This lesson is about staying on topic, and then categorization within a topic.
There are only 3 types of movements in Practical Method:
- Elbow-in (Pull)
- Hand-out (Push)
- Rotate
Overall, this is a positive circle, or we can say that it is negative circle.
Push and Pull – Straight 直 – Issue 发
Rotate – Curve 曲 – Neutralize 化
Grandmaster Hong used to put the movements on cards, and then categorize them into groups.
Rotation is the hardest because we don’t usually do it in everyday life.
If push is yang and pull is ying, then rotate is non-moving.
Is 【你好】good morning or hello? If you are learning Chinese, then just remember when to say 【你好】, don’t try to find a translated word only and still say it in the English way? So to speak, think in Chinese, and not in English.
During push hands, we are like a table/wall (non-moving object) ourselves, we make the opponent move. The opponent just bounces off of us. This is a Practical Method characteristic.
Na 拿 – Chen Zhaokui – Chen Yu – Good for demo, difficult in combat
Hua 化 – Tian Xiuchen 田秀臣 – 田猴子
Da 打 – Feng Zhiqiang (San Shou Pao, 24 Zhou), Effective for fighting
Fa 发- Hong Junsheng (Peng Jin) – Very peaceful, does not hurt anyone
Learning to use the kua.
He taught how to stiffen the neck (erected neck). Similarly, we must take out the curvature at the lower back. This opens up the Du meridian. Dragon back. This is silk reeling. Open up the back. We need to make the back flexible. This is the primal energy.
Chen Changxing – Mr. Stone Tablet 牌位先生
A different kind of categorization of movements:
- Open
- Rotate
- Don’t move
