This is the sixth Toronto workshop I’ve attended. Every workshop has been packed with information, intense training and a few good laughs. We had some very special guests from Italy – Master Bon and Neresini. The two were very friendly and eager to learn and share. Hope they come back soon.
Kelvin Ho’s notes in a previous post cover just about just about everything in the workshop. They make excellent reference material. Master Chen reviewed details in the first 13 postures of Yilu. Each successive movement alternates from opening, closing, opening, … and raveling, unraveling, raveling,…. Everyone was following the entire choreography by the end of the workshop.
Master Chen’s methods are principle based so every move has the same ingredients. Every step is taken by pushing down on the rear foot until the front foot kicks out and all steps are like that. This will take a lot of rewiring.
4 x ½ = 1 circle
The math goes something like – in with the elbow (1/2 circle ), continue to take space out and warp the core, then connect to rear kua, knee and foot (1/2), reverse path (1/2) and out with the hand (1/2). Add the stretching to it. I may have missed another 1/2 somewhere. We reviewed the foundations in good detail.
Yilu
Most important thing about learning the Yilu is to remember the choreography.
The Mysterious Force
The mysterious force that comes out of Master Chen’s fingers when he pushes me all over the place is a resultant of forces. One component comes from pushing the rear foot down. Block Touching Coat is a good example of many of the forces that make up the mystery. We practiced it during the workshop.
Another Visitor
Master Ding came to promote the Push Hands tournament that he is organizing in Toronto October 16. Information about it can be found at www.wushu.ca. Master Ding has dominated push hands tournaments in Toronto the past 5 years or so. His info can be found at www.dynamictaichi.blogspot.com. He pushed with a few workshop attendees to give a taste of competition moving step push hands. You could see a lot of improvements in the students . Good luck to those who will be competing in the tournament.
10,000 Yilu’s
A student asked whether it would be better to do the Yilu fast or slow. Master Chen response was that speed is irrelevant at this time – just do it 10,000 times. He told the class that Todd Elihu’s joints move like gears because Todd has done many thousands of Yilu. It’s time to do a Yilu.
Thanks to Master Chen for coming to Toronto and teaching us. Also thanks to Ki Nam and Cora for organizing the workshops.
