Snake style

[JadeDragon]

I thought I would share some exercises that snake style uses to strengthen their wrists which is vital for snake style since a lot of thier strikes are open handed. I will also explain a snake breathing exercise that is taught at our school when learning snake. This exercise helps cultivate the bodies chi.

Snake exercise #1
Snake poll training: This exercise requires that you have a long solid wooden pole about 2 - 3 feet taller than you and somewhat heavy. You put the poll next to your side. Then you reach up next to your head with your hand and cup your hand around the polland flip it over your shoulder by bringing your hand down to your waist. This will cuase the poll to flip over your shoulder so you got to be quick to get your hand back up to cup/support the poll again or the poll will fall. This strengthens the wrists and works on your quickness.

Snake exercise #2
Wrist push ups. These are done on the back of your hands. Good for wrist strength.

Snake exercise #3
Finger jab strikes on canvas sand bag but at the momment of impact with the bag you vibrate your hand (for chi flow and to absorb some of the shock of the strike). Shock from a strike can be dangerous because vibration from the hit can recochet back up your arm and believe it or not, cause harm to your eyes. Vibrating the palm when striking an opponent can cause more internal damage to the opponent. Also do palm strikes on the bag. Raise your hand and let the hand drop naturally but when the hand strikes the bag remember to vibrate the palm.

I will explain the snake breathing exercise in a little bit but right now I'd like to read some of the exercises you guys/gals do for snake style (if you do snake style at all).

TigerClaw.....I'm interested in what exercises you have since you say you do a little snake style.

[JadeDragon]

Okay here is the breathing exercise I mentioned.

Snake Breathing Exercise
Start out with feet together hands in chamber at waist. Step out into left leg front stance and then very slow and tense like strike both hands out using a spear hand strike (hands strikes are next to each other with both palm facing down). This must be done slow and tense like while making a hissing sound as you exhale while you do the strike. You should be breathing from the dan tien. When you breath in the tan tien should expand and shrink when you exhale. After the first hand strikes bring your hands back to chamber and strike out in the same mannor with spear hand strikes only this time you have one hand above the other hand so that palm are facing each other and hands are about 3 inches apart. Bring hands back and strike out again (slow and tense) with spear hand strikes. Hand strikes should be side by side with palms facing inward towards each other (3 inches apart). Remember to do the breathing like I said. Inhaling when hands come back into chamber and exhaling when striking. And always breathing from the dan tien.

That is the first sequence. Then you step into a right leg front stance and repeat. Do this every day. When you have finished you will feel drained of all energy. Slow and tense is the key to this exercise.
This exercise is great for building chi.

[JadeDragon]

No snake (she' chuan) stylists here????

[Tom Yum]

Zher keneng meiyou shequan pai de. Xingyi, bagua, tajii, neigong de dou you. Yong chun yie you. Women zanshang shaolin dongwu pai de zhishi.

Qing jixu ba!

[JadeDragon]

Tom Yum.....xie' xie'

[Tom Yum]

buyong xie...jixu ba.

[TigerClaw]

TigerClaw.....I'm interested in what exercises you have since you say you do a little snake style.

As far as conditioning there are many things to do, like different finger strengthening exercises, supporting the body with all five fingers and then four and three and two etc. striking into course sand, shoulder strengthening exercises etc. I find that when learning snake movements people will at first have trouble even keeping their guard position up for any amount of time, their shoulders seem weak. Strengthening the shoulder is important. Also to me the fluidity of the arms and wrist is very important, this takes time.

The snake style fighting is so fast an fluid that most attacks from opponents will find trouble to break the guard and find an opening. When a person strikes a snake stylist the snake stylist blocks and shifts in a smooth path and is ready for the next attack because their hands follow a paths that allows them to cover the openings smoothly and quickly. It also allows them to strike when this is done and to set up the attacker. Illusiveness and swiftness along with subtle actions are characteristic of this style, as well as a coiling tension that is built up in lightning fast strikes. You should also have strong stances for this style and be able to almost float on the air when shifting. A snake fighter will not always meet hard force with hard force, they will deflect, shift, trap, redirect, etc.

But we do many different drills that help to develop shoulder strength and hand speed, along with flexibility and circular movements. I find that the strength of snake style is in the shifting hand positions from one position to the next, it is so fast and fluid that the attackers strikes are covered as soon as he attacks.

There are so many drills it is hard to discuss them using words only.

But here are a few,

1. Both people stand facing each other in a left forward stance, with their right guard up in a snake head position, the left hand is across the chest with the snake head facing upward at the elbow. Now both touch their wrist on the inside, with slight pressure forcing them together. Then one person strikes forward with their right hand towards the opponents throat or face, as they lean forward in their stance stretching out forward. The other person still touching wrist shifts back in thier stance and blocks to the side and continuously strikes back at the other opponents throat or face. The the other person deflects it also as they shift back and block to the side with their right hand as well. This keeps going on while they both continue to touch wrist and shift their stances back and forward and block as the other strikes. This helps develop sensitivity to the other attackers strikes and teaches to shift back and forward in stances.

If the person strikes at me I lean back and deflect the strike to the left then continuing forward I strike in at him and visa versa.

2. Have person A stand up with both arms stretched out forward, they can be in fist or snake head positions, this person just stand in that position for the drill it will also strengthen their shoulders as they continuously try to keep their arms forward.. The other person B, starts to weave his right hand over top of the left hand first then down and under neath the right hand of the opponent A and as he goes up with the right hand the left hand quickly deflects the right hand of the opponent A and then the right hand goes back up and block again. Opponent B continues this over and over. His stances will be a right side bow first then shifting to a right hanging horse stance, or cat stance, then he steps to the right in a right side bow stance, and shifts to a left cat stance, and back to a right side bow and right cat etc etc.

3. Have two people face each other and have one strike over and over, they can use the snake style for this if they want or fist etc. the other blocks continuously. But try to have the one blocking only block from inside first, then to close off the opponent from outside. Start slow at first and then build up speed and reflexes over time. This type of blocking should be done for a long time and as it become easier, gradually start shifting stances when blocking and then have both start to shift stances and before you know it they will be doing slow two man free sparing, and as they do this start very slow at first then build up speed. try to use stances and form in every move. have both take turns at blocking and striking. This exercise can be fun and it puts together all the snake blocks they have learned and the snake attacks as well. But at first begin with basic strikes strait foreward, striking high middle and low. Then as time goes on, a long time preferably, use more advanced strikes and attacks.

The object at first is not to try and hit the other person but to allow them to develop reflexes speed timing, technique angles, etc. You are not sparring here, it is a drill at first.

Here is a good snake guard and defense. Start in a right hanging Horse stance (or cat stance), with your snake guard up, right hand forward, left hand across chest at the right elbow. This guard is how you set up if the opponent is in a right leading stance or if he attacks with his right hand. you will need to judge his telegraphing in this and be able to anticipate which hand he will strike with, or set him up to make him attack a certain way. You can do the same technique no matter what hand he strikes with , its just that the block will be towards different hands and it will look a bit different from the attackers view. But, If he uses the other hand you can also change to a left leading stance if you have time. But when he strikes with this right hand you are in a twisted position here when you block with your right foot crossed over at 45 degrees and the right hand up and to the right side. Then as the opponent attacks your head with his right strike and comes in, step to the side with your right foot at a 45 degree angle to the attacker, into a unicorn stance, or cross stance etc, as you step you block upward with the right snake head , block to the outside of his strike, and twist to the right side, then he sees your ribs at the right side are open, and he attacks with his left strike to the ribs, drop your right snake hand down and block the path of the hand is on a downward circle to the right and it continues to follow that path as you step back with your left leg into a right leading horse stance the right leg facing the attacker the attacker is still attacking with his right hand striking your face, but your right hand is still moving along the circle back up to block his right hand on the inside of his arm with your right hand and as you do this shift back slightly in your horse and pull your right hand back to the left as you block his right strike, then lunge in quickly with your right hand, in a right forward stance like drill # 1 I talked about in this post, striking his throat, if he blocks with his right hand over top of your strike,(or it would work if he used his left also) quickly take your left snake head hand and block over top of his right hand, pushing it down as you quickly pull back your right hand down, in, and over top to strike agin at his eyes. this last move is done very quickly.

By the way , I started by saying the opponent will attack your head first, you can make him attack you where ever you want if you set up your guard right. If you want him to hit you high then leave an opening at the top and shift your guard to either side slightly leaving an opening. If you learn how to do this you can literally make the opponent attack you where you want him to. Then you will know exactly where he is going to attack each time. When you get good at this the opponent will say things like, "hey, how did you know where I was going to hit you, its like you knew all along, before I attacked you"

Ok, there's a start

[TigerClaw]

Heres some snake moves,

[YOUTUBE]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pwWf9kAdASQ[/YOUTUBE]

[TigerClaw]

JadeDragon, are you still there?

[JadeDragon]

yep, still here. Can't get youtube on computer at work.

[mellow]

Finger jab strikes on canvas sand bag but at the momment of impact with the bag you vibrate your hand (for chi flow and to absorb some of the shock of the strike.

Can you elaborate on what you mean when you say you vibrate your hand?

[JadeDragon]

Can you elaborate on what you mean when you say you vibrate your hand?

At the moment of impact to the striking bag you vibrate your hand or make it shake slightly (not a whole lot, just enough to make it look like it's vibrating). You do this weather it's striking with the finger jab or the palm strikes. There are two main reasons for the vibrating. #1 it absorbs the shock waves of the strike so that it won't rickochett back up your arm and cuase eye damage. Some masters claim that the shock waves can do this. #2 the vibration of the strike helps cultivate more chi when striking in turn causing more internal damage when you strike a human.

[JadeDragon]

Tom Yum.......Bu hao.

[TigerClaw]

I really like the snake style of kung fu, but I must admit that I do not believe in "Chi power", the way some describe it. I know, I teach kung fu and I do not teach this main aspect. I see chi as something else. I see it more as the direction of muscular tension and the flow of pressure through the body. No mystical stuff. For example, if I step forward in a forward stance and do a strait thrust punch forward the pressure or muscular force or energy from the back of my leg as it touches the ground will press upward in my body to the waist and through the back muscles and into my hand. Proper stances and body positioning is very important to have the maximum, force from the muscular flow. It is a matter of body mechanics and proper pressure in the muscles as it shifts to different positions.

Another example is in doing a swinging downward strike with both arms. The stances start the motion in the feet and press against the ground the muscular flow of tension is forced up into the waist and then whips around and flings into the arms and outward. It is like a whip, when the user torques the whip and snaps it the flow of tension goes from the body of the person snapping the whip and into the base and up along the whole whip and out the end. this can be a very powerful motion. You will know what I mean if you have ever sen the cracking of a whip. But this is not some mystical inner power of chi. This is mere muscular dynamics and tension and flow of force along the muscles and out in the direction it is aimed.

Snake style has alot of these proper body mechanics and muscular tension working in the forms and moves.

I know some will speak of breathing and inner focus etc. I agree that breathing is important, but only to focus the mind and give strength to the muscles.

Anyway , let me know your thoughts on "Chi".

This might be another good thread for discussion.

[JadeDragon]

My thought on chi is this......Chi is an internal energy that every person has. Some people have more than others and some people can control it better than others. I believe that if you learn how to channel this chi or internal energy you can focus it into your strikes. I have literally seen the result of a strike where chi was channeled into the strike. One of my instructors who does snake style did a snake hand strike with his finger tips to a student to demonstarte this and left a wierd looking bruise on the guy. It was a bruise the size of a half dollar but in the middle of the bruise was white where his finger had struck and it left him in severe pain. My istructor then hit him with the same strike but without the vibration and chi and it didn't do hardly anything. It caused some pain but not like the first strike did. The second strike didn't even leave a bruise. I believe that if you can learn to cultivate and channel your chi then you can do a lot more damage. I'm not saying that its like the death touch because I don't believe that crap. I'm just saying that you can cause more damage if you know how to use your chi in conjunction with your strikes.