Master Chen Zhonghua's Online Lesson on Sep 29, 2020

Chinese Class

Master Chen Zhonghua introduced Wild Horse Parts Its Mane as a foundation exercise. If space is available, we can do it as a line drill.

Procedure:

1. Put the hands in a half horse stance.
2. Rotate with the central vertical axis until you are so twisted that you can't go any further
3. Lift up on the rear foot, and stand on the front foot only without any wobbling.
4. Shovel out with the foot that was lifted.
5. Shift forward into a half horse stance.
6. Stretch the arms into position as needed.

We must turn very quickly. It's like how to spin a top. The spin must be fast enough for the top to stay rotating in balance.  For us, we rotate quickly, and we are on the other side already.

Master Chen said that the secret was in the procedure. A chef's skill came from knowing what ingredients to put in, how much of them to put in, and when to put each of them in.

For us, it's about what to train and how to train.

English Class

We started with the various foundations. The emphasis was to train a vertical rod through foundations. We used Twisting the Towel, Six Sealing Four Closing, and Fetch Water.

We used the kua to generate power. We wanted to do 3 moves very quickly. Left, right, left. Right, left, Right.  The use of 3 counts is to allow us eventually create a vertical rod. We don't move the arms.

Master Chen showed how to lock one kua, and move the other kua over and go back and forth to create size without the movement of the arm. He mentioned 折叠 zhe die (open and close). This size creates power. The size must be bigger than the size that an external stylist would move the arm. This is the first time that I actually experience how to throw a punch.  Master Chen mentioned that it was a good thing that I moved from one side of the screen to another side in this action.

Master Chen Zhonghua's Online Lesson on Sep 28, 2020

We started with the various foundations. Master Chen Zhonghua mentioned that we must be able to copy the external shape first, e.g. he must be able to recognize which foundation we were attempting to do.  If we were doing the yilu, others must recognize that we were doing a Chen Style Yilu, and then a Practical Method Yilu.

Master Chen checked each person's double positive circle, as that was where we focused on the previous foundation class.  We need to continue to train to use the kuas to initiate the action without the movement of the arms and hands.

We then moved on to double negative circle. The first one was with the two arms in synchronous motion (Double downward squeeze). The hand never came back, and must stay outside. The elbows must come back over the top, and the hands go out from the bottom.  The two hands are driven by the dantian being pull downward. As the elbows are pulled in, the dantian also comes up. We also added the turn of the waist. As the elbows come in, turn to the left. As the hands go out, turn to the right. Those directions can be reversed.

For the second double negative circle (Fist Drape Over Body), we must not move the arms. The boomerang shape of the arm must be kept. Master Chen instructed to add power on each elbow-in, while the kua is also required to meet the elbow without collapsing the knee on the same side.  A common mistake is that the elbow becomes a horizontal move, where the forearm is going across the chest.

With Gora and Zeela's help, Master Chen instructed them to show an application with Fist Drape Over Body. It is very difficult to make sure that kua goes forward while the knee goes backward.

We also practiced "Turning flowers and playing with sleeves" from Cannon Fist.  We have to turn 360 degrees, jump off the right foot, and land on the left foot on the same spot.  I was spinning out of control. I later found out that I had my lower back not straight in the air.  Master Chen will check on our progress on this move in the next Monday foundation class.

Notes for 香港16-2 video

https://www.shiyongquanfa.cn/archives/52743

2020年10月3日星期六上午8:00 (中国时间），何家伟教练带领我们来学习《香港16-2》这个视频。 

陈老师谈论了活的东西跟死的东西的差别。

Notes:

1:06 在跟对方接触后，我们要偷偷加一点。加的地方对方是不知道，或是不介意。加了这一点以后，我们就有两点实的，一点虚的。虚的就有力了。加这一点一定要过到另外一边。

2:37 对方以为没有用的，其实是最有用的。

3:50 所有动作都要从中心（丹田）开始。

8:00 活的东西跟死的东西的差别。死的东西很简单，只有一层东西。活的东西很复杂，有皮肤、血脉、筋、骨、筋膜。我们学东西要从简单开始，学大纲。

Master Chen Zhonghua's Online Lesson On Sep 30, 2020

Master Chen started today's class with a story and a method people used to remember things precisely.

The story was about how the Secretary was corrected by an old person on the details of an event. The Secretary referred his speech to a document. However, it turned out that the document was incorrect, and the audio recording had the truth as pointed out by the old person. In today's society, we rely on a lot of documents instead of trying to remember things in our heads. If the documents were actually recorded in correctly, we would have the facts incorrect.

In the old days, information was passed down through chants, or poems with rhyming words. People recited these chants or poems. It would be more difficult to be incorrectly passed down as the meaning of the text and the sounds of the words have to make sense.

In the Chinese culture, there was a famous 3-character poem.  There are also other forms, e.g. 5-character, 7-character poems.

The following people received yilu corrections:

Sergey Schepin

Candra Lo

Chris Martinez

Felicia Fong

Gora Nebulana & Zeela

One important catagory of movements was emphasized: Pumping down to cause a horizontal expansion.

This was illustrated by "Fist Covering Hand Downwards (Xia Yan Shou Chui)".

The right arm must maintain the boomerang shape. There is no movement in the hand and elbow, there is no punch (in the normal sense).

We need to open the right kua, and the right armpit.

For the beginners, we must segment the movements, similar to writing block letters instead of cursive.

In general, the steps of learning yilu are:

1) Getting the external shape and choreography correct (Others looking at this form must recognize that it is the Practical Method Yilu).

2) Once the external shape is solidified, more restrictions will be added over time.

Ultimately, nothing moves, there are only rotations.

A physical advancement is created by locking one end of a stick and rotation the other end over.

Notes for 香港16-1 video

 https://www.shiyongquanfa.cn/archives/52741

2020年10月2日星期五上午8:00 (中国时间），何家伟教练带领我们来学习《香港16-1》这个视频。 

陈老师在这视频讲及力要从丹田来，动作中要有一个地方作领导。

Notes:

0:46 两个的时候，关系简单。三个时，关系就开始复杂，要开会。我们练出三来，就可以了。

1:34 力要从丹田来。丹田要变成主要动作。要用独立的动作来练它。

5:47 要把胯活起来，陈老师示范了一个特式的训练方法。

6:32 第一是要知道用哪里。第二是要知道怎样用。

8:33 我们要练到有一个明显的地方突出。这个地方就是一个领导，其他都要在他的后面，不可以与他争锋。

Sorting out Practical Method concepts

In order to sort out my understanding on Practical Method, I need to start writing more articles, and put them under categories. Each article can explain my understanding on a principle, a concept or an action. When I have accumulated enough articles, I may even be able to publish a book

Notes for 扭开-16届 video

https://www.shiyongquanfa.cn/archives/105553 

2020年9月19日星期六上午8:00 (中国时间），何家伟教练带领我们来学习《扭开-16届》这个视频。

陈老师示范了一个要用三十年去练出胯的力来的双人练习。

Notes:

我们的动作是用胯把定住的两手打开。功夫多少是能不能把两手打开。实用拳法有绳、棍、石头。绳可以用来捆着对方，使对方的劲使不出来。

1:54 陈老师示范了一个双人练习。手不动，用跨扭开使对方倒地。练上三十年就可以了。练不到胯这个力，就只是技巧。

Notes for 十三式重点立轴 video

https://www.shiyongquanfa.cn/archives/16310

2020年9月25日星期五上午8:00 (中国时间），何家伟教练带领我们来学习《十三式重点立轴》这个视频。

看陈老师在这短视频中怎样把立轴的要求放进一路里。

Notes：

练一路时，中轴的要求是：

1. 明显保持住的一根竖轴。 
2. 它不能被扯进其他的动作中。

陈老师在这短视频里特别强调并演示了这一点。要求看似只是两点，但已足够练上几年。

Master Chen Zhonghua Online Lesson on Sep 22, 2020

 Exercise 1

Open the kua to cause a horizontal rotation. Lock the top by using one hand to the hold the wrist on the other side. Stretch the fingers. Where the middle finger is pointing at changes as the rotation caused by the kua happens.

Open the right kua to turn left.

Open the left kua to turn right.

Don't let the left knee point down when opening the left kua.

Exercise 2

Imagine that something is blocking your right forearm as you turn left. You need to use power from the bottom to get through.

On the way back, you can imagine that something is blocking the forearm on the other side, you need to open the opposite kua to get through.

For the right arm, open the right kua for the forehand, and open the left kua for the backhand, so we can be more efficient to train both sides. Otherwise, we push one side, reset, and then push the same side again.

Exercise 3

Left hand up. Tie the head to the left heel to create a rod. Lift the left toes. Use the toes to turn on the heel to drive into the left kua. The head-to-left-heel rod rotates.

Exercise 4

Same as Exercise 3 at the beginning. Left hand up, tie it to the head-to-left-heel rod. Use the left toes to drive the turn to the right. 1/4 of the way, you meet resistance. Tie the left hand now to the head-to-right-heel rod, open the right kua to rotate the head-to-right-heel rod.

Exercise 5

Go up and down inside a cylinder. Leave your hands down and focus on the bottom action.

Use the kua to rotate left and right, while using the knees to go and down. Go bigger on the left and right turns.

Watch out for the knees. Older students may not be able to go too much up and down.

This is a tiring exercise.

Once our actions are big enough, we have to put back the restrictions so we don't toss the central vertical axis.

Focus on the task at hand and ignore/let go of anything that has been important to you for the moment.  The common mistake is that we hold on to the old/existing ideas, and those are preventing us from following the current instructions.

Master Chen Zhonghua's Online Lesson on Sep 21, 2020

We started with double positive circle.

We used a rubber cord to tie to elbow to the waist, so that the elbow does not move by itself.

That wasn't too successful as people were still moving their hands.

Master Chen wanted to emphasize the use of kua and waist to move up and down. We then totally dropped our hands down and forgot about them, just focused on going up and down within a cyclinder.

We opened the right kua to turn left, and opened the left kua to turn right.

We could use the right shoulder to lead, or we could use the left shoulder to lead.

We then raised the hand but stuck the elbow to the waist. 

We used the two kuas to go up and down to draw a square box, and later to draw a circle.

We could draw a positive circle, or a negative circle, which is simply going in the reversed direction.

This exercise was used to free our minds from preoccupied restrictions.  For people that had been practicing for years, we knew of the restrictions, and so we would often not do what shifu instructed us to do on the spot as we couldn't let go of the restrictions.

We had to exaggerate our movements.

Movements stay within the dantian, but power goes out to the extremities, e.g.

1. electric current (movement) runs in the filament of a light bulb, but the heat (power) radiates out
2. a wheel spinning on a rod, the power radiates out, i.e. another touch the spinning wheel will be thrown out.

In the old days, people are well trained, so if they hear a key point, they will be able to do it right away. This is why these key points were kept as secrets. Nowadays, we are not trained enough, knowing those points will be useful right away.

陈中华老师直播课20200917笔记

金刚捣碓第一动：保持中轴，用跨、肘领着动作，身体不动。

金刚捣碓第六动：手臂跟脚一起上。

掩手肱捶：双反圈收肘后，转腰手不动。

动作流畅是因练拳多年慢慢形成的。不要自己全部动作连着练。每个式子到最后的动作，停下定着。

Notes for 空点 印尼15 video

 https://www.shiyongquanfa.cn/archives/57714

2020年9月19日星期六上午8:00 (中国时间），何家伟教练带领我们来学习《空点 印尼15》这个视频。

陈老师在这个视频里示范了很多次怎样找空点，并讲解了《顺》两个方向的用法，再演示了让对方不顺是会有怎样的结果。

Notes:

0:15 顺 - 把对方的一点沿着轨道继续走。对方就像掉进一个窟窿里面一样。

2:30 要能练成这种技术，我们要明白劲路是怎样的。要明白，我们必须顶了多年。

3:52 我们要找到对方的根，然后把他拔起。根就在对方的棍的另外一端。这根棍也就是对方的劲路。

7:37 这个视频里面老师跟每个同学都做了同样的示范。这让我们看到每个人不同用力的方法，也因高矮肥瘦，老师做了调整，但始终是一个理论。

8:00 除了可以拔根，也可以把他憋着，让对方的劲不能出来。

9:40 老师给同学拉。老师顺着对方拉的劲路走，到达对方想拉到的地方，然后加多一点。跟之前示范不同的是，之前是对方推的尽头加一点，现在是对方拉的尽头加一点。其实也没本质的不同，只是方向不同而已。

实用拳法标语创作比赛

从现在起到2020年9月底，我们将举办“实用方法标语创作比赛”。 我们正在邀请大家创作一个可以包括以下一项或多项特式的新标语：

1. 告诉大众什么是实用方法
2. 能识别于其他风格的太极拳
3. 引起人们的注意
4. 容易令人留下深刻印象

所有标语创作将由陈中华老师进行评选。 优胜者将获得以下奖项：

第一名：¥300 网金

第二名：¥200 网金

第三名：¥100 网金

第一名的标语将有机会成为官方的实用拳法标语。网金是供购买实用拳法官方网站上的视频。

请将您的标语创作电邮至slogancontest@practicalmethod.ca 或微信给何家伟教练 （微信号：kelvinkwho)。 每个人可以提交多个标语创作。

找紧时间，让您的创造力疯狂发挥，并在今天提交您的标语创作。

Notes for 如何接地-临沂2015 video

 https://www.shiyongquanfa.cn/archives/88148

2020年9月18日星期五上午8:00 (中国时间），何家伟教练带领我们来学习《 如何接地-临沂2015》这个视频。

看了这个视频，我们就明白我们有没有接地了。

Notes:

接地就是力百分之百到地上。你坐在椅子上，双脚盘起来，椅子放在地上，你的力也百分之百到地上。你上楼梯，两只脚在不同的梯级，每只脚的力就不是百分之百。你坐在椅子上，一只脚撑地，坐在椅子的力就不是百分之百了。

明白了这个道理，我们就能判断我们有没有接地了。

Notes for 2015.05.17大青山-动作的关系2 video

https://www.shiyongquanfa.cn/archives/104809

2020年9月12日星期六上午8:00 (中国时间），何家伟教练带领我们来学习《2015.05.17大青山-动作的关系2》这个视频。

这个陈老师继续讲弹簧的比例不变，但可以变大变小。

Notes:

0:30 如要保持弹簧受压力的状态，里面要一根棍，例如汽车的避震器。没有这根棍，弹簧就很容易蹦开。

0:58 示范中，胯受压。如胯没对上脚跟，那就受不了会倒。能保持对上，它就像弹簧中的一根棍。弹簧也可以调节变打变小。

2:28 老师继续示范的是保持比例下，外形变大变小。这也像气球的变大变小。大球小球都是360度。

Master Chen Zhonghua's Online Class - Sep 10, 2020

Today, Master Chen corrected the following students' partial yilu:

1. Karen Mattox
2. Gerry Gebhart
3. Albert Chung

Single Whip Master Chen used the foot shovelling out in single whip as an example to talk about the concept of using a stick to pry open something. We shove the stick into a crack, then the front end of the stick cannot move anymore and stays in the same place. We can then make the crack bigger by prying with the stick. The key is that the one of the stick is not moving. As we pry, we may meet resistence, we can add a longitudinal rotation as we pry, it will allow the stick to go over the resistence. Regarding the single whip, we want to make sure that the toes do not point up as we shovel so that we can apply the longitudinal rotation on the entire left leg. As we shovel the left foot, the weight must stay on the right foot. As we shift over to half horse stance, the longitudinal rotation on the left leg occurs at the same time.

Master Chen Zhonghua's Online Lesson on Sep 9, 2020

Six Sealing Four Closing 六封四闭

Grandmaster Hong Junsheng studied the names of each move.  He looked into the origin of these names, and how the pronounciation might have changed when the information was passed down based on the dialect of the region.  The dialects in China can be so different that people from one region might not understand people from another region at all.

In Yang Style Taiji, there is Ru Feng Si Bi 如封似闭 which means like sealing like closing.  'L' and 'R' sounds might have been difficult for people to decipher.

Back to Six Sealing Four Closing, it refers to the difference in proportation on the two sides of the midpoint in the action. While the two hands are considered staying on the same line roughly placed horizontally at 45 degrees. A similar line in different orientation is present in Fetch Water and Twisting the Towel.

While that first line is maintained between the front middle finger and the front shoulder, there is another line created by opening the front kua that runs perpendicular to the first line.  The end result is a spiral going foreward with the middle finger tip being the drill bit.

The midpoint can be in the forearm at the beginning, then it is switched to the front shoulder-kua axis, the central axis, and later to the rear shoulder-kua axis.

When the midpoint is at the front shoulder-kua axis, the front portion is 40% and the rear portion is 60%.

When the midpoint is at the rear shoulder-kua axis, the front portion is 60% and the rear portion is 40%.

Note that these numbers are just examples, and not exact.

This is a set-up of a gear ratio.

When it is well made, the change in the gear ratio is smooth and undetectable.  Like sitting a good car, and the automatic transmission is done so smoothly that we don't realize that it is even done.  When there is a problem, it won't be smooth anymore.

Another topic discussed is about perspective change. We use rotation to change the opponent perspective on the structure while the structure itself didn't really change, e.g. rotating a coat hanger in front of the camera, we may see the coat hanger through the lens of the camera as a vertical line or a full isosceles triangle or anything triangle in between.  The coat hanger remains the same, but we see it differently.

We are like performing a magic trick. We make the opponent think that something is changed, but it did not, or he/she thinks that it is not changed, but it did.

Training foundation is to use one move to understand the unlimited variations.

Training the form is to use many different moves to understand the ONE principle.

When Master Chen talked about one thing, we just focus on that one thing, and do not bring in other things for the moment. We must be able to solidify that one thing.  Master Chen teaches very basic things, but people think more of them than what they really are.  The magic only comes from doing a lot of the basic things really well together.

Notes for 2015.05.17大青山-动作的关系1 video

 https://www.shiyongquanfa.cn/archives/104807

2020年9月11日星期五上午8:00 (中国时间），何家伟教练带领我们来学习《2015.05.17大青山-动作的关系1》这个视频。

在这个视频中，陈老师讲的最多的是比例。动作要的关系是合符比例。最神奇的是虽然脚没动作，但能看到力聚在脚上比较多，使比例不对。

Notes:

0:29 陈老师用提水讲解动作的关系。譬如膝盖是中间，大腿的一点跟小腿的一点。它们变大变小跟中间的比例是一样的。另外一个例子是胯是中间，腰上的一点跟大腿的一点也是同样的关系。

1:35 伸缩是练弹簧力，一动不动是练一根棍。

3:00 按比例的压缩弹簧。如加一点使比例发生变化，力就会往外蹦出去，这就不对了。我们要练例子是在压力不变的情况下，把结构的外形改变。

6:50 陈老师用胯，膝盖，脚这个三角形讲力的比例，每个部位应是三份之一。如力在一个地方多与其他两个点，比例就不对，这个结构就不合格了。你们看的出来力在脚上太多的时候吗？

Notes for 2015.05.17大青山-动作不变小 video

 https://www.shiyongquanfa.cn/archives/104805

2020年9月11日星期五上午8:00 (中国时间），何家伟教练带领我们来学习《2015.05.17大青山-动作不变小》这个视频。

动作不变小跟掤劲、时间、螺旋缠丝、平衡有什么关系？这短短的视频说了很多。不要错过。

Notes:

0:15 怎样可以动作不变少？三点不动，动其他地方。这样我们就可以把身体拉长。

0:30 何为换点？一个点做完动作，定住不动。换到另外一个点，继续做动作。这样做整体会变长。

1:00 陈老师示范了何为变少、变短。一寸长，一寸强。

1:56 所有的动作不能变小。

2:00 太极是掤劲。掤劲是螺旋缠丝劲，也就是动作不变小。

3:03 大自然里面有一个不变的东西，就是时间。时间永远往前的。

4:00 陀螺要继续转才能平衡。它不转的时候就会倒地。我们要螺旋缠丝才能平衡，不会死。

5:00 转是不走回头路的，这样就是跟时间一样一直往前，才能符合时间。

5:27 太极拳最初是长拳，跟形意、八卦是三种内家拳。后来的太极拳是综合的。

Notes for 苏州15-手肘对准 video

https://www.shiyongquanfa.cn/archives/19523

2020年9月5日星期六上午8:00 (中国时间），何家伟教练带领我们来学习《苏州15-手肘对准》这个视频。

掩手肱捶要手肘对准才可以出拳。

Notes:

上勾拳是用意念从肚子里面打到喉咙，不是只是挥拳，对方会跑的。

角度是跟前臂的方向。

太极拳以前是长拳，再以前是通臂拳。

掩手肱捶。以前叫掩手红捶，捶一出就见红（血）。洪老师改叫掩手肱捶的。

拳要直的打，不要横的打。

Master Chen Zhonghua's Online Lesson on Sep 3, 2020

Master Chen demonstrated the foundation exercise Moving-Step Shake the pole, which is the positive and negative circle. He held a real pole to begin with to show the idea behind the foundation exercise. He locked his fron hand, which was holding the pole as a pivot. The rear hand moved the pole.

Requirements: 

1. Front arm does a negative circle
2. Rear arm does a positive circle.
3. Lock the front hand (at first just hold something not moving to secure it)
4. Pull the rear foot backwards against the front hand to create length. At the end the hand is pulled by this stretch.
5. On top of it, make the front kua movement very big (exaggerate it at first if we need to). This also pulls against the front hand.
6. As the body go backwards, add a downard stretch at the front shoulder.
7. Given all these movements, the length between the front hand and the rear kua remains constant once it is made longer from the initial posture. We may see it shorter only because the orientation of the body relative to the camera viewpoint, but it is actually not shorter.

陈中华老师直播课20200901笔记

今天陈老师给同学改十三式。他自己示范了用丹田转做拦擦衣和单鞭。

金刚捣碓
出右手后，上步跟肘一起往前。

拦擦衣
第一动，用丹田转出手往下来，不要动手。
第二动，用丹田转手往上，不要动手

六封四闭
第五动，肘不能往外，不要提起来。手不动，手跟后肩对拉在一条线上。

我们一个一个动作练，练多了慢慢就会连在一起。

每个动作要有支点。脚蹬的时候，不动身体，那就没支点了。前面的动作一定有相对后面的动作支持。

动作往里做，力是往外走。

我们要认清核心的东西。手是否动了，我们看不出来是因为还没有掌握这核心的东西，也可以说没掌握真正

Notes for 2015大青山-互为其根 video

 https://www.shiyongquanfa.cn/archives/104811

2020年9月4日星期五上午8:00 (中国时间），何家伟教练带领我们来学习《2015大青山-互为其根》这个视频。

互为其根听过了没有？懂不懂它的意思？在这视频老师清楚解释这阴阳的关系。

Notes: 

事物自己单一是没有意义，聚在一起同时间发生，就给对方意义了/跟之前不同的功能了。这是太极里面的互为其根。要有三才能有互为其根。三角形是最少边的圆。圆是由无限个角，无限条边组成的。圆是个无形的三角。每一个角为另外一个角为支持，沿着这样走，最后就回到自己。

这个视频跟《互为其根》文章：https://www.shiyongquanfa.cn/archives/91611一起学习更有得着。