/legs but I was doing >20 m.p.h all, I was very proud to have not sit in a huge fresh
and hit gravel on asphalt without a helmet). dog shit and of not having put an hand on the
ground.
And of course the time when some punk teenager
came up to me and said something like 'I can kick Yes, I know, it's far less stylish than Arthur's roll.
you in the head 15 times in 5 seconds' and I staring
him down replied 'After the first [kick] one of us
will be seriously hurt so why do you need 15 ?'
Shawn Greer asked:
What is your best story?”
“The five elements are (in order of the creation cy-
ALMA's US Editor Arthur Sennott replies: cle, just to give some semblance to it) :
Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal
Hmm the coolest. Sounds like a trick question. If I
cite a time when I used it to hurt someone, I sound When applying these to Martial arts, how would
like a bad guy;) Actually, I am not in favor of pub- you describe actions of each of the five? For exam-
licly relating real self -defense incidents, as the bad ple, I know (or at least am under the impression
guy might have info to sue with. Sounds nuts, but it from previous readings) that a fire mentality
seems to happen a lot these days. would be a constant barrage of offensive moves or
attacks, or defensive moves that act as strikes,
However, being vague for protection, I would have (such as the Shaolin move 'Lohan strikes drum'
to say the coolest use was in keeping me from get- which is a defensive move in which you strike the
ting stabbed and cut (2 different incidents). I think attacking leg instead of sidestepping, blocking, or
those are the coolest, because they kept me here to threading it).
be able to write this now.
How would the other 4 apply in such terms? (and
On the lighter side, I have had a similar bike inci- if I'm mistaken in my speaking of the fire, please
dent, but I think the coolest non-violent thing is feel free correct me).”
this. I was at a party and had a glass of, oh lets call
it "punch" in my hand. A friend, being a wise guy ALMA's US Editor Arthur Sennott replied:
stuck his foot out and tripped me as I was going by.
I did a forward roll while holding on to my drink There are many different ways of looking at the

Page 40
five elements. The genius of the paradigm is that remembered and respected.
you can pug in almost any category of things, and
use the 5 element With that said, from a martial point I tend to look
relationships to make sense of it. Just how literally at the five elements as general metaphors for the
one takes the reference to an individual element, expression of force. Keeping this really simple:
probably doesn’t matter much. Its the relationship
of the five "phases" that is really important. At least Water has a drilling and penetrating energy
that has been my experience. Wood has a direct energy, that send energy in
both an upward and downward direction
It is however true that certain general criteria have Fire has a rising and uprooting energy
been set up over the millennia to help categorize Earth has a sideways, filing type of energy
things into specific elemental categories. This Metal has a cleaving and separating type of en-
means that many things in classical Chinese arts ergy
(medicine, martial, feng shui, etc.) have mutual
"crossing points" and many ideas of relationship Each of these is really represented within each
across arts can often be determined. However this other as well (most of classical Chinese theory
tendency should be looked at as a rough guide. views the world in a holographic way).
Attempting to pigeon hole all fire as being one
way, and all water as being another, is inviting dis-
aster. Within any five element representation there
are always exceptions, and this should always be

Page 41
Application: Systema - Self Defense Against Straight Punch
Photos Of Vladimir Vasiliev

Text By Arthur Sennott
Application:
1. A: taking advantage of the natural human reaction
to turn away from a punch, A turns and leans away
from B’s attack while lifting his elbow as a natural
cover. Photo 1
2. A: converting the stored potential kinetic energy

of his avoidance movement initiates a very strong
whip-like strike to B’s head. Simultaneously A low-
ers his shielding elbow over B’s punching arm so as
to begin trapping it. Photo 2
3. A: changing the trajectory of his initial whip-like

strike to a descending elbow to B’s chest, he simul-
taneously finishes trapping B’s arm. This trap off
balances B in a counter clockwise and downward
spiral. With the aid of this off balancing, the elbow
to the chest, significantly breaks B’s balance, caus-
ing him to bend over to the rear. Photo 3

Page 42
4. A: now delivers a heavy penetrating forearm to

B’s neck, which facilitates the complete loss B’s bal-
ance, causing him to fall. Photo 4
5. A: maintains his trap on B’s arm so as to control

him for striking or submission. Note the counter
pressure being exerted by A’s left knee on B’s cer-
vico-thoracic region. This counter pressure in com-
bination with the arm hold, keep B’ from rolling in
either direction., allowing for decisive follow up.
Important Points:
In Photo 1, note the inverted elbow position, in addi-
tion to its naturalness and speed, this position has
two additional advantages which may not at first be
apparent to the eye. 1) This position allows easy in-
terception of a secondary strike, whether it be from
B’s right elbow, left leg, or left arm. 2) The rising
elbow can actually be used to smash into B’s hand
from below, breaking his fist.
In Photo 2 The wide whip-like strike can be driven

into B’s left arm should he try to counter-punch with In Photo 4, B’s own resistance to the elbow strike,
it. In addition the trapping on B’s right arm will rob can help power the forearm shot, as well as create
his left of its power base and tend to move it off tra- momentum which works in harmony with the
jectory to B’s right should he attempt to use it. this blow.
will further facilitate an interception by the whip-
like strike which should be able to simultaneously To learn more about Vladimir and the unique mar-
brush the punch aside while continuing on to the op- tial art he teaches, you may visit him at http://
ponent. www.russianmartialart.com
In Photo 3, one of the reasons the whip-like strike is Photos © Vladimir Vasiliev 1995, All Rights Re-
converted to a downward elbow, is because of what served
“might of happened” between Photo’s 2 & 3. Here is Text © Arthur Sennott 1999, All Rights Reserved
a chance that B would try to block the whip-like
strike, if this were to happen, simply folding the el-
bow down would elude this attempt, and result in the
strike pictured in Photo 3.

Page 43
Advice of the Month: Resistance Is Futile
By Locutus D’Borg us more vulnerable to counter-attack. It does this in

two primary ways. The first is by creating an over
Resistance is futile. In martial arts the act of resis- deployment of our forces, in one particular area.
tance against a skilled opponent will only prove to Just as a general who concentrates all of his troops
be your undoing. It is no coincidence that many of on his left flank, becomes seriously vulnerable on
the more revered martial art systems, place a high all other sides, so too do we, when we attempt to
value on going with the flow, blending, and accen- use resistance in defense.
tuating your opponent’s force. To attempt to deal
with an opponent’s energy in an opposing fashion A body in motion will tend to stay in motion, and a
is at best inefficient, and most likely a means to body at rest will tend to stay at rest. When we set
your own defeat. up a resistant front, we are essentially freezing our
motion, putting at least part of our body at rest.
The most obvious, and most frequently spoken of This means additional muscular effort must be ex-
attribute of non-resistance, is ones ability to add an ercised to reinitiate movement in any other direc-
opponent’s strength to your own, for more power- tion. Not only does this create a situation where
ful and effortless techniques. Just as non-resistive power is again depleted unnecessarily, but also a
blending can enhance your power, it should be un- situation where are reactions will inherently be
derstood that active resistance, decreases your slower than they should be.
power.
Decreased power through active resistance, mani-

fests in two ways. The first is the usual example so
frequently discussed in martial arts circles. Just as
blending creates a situation where your power plus
his power equals total power, the reverse is also
true. His power minus your power equals your total
power. When we view this idea in terms of this
equation, it is easy to see that resistance can lead us
to a negative power value. I think most would agree
that this is definitely not desirable in a real fight.
The second way in which power is decreased

through active resistance is through muscle fatigue.
Every moment we try to overcome a force through
muscular effort we bring our muscles closer to fa-
tigue. Even if complete fatigue is never reached,
the road to it, creates a muscle capable of less and
less output. Therefore every moment we actively
resist an opponent, we decrease our chances of
eventually succeeding in our task. This issue is es-
pecially important when dealing with multiple as-
sailants or a mass attack situation.
In addition to resistance decreasing our power and

depleting our strength, it slows us down, and makes

Page 44
able to the application of martial arts.

This same over deployment of resources also tends
to effect our mental abilities as well, and quite fre- Allow me to review the consequences of resis-
quently the opponent can easily attack another tance:
flank virtually unnoticed. This is because we are
obsessed on breaking through the resistance, and • Decreases Power
through that obsession we come to ascribe all other • Depletes Strength & Hastens Fatigue
phenomenon with less importance. • Opens New Lines Of Attack For The Op-
ponent
The second way in which resistance slows us down • Slows Reactions
is by over securing us to our “root”, and making us • Deprives Mobility
less mobile. When we try to resist a motion, we • Increases Predictability
must push or pull in two directions simultaneously.
In essence, we need an anchor. To resist movement Considering all that, I hope it can be seen why,
with the upper body we normally attempt to push, resistance is futile. So, the next time you resort
or occasionally pull, with the lower body. To se- to active resistance, remember to say “your
cure pressure against the ground, we must sacrifice welcome”, because your opponent will cer-
movement, at least free, multi-directional move- tainly be saying “thank you”.
ment anyway. This makes us slow on our feet, and
quite predictable. Slow and predictable are cer-
tainly not attributes that would be considered desir-

Page 45
The Other Side of the Coin (TCM Corner)
Injury Prevention Strategies & Aids

By Arthur Sennott
Martial arts have the reputation of building up the strengthen your body and improve your health, do
body and mind, restoring ailing health, and generally not allow yourself or anyone else to create a situa-
imbibing its practitioners with extraordinary strength tion where the opposite becomes your reality.
and flexibility. Yet, if you were to actually poll a
group of martial artists on their health, you would With that said, let’s move on to the advice.
probably find the opposite to be true. A majority
would likely have joint problems, predominantly of
the knee and shoulder. Others may have unexplained If it hurts, your doing it wrong!
respiratory or auto-immune disease that came devel-
oped after they began their training, and a few might Legitimate martial arts movements are designed to
even have mental disorders that “coincidentally” be stress free, extrapolations of normal, natural
manifested soon after their training initiated. body movements. Any pain induced by a move-
ment is an indication that you are doing it incor-
In my practice of Chinese medicine, I have had the rectly.
opportunity to see many cases of the above ailments,
and sadly, I was frequently able to trace their origin, If practice causes you any pain, stop, investigate
back to inappropriate martial arts practices. My ex- what the problem is, correct it, then resume prac-
perience has lead me to believe that the majority of tice. Never try to “work through the pain”; you will
people practicing martial arts in America, are allow- only be causing yourself injury.
ing their practice to systematically destroy their
health. It is unfortunate that many people, in the
name of health are injuring themselves.
Learn your anatomy, both east &
Personally I believe that all martial training should
west
begin with health education and injury prevention
training. It is my hope that those who teach will take To better understand your body, not to mention an
my words to heart, and begin offering appropriate opponent's, you need to understand anatomy. Anat-
information to students early on. To those who prac- omy will tell you what the cause of your pains are,
tice, and may be studying with a teacher, who does allowing you to better rectify the situation. A solid
not provide appropriate information on injury pre- understanding of anatomy will also keep you from
vention and health practices, I offer you these falling into potentially dangerous habits that may
thoughts of my own on the subject. be advocated by a less knowledgeable practitioner.
In a world where it is frequently considered impolite In addition to learning standard western anatomy, it
or even hostile, to question a teacher or senior, clear is important not to ignore eastern anatomy. Gener-
information can be hard to come by. It is my hope ally speaking, eastern anatomy contains all the
that you will use these thoughts and guidelines as a structures of its western counterpoint, but also ac-
starting point to both educate yourself, and empower knowledges the bio-electric and emotional systems
yourself. Remember that martial arts practice should of the body. A thorough knowledge of eastern

Page 46
anatomy can help one predict health problems be- tice. Training is for developing your skill, not prov-
fore they manifest. It can also help one to see the ing how tough you are, don’t let your ego, or any-
connection between physical movement and men- one else’s, get in the way.
tal/emotional disturbances.
Learn the medicinals
Don’t be stupid
Liniments and other traditional medications are
The most frequent causes of martial arts related in- used in martial arts to toughen body areas, prevent
juries is stupidity. Now I must admit, its not a ran- bruising, arrest bleeding, increase flexibility, and
dom stupidity, in fact it tends to be gender based, promote endurance. In fact, many of the health
its more commonly referred to as “machismo”. benefits associated with martial arts are actually
Trying to work through the pain, or rush through derived from herbal treatments. Knowledge, and
recovery are sure fire ways to not only re-injure use of traditional lineaments is of the utmost im-
yourself, it is also the best way to create a new in- portance if a student really wishes to train to a high
jury. level of skill. Iron palm lineament allows a stu-
dent’s fist to be conditioned to withstand the ex-
When the body is injured it will attempt to compen- treme stress generated by high level punching
sate for that injury in many ways. Each of these power. Without the proper conditioning, a man is
ways will put additional stress on other body parts. quite capable of shattering his own hand and split-
When you work out with an injury to one body ting the skin apart, from the power of his own
part, you increase the likelihood of injuring all punch. This is just one of the reasons why it is so
other body parts. important to make use of the lineaments.
Another common manifestation of the “machismo I feel it is important for beginning level students to
stupid bug” is the tendency to not give up. I’ve be familiar with the following 6 herbal prepara-
seen friendly sessions of Judo randori (freestyle) tions:
turn into bone setting clinics because of this prac- iron palm liniment (tieh da jiao), hit/fall wine (tieh
Name English Use
Tieh Ta Jiao Iron Hit Wine/Lineament Strengthen/toughen hands
Tieh Ta Jiao Hit Wine/ Lineament Heal bruises & injuries
Zheng Gu Shui Correcting Bone Solution Heal fractures
Ba Zhen Wan Eight Precious Pill Strengthen Qi & Blood
Xiao Yao San Rambling Powder Facilitate Qi flow
Yunnan Bai Yao Yunnan White Medicine Stop bleeding

Page 47
ta jiao), bone setting lineament (zheng gu shui), ten damage the impact weapon as well as the tar-
precious pills (ba zhen wan), rambling powder get. This is especially true when one uses the hand
(xiao yao san) and soldiers pills (yunnan bai yao). as a weapon, and in particular the fist.
Liniments Using a good Iron Palm Wine from the beginning

of training can go a great way toward protecting a
practitioners hand, through the rigors of daily prac-
Lineaments are liquids, frequently alcohol based tice, and in the event of a violent self defense situa-
extractions, which are applied to the external body. tion.
Unless specifically noted, any given lineament
should not be applied to an open wound. It is possi- In addition to the above use, this lineament can be
ble that they might have substances, which are poi- used as an adjunct to specific hand conditioning
sonous if injected directly into the blood. In the regimens. However, the discussion of such practice
case of an open wound, it is possible that the linea- is beyond the scope of this article.
ment could be introduced to the blood stream.
Therefore unless directed by a professional, one Tieh Ta Jiao (Fall Hit Wine)
should err on the safe side and refrain form linea-
ment use on open wounds.
Although similar in name and function to Tieh Ta
Jiao (Iron Hit Wine), this is in fact, a separate en-
Tieh Ta Jiao (Iron Hit Wine) tity. In English the two names are spelled the same,
however, when written with Chinese characters, it
This is the formula that is so often referred to as can be seen that the “tieh” is actually two distinctly
Iron Palm Lineament. There are of course many different words. This lineament, the Fall Hit Wine
traditions and actual formulas for this substance, is a post-trauma product, while Iron Hit Wine is
each tradition believing it has the best. For basic generally a pre-trauma product.
training one really not need by the fanciest or most
expensive formula. The important thing is that it Fall Hit Wine, is used to alleviate bruising, swell-
helps to make your skin less likely to split from ing and pain, while dispersing Blood & Qi stasis. It
hard impact, and that it helps to strengthen the is applied post workout to any places where you
bones, ligaments and tendons of the hand. have received impact. It can quite effectively de-
crease the life of a bruise, sometimes removing it
Some formulas attempt to make the hand less sensi- totally in a very short time. This effect can be quite
tive to pain as well, however, I do not personally astonishing to those who’ve never witnessed it be-
recommend use of such a formula for basic train- fore, but perhaps more miraculous is its ability to
ing. Pain desensitization, if it is to be engaged in at keep bruises from ever forming in the first place.
all, is best left to the advanced practitioner.
If applied immediately to a local in which impact
A basic Iron Palm Lineament is however, quite use- was received, the Fall Hit Wine can frequently
ful to all martial artists, as it can help prepare the keep any ill effects from happening.
hand for the explosive impact that one will garner
in a real fight. When good Kung Fu mechanics are It should be noted that in Chinese medicine, bumps
trained, one becomes capable of delivering a tre- and bruises are seen as much more serious threats
mendous amount of force with the weapon of than they are in our Western counterpart. In our
choice. Unfortunately, this amount of force can of- view, the disruption that a bruise might cause to the

Page 48
flow of Qi, can lead to serious complications at a tual bone bruise. If its over a true bruise, the heat
later time. As the muscles are threaded with meridi- gets absorbed by it, and leaves the skin uninjured,
ans (energy lines), that regulate the function of the however, if it is misused (for regular bruises), the
internal organs, trauma which interferes with the heat does not get drawn into the bone, away from
meridian flow, can drastically effect an actual or- the skin. This will usually lead to a problem.
gan. For this reason, trauma lineament is consid-
ered very important in traditional Chinese martial At any rate, some simple common sense should
arts. prevent any problems. Simply remove the cotton
ball if the heat is to strong.
Zheng Gu Shui (True
The second use of Zheng Gu Shui is in setting frac-
Bone Water) tures and dislocations. As the lineament makes
bones stick where they are, it is important to re-
Zheng Gu Shui means True Bone Water, and as is member not to use the lineament unless the site has
implied by the name, it is a lineament for use in been set. Once the joint/bone has been reduced,
correcting bone problems. It has two primary uses, and application of Zheng Gu Shui will help to re-
the first is in treating bone bruises, and the second lieve pain, keep swelling from occurring, facilitate
is to help maintain the integrity of a newly reduced healing, and most importantly, keep the joint/bone,
(set bone). where it belongs.
If you’ve ever had a bone bruise, I’m sure you
would of sold your soul, or at least your baseball
card collection, for anything that would of made it Internal Supplements
go away. Untreated bone bruises can easily last for
months, and sometimes years, if untreated. They Herbal supplements can have a profound effect on
are quite painful, and depending on their location, the body, and should be respected as medicine.
can severely hamper ones ability to train. Chinese herbal tonics are frequently taken by a
healthy individuals at there own discretion, how-
In treating bone bruises, Zheng Gu Shui is normally ever it should always remembered that a balanced
used to soak a cotton ball, which is then placed tonic preparation, made for a healthy individual,
against the bruise, and covered with a bandage. may well create further imbalance in an unhealthy
When the cotton ball is dry, it is time to take it off, individual. It is always best, and I advise getting
give the skin a little rest, and eventually repeat the personal advice from a knowledgeable professional
process. This can be a very effective method of before taking any supplement, regardless of its na-
eliminating a bone bruise. ture or origin.
As effective as Zheng Gu Shui is for healing these

nasty things, it is not without its downside. Zheng
Ba Zhen Wan (Eight Precious
Gu Shui is one of those lineaments that heats up. Pill)
When it is applied and then covered with a ban-
dage, it really heats up. It can be painful, and occa- Ba Zhen Tang (Eight Precious Soup) is the most
sionally it might even burn the skin a little. So it common formula for simultaneously fortifying
something to be aware of. Generally. The skin only both the Qi and Blood. As such, it is an excellent
gets burned if the lineament is not indeed on an ac- supplement for those recovering from a lowered
blood volume or extreme fatigue.

Page 49
Powder)
Ba Zhen Tang was used in the past for bolstering a
soldiers strength after he had received heavy To relieve Liver Stagnation, the most commonly
wounds in battle. It should be understood that this used formula is Xiao Yao San. Xiao Yao San is an
formula is not for use in an acute situation. Its ap- excellent formula, that works quite well. It has a
propriate time of use is once the patient is in the re- nice balance of dispersing and toning herbs, that
covery phase. When used this way it can drastically creates a good harmonization effect. It has a tonify-
hasten recovery, allowing a man to return to normal ing effect on the Spleen and Blood, while simulta-
duties much more quickly than would otherwise be neously relieving Liver Stagnation.
possible.
As an aid to the martial artist, Xiao Yao San can be
While the modern martial artist isn’t likely to suffer quite useful. By nature, the average martial artist
severe sword wounds, there is still a place for this has a propensity to liver stagnation. This is due not
formula, in his medicine chest. As it builds Qi & only to mindset and personality, but due to the na-
Blood, Ba Zhen Tang can be used for must condi- ture of their physical practice as well.
tions of depletion. Some examples are: recovery
from over-training, recovery from blood spilling Taking falls, and hits can not only lead to bruising,
trauma, recovery from/nutritional supplement dur- but Liver stagnation too. The addition of Xiao Yao
ing fasts, increasing flexibility. It is especially use- San, to a standard tieh ta formula, can greatly in-
ful during the study and recovery phase of tests. crease the efficacy of treatment.
This formula is also of extreme benefit to the fe- This makes an excellent formula choice for those
male martial artists, as it is quite helpful in allaying wishing to increase their flexibility, control anger,
the side effects of excessive menstruation. If used and for those recovering from a sound beating. It
appropriately Ba Zhen Tang can be used to treat can also be useful in ameliorating some of the
both amenorrhea and menorhagia. negative side effects of too much one sided prac-
tice.
Ba Zhen Tang is available as a patent medicine
called Ba Zhen Wan (eight precious pill). In Amer-
ica, for reasons discussed above, the prepared or Yunnan Bai Yao (Yunnan White
"patent" version is often referred to as "women’s Medicine)
precious pills". Don't be fooled by the name, its
equally good for both men and women. This powder is a bit of miracle, as well as being a
very confounding substance to Western science. It
In a healthy individual, this preparation makes an is capable of both stopping blood flow as well as
excellent tonification formula, and as it is fully bal- restoring it. The herb itself seems to know when
anced, can be taken without an Herbalists recom- each action is appropriate, and acts accordingly.
mendation, provided one is not already ill. Addi- Herbs that have this tendency to perform opposing
tionally, the herbs in this formula can be added to functions, and “make decisions on their own”, are
soups, and eaten, as they are mild in taste (though generally referred to as adaptogens, these days, and
some taste better than others), and quite nutritious. they wreak havoc with clinical tests.
Xiao Yao San (Rambling Be that as it may, Yunnan Bai Yao is a superior
product to have in any first aid kit. It can be ap-

Page 50
plied both topically and internally to stop bleeding.

This versatility makes it excellent in trauma situa- About the author: Arthur L. Sennott began his
tions, as it can easily be used for both conscious combined study of Asian healing and martial
and unconscious patients alike. arts 20 years ago. He currently maintains a split
practice between Cape Cod, MA, and Milford,
Yunnan Bai Yao is a regular part of the Chinese NH. Arthur combines his knowledge of Sotai,
army’s standard first aid kits, and its efficacy is Kappo, and Traditional Chinese Herbalism, to
truly battlefield worthy. It can be used in acute specialize in degenerative musculo-skeletal dis-
situations for everything from scrapes to gun shot orders, and traumatic injury management.
wounds.
His current practice of martial arts includes Fili-
In addition to its use in arresting bleeding, Yunnan pino Kali, Xing Yi Quan, and the Russian Com-
Bai Yao can be used to alleviate blood stasis and bat Art: Systema.
pain, and is therefore useful as a general trauma
herb. It can significantly decrease healing time, and © Arthur Sennott 1999
is quite useful in reducing swelling. For use in non-
bleeding trauma situations the herb should be taken
internally. Its efficacy can be increased by taking it
with a small amount of red wine.

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ALMA

IN THIS MONTH’S ISSUE:

ALMA MEMBERS EDITION DECEMBER 1999 . . . . . . . . . 1

ALMA Martial Arts December 1999

Arthur Sennott, Editor’s Corner 3

ALMA MEMBERS EDITION DECEMBER 1999 . . . . . . . . . 2

Editorial: Martial Arts and the Year 2000

By Fabien Sena, ALMA Founder and Webmaster

ALMA MEMBERS EDITION DECEMBER 1999 . . . . . . . . . 3

Qi Corner: May the Force...

By Fabien Sena, ALMA Founder and Webmaster

The Purpose, Function and Requirements of Qigong

Secondly, slow and rhythmic breathing, with their

Thirdly, the advanced respiratory movements of

ALMA MEMBERS EDITION DECEMBER 1999 . . . . . . . . . 4

Fundamentals Of Kicking: Part 1

Basic Foot Strikes, or what one normally refers

Before we begin discussing the specifics of kick- Six Goals Of Kicking

Cause Direct Impact Damage

This is the most obvious goal of kicking, and what

ALMA MEMBERS EDITION DECEMBER 1999 . . . . . . . . . 5

ALMA MEMBERS EDITION DECEMBER 1999 . . . . . . . . . 6

This method of integrating kicks with grappling Conclusion

ALMA MEMBERS EDITION DECEMBER 1999 . . . . . . . . . 7

Traditional Chinese Weapons and Related Arms

Part 7: Acrobats and Traveling Performers

In their shows, roving entertainers presented vari-

ALMA MEMBERS EDITION DECEMBER 1999 . . . . . . . . . 8

ALMA MEMBERS EDITION DECEMBER 1999 . . . . . . . . . 9

Japanese Kata: Heian Sandan

ALMA MEMBERS EDITION DECEMBER 1999 . . . . . . . . . 10

ALMA MEMBERS EDITION DECEMBER 1999 . . . . . . . . . 11

ALMA MEMBERS EDITION DECEMBER 1999 . . . . . . . . . 12

Italian Fencing: Lovino’s Traitè D'Escrime

In fact, the martial traditions of humanity all hold

Westerners were not very interested in advanced

ALMA MEMBERS EDITION DECEMBER 1999 . . . . . . . . . 13

Methodology But enough discussion, let me allow you to begin

ALMA MEMBERS EDITION DECEMBER 1999 . . . . . . . . . 14

V - Pompeo and Curzio went to fence in a fight in

II - The first stop of

III - The second stop of

IV - Scipione, having called Annibale to a duel

ALMA MEMBERS EDITION DECEMBER 1999 . . . . . . . . . 15

IX - Ottavio is challenged by Marcello with the

X - Costante and Bellisario went in duel with the

ALMA MEMBERS EDITION DECEMBER 1999 . . . . . . . . . 16

XVIII - Domito went with Trajano in the fence

XIX - Sertorio, as the provoker, has gone in the

ALMA MEMBERS EDITION DECEMBER 1999 . . . . . . . . . 17

XXI - Martio to prove his word entered in the fence

ALMA MEMBERS EDITION DECEMBER 1999 . . . . . . . . . 18

XXX - Tiberio, to prove the mistake of Cesareo

XXXI - Metio and Polinice went in the fence to

ALMA MEMBERS EDITION DECEMBER 1999 . . . . . . . . . 19

The Self-Stretching Principle The Development of Jin

ALMA MEMBERS EDITION DECEMBER 1999 . . . . . . . . . 20

1. Beng is the outward turning to push. Alternatively, one can de-

ALMA MEMBERS EDITION DECEMBER 1999 . . . . . . . . . 21

ALMA MEMBERS EDITION DECEMBER 1999 . . . . . . . . . 22

Increasing Fighting Skills with Psychophysiology

Psychophysiology is the synthesis between experi-

In the field of martial arts, this fairly new science