Chinese New Year's Gift: Secret on Footwork

[joko]

Dear all Forum members: guests as well as Shaolin Wahnam family,

As present for Chinese New Year, Sifu has revealed a secret, which is one of the treasures of Shaolin Wahnam legacy.

To get the best benefit of the gift, I would like to invite you all to have the discussion on them.

Let us begin with Sifu's comment on footwork, in one of the video clips:, of how to move properly

Grandmaster Wong’s footwork as shown in the video clip here is performed wrongly on purpose. Do you know why it is wrong? If you know the answer you may understand why many kungfu practitioners today have knee problems.

This is very interesting.

So, it explains why there are knee problems among Taijiquan practitioners.
Knowing why, and then apply the correct way to practice, certainly it will be beneficial for us, and for others, when we share this secret to those who deserve it.

Would you kindly share your thought about this?

Thank you,
Joko

[Ray]

Hi Sifu Joko,
I haven't seen the clips yet but based off my own experience trying to practice Tai Chi I think when people move from the knees and not the waist they hurt themselves. Lately I've tried Wild Horse Spreads Mane a few times and still feel that it doesn't flow as well as I like. I'm going to loosen my hips up more as a remedy.

Best,

Ray

[Andrew]

Interestingly, this phenomenon is not limited to Taijiquan but is also prevelant in other practices. Isn't it interesting that arts which claim to be trained for health only (no martial aspects anymore ... like much of the Tai Chi Dance out there) actually result in damaged knees?

Now Sifu has revealed some previously guarded secrets which will help many practitioners of these and other arts. Hopefully this discussion will help these practitioners to get more benefits from the arts they choose to practice.

[TaiChiPete]

yin yang harmony

Joko,

My thoughts:

Sifu has kindly demonstrated the potential pitfalls of not applying yin yang harmony in our practise. In this example, not applying the principle of yin yang harmony in footwork, Sifu helpfully points out can lead to knee problems. In your note Joko you say Sifu has revealed a secret – which is true … but in another way it is not a secret – if you pick up almost any Tai Chi publication today it will mention the importance of yin yang harmony. Yet it is a secret and I think the secret is to experience it and apply it consistently in our practise.

In my opinion there are many other ways we may not apply yin yang harmony in our training that may also lead to other problems. An example might be balancing movement and stillness.

It will be interesting to see some other opinions on this.

Pete

[Grimlock]

Is yin yang harmony in taijiquan different from maintaining the 6 harmonies in shaolinquan?

[LeeWeiJoo]

Dear Joko,

As best to my knowledge, the footwork here is performed wrongly because Sifu purposely lunged his body forward, instead of rotating from the waist and having the force develop from the back leg. In essence, I would say it was "all yang", imagine throwing your whole body weight forward on that first step. It would be clumsy.

Imagine that your first step is to test if there were a trap door on the ground. The first step would be very light. As the first step is placed forward, only then would the body rotate and the force spiral. The transition of body weight would go smoothly, with the waist and back leg all transitioning smoothly together. This is my understanding of it.

With Shaolin Salute,
Lee Wei Joo

[TaiChiPete]

Dear Grimlock

Is yin yang harmony in taijiquan different from maintaining the 6 harmonies in shaolinquan?

I would say no. Yin yang harmony is about differentiating yin and yang - in the case of footwork here - heavy and light or empty and full. As Lee Wei Joo describes it

The first step would be very light

and

The transition of body weight would go smoothly.

This is similar to the Tai Chi symbol which represents a gradual change from yin (light) to yang (heavy) and back again.

Where as the six harmonies is about the three external harmonies; footwork, bodywork and hand work; and the three internal harmonies - jing, chi and shen; working together.

Although I say no the more I think about it I think there may be some similarities - perhaps my seniors would be able to comment.

Pete

[joko]

Dear all,

Thanks for your responses.

I am really fascinated by this secret. Yes, Sifu explained and showed it clearly, in my January 2006 Taijiquan Course. First, with big movement, combined with the waist rotation. When we are skilled enough, the rotations in the steps and body movement then can be done smaller and smaller, until the untrained eyes may not be able to see it; but the rotations are still there. Sifu generously shared this secret in his websites, we can see in the video clip series not once, but many times. As early as the video-series of the Shaolin Kung Fu Intensive Course April 2005. The most recent ones were the Blue Mountain January 2006 and the Shaolin Kung Fu October 2006. So, following Sifu's websites is like practicing and reviewing our courses.

And why all Sifu's students attending the Course can do it properly, without exception? Because prior to that, Sifu taught us to be able to generate chi flow first; and training of the stance as well. Performing the footwork and body movements in chi flow, combined with solid stance as the result of our stance training, we were guided to do it properly.

Is yin yang harmony in taijiquan different from maintaining the 6 harmonies in shaolinquan?

Well, yin-yang harmony is the generic term. Yin-yang harmony is applied in Taijiquan, in Shaolinquan, and in other aspects of life. Maintaining the six harmonies is part of maintaining the yin-yang harmony. So, in Taijiquan six harmonies are done as well. Even in Self manifested chi flow, the six harmonies are also maintained.

The footwork and body movement are essential in Shaolin Wahnam, so in my opinion, they are similar, whether we practice Shaolinquan or Wahnam Taijiquan.

And why doing the footwork properly will not hurt the knees? We have got the answers from the previous posts: mechanically, the stepping leg (with the knee) receives the body weight gradually, including the impact of the stepping. In terms of chi flow, there is no blockage of chi in the knee, as chi flows smoothly and the yin-yang harmony is maintained at all times. At no times the knees have to support the body weight and impact by its own, all burdens are going through the knees to the feet and then to the ground.

By the way, I recall a saying in Chinese that the knees are made of 'tofu', so we have to take care of them carefully.

Joko

[Ray]

Hi everyone,
Thanks for this thread, Sifu Joko. Although the Tai Chi class I am attending teaches Tai Chi only on the basis of body mechanics they spend a lot of time stressing how movements rely on the waist. It's a bit tricky for me and it's something I'm working on right now. They explained to me that the pelvis should make a rolling motion in every movement and relying on the ground for support. Ideally the structure should be "all sided support" and a full "kua" or hip so that if you stopped in any position anyone pushing at your arm or pelvis, etc wouldn't be able to push you down because you send the energy to the ground with proper physical alignment.
I'm a bit stiff and misaligned plus I have trouble filling up my "kua" (hip) but I find that I do this rolling of the pelvis naturally during chi flow just sort of erratically probably because of blockage. ^^

Best,

Ray

[Chiahua]

I am reminded of this excellent thread.
In my school knee rotation is not actually emphasized, except that the knee should turn with the toe. But this is an external interpretation. I was really intrigued by the idea of the "shrinking circle"--progressing from a turning of the waist to just turning the knees. This reminds me of "coiling jin" of Chen family taijiquan.

[joko]

Dear Ray,

I have studied your two posts in this thread. May I share my thoughts on them?

I haven't seen the clips yet but based off my own experience trying to practice Tai Chi I think when people move from the knees and not the waist they hurt themselves.

Have you seen the clips now?

Lately I've tried Wild Horse Spreads Mane a few times and still feel that it doesn't flow as well as I like. I'm going to loosen my hips up more as a remedy.

This is another secret that Sifu revealed. Not only the secret of how to do properly, the video-clips also teach us the order of learning and practicing.
From the video clips we see that before learning the forms/patterns, we learn first to have solid stance, generate chi flow sufficient enough so that we can utilize the flow to initiate movement, and only then we learn how to move and step properly.
Only after we acquire the skill to step and move properly, that we learn the forms and patterns.

In chikung terms, what is actually self manifested chi flow? Let the chi flow to initiate movements.
What is the skill of stepping and move properly?
Instead of letting the chi flow moves our body, we guide the chi flow to move and step in certain ways.
What are the certain ways of moving and stepping?
This is the secret that Sifu is sharing. The best way to learn is to attend Sifu's Kung Fu or Taijiquan course, or from the instructors.

Meanwhile, if you cannot learn directly from Sifu or Instructor yet, study the video-clips. Pay attention to Sifu's comments on every clips, and the overall view as well.
You can see it from part 2 and 3 of the Blue Mountain 2007 series, and/or part 2 of Shaolin Kung Fu Intensive Course October 2006 Series.

After you have the skill to move the body and step or moving around properly, then, learn the external form, from the video clips as well as from the picture series. If necessary, use mirrors or camera to help you execute the external form 'picture perfectly'. Then, apply to go into forms, with your chi flow, this time without worrying whether the form is correct or not. Emphasize on moving smoothly.

If you learn and practice step by step according to the order of Sifu's teaching as described above, you will find that all the explanation which you wrote in your post, quoted below, will be automatically taken care of.

Although the Tai Chi class I am attending teaches Tai Chi only on the basis of body mechanics they spend a lot of time stressing how movements rely on the waist.
It's a bit tricky for me and it's something I'm working on right now. They explained to me that the pelvis should make a rolling motion in every movement and relying on the ground for support. Ideally the structure should be "all sided support" and a full "kua" or hip so that if you stopped in any position anyone pushing at your arm or pelvis, etc wouldn't be able to push you down because you send the energy to the ground with proper physical alignment.

The 'all sided support' and 'full kua' is actually developed with the stance training, executed with the arms in 'embracing the tree' form. Sifu refers this as the secret of the master's internal force. (Part1 of the Blue Mountain Video-Series)

Enjoy your practice,

Joko

[joko]

I am reminded of this excellent thread.
In my school knee rotation is not actually emphasized, except that the knee should turn with the toe. But this is an external interpretation.

Thanks Sunyata, for reminding us with the link. It is refreshing to reread the thread, including my own posts written about one year ago.

I was really intrigued by the idea of the "shrinking circle"--progressing from a turning of the waist to just turning the knees. This reminds me of "coiling jin" of Chen family taijiquan.

For me, the Chen style 'coiling jin' is a variation of 'Cloud Hands', as shown in part 2 of the Blue Mountain 2007 Video Series.

The 'shrinking circle' may be progressed into 'turning from the feet'. Talking about the shrinking process, can we say that the inside aspect in Yang style is deeper than that of the Chen style? So, externally, while the waist rotation in Yang style is less visible, but inside, the spiraling force may be deeper.

Joko

[Chiahua]

Thanks Sunyata, for reminding us with the link. It is refreshing to reread the thread, including my own posts written about one year ago.

Sihing, I can imagine that it must be heartening to see your own progress

For me, the Chen style 'coiling jin' is a variation of 'Cloud Hands', as shown in part 2 of the Blue Mountain 2007 Video Series.

I agree-- I can only imagine that all of the "jins" of taijiquan can be expressed through Cloud Hands.

The 'shrinking circle' may be progressed into 'turning from the feet'. Talking about the shrinking process, can we say that the inside aspect in Yang style is deeper than that of the Chen style? So, externally, while the waist rotation in Yang style is less visible, but inside, the spiraling force may be deeper.

I'm not sure the style necessarily makes a difference, only in how you choose to express the form. I think that the Chen form is more overt in the coiling motion, but necessarily less deep than the Yang form. In my experience waist rotation is mentioned in the Yang form, but the way stepping is taught, the weight moves linearly. This is in contrast with the shrinking circle. Then again, much of what I've learned is external. I can't recall anyone telling me about the energy flow in footwork. I've read in the other thread that the knee rotation is key for good energy flow to the ground, while I was taught to minimize it.
Best,
Chia-Hua

[Grimlock]

Well, yin-yang harmony is the generic term. Yin-yang harmony is applied in Taijiquan, in Shaolinquan, and in other aspects of life. Maintaining the six harmonies is part of maintaining the yin-yang harmony. So, in Taijiquan six harmonies are done as well. Even in Self manifested chi flow, the six harmonies are also maintained.

The footwork and body movement are essential in Shaolin Wahnam, so in my opinion, they are similar, whether we practice Shaolinquan or Wahnam Taijiquan.

Thank you, Sisook. That was my hunch, but when in doubt, it's best to ask the rest of the family!

Great thread, by the way. And great videos from Sigung!

[joko]

Wu Xing in Taijiquan

Dear Taijiquan practitioners worldwide,

I would like to share my joy with all of you.
Joy of what?
Of studying, and then practicing, at my leisure time, the video-clip series of the Intensive Shaolin Kung Fu October 2006, uploaded as Chinese New Year gift this year. The principles, philosophy, and method of learning and practicing, step by step, from scratch upwards, can be applied to our Taijiquan practice, no matter what styles we train. Indeed, Sifu is real Grandmaster, (or 'Professor' and Ph. D.) in guiding the students in learning and practicing. I'll go into detail about this later.

All we have to do is following the video-clips one by one, in the order given by Sifu, and, in my case, by the time I reached and completed Series no. 5, I was able to perform the Set 'Lohan Asks the Way' automatically. That means performing the set as solo practice, and, this is important, being aware of the meaning and importance of each patterns, including the fine details, and their applications in combat. Not only practicing for combat purposes, by practicing the set it is also practicing dynamic chikung. How wonderful!

The transition from one step, or ladder, to the next ladder, was so smooth. Practice every step carefully and patiently, before attempting the next step. And sometimes, going back one step proves very beneficial.

Yes, it is true, Sifu is very generous in sharing this treasure with us. I look at each video clip one by one, paying attention to (and enjoying) Sifu's explanation on each video clip.

The very first one, Gathering Chi to Dan Tian, of the first Series, is already fascinating. That means we are able to generate chi flow right from the very beginning. Then, on the second clip, we go into the 'Horse Riding Stance'.
Then we are taken step by step, into the other stances. We can apply practicing these stances for accumulating Internal Force to our Taijiquan practice. We can put our hands at the waist sides, or, in the form of 'Holding the Cosmos'.

This first Series and the next two, the footwork in movements, including body movements, are the real secret. Sifu explained almost everything. Terms very familiar among Taijiquan practitioners such as 'Rotation from the waist', 'Differentiating Yin-Yang', Power comes from back leg guided by waist and manifested in the hands, etc., are beautifully explained, together with the visual examples.

Different ways to move left, right, forward, retreat, and stabilize in the center. And then full step, half step, two steps, three steps or more, clockwise and counter-clock direction. All this will take care for 'spacing' and 'timing'.

Do you agree when I say that in fact, Video-Series 2 and 3, about footwork and movements in any direction, are the 5 Basic Principles in Movement (often referred as Wu Xing or 5 Elemental Processes) out of the 'Taijiquan 13 Principles'? (The other eight, often referred as representation of PaKua, are 'Peng, Lu, Ji, An, Lie, Cau, Zhou, Kao).

The first three Series, namely Stance Training and Footwork (or Movement), are really the foundation of Kung Fu. Any style of Kung Fu, including Taijiquan.

This realization came when I reached Series no. 4, learning the basic patterns.
Take the pattern 'Black Tiger Steals Heart'. How do you perform it? Just by executing 'Moving Forward' already practiced in Series no.3, and, simultaneously, add the right fist forward! Yes, just add that one additional arm and fist movement, to the forward footwork, and we have executed 'Black Tiger Steals Heart'.
That's an example of proceeding step by step methodically.

OK, dear members of the Forum, I'll pause here for now.

Would you like to share your findings as well?
Thank you.

With Shaolin Salute,
Joko