Observation notes from part of the Iowa camp.
Theory and forms. 1.Yin yang sepatation; 2.The in and out. In with elbow(dantian), out with hand. To come in, has to be led by the inside; to go out, has to be led by the outside. Five points and dantian. 3.The middle (dantian/central axis) rotates.
The lead. Analogy: the thread is too soft to go through the fabric, we need a needle. The needle is the lead and has to be hard(sit the wrist); the thread is soft and has to be pulled/led; the fabric is the bearer.Yin yang reversal. The outside is hard, the inside is like the rope. The top of the head is hard, and the rest part of the body is being pulled like a rope, not a stick. Hand is hard, arm is a rope. Fishing hook is strong and static, then there is the fishing line and the spool. Soft body-move more, strong hand-move less.
Three focus in form practice:
1.Heavy iron hat weighs the shoulders down, the head has to struggle up. Isolate the neck and make it stiff. Lock sth to stretch.
2.Use rubber band to tie the elbows to the ribs. The elbows are always pulling in. Elbows coming back is your move.
3.A pump stick between the knees. The knees are always stretched out, never come in, never collaps.
Elbows in and knees out. Train the elbows to have the elastic power, and the knees to have structure power. Knees are outside the elbows. Pyramid scheme, five lines. The tip of the pyramid-head, five lines-shoulers, elbows, dantian, knees and feet.
物极必反。When it reaches to its extreme, it will reverse itself. All rotations are controdictory. Two walls outside the knees, slant the kua and the knees will go up and down. Press the elbow to the wall with grease, the elbow will return. The push forces it to come back. The power has to go somewhere.
Zero space. The orbit. The satellite goes out and the earth pulls it in. Sth pulls you and sth pushes you, you are trapped on the track, and can only go sideways, causing rotation (You are trapped horizontally on one dimension,and can only move vertically on the other dimension). That is the zero space, only little energy is required. When the torso/the central axis is alligned with the core of the earth, it is considered two dimensional. The hand is outside the body, arms are more free, three dimensional, which is put on the track. The free things are the catalyst, the agent. It is like the toy train, placed on the track, and you use the hand as the third part to push to activate, then it goes. Isolate and train the body to have the third part. Small catching and hitting, the foot is the orbit.
Push hands practice:
1. Sink, stretch, rotate. Lock, stretch and slide to go around.
2. Small catching and hitting. Eventually you can use the hands only while locking the opponent from the spine to the heel, he cannot move. It is like fix a stick and you break the middle.
3. 上步伸手. Step up and release the hand. Lock the upper body, step up with following steps, the body becomes small, then release or open the arms, no push. Just do your own movements, don’t care about the opponents. Power is inside a tube.
