Rise, Drill, Fall, Overturn- Part 2

Above we see Tim Cartmell demonstrating Xingyi's Pi Chuan, or splitting fist.
There's a lot of information in this clip, which includes the rising, drilling, falling and overturning of the palm.
This sequence however, has more to do with unified body movement than just an overturning palm.
Here's what famous author and martial historian Robert W. Smith had to say about Rise, Drill, Fall, Overturn:

"The fundamental tactic- and one the masters practice by the hour- is the same as in Pa Kua: rise, drill, fall, overturn. Twist as you rise and overturn as you fall. Twist as your head pushes up and overturn as your head contracts. Twist while your hands stretch out and overturn while they lower. Twist as your foot goes foward and overturn as it drops in place. Your waist rises as you twist and falls as you overturn. Rise equals go, fall equals strike. Together they mean to strike like a rolling wave. Each part must be clearly differentiated: all must be done like lightning. This is facilitated by keeping the body relaxed until the last instant. A cardinal principle of Hsing-i is that all movements must be done lightly and briskly without the heavy muscular contraction of Karate."

Mike Patterson in Pi Chuan, Splitting Fist

Xingyi Two-Man Drill

Sifu Rudy and B.T. Novell
Here we begin a study of a great Xingyi two-man drill. While I've learned the 88-movement two-man San Shou form from Tai Chi Chuan, I have not practiced this Xingyi two-man drill yet.
Sifu Rudy and B.T. (Novell) get us started with a basic explanation of the movements, slow enough that we can understand what's going on.


Mike Patterson and student
Now, we see Mike Patterson demonstrating this form, and it adds a whole new level of intensity to the training.
This is why I love live, continuous movement training drills. Sure, it is holding to a pattern, but think about this:
When we were in TKD or Kenpo, I watched students blow a three-movement self-defense drill. They would un-wind from the position they stopped in, and attempt to start the drill again. There was no spontaineity of movement and because they blew the simple drill they had no back-up plan such as evading another attack. On the other hand, drills like the ones in this post allow for non-stop movement and encourage free action when necessary. Thats a very good thing, providing one has the basics.


Master Shouyu Liang and Sam Maisch

Now we see the form, or a more advanced version in action. Kicks are included. It's very stylized but beautiful and powerful at the same time.
I had the pleasure of meeting Sam Maisch when he visited our little island and taught a push-hands workshop. He is very, very skilled and one of the nicest instructors I've trained with. I hope to practice with him again some time...

Mike Patterson: Bagua

And here we have Mike Patterson showing some Bagua apps.
I never thought of this kind of exercise with a staff that he shows at the beginning, I'll have to give it a try!
One thing I see about his applications is he does demonstrate a knowledge of meridian acu-points. People have a misconception that palm or finger strikes to the body don't work. But if you have the correct angle in application, it can be devestating. Perhaps you have experianced this in sparring, where out of the blue an ordinary slap or punch really rocks you and you feel it in your intestines or bladder. Now think about what a well timed, well foucused and well angled hit would do with intent behind it.
Granted, it's not easy to get to peoples vulnerable areas like that, but more often they present themself to you, and you have to seize the moment.

Mike Patterson: Liu He Ba fa

Here's Mike Patterson again, this time performing a more obscure internal art known as LiuHeBaFa. The name translates to "Six Harmonies, Eight Methods" and is also known as "Water Boxing".
While I have not yet found anyone that practices this art, I see it is remarkably similar to Tai Chi Chuan.
Here, Patterson does a good job at first demonstrating the soft, flowing movements of the art, then showing how powerful the applications can be.
More information on the history and development of LiuHeBaFa, "Water Boxing" can be found on this Wikipedia page.

Mike Patterson Hsing-I

This week we'll take a look at some of the work of Mike Patterson, one of the best internal martial arts practitioners in the United States.
Here's from his Bio:

He "began Martial Arts training at the age of six. He has over 42 years of Martial Arts experience, 32 years teaching the Internal Styles of Hsing I, Pa Kua, Tai Chi and Liou He Ba Fah. He is the highest ranking teacher in the United States Shen Lung Tang Shou Tao Association, and is Head of the United States Branch.
When he had barely turned thirteen, he moved to the island of Taiwan and began his formal studies in the Internal Arts under Master Hsu Hong Chi. He was with Hsu Shr Fu, as his primary teacher, until his untimely passing in 1983.
ShrFu Patterson was the All Taiwan Full Contact Martial Arts Champion in 1975-1976, an all inclusive contest open to all styles and all ranks. He was the youngest champion ever in the history of the event and retired undefeated. He has since trained Numerous World, International and National Full Contact Champions himself. He served as the West Coast Regional Director of the United States Chinese KuoShu Federation from 1996 to 2001 and now serves as a special advisor for the same organization on the internal martial arts, he was Men’s Coach of the 1996 World Team U.S.A. Inside Kung Fu Magazine chose him as The 1997 Coach Of The Year."

Here's his website