Master Chen Zhonghua’s Online Lesson on Dec. 3, 2020 – Carlos Hanson

by Carlos Hanson on 2020/12/03

Head and kua are locked like a triangle.
Separate the top from the bottom.
Kua is the demarcation line.

Intention is guided by application. Application helps fine tune the movements.

Choreography is the first step. It is empty. It is the form. Pour something into it to give it substance.
A concrete form is empty until you pour concrete into it.

Before beginning the form, tense the body, clench the floor. It gives the body substance. Keep it in the form.

To sink is to solidify. Find the bottom.

Drill forward. The finger never moves backward.
Remember elbow in. Hand out. Drill the finger. Don’t move the hand.

How do we open the knee? How do we open any body part? When you say “open” there must be two things. Separate the two things. Start with two categories: vertical and horizontal:

  • look at the knee, there must be vertical separation.
  • look at the shoulder, there must be horizontal separation.

Gravity is the primary force on earth. It is vertical. It acts on the knee. Open is to separate. How do we fight against gravity?
Bricks stack on top of each other and stick because of gravity. Suspended head helps to give space. If you tie a rope to a brick you can pull it up to give space.

Intent is an inflated feeling. It is peng. Peng fights gravity.

Tossing is double heavy. It is moving together.

Fix one end. Stretch the other.
Fix the middle. Stretch both ends.
Fix both ends. Stretch the middle. This requires “three hands”. Always have three useful points. Master Hong said, “Something from your body has to come out.”

Stretch. Stretch. Stretch. Until it starts to bend. Think of a metal rod between to concrete blocks that do not move. Heating the rod causes it to expand. It tries to get longer, but cannot, so it bends. The middle expands. The wedge is another example.

About Carlos Hanson

I have studied Chen Style Taijiquan since 2006. I started learning the Practical Method in February of 2011. Before studying the Practical Method and attending a seminar with Master Chen Zhonghua, I maintained interest in Baguazhang and Xinyi. However, the Practical Method is now more than enough for me to learn.

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