Unique and useful kung-fu self defense

[Tettsui]

I never put much stock into kung fu being good for self defense because of the non-contact sparring and flashy moves. To my surprise, I found a style that impressed me called Bajiquan. I've seen it done in a video game by Akira in Virtua Fighter but never in real application.

Bajiquan uses the whole body to throw the opponent off balance and then take the person down. It's a mix of striking and grappling and a lot different then other martial arts styles I've seen.

Video of a tournament

[Tettsui]

Instruction video of using the body to knock off balance.

Also the another round of the tournament.

[Bloke]

Interesting stuff - thanks for posting

[Sonik]

Bajishuan/Bajikuan or Hakyokuken is the same just like Taijishuan and Taikyokuken.

[Nix]

Looks nice. Thanks for sharing.

[Tettsui]

The reason why I found it interesting is that I can't think of another martial art that primarily uses shoulder attacks and hip checks. I never thought of them as weapons. Also it seems really useful for shorter fighters to gain penetration and in-fight. The throws seem like an offensive Aikido where you cause the opponent to move.

[Azimuth]

It seems to me that this Bajikuan found some inspiration in
traditional chinese wrestling or shuai jiao

YouTube - Shuai Jiao

[kabirlovero]

yea i was fascinated by bajiquan... i liked the way you can use your body to grapple an opponent, and also the quick strikes...

[Dent]

Osu!

I've met some very tough guys in CMA, and have a nice little scar from one of them. Sparring with all the techniques allowed means including finger rakes and joint stomps.

IMO, the ones who are trained in the traditional way, with all the traditional gear, are actually pretty good at real fighting, but just as with Karate, a lot has been diluted along the way.

Osu!

[Dent]

Osu!

And I've seen some of those Okinawan styles with strong links to Southern China use the hip and shoulder.

Osu!

[jcc]

I´m sorry, I hate to be negative, but this video reminds me a bit too much of WWE/F/G/H and the rest of that nonsense! There are several throws which just don´t look right. If someone grabs my leg after a kick, I don´t hop around a couple of times and then flip over, I grab their gi and if I go down, I take them down with me! This should be second nature to anyone who´s done any judo or grappling , so what I´m seeing here just doesn´t look right to me!

[Dent]

Osu! JCC,

This looked a lot like an exhibition/ demo match. I don't think it was "live".

Osu!

[Nix]

Hmm... It looks real enough to me. And I see jcc's point. We usually allow grabbing and throwing, and noone lets themselves fall without fighting for control. But still, they do have some unique and interesting moves. Odd maybe, but interesting nonetheless.

[jcc]

I suppose it might come down to the rules of the combat, but it did have bits that looked more like a demo that serious combat.

[tmd]

Interestingly close to Chinese Jujitsu if you asked me, apologies for showing my ignorance but I never knew there was such a thing - the point about shoulders being usefully for smaller fighters is a fair one, when I used to compete at JJ I used to use my shoulder throw to drop people if they were a) taller or b) we were both tired as it takes less energy than a full hip throw - it does run the risk of you being countered though as it's not as strong a technique.

Re: the 'tournament' sorry to say I think this was 'live' but a bit one sided, interested to see what there top fighters look like.

[Tettsui]

Can you use hip checks and shoulders in Kyokushin tournament fighting or would they be considered "pushes"?

[Kris]

Thanx for sharing.

Like the clip, but not very impressed with the match. Seems like the guy in red is stronger and heaver. Therefore he can throw the guy in black, who himself is not able to score a throw.

Guy in black keeps attacking with the same lame side kick and keep getting his leg trapped or gets caught around his neck. There are several ways of getting out of a neck hold that work for smaller guys, but the gut in black does not seem to be aware of them.

[niceguy]

Very nice, unique, interesting and definitely practical .Thanks for posting. p.s don't think the the first clip was a demo ...only my two cents.

[Tettsui]

Originally Posted by jcc

If someone grabs my leg after a kick, I don´t hop around a couple of times and then flip over, I grab their gi and if I go down, I take them down with me! This should be second nature to anyone who´s done any judo or grappling , so what I´m seeing here just doesn´t look right to me!

This isn't necessary true. It happens in muay thai that fighters hop around trying to keep their balance and it also happens in freestyle wrestling when someone has a standing single leg.

As for grabbing the gi, you can only do this if you are close enough to your opponent. If you try to close the distance, your opponent will just step back. The only way out of someone holding your leg is to hop around and hope they'll make a mistake or turn your back to the opponent and mule kick out.

[jcc]

Originally Posted by Tettsui

This isn't necessary true. It happens in muay thai that fighters hop around trying to keep their balance and it also happens in freestyle wrestling when someone has a standing single leg.

As for grabbing the gi, you can only do this if you are close enough to your opponent. If you try to close the distance, your opponent will just step back. The only way out of someone holding your leg is to hop around and hope they'll make a mistake or turn your back to the opponent and mule kick out.

Osu! tettsui,

Agreed - in mt or wrestling the fighters (usually) wear a minimum of clothing, so grabbing would be a problem!

As for the other point, I think my experience is based on the fact that I weigh a bit so my opponent would need to get a good grip (closer in) or just let go, usually the latter!