Monday, August 26, 2013

Move in a different dimension

This was originally posted by Paul Janssens on Facebook.

From the 2012 Canberra workshop with Master Chen Zhonghua - ON DIMENSION
The key here is called "If it is unrelated, you can't get dragged into it"
So, if it is relating. See? Touch me here (students pushed upper L hip of Master Chen from the side).
When you push, although his hand is touching me, his push has a direction.
So, his direction is this way (into the hip) But whatever I do, in (pushes back), out (brings hip back), here (moves to the back - butts out), or here (moves hip forward), it is all related.
But see this here? (moves differently) This is not related to you. Because of that, my moves are unrelated.
And, the more you get into that thinking, the more you can force yourself into that unrelated area. (Then) you got the Taiji action.
The Taiji action used to be called 'shadow boxing', like, you can fight anyway you want, I am not there.
It is my shadow.
And you can't look at the shadow and say, 'But next time I am going to be stronger'.
Sure! Be stronger! But I am standing here, and you are fighting the shadow (points to other student)
Stronger, what does that have to do with me?
This dimensional thinking means that, because you think you are fighting me, and I am not there, you think you can improve.
You can improve all you want, you are not fighting me!
So, now you realize when you push,you see, push me a little bit. Just push me anywhere, right, ...
See? As long as I am interacting with you, it is whoever has the most skill (that wins).
But when you are doing that, see? (Master Chen changes the way he interacts and unbalances the student that is pushing) I am not in your dimension.
And, it is VERY, VERY difficult. Because as soon as you do a move, you can draw me back to your dimension. Because I want to go into a different dimension.
And see? (Student pushes in a different direction) I am in your dimension again. And so it is more a mind control, the will to totally separate. I am going to stay here, whatever happens!
But we always want to DO something.
And that I call 'Trigger happy' or 'The Candy Jar syndrome'. Whatever you say, the kid is going to put their hand in the candy jar.
And we think, and you know the theory. But your body always wants to go back to it.
And what are we training?
Based on that, .... Habit.
So, if you understand that, you have to totally wipe out this thinking (that) you can DO something. If you don't care about that anymore, you are not trying to do something anymore. You only try to train your habit. (And then) You can make progress faster. Because as long as you have one little bit in the back of your mind that you can do something, that something can take you back to your old way.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Aligning the kua to the heel

From early on, I knew that I needed to align the kua to the heel in certain postures in the yilu, e.g. white crane spreads its wings.  Today, all of a sudden, I tried to align the kua to the heel in every move. It could be the front kua with the front heel, rear kua with the rear heel, front kua with the rear heel, somehow I didn't do rear kua with the front heel, maybe I did but it would immediately become front kua with the rear heel after the switch. This alignment seemed to create a very strong stick, it also allowed the hands to become more solid, and the fajin was not as wobbly, and became more precise. It seemed to allow a lower stance too without straining the knee. I would need to test this more in tomorrow's practice.

Monday, August 5, 2013

Notes for Carlos Hanson Yilu Correction Video

http://practicalmethod.com/2013/08/carlos-hanson-yilu-correction-online-video-purchase/

Notes:

  1. 6.06 - In order to turn left to step up, if someone is preventing you to do that by pressing your chest, you need to stretch to rotate around it.
  2. 9.24 - Every move needs to become longer.
  3. 22.14 - "Bei Jie Kou" - Lock the left knee. Lock the right wrist, right shoulder, and right kua, and stretch them against the fixed left knee. The demarcation is on the left kua.