6 Elbow Strikes Of Moo Kempo
Hello all I have posted a link that has the 6 elbow strikes of Moo Kempo. These strikes are the angles of attack as taught in the early 1970's. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnF32AWWlJ0 Hopefully this works. Here is the same thing only from the front http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWbfGaVLpU8 Sifu shawn

Hello Sifu Shawn, Looking Good Here! Those are the six elbow strikes as I was taught, except that I was taught one more. Also, I changed my #5 to a strike to the rear for easier viewing. Here are what I learned in 1977 in Edmonton. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sydPsZcWzVA Regards, MrE2Me2

MrE2Me2, Very cool. Its is neat to see you taped the elbows as well. I am actually waiting for a vid to "clear" on you tube and I will be posting one for the 7 knife hands and ridge hands as well. Question. Were you ever taught to go turn into the Open-x stance with the last strike ( my #6 ) ? Sifu shawn

Hello Sifu Shawn, About the last elbow attack: I was shown what you talk about but not taught it. Regards, MrE2Me2

MrE2Me2, About the last elbow attack: I was shown what you talk about but not taught it. That is interesting. I think as with many techniques, it is the concepts that are important. The same angles could be applied , but the approach could be different. The elbow attack, and how its applied would vary depending on how you are attacked. How you blocked a punch , lets say, would alter the chambering position of an elbow counter. I am sure the elbows could be taught in a few different ways, yet never lose their essence. If that makes any sense. These drills are (IMHO) designed to familiarize a person with the angles of attack, not to be used as a cut and dry guide on how they should be applied. sifu shawn

To all, As any of you have followed my vids at YouTube know, I practice Mo with a twist. I call it “KISAE”, as in “Keep It Simple And Effective”. I make it a point to introduce techniques early on. Then when I go back and teach them, they are not so strange. For example, the “original 7 elbows” shown at yellow belt. I have divided my elbow strikes into four different sets There are the “Original 7”. There are the Fore Elbow strikes demonstrated below. Then there are the Upper Elbow Strikes (which I have not shown yet). I have not introduced the concept of blocking with the elbows, either. It is an interesting sub category of techniques, all by itself. And as such would warrant a separate post. Here, then, are the Fore Elbow Strikes of KISAE. The Rising High http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0br-jeAzlU The Rising Mid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKC6YVIODEY The Fore Elbow “Thrust” High http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akioX7dctYI The Fore Elbow “Thrust” Mid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI3j_nEtWqQ The Horizontal Fore Elbow High http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGk6mt7Xzl8 The Horizontal Fore Elbow Mid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnDl7m0qg2o The hand pads make full power and speed much easier to demonstrate. One has only to watch to “Blue Amigo” to see this. Regards, MrE2Me2 .

I think as with many techniques, it is the concepts that are important. Hello Gentlemen, If I may interject a slight tangent at this point, I was wondering if anyone would care to comment on the concept(s) behind training the Forms or Katas. As I say, I know this is a bit of a tangent, but I am trying to clarify in my own thinking their place and importance in martial art training. If you would like to start a seperate thread on this subject, rather than address it here, that would be fine by me. Many thanks and kind regards to you all ~ Yen Hui

To all Here are two vids showing Kurt and myself working the elbow attacks. He gets the sweet spot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2HxKswfKDM We measure the elbow attack about four inches in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP-JwIC6Sm0 Regards, MrE2Me2

To all, Here is Kurt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rypCeKEL5xk Regards, MrE2Me2

To all, This story was relayed to me by one of my teachers. This comes from a time when he taught (and fought) in Calgary. He was sparring with another instructor. The other guy lets loose with a roundhouse kick for his head. Instead of using a regular block, he used a variation on a # 4 elbow strike. He connected and the strike worked. If the kicker had not pulled his move, He might very well have ended up with a broken foot. Regards, MrE2Me2

To all, It was during one of my belt tests in the sparring segment. I kicked with an offset roundhouse kick using the instep for my attacker’s short ribs. I caught him off guard and he threw an elbow out to defend against the kick. Instead of a controlled kick to the body, I did a full power kick to his elbow. If it had been a real fight instead of a belt test, I’d have been in big trouble. I went right down and it was several minutes before I could continue. Even, then, my foot swelled right up and was very sore for quite a while afterward. Regards, MrE2Me2

Mr E2mE2. yep, I would have to agree with you. Taking an elbow to the instep ( well taking an elbow anywhere for that matter) is very painfull. The elbows can take a lot of impact if used properly. I like using the elbows to stop the roundhouse kicks of bigger guys. Its not really a friendly method of blocking, but sometimes it is necesary. I have had some bigger guys try to really "tee off" on me, especially new guys. Its a good way to take the wind out of an over eager sail. sifu shawn

Hello Sifu Shawn, Yep! An elbow can definitely have that effect. Wayne would sometimes drop a #2 elbow on an incoming sidekick. On the other hand: He once related the story of how he tried it on Master Higgs. Only Master Higgs fooled with the timing and Wayne’s elbow got there first. And for the next six weeks Wayne learned to practice Moh with his arm in a cast. The power of Master Higgs side kick broke Wayne’s arm. Regards, MrE2Me2

Mr E2Me2 The power of Master Higgs side kick broke Wayne’s arm. Master Higgs told me he broke a guys arm once using a sidekick, now I know who that guy was....ouch sifu shawn

To all, I have always found it interesting to compare the distances. Take the basic Cantonese corkscrew punch done to centre without hip movement. It is a fast but relatively short movement. Compare that to a rising fore elbow done with 90 degree hip torque. The fore elbow reaches out nearly as far but it takes considerably longer. This would be because of the time necessary to torque the hip (and legs etc). A rising fore elbow will hit considerably harder than a punch. But it can be a dangerous move to the striker because it is so committed. And it leaves the striker at an angle to his opponent at ¼ distance. Either I get him or he gets me after if all things are close to equal. Another comparison would be in the area of defenses. Now I do realize that this has been alluded to before but it fits here as well. Take the crossdownward arm block and a descending upper elbow strike. Both will cover the same target and both work in a similar direction. They both also leave the defender in an excellent position to counter. And they both hurt the attacker’s incoming limb (if they land). There is also this: Both make use of false openings and committed moves. All in all, an elbow makes a dandy weapon for either defense or attack. Regards, MrE2Me2