Mike Martello In Action

Chin Na

Bagua Class

These are two of my favorite Mike Martello videos. I put these together because of the contrast they provide for the type of training that Mike packs into his classes. The first video shows the power he can generate, despite his small size. Notice the whole-body motion, the use he makes out of waist turning, swinging his arms in a full range of motion to strike, check or set up locks. His joint locking employs much more circular and spiral motion in the set-ups than what we have been practicing at our Dojo.
The second video is of a Bagua class, and it clearly shows supple, loose yet structured body movement. Here Mike teaches Xiao Kai Men, a linear Bagua form. We did not practice this entire form at the seminar I attended, but used select pieces of it in solo and partner application. Notice the "coiling snake" stepping pattern at 3:42 in the video. This is the stepping pattern I have been dying to learn for a year now, and we went over it for quite a bit at the seminar. Not only is it a beautiful pattern, stepping and coiling, but it has a great application for countering a wrist lock. Lots of "drilling", as in rotational extension, and expanding of the joints. Just fantastic stuff, I absolutely love it...