Doug Gauld Notes 20200926

… I have been telling Anton and Eric that my review of their lesson with GM, above date, was already submitted to the PM website, but I can’t find it anywhere, must have made an error in saving or posting or forgot to rub my magic ring, no really guys the dog ate my homework, anyway here it is, though I suspect the original version contained some absolutely brilliant insights that would have improved your training immeasurably, c’est la vie…

• both reviewed Section 3 Yilu
• lock the outside of the body, move only on the inside (feel like you are ‘sliding’ within your skin), create a tear/rip/stretch between the rest of the body and the section being moved
• must learn and apply the correct ratio of the force of movement of various body parts as they interact in creating movement
• when making contact with opponent/push hands partners must make contact in such a way that enough ‘intent’ is applied to make it a firm , not rigid, connection to that body
• on ‘punch to groin’ do not drop rear knee, only use Kua and big stretch from shoulder and hips to lower body
• on ‘single whip’, positive circle shoulder must stay down, be part of the body, no protrusions…
• learn to become ‘seamless’ from one move to the other to mask/hide transitions
• always move like a cat, from your Dantien
• extend arms on ‘kick to knee’ and hold posture to check arm alignment is on the same line as leg/foot
• do not add any movements to GM specific instructions
• in observing GM during this two-person private lesson I noticed how it is, in part, that cat-like movement pattern is created
• GM’s centre line of his torso, down the midline of the ribs, through the centre of the Dantien, spatially in the exact centre of his torso or core is always creating a kind of gyroscope effect on his body, so he seems to never be ‘out of alignment’
• GM ‘ molded’ both students by putting their bodies into various positions that, more correctly, incorporated PM principles/rules of alignment, he then moved the relevant body parts and manipulated their bodies to begin to give them an experience of the amount of stretch and release necessary for specific movements
• this experiential learning will assist them to be able to develop the correct physiologic pathways for practice
• must train the body to create movements correctly, eventually so that every single movement is as close to correct as you can manage

…learning to live a breath at a time…