http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQLuQTNraII
Here’s Liang Shou-you explaining some things about shuai jiao to Sam Masich. One of the best things he does is to make clear the difference between shuaijiao and kuaijiao — or fast wrestling. As you can clearly see, shuaijiao uses much bigger motions. Kuaijiao uses smaller, sneakier ones to steal the opponent’s balance. Styles like praying mantis are great for their kuaijiao techniques. Those guys can move in and take your balance from a distance, all without having to move into your space. Watch how Liang takes Masich down from the outside. Liang is totally safe from that distance. I also like how Liang is quite clear about how pervasive shuaijiao is in China, how widely regarded it is, and how taiji is FILLED with shuaijiao. All of those are great points that need to be pondered by all CMA guys. And notice how in awe Liang is of Chang Dong-sheng, the famous shuaijiao master. To this day on the mainland, people know who he is. Chang’s art and the way he moved his body are important subjects that all martially-inclined IMA guys and gals should study.
9 responses so far ↓
1 hakchigi // May 23, 2007 at 11:59 am
I was looking at a lot of shuaijiao stuff on You.tube -you can often see stances and moves from TCM in general … seems like it would be an excellent martial art for TCM guys to cross train in… and of course Chen style.
2 mo // May 23, 2007 at 5:38 pm
dave correct me if i’m wrong but it seems that kuaijiao, from the movements that liang shouyou is demonstrating, are basically takedowns, as opposed to throws. leg trips, leg hooks, etc., combined with quick pulling and/or pushing, no high amplitude throws are included.
3 chessman71 // May 23, 2007 at 11:11 pm
Mo,
I don’t know. I have Liang’s book on the subject but it’s basically just shuaijiao as I know it. In the book, he doesn’t explain how one is different from the other. From the video, I would guess that you are correct.
4 Dojo Rat // May 24, 2007 at 12:12 am
Boy, Sam is very young in this video. Both Masich and Liang live across the border in Vancouver, Canada. We had a push-hands seminar with Sam several years back and I can attest to his skill. I hope to train again with him , he’s a good friend of my Taiji instructor Michael Gilman.
Nice find, I’ll have to dig for more…
5 Aboroth // May 27, 2007 at 5:55 pm
Here is Liang demonstrating his applications of the Yang 24 forms:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTSAx4rX8oQ
6 Formosa Neijia - Exploring Taiwan’s Martial Arts » Yang apps by Liang Shou-yu // May 30, 2007 at 8:49 am
[...] The difference between shuaijiao and kuaijiao [...]
7 Shuaijiao.tv » Blog Archive » The Real Difference Between Shuaijiao & Kuaijiao is…. // Sep 3, 2007 at 4:55 pm
[...] across this post from Formosa Neijia on the difference between Shuaijiao and Kuaijiao. Kuaijiao means “Fast [...]
8 ashwix // Sep 3, 2007 at 4:56 pm
There is NO difference.
Liang Shouyu was “pulling the wool over the sheeps eyes” as we say in New Zealand.
I made a post about it on http://www.shuaijiao.tv
Keep Smilin’
Michael
9 chessman71 // Sep 3, 2007 at 7:23 pm
Perhaps.
However, here in Taiwan I have also heard the distincion made between kuaijiao and shuaijiao. The difference, as I stated in my post that you link to, isn’t the fast of slow aspects. Kuaijiao stays to the outside and normally uses sweeps and other means of taking the opponent down. Shuaijiao, IN this context (an important consideration), is being used to describe throws like hip and shoulder throws; basically anything that you would step INTO your opponent’s space to do. Kuaijiao is more to the outside.
I realize all of those methods are encompassed in the broader shuaijiao art. Liang is just trying to make a distinction between the two types of throwing.
Leave a Comment