Practical Method requires that the elbow cannot be hyper-extended. It cannot be strange. In our special language/terminology, we open the elbow with a result that it becomes lively (活).
This exercise is designed to form a habit that the elbow is always slight bent.

In taijiquan, we have a saying “Both hands and the heart are forgotten”, and “The body and mind are harmonized as one”. To be more direct, we say that the learning and the using are the same. Both Grandmasters Chen Fake and Hong Junsheng said, “Practice the way you would use it”. One who can achieve this level of ability is certainly a skilled person. It is unfortunately too difficult to reach this level. 
