Blogs

Tips to Avoid Getting The Flu

Tue, 10/11/2009 - 4:25pm — ashe

Naturally everyone is concerned this year about catching the flu. Here's some interesting information you may not have read before that was forwarded to me by my best friends mom.

I happen to keep some mouth wash in my locker anyway, so I've been extra motivated to make sure and use it twice a day!

Know the Difference between Cold and Flu Symptoms

Symptom	Cold	Flu
Fever

FLKF Martial Arts in Tempe, Arizona - Warm Up Stretches

Thu, 03/09/2009 - 4:19pm — ashe

Breathing in and out, exhaling and inhaling, they get rid of the old to absorb the new. They swing like bears and stretch like birds - all this they do in order to have long life. They are Daoyin disciples, people who nourish their form seeking for longevity like Pengzu.
-Zhuang Zi

I-Liq Chuan's Spike Energy - The Square within the Circle

Tue, 25/08/2009 - 5:43pm — ashe

Just training martial arts in Tempe is fine, but one of the cool parts about being involved with a martial art like I-Liq Chuan is the opportunity to meet people from all over the world, and to get a chance to travel a bit to meet my Sifu for workshops outside of Arizona.

I shot this clip at the recent workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Martial Arts, Tai Chi Principles &The Body

Thu, 13/08/2009 - 4:16pm — ashe

One of the reasons I like to follow the Dragon Door crew is that, besides the fact that they know their stuff where sports performance is concerned, they also often provide some tantalizing food for thought about martial arts, especially the so called "internal martial arts".

In a recent issue of the "Power by Pavel" newsletter an article by Franz Snideman RKC TL, CK-FMS on the pistol squat got me thinking about the potential relevance to I-Liq Chuan, and what we call "the mechanism of body movement", or Liq Hok in Hakka.

Tempe, Az Martial Art of Awareness workshop clip - joint locks

Thu, 06/08/2009 - 5:52pm — ashe

Joint Locks (Chin Na) in I-Liq Chuan

Throughout the history of martial arts most have developed some form of joint locks (Chin Na 擒拿). Chinese joint locking techniques may have influenced Japanese martial arts like jiu-jitsu. According to wikipedia;

Martial Art of Awareness, Tempe, Az workshop clip - Completing the Loop

Tue, 28/07/2009 - 5:14pm — ashe

During the Spring workshop here in Arizona, my Sifu, Master Sam F.S. Chin spent time covering the concept of "completing the loop" in some detail. The following clip is probably the clearest example of the concept of the loop and the interrelated concept of "every circle having a cross" we have on video.

The idea is that you must pass the "energy" or vector of force past each of the cardinal points on the circle before your loop can be complete. Why is this important? Well in the words of my senior brother Alex (Chief Instructor of Russia), "it's like when a fish swallows the hook completely". It's the application of force not just at the point of contact with the opponent, but it's as if you're pulling from their feet directly.

My Third San Da Fight , and First Loss...

Tue, 21/07/2009 - 8:30am — ashe

So after months of training, hard work and anticipation here in Tempe, I'm now dealing with the disappointment of my first loss.

I'm doing my best remain mindful of the various mental states associated with the post fight period, and use that observation and awareness as a continuing part of the training process. After all, even after my win last year at the Kuo Shu in Baltimore, I felt the same sense of disappointment for not performing up to the standards I set for myself. As someone pointed out to me this weekend, apparently I'm a "closet perfectionist".

Tempe, AZ workshop clip - Mindfulness, Martial Arts and the "Fullness"

Tue, 07/07/2009 - 4:44pm — ashe

Here's another short clip from the Spring 2009 workshop in Tempe, Arizona of my Sifu (Master Sam F.S. Chin) discussing using attention to manifest fullness to the point of contact.

Keep in mind that when he uses the term "peng" that I-Liq Chuan has it's own concepts regarding peng which in many cases vary drastically from some arts like tai chi chuan.

The fullness is one of the "six physical principles" of I-Liq Chuan (technically it's defined as the internal and external spheres of offense and defense). Here, Master Chin mentions the concept of highest point, which is part of the concept of fullness. The key idea behind the highest point is that no matter where you touch a sphere, it's equi-distant from the sphere's center of mass (i.e. it's the highest point on the surface of the sphere).

Product Review - Nike Free's

Wed, 24/06/2009 - 4:18pm — ashe

Thanks in large part to Pavel Tsatsouline and the dragondoor crew, people are becoming more and more aware of the benefits of training barefoot.

According to Vibram, some of the benefits of being barefoot are:

1. Strengthens Muscles in the Feet and Lower Legs - wearing FiveFingers will stimulate and strengthen muscles in the feet and lower legs, improving general foot health and reducing the risk of injury.

2. Improves Range of Motion in Ankles, Feet and Toes – no longer ‘cast’ in a shoe, the foot and toes move more naturally.

3. Stimulates Neural Function Important to Balance and Agility - when wearing Vibram FiveFingers, thousands of neurological receptors in the feet send valuable information to the brain, improving balance and agility.

when you teach...

Thu, 18/06/2009 - 6:00pm — ashe

教学相長 - jiao4 xue2 xiang1 zhang3

"When you teach someone, both teacher and student will benefit"

SW I Liq Chuan