6309 SW Capitol Highway, Portland OR, 97239
503 432 7450Uppercuttin'
Today for the first half of forms class, we explored three different ways to throw an uppercut. The first variety was taken from the form Mo Yee Do (second martial way). In this uppercut, you pivot on the balls of the feet and deliver a strike to two seperate targets. The targets are supposed to be the sides of an opponent’s torso (we used pads).
The second variety was taken from the form Mo Sam Do (third martial way). For this one, you don’t pivot on the feet at all. Instead, the feet are rooted to the ground and you generate power by moving the ankles, knees, hips, torso and shoulders. The target for both strikes is the solar plexus (again, we used pads).
Finally, the third uppercut was from the form Pax Sil Lum 6 (Northern Shao-Lin Form #6). Instead of a short stance, these strikes demand a long, deep stance in which you must pivot on the heels to deliver power. To make things more complicated, the non-striking hand is performing a block prior to the uppercut.
Why place these three moves together in a class? The hope is to give the students a small sample of all the different angles (and ways) an uppercut can be thrown and to encourage them to explore the world of uppercuts further.