From: Badger_South
Newsgroups: rec.martial-arts
Subject: Re: Question abt Crazy monkey
Date: Wed, 11 May 2005 07:13:14 -0400
Message-ID: slp381lemchqtd95g9el2mlen688vtrusl@4ax.com

On Wed, 11 May 2005 10:51:04 GMT, kirks_bi...@YOURCLOTHESoperamail.com
wrote:

>I'm pretty tall (6'2) so I have some troubles with the CM stance. That
>is to say - I can keep my back upright and my paws up  but it feels as
>if I'm almost sinking down into some kind of a horse stance to achieve
>this.

I've only been working on the CM for a short while but here's my take. The
sinking is really only minimizing the area that your elbows have to cover.
Think of bringing your navel as close as possible to your sternum. (for
example, you put both your hands on your abs, with your thumbs on your
sternum and little fingers on your navel, then you bring the fingers and
thumbs towards each other - iow, a crunch.)

>Feels very stable and all, but not very mobile (even with being on the
>balls of the feet / keeping the "foot out of the bucket").   I'm kinda

I'd suggest practicing the facing exercise with the tennis ball in the
center. The idea with the squared hips and stepping is that it's like the
stance in tennis - highly mobile.

>"hmmm" about the square on stance too - seems to leave you open to all
>sorts of strikes (primarily kick to the nuts) vs being able to sprawl
>quickly? 

Keep working on it. Your mobility will improve with practice. Have a
partner swing an easy kick at your groin - but instead of trying to block,
just twist - your thigh will deflect the kick. Don't have to twist much,
just enough to deflect - then move in and punch. Soon your partner will not
want to kick at you for fear of getting punched. ;-) Remember, just because
you have the squared stance and can deflect does -not- mean you should
stand still or stop punching. You've got to -move-. Spiral in and out. (out
to the power side - in to the weak side.)

>I will say though that sinking your weight and punching from
>the top of your head works very well for me.

Yep, like that. But as in all things, that is your 'base'. You eventually
move away from that, though you keep the 'flavor' of it.

>Oh - and that shit just *kills* the on the traps / shoulders :-)

That's a -good- thing!!

>I dunno - maybe just me. Anyone else experience initial reservations
>abt CM?

I'm unreserved, enthused, even. ;-)

-B

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