Chinese Throwing

Date: Weds, 27 July 2005

Time to get educated about Chinese Throwing – Shuai Jiao.  There are four parts to traditional Chinese Martial Arts – Ti (kicking), Da (striking), Shuai (throwing), Na (locking).

To be a well rounded fighter, you need to know all four.  You need to know other things as well, but at a minimum, these four are required for Kung Fu fighters.

Let’s talk about the one that’s most ignored – throwing.

It’s ignored for several reasons.  First, You need equipment to train throws. You need mats.  Mats cost money.  Many schools don’t have mats, because many schools don’t make much money.  Mine does and I have mats.  We train our throws.

The next reason they’re ignored is because they require proper training.  I’m not saying they’re difficult.  Actually they’re fun, and easy.  But they do require the proper set up (meaning combining the throw with strikes), the proper control, positioning, and lever once you’ve closed the gap, and lightening fast execution.

Any teacher, and I mean any teacher, can teach punching and kicking.  He may not teach them well (especially hooks!), but he’ll at least get the class swinging their arms and legs.  Throwing isn’t like that.  Even ignoring the set up,  a throw ultimately requires a lever.  It has to be done properly or your partner slides off your hip, or you throw yourself and not him, or you both fall down, or something.

I think those are the two main reasons throwing isn’t a part of most Kung Fu school’s class routines.  Even in my school, we only focus on throwing during the sparring class when I have the mats out, the students in gear, and everyone prepared for a reasonable amount of contact. A final reason could be that class time only allows practice of certain areas, so the time is spent on what is considered most “practicle.”  That could be different things in different schools.  

I have some good friends who are seriously into Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu – as in going to Rio to compete serious.  They told me recently that in their sport there’s a focus these days on learning takedowns.

As you may know, most in-school BJJ matches begin from the knees, but tournament BJJ begins from a standing position.  So now a lot of competitors are working on their entry technique and takedowns – many of them borrowing from American wrestling.

If they add strikes and throws, they’ll find they’ve come full circle back to Japanese Jiu-Jitsu.  Just a thought.

Anyway, now that we know why too many martial artists ignore throwing, next time we’ll talk about adding strikes for safer entry technique.

Until then, train like you mean it.

Rob LaPointe

Shaolin Throwing Secrets – Foolproof Set Ups, Easy Throws

P.S.  Summer brain reviver – I’ve been reading Richard Scarry’s Mother Goose’s Nursery Rhymes to my wonderful, clever, angelic 6 year old daughter at bedtime.  

On my way to St. Ives  I met a man with seven wives
Every wife had seven sacks
Every sack had seven cats
Every cat had seven kits
Kits, cats, sacks and wives
How many are going to St. Ives?

If you have children and they’re the right age for simple multiplication (6 – 25), get out a paper and pencil and do this with them.  It’s a good exercise in figuring out exactly what the question is and isn’t.