Paired Boxing

Being always practical, T'ien Shan Pai emphasizes duet exercises to give the student the feel of working with another person.

Nevertheless, prior to a duet performance (two-person set), each student must practice an entire form as a solo exercise until he has mastered each action and he possesses an understanding of the purpose of each movement. He must achieve the necessary fluidity, dexterity and speed required and each move must flow smoothly and instinctively into the next, as in the concert performance of an accomplished pianist.

Then, after he becomes proficient in the solo exercises, the student is shown how to adapt his solo actions to the duet forms. The two-person set or duet exercises are based on the action-reaction principle. The student reacting waits for his opponent's action, then "sticks" and flows with him.

Paired boxing emphasizes timing and accurate evaluation of distance in reference to a moving, responsive adversary.

Tien Shan Pai Kung Fu

Lineage