Barbara Li

Notes from Kelvin Ho’s Lesson on April 18, 2021 1

by Barbara Li on 2021/04/19

Kelvin corrected me on #42 to #44

#42 Embrace Head to Push Mountain

Starting position: chest facing N; hand facing W; half-horse stance R foot rear, L foot front.

  1. L hand elbow in, palm up, come around to R side, past R shoulder.
  2. R hand, palm down, at L armpit.
  3. Hinging on R elbow, swing R hand palm down diagonally towards NE.
  4. Adjust stance slightly, by moving heels, so that L foot becomes rear and R foot front.
  5. Foot in Hand out – bring R foot in and push R hand further out by straightening elbow, in scissors-like action.
  6. Negative Circle both hands.
  7. Hands “holding up” head, above shoulders, on either side of the head.
  8. Push both hands down on R side, similar to Six Sealing Four Closing; at the same time take a big step to the R, but unlike Six Sealing Four Closing, L foot stays put.

#43 Change Palm Three Times

  1. Imagine a long narrow tube slanting down between your 2 hands. Stretch out L hand, palm inside tube, palm facing left.
  2. Stretch out R hand inside tube, palm down, while at the same time withdraw L elbow having L hand palm up.
  3. Arms wrap around in straight line front of abdomen, R arm inside, L arm outside.

#44 Oblique Single Whip

  1. R hand comes out from under L elbow, forming bird beak, going all the way to the right, shoulder level, similar to Single Whip.
  2. Shift weight to R foot. Take a small step to bring L foot closer to R foot, then take a big diagonal step to land L foot so that chest faces NE.
  3. Extend L hand all the way to the left, shoulder level, similar to Single Whip.

Position check: chest faces NE; 2 feet on NW line; half-horse stance.

Notes from Kelvin Ho’s Lesson on April 11, 2021 i

by Barbara Li on 2021/04/13

Kelvin corrected me on #37 to #41:

#37 Fist Protecting the Heart

1)Chest facing NW; in with R elbow, out with L hand.

2)Shift weight to R foot and step back L foot diagonally, R and L hands circling back then to R side, palms down; L foot facing NW.

3)Pull R foot closer to L foot.

4)Step up with R foot (big step) to land foot facing SW; adjust L foot so that you are in half horse stance (R foot as front & L foot rear); chest faces SW.

5)Double negative circle. R palm passes ear level to front of forehead, changing to a fist facing out. L hand goes out, palm up.

6)R fist is pulled downward to chest level, fist rotating inward, while L hand forms a fist, pulling towards the body.

Position check at the end of the move: facing SW; R fist in front of chest.

#38 Tornado Kick

1)Pull R foot in; shift weight to R foot and rotate on heel so R foot faces N; R elbow in, palm up, hand pointing towards NE.

2)Stretch R hand towards NE, palm down; after making sure your weight is entirely on your R foot, kick L foot towards R hand.

3)Momentum of kick will land L foot to face S. Swivel R foot on toes to also face S. Both hands down in front.

#39 Turn Right & Kick with Right Heel

1)Chest facing S, both hands down, fist facing body, shift weight to L foot.

2)Lift R foot lightly, R toes touching floor.

3)Holding elbows in, cross arms at chest level, fist facing down, L arm outside.

4)Lift R foot and kick with heel while at same time extend both arms, L arm diagonally upwards and R arm diagonally downwards; fists facing outwards; head and torso upright. Position check: L arm and R foot form a straight diagonal line.

5)Do not land R foot immediately after kicking. Make sure you are stable on L foot before landing R foot.

Position check: standing on two feet, chest facing S, both hands down.

Turning Flowers at the Bottom of the Sea (this move, preceding Fist Covering Hand, is not in the numbered sequence of yilu)

1)Shift weight to L foot; R fist in front of L side of chest; L fist on L side of body.

2)Lift R foot.

3)Swing R fist over head clockwise, and landing next to right thigh, fist facing outward while at the same time turn body clockwise by pivoting L foot on toes; at the same time swing L fist to near L temple.

4)Land R foot to face NW;  adjust L foot so that you are in half horse stance (R foot front, L foot rear); chest facing NW.

5)Drop both hands and come up in double negative circle.

#40 Fist Covering Hand

1)L hand out palm up.

2)R hand forming fist facing up, passing R ear going out in a line extended from the mouth.

3)After passing L palm, R fist turns face down and continues to punch out; L palm becomes a fist after R fist passes it.

4)Withdraw L fist; at the same time finish the R punch with force.

#41 Small Catching & Seizing

Position check: chest facing NW; L foot facing W & R foot facing N

1)Take a big step with R foot so that it is directly in front of L foot (both feet are now on the same line facing W).

2)Step forward with L foot on the same line; hands doing positive negative circle; chest facing N.

Position check: Hands and feet on a line facing W; chest faces N

Notes from Kelvin Ho’s Lesson on April 4, 2021 i

by Barbara Li on 2021/04/06

Kelvin corrected me on #33 to #36 as follow:

#33 Turn Left & Kick with Left Heel

1)Chest facing S, both hands down, fist facing body, shift weight to R foot.

2)Lift L foot lightly, L toes touching floor.

3)Holding elbows in, cross arms at chest level, fist facing down, R arm outside.

4)Lift L foot and kick with heel while at same time extend both arms, R arm diagonally upwards and L arm diagonally downwards; fists facing outwards; head and torso upright. (Position check: R arm and L foot form a straight line.)

5)Do not land L foot immediately after kicking. Make sure you are stable on R foot before landing L foot.

6)Weight still on R foot, both hands chest level, L elbow close to body, L hand palm up facing E (remember to sit the wrist). R hand higher than L hand, R hand palm down also facing E.

#34 Wade Forward & Twist Step on Both Sides

1)Lower L foot, shift weight to L foot and step R foot diagonally towards SE, R hand out.

2)R elbow in; rotate R foot outward on heel and shift weight to R foot.

3)Step L foot diagonally forward so that you are in half horse stance facing SE, R foot is front foot and L foot rear foot.

4)Without moving your lower body, rotate your head and chest to face S; double negative circle, lift both hands up as if holding up a flower.

#35 Punch to the Ground

1)R hand becomes a fist pointing down; L hand stretched, elbow bent 90 degrees at ear level, palm out.

2)Without bending, punch to the ground using power of your kua (I can only make do by opening R knee to the extent of my ability.)

3)Stretch L arm/hand still bent at elbow, stretching against the punch to the ground.

(Position check: facing SE when you are done with this move.)

#36 Turn Around and Double Kick

1)Without lowering L hand, turn L palm to face inward and place R hand in front of abdomen.

2)Shift weight to L foot and rotate on L heel; at the same time, sweep R foot on toes clockwise so that you end up facing NW, your R hand swinging down and pivoting L foot on toes to complete the 180 degrees rotation. (Beginners may find it hard to complete the rotation in one move; practice doing it in segments. Position check before double kick: Facing NW, L arm and hand outstretched and R arm down. L foot is slightly behind R foot.)

3)Shift weight to R foot; kick with L foot.

4)During kick, L arm comes down, and R arm circles backwards and comes back up to the front.

5)Land L foot and kick R foot.

6)Land R foot; R arm stretched out and L hand at the side.

Notes from Kelvin Ho’s Lesson on March 27,2021 i

by Barbara Li on 2021/03/29

Kelvin corrected me on Rub Right Foot & Rub Left Foot. Here are my notes on his instructions and comments.

Rub R Foot

1)Starting posture is High Pat on Horse – chest facing NW, right arm slightly bent at chest level, above R knee, L arm extended to the side, weight on R foot.

2)Pull L foot closer to R foot and rotate on L heel so that L foot faces SE. Shift weight to L foot.

3)Adjust R foot slightly by dragging its tip forward so that the the tip of R foot is behind the heel of L foot.

4)R shoulder facing SW, L arm wraps around R arm, open both arms to shoulder height, L arm backward and R arm forward, both palms facing down.

5)Kick R foot in SW direction, foot slightly arched. Do not use force to kick. You must stay balanced after making the kick.
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Notes from Kelvin Ho’s Lesson on March 20, 2021 1

by Barbara Li on 2021/03/21

Corrections of Negative Circle: 1st count: Elbow in, must come in over the shoulder, hand pointed outward (throughout entire Negative Circle, hand is always pointed outward.)
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Notes from Kelvin Ho’s Lesson on 3/13/21 1

by Barbara Li on 2021/03/14

Kelvin corrected my Upper Cloudy Hands starting from previous pose, Single Whip.

Corrections of my Single Whip pose: arms must extend further on either side, and hands are about shoulder height; elbows facing down; left palm facing down; sit the wrist; tips of thumb and middle finger of right hand touching, so right hand resembles the beak of a bird; sit the wrist. Hands must be tile hands (curved roof tiles on traditional Chinese building), fingers stretched tight outwards. Read more

Notes from Kelvin Ho’s Lesson on March 6, 2021 i

by Barbara Li on 2021/03/07

Importance of practicing yilu diligently – only then will you understand what Master Chen is saying – and your yilu will improve.

One principle 分陰陽 (Splitting Yin Yang).  Example: Left vs Right. You need a vertical central axis to distinguish L from R. (You need 3.) Same with top and bottom.

六字真言: 不動 旋轉 開胯 (Don’t Move; Rotate; Open Kua)
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