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Saturday, July 21, 2012

The different Jing (explosion of force)


Offensive Jing

Repelling
"Repelling" is an offensive Jing that is very aggressive, even in defense. The idea is to ​​keep a protection zone in front of us, a circular area like a balloon in which we don't let any force penetrate. This is the area which we determine while holding the tree, a space where nothing can come in.
"Repelling" is not really a parry but a way to make the attack bounce and to hit in the same move. It is also a way to make the opponent fall when we managed to get into his guard. It is difficult to explain "repelling", but very easy to demonstrate. For those who already know, these explanations are simple.

The ideal thing to work on the repelling energy is to use a bag which we will make heavier and heavier. We can practice pushing, hitting, bouncing and deflecting. When using this move, this concept actually, the whole intent must be in aggressiveness.



Screwing

This is a striking power that screws at the moment of the impact. This is the idea of ​​screwing (in any direction) after reaching the target. This circular action after impact involves a deep penetration of the power. We can strike with the fist, the knuckles, one finger or the palm. It is a way of hitting that we would love to use more often but which is hard to apply.

To train this, just put the fist on the still punching bag and suddenly screw the fist to propel the bag. This Jing is often used on cavities because they contain vital points of the human body. The focus must be inside the body as if it we wanted to send the power of impact under the surface of the target.


Breaking

Breaking is used on the opponent's joints. This is very close to the intent we need  to cut wood. We need to focus and to aim at the branch that we will cut. This is just before the impact of the ax on the branch that we aim, then we have to accelerate the movement and extend it after touching the branch. For an effective action, we must remain relaxed and use force only at the end of the movement.

The best way to learn that Jing is to break small branches between the forearms. It is first advised to protect the arms but very quickly we get used to this movement. The most important is to focus the intent on what we do.


Circular

Whether it's a boxing hook, a "teaching slap", a circular elbow strike or a way of catching, circular strength is paramount in the art of combat. The most important work will be to coordinate all the body segments so that nothing is left behind during the rotation. We must remain completely relaxed until the end of the rotation, when we add a little more power in the last part of the movement before returning immediately to the starting position.

Throwing the whole body in one direction and then bringing it back in the other, reminds the movement of the whip. The quicker we bring the movement back, the more the power will penetrate deep inside the target as does the whip. This is an aggressive yet very relaxed Jing which gets effectiveness only with a lot of practice.

To train this, the ideal thing is again to take a punching bag in which you try to hit very quickly, causing a lot of noise but without pushing the bag.


Diving

The energy of the "diving" Jing can be horizontal or vertical. This is an horizontal energy when diving inside the guard to avoid an attack and not to be in the danger zone. For example, if an opponent tries to hit us in the face and that we have the reflex to dive inside his guard, his shot will hit an empty space or our shoulder. On an offensive or defensive action, we can use the vertical diving strike to hit the ribs downward, the hip or the leg often causing the opponent to fall. We can use this Jing in throwing more than in striking. This is a very good way to control while causing minimal damage.

On the punching bag you train while trying to reach the last ten centimeters of the bag, located around hip height. We start standing, straight on the legs, and when striking we drop the whole the bodyweight on 10 or 15 centimeters down. "Diving" brings a heavy hit  which take the opponent's balance.


Pushing

We can easily understand what it means to push but it is difficult to understand how aggressive it can be, detering the opponent to continue the fight. We can push forward, downward or upward. We can push with one hand or with both, with long or short power. We can use the pushing power as a strike or as an action where the idea is to send off the opponent. It turns out not to be the most appropriate response, given that most of the time we will have to go get him back. The power of the push is obviously not in the arms but in the source of the power of the body, that is to say the legs and feet on the ground.

The most effective way to train pushing power is divided into two stages. We start by pushing something that does not move and after some practice we go to a pretty heavy bag on which one uses the same force. It is a training that is to be done, pretty hard to describe. A short power push can be very effective before bringing any other strikes: it is a way to shock the opponent to prevent him from responding.


Catching

"Catching" is a force that can be used to control, destabilize or throw. In general, it is recommended to engage contact with the surface to catch and then to feint in the opposite direction of the one you want to catch him into. The opponent's reaction will be to tense, which will make the throwing easier and reduce his ability to defend.

If the "catching" Jing is strong enough, it may be sufficient for itself. Most of the time, catching is a way to bring another Jing like "screwing", "circular" or "pushing". Rooting is essential in this kind of Jing as the person caught will inevitably attempt to break free. If we do not have a good balance on the legs, it is a dangerous Jing which can cost our own balance.

The only way to train "catching" is to have a partner with whom we can this concept.


Elbow

In close range elbow is an indispensable asset that makes the difference. This attack is obviously difficult to counter and, inflicting heavy damage; but it is also a clever way to parry. Using the elbow for parry is effective since it breaks the aggression. Knowing how to use the elbows turns them into hand when we are close to the opponent. Again, explaining it with words is not worth the practice where the understanding is immediate. The use of elbow strikes can be straight, circular, rising or falling.

All these attacks are worked on a bag or on a moving target. These moves are also ways to parry with the elbow. The fighting arts, regardless of styles, always bring to a very short distance to reduce the danger. Without the practice of Jing elbows, it will be impossible to respond properly within a short distance.


Rubbing

We can use the hand or the forearm before rubbing on the front, on the side, up or down. This concept can be used to rub against an arm or a leg but can also be used on a seizing attempt to clear the way and be able to apply another Jing. It is a way to deflect the opponent slightly without sending him too far away, before engaging in a counter-attack.

A heavy punching bag will be very useful to train this Jing. We make the bag rotate without the use of the closed hand but with a rubbing action of the forearms. By rolling the bag we go from one forearm to the other, which develops their sensitivity. Rubbing can also be used in a sudden and violent manner, with the idea of ​​a ricochet. An advanced method involves taking a stick and rolling the hand and the whole arm on one side and on the other. Rubbing against the stick allows to condition the arms subtly while developing even more sensitivity.


The defensive Jing


Pulling

The pulling action deflects the opponent and puts it in the position that suits us best. This Jing can be long or very short. With enough rooting, the action of pulling is enough to throw on the ground but can also cause a KO. To throw the opponent we just need to pull him by moving his center of gravity towards the empty point of his support polygon. People who are already familiar with the fighting arts will understand what is written.

If you learn to pull the arm in a brief and violent manner, it will cause a tension in the trapezium, which itself will compress a nerve in the neck. It is difficult to believe that if we never experienced a Jing violent enough to twist the head. This is a independant Jing, but which can also, like all other Jing, be done in combination.

The best way to train this is to use a wooden dummy and to practice exercises on it.


Intercepting-sticking

It is a defensive Jing where we go ahead of the opponent's strike, blocking his attacking Jing and staying stuck to his arms. Without using the hands to catch the arms we will use the palms, forearms and arms to stick as much as possible and prevent the opponent from finding enough space to thrust another attack. Moreover, this very short distance is appropriate to perform different types of Jing, since the opponent is made more vulnerable because he's tense.

This is a Jing difficult to apply but if you master it well enough, it becomes one of the best to use. Not only the opponent is turned harmless, but in addition we do not have to cause too much physical damage.

The only way to train "intercepting-sticking" is to practice appopriate exercises with a partner. This is an advanced defensive Jing but very interesting to work on. Moreover, the practice of this Jing is by far one of the funniset in our way.



Opening-closing

These two opposed Jing allow to have to have a fast defense against surprising attacks. These are the typical parries which are found everywhere in the fighting arts. We have to understand that they are never a first choice but rather a backup solution when you have been surprised. To control the opponent, we have to use an aggressive Jing as soon as possible after opening or closing.

Again, the best way to understand this Jing is to train with an opponent who will try to surprise us by attacking quickly.


This was a first introduction to the various Jing for a simple usage. There are endless variations on Jing, knowing that each move, each situation can involve a different Jing. We have to understand that it is infinitely more effective to work rather than forms. Only when the Jing are perfectly mastered, we can use the forms as technical reminders.

The reason why Chinese internal arts are mostly  useless today is precisely because many teachers forms  sell the forms more easily than the difficult work that is Jing training . Again, they focus on the external form, which remains anecdotal for internal arts, while the essence of martial arts lies in the methods ...