Sensei Strange on "Parting Wild Horses Mane"

Our buddy Sensei Strange produced this video in response to Tai Chi Chuan's "parting wild horses mane" a while back and is now re-introducing it to us.
I love the production quality he has, it makes my little videos look pretty crappy.
Here's a clarification on the difference in technique with the Aikido he demonstrates.
In Tai Chi Chuan, PWHM definitely rotates the waist throwing the opponent over your leg/thigh. The arm is typically under the opponent's arm. The rotation is the key, and you must be deep into the opponent's center. Strange does a great job at breaking the opponent's structure in his demo.
The curved arm position is called "Peng" or "Ward-off". He uses it correctly when his palm faces himself, with back of hand towards opponent.
When Strange uses his "Peng" arm to rotate or strike the opponent's head/face, it would be called "eyebrow mopping" in Chinese arts. It is particularly effective when used to turn the opponent's head/neck, where the head goes the body follows.
Likewise, if the projection is not over the leg in a rotating motion, and instead more linear, it would be more like "Slant Flying". In the previous Su Dong Chen video I posted he uses it more like that or with a shoulder strike..
It's fun to watch Strange flow through his motions, Aikido is beautiful to watch.

Here's some more of Su Dong Chen working the technique, note that he is using a linear projection, not rotating over the leg as in :parting wild horses mane".
Also note the hand strike set-up and the alternative take downs if things change:


And here's me and Zackey Chan doing a loop drill with this technique a few years ago:

Su Dong Chen: Entering Method

Here's a nice way of setting up what Tai Chi Chuan calls "parting wild horses mane".
Su Dong Chen has a very eclectic version of Internal Martial Arts, and this looks a lot like some of the entries Tim Cartmell teaches also.
The problem many Tai Chi guys have is being nearly completely immobile. I think it comes from too much fixed step (stationary) push hands, where opponents stay rooted and try to off balance each other.
I recently had some e-mails from "Bob", who asked how to neutralize gut punches from his son while they are doing some light sparring. Bob does Yang Tai Chi Chuan and push hands.
I encouraged him to bring his extended guard in closer as the opponent closes, to slip and cover rather than reach out to parry when the opponent is in hitting range.
This is non-traditional for an art like Tai Chi Chuan, but we gotta' use what works.
The second bit of advice relates to what I mentioned above: Don't get stuck in a root. Move evasively and root when you hit.
Likewise, as Su Dong Chen demonstrates above, "Call to get a response" - that is open with a hand attack to get the desired response from your attacker.
The projection Chen does on the student is actually more like the Xingyi "Rooster announces the dawn", where "parting wild horses mane" rotates the opponent over your lead leg/thigh. The entry principle is the same.
It is also like "Slant Flying", but I believe slant flying usually has your arm above the opponent's arm rather than below.

Su Dong Chen Mixes It Up

I just love to watch this guy move.
Su Dong Chen was trained in Taiwan by Hung I Hsiang in Taiji, Xingyi and Bagua. since then he has developed his own variations and blends of these arts.
Here is a little background on Su from his website "The Essence of Evolution":

“Essence of Evolution” is a research-based approach, specializing in evolutionary developmental processes based on the essence of martial arts and physical movement/exercise. EOE’s founder, Master. Su Dong-Chen, is an eminent authority of martial arts.
The Martial Arts Philosophy developed by Master. Su has as its cornerstone the study of physical phenomenon as they actually manifest, a kind of philosophical positivism. This is based upon and tested through actual fighting experience, as well as Master Su’s mastery in his background arts, the Chinese Internal Martial Arts styles Xing Yi Quan, Ba Gua Zhang, and Tai Ji Quan. Mr. Su is also well-versed in Southern and Northern, Shaolin Kung-fu, and the various martial arts and fighting sports of Japan and the West. He has specialized in developing and carrying out experimental proof of technical principles, as well as the research and application of tactical thought. For more information about Mr. Su and his philosophy, please refer to his biography.
In looking beyond the boundaries of any style or any school, as a result of unrelenting quest for evolution, and through research of the essence of martial arts, Mr. Su’s martial arts philosophy gradually formulated a uniform system of theory: “Consistent Technique” in defense, striking, and throwing/joint locking; and a comprehensive relationship of the principles “Point, Line, Cross, and Spiral."

His website has lots and lots of information, you can check it out HERE.

Su Dong Chen With Multiple Attackers

Some of you have probably seen this before, but here is Su Dong Chen handling multiple attackers.
My old Korean Master, Tae Hong Choi used to yell at us "Line 'em up!", and that's exactly what Su Dong Chen does here. Sure, there's a lot of slapping and minor strikes, but the emphasis is on movement and positioning. Use one opponent as a human shield against the others.
I have no doubt that if this confrontation was real, he would be hitting these guys with lethal strikes as well.

Su Dong Chen: Crossing Fist Application

Back to Martial Arts:
Master Su Dong Chen began training at Hong Yi Xiang's Tang Shou Tao martial arts school in 1968. He has a very impressive background, and has a unique way of presenting the Chinese Internal Martial Arts. He is currently teaching and living in Japan.
Here, he demonstrates an application of "crossing fist" from Xingyi. We have used similar applications in our Wing Chun instruction, but this is a little different. In true xingyi fashion, you keep pressing in all the time. Too bad this clip is so short, but he has lots of others I may bring up.
Here is Su Dong Chen's website, "The Essence Of Evolution", with lots of information on his Internal arts styles, and short video clips. I'm going to be studying this guy for a while.
Here, from Wikipedia is some background on Tang Shou Tao:

"Tang Shou Tao is not a separate style of martial art, but rather a practical, step-by-step, systematic approach to learning internal martial arts and developing highly refined levels of skill. It incorporates elements of all three of the major Chinese internal arts (xingyiquan, baguazhang, and taijiquan) as well as Shaolin kung fu and qigong. However, the emphasis of this system is on xingyi and bagua. Although the system itself was formed and founded by Hung I-Hsiang during the 1950s and 1960s, the roots of using the commonalities of bagua and xingyi in practice and application can easily be traced back through Hung's teacher Chang Chun-Feng (張俊峰) to his teachers, Li Cunyi (李存義) and Gao Yisheng (高義盛).
When Hung I-Hsiang took a trip to Japan, he was very impressed with the way martial arts instruction was organized there. He liked the uniforms, the belt system, and the systematic approach to training. Subsequently, he adopted many of the Japanese style martial arts school characteristics when he opened his own school. The students had belt ranks, wore Japanese style uniforms, and Hung devised a more systematic approach to martial arts instruction than what was typical of most Chinese style schools".

Very cool stuff.
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Anybody else had trouble loading YouTube lately?
I've done tons of computer clean-ups, spyware checks etc, and I still have to let a video load and come back to view it later.
Could just be the slow DSL service on our remote undisclosed island hideout...