My trapping training progression

[StraightBlaster]

I don't teach much refernce trapping, or too much chi sao anymore(if any), i mostly use this progression.

The student can only defend himself with trapping. He can only push, pull, or jerk his opponents arms. Manipulations to the head and body are allowed but the student is encourage to keep everything on the arms if at all possible.

First step, the student must keep his partner from clinching him. The other student is trying to get a clinch on the head/neck or around the body. You really learn how good your center line control is here. By allways keeping the center occupied, with hands and elbos in the way, your partner won't be able to clinch, unless he takes the center from you. Wrestlers and such are actaully really good at taking, and controlling the center line they just don't have a name for it.

Second step, the student must now keep his partner from taking him down. This step includes everything from the first because most takedowns require a clinch but has tackles added. A side step with lop sao or a good hard pak sao to the shoulder will counter the tackle. The best thing for a fighter that doesn't use the sprawl is to drop his stance as low as the guy that is going for the tackle. DROP WAY DOWN! You should be looking the tackler in the eye. Now just hold center, push him away(good structure is needed to keep from getting knocked over). Having a background in horse stance, and forward stance training from traditional martial arts helps allot with being able to drop this low. If you didn't start in traditional martial arts a good drill you can do to develop this ability is to practice your footwork as low as you possibly can. Once you can move freely at the level people drop to when they shoot you are good to go. Now i'm not saying you don't need a sprawl, everyone needs to know how to sprawl. Even tho its not my main takedown defense I use it as a backup for when I can't get myself to drop down to thier level.

Third step. Now things get violent. The student must defend himself against punches(with boxing gloves on of course). No combos tho, just single attacks. If you can see it coming and prepare your body you can defend the punches with lop sau, but most of the time you will be pak sauing them. Remember to try and keep the puncher off balance. And don't allways wait for him to punch. Try to be allways pushing or pulling so he can't get set to throw a punch.

Fourth step. Just like step three but now the puncher gets to use combo attacks. This is the big one. Trapping vs. an all out attack. Off balancing becomes a requirement for survival on this one. Allways be trying to destroy his structure.

There you go. If you can survive all four steps you will have no problem trapping while you spar, and adding in hits with your traps will be no problem as well.

So, what do you guys think? I came up with this after smoking a big fatty, and so far I'm pretty happy with it. Its working better for me then any trapping training I was taught.

[aseepish]

Interesting progression, I'll give it a shot!

It sounds like it's more suited to intermediate students - those who have already learned trapping basics - from reference point, chi-sau, hubud-lubud, lop-sau, gaan-sau drills. I think those drills are necessary to get the skills ingrained to the point where one wouldn't be totally overwhelmed in the drills you described.

My class is also more Wing-Chun based (being a Wing Chun class ), I think the students would be more comfortable starting with strikes before progressing to the grappling drills.

I also see trapping to be much more than controlling the hands and arms. Working this with Dumog manipulations thrown in could be good too!

As for smoking a big fatty, it's not really an option in Singapore!

-T.

[Brokenmace]

That's really great stuff, StraighBlaster! It sounds fun too. But, then, I'm the nutcase who thinks trapping drills are like medidation.

aseepish, do you travel from Japan to Singapore on a regular basis? If so, that schedule must be a mother! And how do you groove with their laws. I've never been there, but I've seen video and news reports, and the place seems ominously sterile. No offense.

Respect.

[aseepish]

Singapore

I haven't been back to Singapore for about a year. I'm going back to finish the system. I'll proably stay there for a couple of years, then head back to Canada (speaking of ominously sterile countries).

The laws are strict in Singapore, but the police don't hastle you or try to shake you down for a bribe like they might in Thailand or Indonesia. It's a confucian society to be sure - very paternalistic and moralistic. One thing that really annoys me about the place is the censorship of films and media. But there is a healthy VCD black market. The nightlife is pretty pathetic compared to Japan, a beer costs about US $5, but there are usually some kind of after-hours activities going on somewhere. Drinks are cheap in Japan, but everything else is brutally expensive.

That said, Singapore is one of the safest countries/cities in the world. Violent crime is very rare, and the perpetrators are almost always known to the victims. The organized crime is limited to loansharking, prostitution, and illegal labour. Their presence is pretty tame compared to Hong Kong. So far Singapore has been spared the religious violence that has affected Indonesia and other countries in the region (despite the arrest of an Al Qaeda cell shortly after 9/11, there hasn't been a terrorist incident in over 30 years).

So I guess S'pore can be a little boring at times, but places like Bali, Bangkok, Manila, and Saigon are only a couple hours away by plane. That and the food is wonderful!

No offense taken!

[Brokenmace]

Thanks for the reply, aseepish. I always enjoy learning about foreign lands. You can't always go by news reports and second-hand horror stories, after all. And, yes, Canada does seem slightly sterile at times, but the people are nice at least! I haven't met a Canadian that's had a bad word for me (unless you count the one time with the hockeystick and the mexican immagrants, but that's another story . . . ).

Later.

[aseepish]

Sterile Canada

There are still parts of Toronto and Vancouver that I wouldn't want to walk around in at night. Canada Customs officers can be a bit unfriendly at times, but I guess that's mostly with the locals. WE NEED YOUR US DOLLARS!!!!

[Brokenmace]

Ah, the truth revealed

LOL!