Saturday, August 16, 2008

Saturday August 16th class questions

In today's class, we reviewed statics and symmetricals of a few more moves that are repeated throughout the form -- namely, the paw down, back fist, poke, grab, twist, pull, punch up, punch down sequence (!) and "Driving Miss Daisy."  We then went over the end of Section 4 in some detail, starting with Spear Hand. There was some discussion about how far the spearing arm moves away from the body as it extends out. Would the "no more than one fist away from the body" rule apply here? Some thought not.
The second question concerns what happens immediately after Spear Hand.  While you shift back, pigeon toe the left foot and then turn and sit back - in preparation for the right heel kick - do the hands that are crossed at the wrists a) actively extend out during the turn before they are pulled in close to the body? -- or b) do they stay fairly close to the body and then rest right on the body in preparation for the kick? These were the main questions. 
We finished by going through the entire form without verbal cues.
For the second hour, we reviewed the 12 Cuts and Defense Moves and, in addition to going through the form, also focused on a few specific areas.
We are looking forward to Sifu's return next Saturday.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

The spearing arm moves out fairly far away from the body. The torso is turned like it would be in Single Whip for the purpose of giving the lead arm (left) a greater reach advantage. Thus, the "elbow fist distance from the ribs" rule does not apply here.

During the turn, the wrists cross and come in tight to the solar plexus (from the lats). They're pulled in actively during the retreating shift & turn, not merely resting passively on the body.

Remember that most of Tai-Chi is active, but not excited. People have a strong tendency to confuse activity with hyperactivity. You want to be able to move with absolute efficiency of movement, of effort, of breath, of thought, and of emotion/spirit. More on this in a later blogpost.