005 - Three Energies

One art. Three kung fu brothers. Three different styles of fighting.

Stanley is classic Hung Gar: his internals are so intense that when he's moving forward, he's unstoppable. It's like he's hydraulic. His way of bridging is very subtle and very sophisticated. He can break your defense, get a leverage advantage, and attack your weak points and while you can see it happening, it's very hard to compensate for it.

Jerome is like change in motion. He soft like water until he decides to hit you. He doesn't muscle you. He takes whatever opening you give him and adapts his fighting immediately. His philosophy is listen just enough so that you know their energy, but don't let them actually get off any techniques. You don't care to see them.

Alix is about maximum sensing and control of position. He feels like he's using strength all the time, but it's more like he's constantly loading his offense with your energy to allow him to spring forward. He doesn't believe in meeting somebody soft--to him it's an opening. He meets you hard and solid, but under that he's still hyper aware and listening. If tai chi is metal wrapped in silk, Alix is spring steel--hard but pliant.

I feel like I have a lot to learn from Alix. Jerome can do that because he sees all. He knows what you're trying to do and bails to compensate and attack on a new angle or whatever. I can't get away with that all the time. I use it in the most primitive way, which is bail when you sense a battle of strength beginning or when you're getting tied up.

Learning Alix's technique will all me to be more discriminating about when to bail and what to do to respond to different attacks.