Up until the 2019 seminar in Iowa I did not know my moves were fake. My moves imitated the real thing but were not real. They still are not what I want them to be, but now I have the tools to get me closer to the real thing. Master Chen showed me how to find the line.
There is a line to be found in all Practical Method motions. The hand and elbow has to stay on track. A good way of understanding this is comparing the motion to a bi-folding door. There is a fixed end that does not move, the handle and the end that moves on the track. The shoulder is the fixed end, the elbow is the handle and the hand is the end that is on the track. The handle pulls the door open and pushes it shut. The end on the track does not perform the action. The elbow pushes and pulls the hand on the track. The hand never moves. This concept should eventually spread throughout the body. Master Chen explains this the best on the “Sydney 2014 Workshop 1” Online Video. This video contains a lot of valuable information.
Currently I am working this concept in my yilu. I am also working on not moving the mid-line of my body as well as keeping a knee fixed during transitions. I have a long way to go, however thanks to Master Chen and the disciples at the Iowa summer training camp, I have the tools to get me where I need to be for the next time we meet up.
My current first 13
