Online Lesson with Master Chen 2nd Dec 2020 – Yuxin Liu

– Punch to the Ground. Before Chen Fake time, it was called 栽捶（zai chui）, means plant the hammer. It was changed to hit/punch later on.

– Kick with the Heels. There are three lines. The vertical line from the head to the standing heel. The line between two hands. And the line from the two kuas to the kicking heel. All three lines need to be fully stretched out, where there is a pause and it is a fixed posture. If you cannot fully stretch, at least make a stop. For older people it is more important to train the balance and stability.

– Cloud Hands. It is not try not to toss. It is don’t toss at all. Feel and express the stiffness(center line). It is extremely uncomfortable. First we are training to be internally strong, then we grind you down. One move at a time to make sure moves do not mess into each other. Even later on you have two moves together, those moves are still distinguished. Like you are learning how to pronounce a word properly, don’t swallow things, otherwise you are never sure what things are. When you are relaxed, the moves will naturally be together, we don’t need to train that.

– Whatever is learnt, you do not need to do it. Performance is not the same as training/teaching.

– Small Catching And Hitting. The torso does not move. To go bigger, open the armpit and kua.

– After High Pat on Horse, lock the upper body, rotate from the kua, the arm only adjusts/self-rotates.

– Rub the Foot. Don’t need to kick high. The focus is the torso does not move at all. Train the body to be stable.

– Change Palms Three Times. Go big. Turn from the torso, the arms go downward through a tube. Don’t be afraid to be fully stretched here with the arms.

– Shaking the Pole Three Times. Use the kua and do not toss the shoulders.

– First train the torso to be stiff so it does not toss. Then you can rotate. In different learning stages, stress different points.

– Three circles. 1. Inner circle. Head, shoulders and kuas. Movements are inside a cylinder. 2. Middle/second circle. Elbows and knees. Example: Fist Draping Over The Body, the elbows interact with the kua and knee, shoulder not involved. 3. Outer/third circle. Hands and feet. Hands always stay outside, the range can go bigger and smaller but not reversed position.

– Turning flowers at the bottom of the sea. Three steps. 1. Relax 2. Small turn to the left 3. Big/powerful turn to the right.

– Step back to double shake feet. Movements are not casual, have special intention. Lock and rotate. Moves need to be precise, like print writing, not hand writing.

– Dimensions and perspectives. Body size can not change but why sometimes we say the body goes bigger or smaller? From structure manipulation. Master used a story of holding a long stick going through a narrow door. (The smart second uncle聪明的二大爷，very funny Master:)The stick is changed from horizontal to vertical then to a dot. From a horizontal perspective, the size of the stick has changed. In push hands, we constantly switching between dot, line and surface. That is why the opponent will feel your moves are illusive. So what was adapted disappears. It is a 3 dimensional switching. My understanding from how master showed with the stick. From a fixed point(front hand/shoulder), drop the back kua/knee, body changed from horizontal to vertical, then you have a chance to go under and forward to gain space/get in and switch the pivoting point.

– Six Sealing Four Closing. They are similar words to determine the ratio/gear ratio. Sealing means stick to the opponent, it is 合（he）, harmonized/closed. When it is 100% harmonized, it is sealed/combined. All gaps are closed. Like the suction cup stick to the glass. In this way you embrace your opponent. In push hands training, Master often trains adding on the contacting points. From 1 to 4, it is sealed, to 10, is closed. When you are harmonized/fully engaged/合住 with the opponent, this is normally when we get stuck, we do not know what to do. From here we train to add one.

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