Master Chen Zhonghua Online Lesson on Mar 31, 2021

Go over the threshold 过关: hand and shoulder

Get to the special spot 窍: tip of the elbow, inner spot of kua to come out, back of the knee to find alignment, spot at the bottom of the neck

Master Chen explained the switching of the kuas again, how they are like two credit cards touching each other in a T configuration.  We need to create a gap and then do the switch.

More on switching on the kua, the T needs to switch from one side to the other.

Another illusion is with the two hands with the middle finger tips touching each other with one palm facing inward, and one hand facing outward.  The switch is achieved by rotating at the finger tip touching point ending with each palm facing the opposite direction.

If you have a solid revolving door, you shine light on it to create a shadow on the wall on the other side. The width of the shadow will change as the door revolves.

We need to make the switch within an enclosed space. The kuas must be like ball bearings. Marking a dot on the surface of each kua, the distance between the two dots can change as the kuas rotates.

To actually move the kua, we need to create a small gap at the kua first. It's like two strong magnets stuck to each other. We need to pull them apart (detach them) a little bit first before we can change the way they attach to each other. Another way is to change add another perspective, which is like locking the inside, and moving the outside.

Master Chen Zhonghua Online Lesson on Mar. 30, 2021

Exercise 1: Use the kua to push the hand out. Shoulder, kua and elbow are one piece. The hand stretches against the shoulder. This is a very practical push hand move.

Exercise 2: Elbow Strike (the elbow has to come out)

Exercise 3: Double Push Hands: Pull the opponent in, Front foot goes forward, rear foot follows. Two hands go out from the dantian with a trajectory. We use the back foot to push.

Master Chen Zhonghua Online Lesson on Mar 29, 2021

We started with forearm lever exercise. Aim at a dot to create a pivot.  The distance the elbows goes down is the same as the distance the finger tip goes up (assuming the pivot is right in the middle).

Ratio 1:1

The meaning is that nothing is left in the middle. Every in-coming thing must go out.  This is also called neutralization.

When we eat rice, ideally, we just want the energy, and other physical things should come out of the body. However, there is always some small amount of material, e.g. mineral that remains in the body. This is what causes us to be sick and become old.

Resolving door: One side comes in, the other side goes out.  The key is that the door is very solid.

In our movement, redirect the incoming force to the rear foot without moving.

To be soft, it must be solid plus rotation.

Master Chen Zhonghua Online Lesson on Mar 26, 2021

Train with the rear foot at the corner, and a big enough stance to lock the body (especially upper body).

Taiji is only realized with speed.

To connect between the shoulder and the hand, use rotation to make it happen.

Ultimately we want to create power, we use movement, time and accuracy to do so.

The true not moving only happens when there is rotation.  In outer space, we need to use gyroscope to fix things.

We want to go through (3-dimensional). We have been doing "go over" (1-dimensional).

Generate one experience, and permeate it through all other postures.

Master Chen Zhonghua Online Lesson on Mar 25, 2021

Exercise 1: Use the left hand to grab the right wrist, stretch the right fingers.  This is not just a demonstration, it is the method to train.  People often ask Master Chen how to train, in fact, he just showed us.  We only need to do it 60 times in each session. Doing it 60 times means to not use too much power, or using the right amount such that you can do it 60 times. When you use the left hand to grab the right, squeeze the armpit to lock the left hand, so that the left hand itself does not move.  In order to stretch, we must lock something.

Exercise 2: Six Sealing Four Closing
Rub the front armpit, the left shoulder need to stretch backwards to cause the energy to squeeze towards the right chest.  The body action and energy are also opposite to each other.

Exercise 3: Daligong 大力功

Exercise 4: Squat down, feet shoulder width, stretch hand forward as we squat down. Stretch from dantian.  Stand up, dantian push against the feet, energy goes back to dantian, in with elbow to bring it back to dantian.

Exercise 5: Positive Circle
Front kua and front heel must be a rod.  Rear kua and rear heel must be a rod. First half of the circle, rotate the front rod. Second half of the circle, rotate the rear rod.

Small Frame vs Big Frame (Focus on small movements vs Focus on large movements so things flow)

Old Frame vs New Frame (Start from the inside causing the outside to move vs Start from the outside causing the inside to move)  Bottom line is the inside has to move.

Zhan Zhuang (Standing Meditation)

Pebble in the shoe
Step Forward to Ride the Whale: The punch at the end is like a pebble in the shoe. It sticks out with no action.

Martial Salute
Right Palm, Left Fist (Come in peace)
Right First, Left Palm (Come to fight/challenge)  Nowadays, this is the official Goverment way. The original meaning is lost.

Master Chen Zhonghua Online Lesson on Mar 24, 2021

When the body action is correct, the energy is wrong.

When the energy is correct, the body action is wrong.

Body action and energy must have separation of yin and yang.

At the end, we need to use rotational movement to shoot out straight line energy.

Normally, body action and energy tend to go together.  Even if we begin with rotation, it very easily follows the energy path, and does not rotate anymore.

If we press the shoulder into the elbow, and the elbow is on the table, the energy will shoot towards the finger. As we push the shoulder more, the finger may shoot up and deviate from going outward. We need to control the finger navigation.  This is like controlling the rotational action.

Master Chen Zhonghua Online Lesson on Mar 23, 2021

Maintain two lines (This exercise came from Twisting the towel.)

1. Head to foot
2. Front finger tip to the central vertical line on the back

We want to first stretch things out, and then add something in the middle to further stretch a little bit. We must constantly add that little bit of stretch in our training. This is neigong training.

Switching

Dantian in the middle, the two kuas are at the two ends. When one kua moves, and the other kua moves in opposite. They cancel each other out, so it's zero.  Zero is good for neutralization, but the sum is nothing. Switching makes the non-moving dot from middle to the rear end. This is also known as switching gear, 腰裆转换.. In reality, it is switching the pivot from dantian to the rear kua (in this example).

Using Six Sealing Four Closing as the exercise, elbow comes back (gear 1), switch to use the front kua (gear 2), then switch to use the rear kua (gear 3).  By locking the rear kua, the energy will go to the finger tip.

Using Twisting the Towel as the exercise:

1. Move the hand, then stop
2. Move the elbow, then stop
3. Move the kua, then stop

Double heavy is needed to hit someone, but at the same time, it is bad as it allows the opponent to control us. However, double heavy can only happen for a split second to create a hit.