Energy Differential Application

by admin2 on 2011/06/15

Clip from Energy Differential Lesson

{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

Gary Readore June 16, 2011 at 10:38 am

Master Chen:

I have a question for you regarding this video. You say that to have a lever you need 3 points. 2 moving and 1 fixed. At 1:30 you have the student push on your arm and then push him away with your left arm pushing him. At 1:42 you push him away w/o using your left arm but express out with the fingers of your right hand.

In the first instance are the two moving points your left/rear foot and you left hand, while the fixed point is the spot where the student touches your right arm? In the second instance are the two moving points your left/rear foot and the fingers of you right hand, while the fixed point is spot where the student touches your right arm?

Is this similiar to the taichi term/concept called “lie” or split? I think I experienced something like this while working out with a friend the other day. I pulled one of his arms down at a 45 degree angle and at the same time pushed his shoulder up at a 45 degree angle which caused him to be pushed away very effortlessly. He did it to me and it was a type of force that I could not really fight against but had to just be moved by.

So in essence, the 3 points can be anything you choose them to be as long as you follow the principles?

Thanks!

Gary

Reply

Chen Zhonghua June 22, 2011 at 4:49 pm

I will answer you from your last paragraph, i.e. backwards.
1. Yes, the three points can be anything we choose. This is the principle. Even when you don’t SEE or feel the three points, they must be THERE!
2. Lie/split is only an expressed action. As long as our moves are based on the 3-point/lever principle, we can make them into any of the 8 techniques of taiji.
3. The two scenarios you described in your first two paragraphs must fall under what we just described above. In real situations, we must act in a way that we don’t show any obvious taiji actions. The actions must appear to be NORMAL but not normal at all. So at a higher level, even when the opponent puts one fingertip on you, you must be able to split it into three points.

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Matt Landau October 2, 2012 at 7:17 pm

Master Chen:

Thank you for this important video. I think it is a “must see” not only for your students but all martial artists trying to understand the nature of “powering up.” At the Toronto September 2012 seminar, in response to a question about how we properly do this (when all “movement” must cease) you mentioned that we should research your “Differential” video. Thank you for this. Toward the end of the video, there is a pure gold nugget when you show how to further issue power by opening up the body larger. This will take time for the body to develop but “eating bitterness” has never been so enjoyable.

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mralyu December 3, 2012 at 9:45 am

Hi Admin,
Something is wrong with this video, it used to work, but it fails to load now, I have tried quite a few times already. Please investigate. Thanks.

Reply

admin2 December 3, 2012 at 10:57 am

Movie link updated

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