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Old 06-17-2012, 08:54 AM   #27
Chris Parkerson
Dojo: Academy of the Martial Arts
Location: ohio
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 740
United_States
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Re: Teachings and Trajectories

I have a few Kenpo acquaintances that talk about the octagon and have demonstrated their body folding and throwing techniques to me while explaining it. I have 40 years of kenpo under my belt (same 2 teachers since 1972, Parker Linekin and his teacher Brian Adams), but I could not visualize it that well. Perhaps it's model was more intricate that what my "inner knowing" needed.

But that is why I asked Chris Li. I continue to be curious about the model. 

Brian Adams ran Ed Parker's Dojo in the early 1960's. He also trained for a good amount of time at Bruce Lee's home. The circle in fencing is also in Lee's strategy and became a core system of block-punch with the same hand, much like parry-thrust. Oddly, i noticed similar technique in Chinese Hung Family system of Kung Fu. 

Adams was also a real fan of Escrima back then. We used Thiebault's manual to help define angles and zones that allowed us to obtain head strikes while the opponent could not even touch our shoulder or bicep. Indeed, the manual was great for espada y daga as well.

When I was hired to build the martial arts program at Front Sight, I brought Brian in to assist me. We used many of these zones in our curriculum and were able to present them in freestyle competition while military units were on lunch breaks while training at Front Sight in 2003 ( Pahrump, NV).

My training in Tai Chi and Hsung-I gave me a rudimentary feel for the Baqua palm interchanges. And I find that model to be very helpful in doing my  and aikido  techniques.

 My training buddies and I also began using the word "qua" to describe the opening and closing of the various key joints. While I may be misusing the word (I have been accused of such looseness in other threads), it provided both an insight and a language for us to go beyond technique and further explore the biomechanics of what causes bipeds to fall down. Thus, in time. Your body just feels the closing of the opponent's hip qua and immediately knows where the throw should be.

Waging peace,

Chris
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