Formosa Neijia

So I have to thank Tom for this post because he posted this over at EF and then deleted the thread just as I was about to comment. Thanks, Tom.

This is an interesting encounter that Tom found on this blog. It documents what happened when a BJJ guy met a taiji guy in sparing. Let’s just say that the BJJ guy got more than he bargained for.

Long story short…A friend of mine saw a Tai Chi demonstration at a Chinese culture festival. He was very impressed. He went to tell the lead instrutor that he had admiration for the art. My friend is 6 ft. 2. 250lbs. My nickname for him is “The Green Mile”….Take a guess why….Well, HE LOOKS LIKE THE GUY FROM THE GREEN MILE!!

Billy Ray got his blue belt from Ricardo De La Riva (a legend in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu). He has a clip of him armlocking a guy on the www.onthemat.com DVD 103 Submissions in the Gi section. I highly reccomend it.

Apparently the lead instructor began telling him how great Tai Chi was and dismissed his jiu jitsu. He then without warning, said “Let me show you how Tai Chi works” and grabbed my man and put him in a wristlock.

After letting go, my friend expressed how he did not appreciate being grabbed and attacked after giving the instructor props. My man ( Billy Ray from www.stonecoldbbillyray.com aka “The Rattlesnake”) said that were he actively countering, he would have never have been in a wristlock.

They agreed to meet again to spar. Below is Billy Ray’s acct. of what happened the second time they crossed paths. Both men to me, displayed authentic martial spirit.

***

So I call the school to make sure my long ass drive will be well worth it, and one of his students tells me that he isn’t in today. He will be at their Sacramento location.WTF?That’s cool with me because I live closer to Sac anyway…So I Mapquest that shit, and drive up there.There is a closed sign on the door, but there are 3 older guys and a lil kid inside.The Kid is being instructed by my wrist snappin buddy, On.Yes, his name is On.So I go in, and he pretends like he is way too busy to look at the door.One of the guys asks me if he can help me, and I tell him that the instructor is expecting me.It is like, Pin Drop Quiet inside, so he obviously heard me, and comes over all nice and aknowledges me, and remembers me from the show.He then apologizes for the altercation, and says he hopes there is no hard feelings.

Okay, I drove up there listening to Slayer, and Metallica, thinking about how this shit was going to go, and this wasn’t it.Anyway, I try yo be nice again, so I remind him of the fact that I have no intention of wanting to start trouble, but as martial artists we COULD have that friendly sparring match we spoke of in the email.He then says he never saw any email, and perhaps it was one of his students who I was corresponding with…..WTF???But to my happy suprise, he accepts my offer.He asks to what degree will we be sparring?WTF???So I say I will not be throwing ANY kicks, punches, or strikes of any kind, and if I get him in a submission he can just tap, and I (VERY STUPIDLY) allow him to do whatever he wants, except eye gouging, or any kind of throat strike.So I am stretching, and eyeing him as I am doing so, and he is going through some crazy Jet Li, Kata shit that is making me rethink this whole thing.Fuck….I am letting him whip my ass before we even touch each other….

Now we square off.I am wearing my red gi, by the way…..(not that anybody gives a flying fuck)He is not moving.Not even an inch.and I am not afraid to say it, but I am scared to fucking touch him.I know he has some shit for me if I do.After like 2 long minutes of nothing but me dancing around, I think, Here goes….and I shoot in on him….Apparently sprawling isn’t in the Tai Chi handbook.I wrap both legs up in a double leg, and drive forward….As I am throwing him down, I feel daggers ripping into my ribs…..I honestly have no clue what the fuck he was doing…..he then ends up on his ass, and I take side mount.He is then doing this poking thing with his fingers, and its like being hit with several hammers repeatedly…..I am thinking that this is going to get bad, so I grab his collar, and one of his wrist sleeves, and jump to knee on stomach, and drive my knee, and my 250 lbs, into his sternum…He then does that wrist thingy again with my hand holding his sleeve, and I panic, and switch to armbar from knee on stomach, and he just lets that shit happen.

Now I begin to crank on it, and I feel him just lay there for a split second….He then lets out some weird Ke’eye sound, and starts getting up despite, my powerful self homding him down cranking on his arm.I then crank REALLY hard, and this guys arm locks!!!Like I cannot fucking crank it anymore.He is still getting up.(oh shit)I then switch my hips to attempt a triangle as I still have his arm.Thank god the triangle gets locked on him just like clockwork.He is on both feet now, and I am stacked on my back with him in my triangle.There is another pause, and I am thinking that he is going for some new shit, but lo and behold.He taps my leg lightly.I let him go, and he stands up, and bows to me, and I bow back.

He then smiles, and steps up to me and we begin shaking hands profusely, and sharing mental details of how much fun we both just had…..Then we talk for a bit longer, and I leave to go pick up my son from school.Now what did I get from this?Not what I expected.I do still feel like BJJ is the more effective art, and I am proud of the fact that I didn’t make any mistakes, but this man impressed me with his being almost 100 pounds lighter than me, and I had trouble tapping him, because he had so much control over his leverage, and some CHI going on, I guess….Anyway, We exchanged info, and I have to admit, I am sold on Tai Chi right about now.Chi is fucking real.I gots to get me summa that shit.

TheRattlesnake

PS. I feel like I got hit by a fucking car as I am typing this.