总纲

两个部位不能在同一条线上

在地板上找一条直线。站在这条线上。中间臀部宽。后脚尖在线下。前脚跟在线上。左脚跟微外蹬。当你弯曲左膝盖时，中心下降到左脚，右脚向外、向前上步。（不要在未向左下沉前上步。右步上的时候未落脚前不要动右胯。左下沉时，右腿要蹬直用右脚后跟贴地铲出。你就设想你自己的中心很重，下沉时不想失重就只好出步将底盘放宽）。右脚落地处应该正是横线的上部。 右脚的脚趾外摆45度。两脚的距离4－5英尺。如此一来，双脚并不成一条线。

 如果直接向外上步，那么两脚就平行了，就在一条线上了，就不合规矩了。右脚落地时，中心又重新分布，落在两脚之间。胯要开，以便可以转动。膝盖不和脚合，看上去略斜，右膝盖向下、左膝盖向上。和以往一样，相邻处不能在一条线上。右臂按圈进入位置时，注意胳膊不能和大腿在一条线上。

正圈第一半动作转胯沉裆的同时，肩膀不能和臀部在一条线上。假设肩和臀之间上下有一根棍，要是肩胯连在一起，就错了。如果这根棍螺旋着走，上下就不会连在一条线了。

身体上的两个临近部位不能向同一个方向动

Assume half bow/half arrow stance, right foot forward. Extend your right arm for positive circle. From the fingers to the elbow is one part. From the elbow to the shoulder is another part. Tie your waist to your hips, and your shoulder to your waist. Then connect the two parts of the arm as if they are one unit. As you turn your hips and waist to the left, the shoulder and arm will all travel equally to the left. The index finger traces a straight line to the left, parallel to the floor.

In this way, not just two parts but many parts are moving in the same direction. This is not correct, and is ineffective. Disconnect the joints from this fixed frame… Turn the kua and drop the dang so that your waist turns to the left. What is needed in order to make the index finger tip stay relatively “in place” during a positive circle (it can pivot on the spot, but it cannot move off the spot)? To do this effectively, no two parts will be able to move in the same direction (they will not be able swing with one another in the same direction).

Another viewpoint… Imagine two gears, one circling to the right, the other circling to the left. The point of contact between the gears becomes like a third line or point of movement, power pushed out. (One gear is yin, the other yang. If you imagine the yin/yang symbol, the line where the two meet is not a static dividing-line, but a line that indicates movement – the movement at that point of contact between the forces of yin and yang.) Take this into the body – imagine doing a positive circle with the right arm and a negative circle with the left arm. If the right kua moves in the same direction as the right arm, you will be swinging and the movement is ineffective. The right kua must become that point of contact in the gears – it moves or powers out in a third line of force (compared to the two arms).

 Withdraw elbow, and push hand

 During the first portion of circles, the elbow “leads” the movement by withdrawing. Power is in the elbow. During the second portion of the circle, the hand leads – power is in the hand.

 Sink the dang (crotch)

 In all movements, we sink or drop into the ground – the legs are like blades that cork screw down into the ground. By dropping, the ground or floor can be felt in the issuing part/point, as if there is no distance between the ground and the point of contact.

 Hand grinds out

 The hand does not “move”. It adjust, spirals or grinds out. Movement is devoid of spiral action – it is a shifting or swinging of the hand or arm in space. To grind the hand out is to connect to the kua and waist and adjust the hand in relation to the turning of the kua.

 No protruding parts/joints…

 In both static postures and in movement there are to be no sharp protrusions (sharp angles), or else these parts can be caught. Rather, “lose” your joints. Each joint is part of an overall spiral shape in that portion of the body. If the joints are bent too sharply without the spiral action they will appear to jut-out and be susceptible.

 Hands tie, feet move.

 In partner work, the hands tie or connect to your partner and the feet move. Be willing to move the feet and kua as you adjust and tie with the hands.

 Body chases or comes to the point of energy.

 We cannot pull energy back into the body as if grabbing and pulling it in. Rather, bring your body to meet the point of energy. Either step to where your hand is, for example, or drop and spiral the elbow into the body closing the space between hand and torso.

 3 points and 5 degrees of “play”

 Along each of the limbs, there are three distinct points (hand, elbow, shoulder; foot, knee, hip). When stepping and/or issuing a movement, the body must arrive “in place” or in proper alignment for each of the points, relative to one another, with 5 degrees of play through the middle point… If the points do not arrive in proper alignment, the joint will either appear to protrude, be lifted, or will have lined up with another part, and the power or energy will be broken.

 Body tension and relaxation

 The shape of the body is held fixed by the bones. The bones and their relationship to one another are the structure for the shape of the body. The muscles articulate the bones, are responsive yet relaxed. The muscles are not held rigid and unmoving, yet they are also not held limp and flaccid. As one begins to have a sense for the shape and movement of the joints in relation to one another (which takes 6 months to three years of practice to obtain), one can then begin to get a sense of the space between any three points/joints and the adjustments of/within that space.

 Energy must come out

 Imagine a spinning wheel. As it spins, energy is not coiled or kept in – it spins outward. When moving, be aware that energy must always come out instead of getting caught or stuck in or lost.

 The 1, 2, 3 rule

  Three concentric circles. The centre circle represents the waist/torso (#1). The second circle is the elbow (#2). The outer circle is the hand (#3). 1 and 2 can be related to one another. 2 and 3 can be related to one another. 1 and 3 can not be related to one another. Basically, we cannot collapse the hand to the torso/waist. We can bring the body to the elbow (or the elbow to the body), but do not lose the hand to the waist/torso. Notes from Ottawa Weekend Training with Zhonghua Chen Nov 26-27, 2005 By Nikki Manzie