He Jinbao of Beijing, China, with assistant and translator Matt Bild of Yin Style Baguazhang International are coming to the United States again in 2011 for the annual YSB U.S. Fall Tour of long-weekend workshops (including Knoxville, TN, for my local folks). If you don't know what Yin Style Bagua is all about yet, then you're missing out. These workshops offer a very rare opportunity train in real baguazhang directly with an absolute and recognized expert in the art, the lineage holder of Yin Style Baguazhang, in fact. Start here by checking out the official brief introduction to Yin Style Baguazhang video that showcases a bit from all eight animal systems, including He Jinbao demonstrating awesome fighting applications on some brave British volunteers.
Now that you've seen what you could be training at the seminar, continue reading below to get the key details about what's new in this year's series of workshops and for what is going on in each of the stops. This year's workshops will be presenting material out of the Lion, Phoenix, and Monkey Systems, as well as a continued introduction to the baguazhang jian (straight sword).
Another difference this year is that the refined scheduling will create the feeling of a pair of two-day seminars within each four-day workshop. Thursday and Saturday at each will focus on standing strengthening, strike drilling, strike combinations, and applications from two of the striking methods being studied. Friday and Sunday will take the striking methods from the previous day and feature circle turning practice, circle turning direction changing drilling, two forms, strikes and combinations drilling from those forms, and applications. The last hour of each day is dedicated to either Monkey System basic kicks and a form or to straight sword basic drills and form. People that can only make the weekend will benefit hugely from this reorganization, and it makes attending multiple seminars even more accessible and attractive this year than ever before. Notice that applications practice will be done in both the morning and afternoon sessions on all four days.
The value of these seminars cannot be understated for anyone interested in training Yin Style Baguazhang. It is a rare and incredibly valuable opportunity to get to train directly with the lineage holder of any living art, particularly one as fighting-oriented and practically effective as Yin Style Bagua. Practitioners cannot afford to skip these seminars if it is at all possible to make it to them! Hands-on time with He Jinbao, feeling and experiencing the art in terms of both drilling and application, is huge for martial development. Other martial artists, including MMA fighters that want to learn techniques that can greatly enhance their cage game will benefit hugely too and should come check out what YSB has to offer, of course, but let me focus for a minute on the home team.
A frequent question that I get or see (e.g. on the YSB Facebook page) is "How do I get my own Yin Style group in my city?" Answer: Step One is get to a seminar! This really cannot be understated. If you want to get on the map, you've got to go get on the map! Everyone, so far as I know, that trains Yin Style wants to see more people interested, more study groups developing and succeeding, and more practitioners getting solid skills. This requires people to travel, at first, to these workshops and get a firm foundation in the art. Another huge reason to get to the seminar is that the level of instruction is beyond compare, even if some of the study groups are starting to get a pretty decent grasp of the fundamentals of the art.
For any interested in a foundational seminar, held this year in San Francisco, CA; Boulder, CO; and Ann Arbor, MI; you're encouraged to dive right in--contact the necessary parties as soon as possible. If you're interested in an intermediate seminar, it's even more important to get in touch with the workshop organizers for the ones you plan to attend as soon as may be so that you can get some idea of the materials you'll do best to get ahead of time to prepare yourself.
I'd like to extend a special invitation to any of my readers to come join us in studying the Lion System in Knoxville this year. We always enjoy out-of-towners coming to train with us, whether they're new to Yin Style Baguazhang or not, old friends and new from other groups. We'd also love to see some local martial artists come check us out at our finest, taking advantage of the rare opportunity to work with a real Chinese lineage holder in a serious, traditional art--something we've worked hard to bring to Knoxville partly for their benefit.
I'd like to extend a special invitation to any of my readers to come join us in studying the Lion System in Knoxville this year. We always enjoy out-of-towners coming to train with us, whether they're new to Yin Style Baguazhang or not, old friends and new from other groups. We'd also love to see some local martial artists come check us out at our finest, taking advantage of the rare opportunity to work with a real Chinese lineage holder in a serious, traditional art--something we've worked hard to bring to Knoxville partly for their benefit.
Let's get to the details, then, about each seminar. More will be posted soon on each, when they are about a month out. In the meantime, specific information, such as details on which forms will be drilled, are available from the workshop organizer.
San Francisco, California, Lion System Foundational Seminar
September 22-25
Contact: Matt Bild
Material: Lion System standing strengthening, striking with combinations, and four forms from the sweeping, cutting, chopping, and hooking palms; Lion System circle turning; Monkey System kicking and form; and applications of all strikes, combinations, kicks, and forms.
Boulder, Colorado, Phoenix System Foundational Seminar
September 29-October 2
Contact: Jack Schaefer
Material: Phoenix System standing strengthening, striking with combinations, and four forms from the dodging and extending palms; Lion System and Phoenix System circle turning; Monkey System kicking and form; and applications of all strikes, combinations, kicks, and forms.
Haverhill, Massachusetts, Lion System Intermediate Seminar
October 6-9
Contact: Michael D'Angelo
Material: Lion System standing strengthening, striking with combinations, and four forms from the shocking, blocking, seizing, and grasping palms; Lion System circle turning; Monkey System kicking and form; and applications of all strikes, combinations, kicks, and forms.
Berlin, Connecticut, Phoenix System Intermediate Seminar
October 13-16
Contact: Robert Gordon
Material: Phoenix System standing strengthening, striking with combinations, and four forms from the dodging, extending, shocking, and transforming palms; Phoenix System circle turning; straight sword foundational and form; and applications of all strikes, combinations, kicks, and forms.
Knoxville, Tennessee, Lion System Intermediate Seminar
October 20-23
Contact: Bradley Moore
Material: Lion System standing strengthening, striking with combinations, and four forms from the chopping, hooking, seizing, and grasping palms; Lion System circle turning; Monkey System kicking and form; and applications of all strikes, combinations, kicks, and forms.
St. Petersburg, Florida, Lion System Intermediate Seminar
October 27-30
Contact: Don Dean
Material: Lion System standing strengthening, striking with combinations, and four forms from the sweeping, cutting, seizing, and grasping palms; Lion System circle turning; Monkey System kicking and form; and applications of all strikes, combinations, kicks, and forms.
Ann Arbor, Michigan, Phoenix System Foundational Seminar
November 5-6
Contact: Scott Berry
Material: Phoenix System standing strengthening, striking with combinations, and four forms from the extending and chopping palms; Phoenix System circle turning; straight sword form; and applications of all strikes, combinations, kicks, and forms.
Be there!!
4 comments:
Sounds like a great opportunity of learning. TN is not too far either. I will get the word out up here.
We'd love to have you, if any of you are interested in coming. For what it's worth, the Knoxville YSB seminar is going to be taking place at the same school where the Tennessee BJJ Federation has its headquarters.
Looks like a fun workshop!
Absolutely, Mr. MA. You should do what you can to come check one or more of the stops out. You'd probably get a lot out of it and have a good time filled with learning and good, old-fashioned, hard training!
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