by yusuf on Wed May 08, 2024 9:17 am
hello all. thanks for the kind words.. I'm doing well.. hope you are all too...
I saw the question Bruce asked this morning but couldn't;t really find the words to explain. here goes and if y9ou see lots of edits it's because I'm still unsure how to explain. Let me just say I am only a beginner in Paul's CMA method (three years if I remember right)
Firstly, biggest difference, the focus is on practical fighting skills. Everything stems from that and is measured by that. Pushing but nothing like push hands, more designed to finish people. We push to damage in freestyle. If you imagiine Sam Chin combined with a ghost it feels like that but a lot quicker to change. Add in scary power - Paul is maybe a 1/3 of Sam's weight Then pushing and hitting combined. Paul also lets us do a bit of san shou with him, do what you want.
There is very little obvious overlap to the medicine inspired internal training. No Acu points being connected, no dantien build and release energy. Minimal exercises for body parts (). Instead the fighting skill is developed using a fw simple motions, footwork and standing, all of this is using mind. The body mechanics that others concentrate on seem to start functioning and working. I find the shapes could be seen as equivalent to alignment exercises but again the shape is designed for fighting, how not to get your knee broke, how nt to get locked, shapes for resisting take downs etc
Two simple examples. My scapula are opening and closing with a fluidity I never had from working on them with targeted exercises, but it's for taking people off the shoulder if they grab.
Both of these are then reinforced and solidified doing a few simple solo motions and using the mind. Mind is absolutely key and it's no lie that the majority of effort is integrating that. (This could be a whole book but it is not what people assume, nor what people trained in other methods decide is being said).
Theory is the other big teaching and I'm now finding myself starting to answer my own questions, to a degree. I now understand how a XYC teacher could visit once a year and the student still progresses.
I could drone on, sorry, this is so unlike what I;ve learned previously, but curiously I can now look at all the CMA exercises and methods and go oh, that's why that was done, that's how that teacher got that skill. I feel like this is foundational CMA and it answered a huge question for me. What's different about CMA from kickboxing. This approach made me realise what sets CMA apart, and through sparring with MMA & other styles I get how this approach could hold it's own
Hope that sort of makes sense. Please do ask. Happy to answer
Peace all
Yusuf
Last edited by
yusuf on Thu May 09, 2024 1:53 am, edited 5 times in total.
[Seeking and not seeking are the problem...]
lol, there really isn't a problem at all