Hand position

 (recently posted on Facebook by Mr. Tatum)

In terms of where your hands should be in an attack is Subjective to where your hands are at the time which is determined by your environment and body position.

If for instance your hands are down to your sides and your attacker pushes towards your chest, then you can use Parting Wings from your hand's point of origin.

If your hands are already up to your first height zone and the attacker reaches towards your waist your hands, then can drop to Hooking Wings from their point of origin.

If you try to move your hands from the sides to do Hooking Wings you are then moving from your point of origin to another point of origin to drop onto the arms of your attacker. In terms of your circles, you are also moving on the Upside of the circle to then make contact on the downside. This takes more time.

Moving from one point of origin allows one to move on the Downside from bottom to top and top to bottom.

Top to bottom would be Hooking Wings.

Two things to consider, most of the Kenpo techniques consider the downside. If they don't then react to the idea phase of an attack with your hands positioned FOR the downside.

In Five Swords your hands are at your sides then you are likely to use a Thrusting inward block because it moves to meet the strike on the downside of the circle.

If your hands are already up, then you are more likely to use a dropping Hammering Inward Block because it moves on the downside from top to bottom.

In Evading the storm, you move the circle to blend with the strike by stepping offline with your left leg. Your angel of defection meets the strike on the downside of the circle. Your block should not travel to your left side and then back over to meet on the downside, that is wasted time.

So, the Downside is the key to how you respond. Keeping this mind, you can now go back to the techniques that start from the hands-down position and reinsert this Principle.