With a dash of the unexpected.
CMAT is in two weeks! Have you signed up to volunteer yet? If so, you’re an awesome possum and we love you forever. If not, sign up now at http://cmat.calwushu.com/volunteer/. No experience is necessary, and you’ll receive a free t-shirt, food, and admission into the competition! Come see what wushu is all about :D
Four more weeks until CMAT 21!
Registration closes on March 8th: http://cmat.calwushu.com/register/
Sign up to volunteer here: http://cmat.calwushu.com/volunteer/
I think it’s pretty cool that I can learn taekwondo on Thursday, and then teach my taekwondo instructor some wushu on Sunday. Don’t knock other martial arts; they all have something you can learn from.
It’s that time of year again… Time for UC Berkeley’s annual Chinese Martial Arts Tournament! This year CMAT will take place on March 30th, at Haas Pavilion on the UC campus. Volunteering and registration are both online; sign up now! Volunteers will receive a free t-shirt, food, and admission into the competition. Competitors will receive honor and glory for their families.
Third Compulsory Changquan (Take 3)
My hands are too high at 0:07 and too close at 0:08. Need to hold some of those stances longer. Lift the left leg higher for the jump outside. My jump front and aerial are both too slow. I need to relax more when I’m running, and stay on the balls of my feet. I opened up my hip too much on the butterfly kick. Overall, I need to make my movements sharper and faster, extend my arms further, and clean up my transitions.
Comments?
Registration for the 21st annual Chinese Martial Arts Tournament is now open! The competition will take place on Saturday, March 30th, at Haas Pavilion in UC Berkeley. Check the rules here: http://cmat.calwushu.com/?page_id=13. Sign up now!
CMAT 21 is coming on March 30th, 2013!
Save the date on your calender! UC Berkeley’s annual Chinese Martial Arts Tournament is approaching once more, and we will need volunteers to help us run the show. Check out http://cmat.calwushu.com/ for more information.
3rd Compulsory Daoshu
I think I pause too long at certain parts, and I don’t pause enough at others (i.e. I don’t make my movements clear enough). My aerial needs work :\ I didn’t land the jump inside kick to splits on purpose, but I need to practice that transition more. My flowers got sloppy and I became much slower as I ran out of energy; I need to watch out for that. That front sweep was terrible - I think it’s a problem with keeping my back straight. My empty stance at the end should be lower, and I need to work on transitioning into it.
Comments?
Got my first taste of traditional bajiquan today
It’s completely different from the bajiquan I learned with my wushu school. Outwardly the two look similar, but there’s a lot more power generation and internal aspects in the traditional version. Bajiquan uses fajin (explosive power) and short-range creeping strikes, so it’s very different from modern longfist. I feel like I’m really going back to the roots of chinese martial arts; it’s pretty cool. It’s also tiring, though - I feel like I used up all my qi energy in that half hour session, haha. Now I’m hungry…
Is it better or worse to learn more than one thing at once?
This is a question that’s often come up while I learn wushu, or martial arts in general. Should I pick up some fanzi while I’m still learning baji? Should I try out taekwondo as well as judo? There is so much to explore in the world of martial arts, and there will never be enough time to do it all. But is there a benefit to learning multiple styles at the same time? There is always the fear of doing too much at once and never mastering anything, and on the flip side, spending too much time on one style and having a limited arsenal. What do you think are the pros and cons of multitasking? When is it okay to move on to something new?
400 competitors
We have 400 competitors registered for CMAT 20! So much awesome. The deadline has been extended by a week, so if you still want to register, you have until March 18th to do so!
If, on the other hand, you would like to volunteer and get free food, a t-shirt, and admission into the competition, sign up here:
Tutorial videos for wushu basics and jumps.
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7EA41EB7CAF09D13&feature=plcp
There are also playlists for weapons and some other martial arts.
Notes on General Wushu Technique
This is a list I started to help out beginners in longfist. If you think of any additions, please add them, either in a reply or a reblog. Thanks!
- Make sure you have good stances. 90 and 180 degrees for horse and bow stance; legs parallel to the ground for empty stance; front leg straight out for drop stance.
- Power comes from the waist and the legs. When you punch, push off of the ground with your foot, twist your waist, and drive your fist forward.
- Punches and palm strikes should travel in a straight line from your waist to the target.
- Keep your back straight! Always, always keep your back straight!
- Complete each movement. Don’t rush through the form; make sure your punch “connects” before moving on.
- Keep your legs straight when you kick (this includes butterfly and cartwheel).
- A kick has two movements. Kick up, and then kick down (or to the side, for an outside kick).
- When you strike, extend your arm fully.
- Don’t hunch your shoulders; they should stay relaxed.
- Accelerate! A movement should start fast and end faster. For a punch, hold the twist until the very end.
- Know what your other arm is doing, whether that be a block, home of the fist, or straight out.
- Your fists should move in sync: when one pushes forward, the other pulls back. Both are driven by the same twisting motion of your waist.
- When you transition between stances, stay as low as possible (while keeping your back straight). Your head should not pop up between a horse stance and a bow stance.
- Face your target. When you turn to strike, snap your head to follow the motion of your hand.
- Each form has its own rhythm. Know when to pause, speed up or slow down.
- Be confident. If you think you look awesome, you will look awesome.
