Tag Archives: Kung Fu

Neijia

 Shēnfǎ (身法) 

Sun Lu Tang demonstrating San Pan Liu Di from Xing Yi. His ShenFa was exquisite; expertly demonstrating the 8 characteristics and the particular methods for each move. In this move he demonstrates Cheng (撑劲) Jin (pillar energy)

Shēnfǎ (身法)  or body method is truly important in wushu, especially internal martial arts.  To capture the essence, the ideals and principles of the art is the goal.  What has been laid out to us by previous masters of old is shown through the movements and explanations of the exercises and forms.  To capture their Shēnfǎ  gives a student a chance (yes a chance, not guaranteed!)  towards true Gong Fu in that martial art.  To move without coordinated effort, inside and out, will most likely meet sub-standard ends.  To reflect what previous generations built upon is the start towards mastery in your particular art.  Are your stances too high? Then work on getting lower, building your base.  Are you moving slow, scattered?  Work on connecting your body, moving slowing at first but working towards swift coordinated movements.  There is a reason for all this!  Strong, agile, and flexible legs allow for greater Gong Fu!  So do coordinated, swift, and agile movements! The masters of old understood this and are reasons there are amazing stories about them (whether embellished or not, there is still a reason they have stories).  They worked hard to achieve great results.  To attain their results one must follow in their footsteps and capture their Shēnfǎ !  Without truly understanding the moves, their methods, their applications one does not get the totality of the art.  Will their art be hollow?  Possibly not, as they may still attain some value whether it be health, relaxation, balance, strength, self-defense etc… but they will not gain the maximum benefit, the deeper treasures within the art.  This treasure includes capturing the  Shēnfǎ  of the art, to work towards mastering it and all the benefits it contains.

Now can a person learn more than one art at the same time?  Yes why not!  Traditionally students learned one at a time.  Why?  Because that’s how you master something and that mastery often provided security for their families (financially and physically) and abundant health too boot!  Also then they were  able to more quickly learn other wushu styles and exercises.  Their body was attuned to learning and had method already.  It was connected and agile.  It was strong and healthy.  All of these reasons allowed someone to quickly ascertain another style.  What are commonalities among internal arts?  Qi/Lo, Kai/He, Shou, Song, etc..  These can translate to the others and make it easier to learn the Shēnfǎ .  All of that being said if you have a great instructor and you work diligently in each art;  you can grasp each aspect.  Its more difficult as it requires constant effort to not leak into the other art but it is possible!

Now what if your instructor says all the forms and stuff is BS and they have a few moves that grasp at certain aspects of a martial art?  Its their prerogative.  Several great masters would learn some style completely and grasp moves from other styles to create their own Shēnfǎ .  If their Gong Fu was truly special (masters like Yang Lu Chan, Sun Lu Tang, Fu Zhen Song come to mind) it would continue for generations.  To say they have mastered the  Shēnfǎ  of that style is a misnomer though.  They may have taken pieces and garnered some skill but  may not reflect the style they got the movement from.  At this point their martial art becomes their own, their own Pai (fist) with its own unique  Shēnfǎ .  At this point it would be up to them to spread their art/style, hopefully garnering enough skill and ability to continue for generations to come.

In the end your journey is your own.  Do you want a more traditional path or something that is close by which might not be traditional but keeps you active and healthy (and possibly has great sel-defense qualities ;).  Its your journey and you enjoy it.  I will continue down my traditional path, looking to master the styles I choose and ensure I properly display each  Shēnfǎ  successfully and tactfully.  To gain a deeper understanding of each art, to understand where they converge and where they diverge.  To take these aspects and apply them as I see fit, either for health or self-defense.

8 Methods, Liu He Ba Fa

Liu He Ba Fa 8 Methods–4th Method: Follow

GM Liu Xiao Ling with GM Ning Da Chun (Yi Quan Master) conducting push hands training in Wu Xi City.

The 4th Method is Follow (sui随).  It is said one must circle, pass through and scheme (yuan tong ce ying 圆通策应).  Following is an important concept in any internal art.  To understand where one is going is the first step to understanding how you should engage them.  This involves developing one’s Ting jing (Listening) and Dong jing (Understanding).  To follow one must be Song (relaxed) and engaged with the opponent, with your mind focused yet also at ease so you are able to instantly respond.  In the beginning some people , read the classics or listen to some high level master who says relax and just let go over everything.  They then become too relaxed and let their mind go–dead fish in the water.  They may follow but forget their other concepts and do not look for the opponents true intent so they are not truly listening and understanding.  There are steps!  You cannot be at step one and expect to be step 10 without going through 2-9 in some sort of fashion.  But Yes! A truly high level master does clear their mind and enter a wuji state– their level of conscious is on a different level and they are very engaged, following their partner in a way that looks effortless yet powerful.

How does one follow?  Circles!  But why circles Sifu?  Circles are the path of least resistance, they have no edges and create no stopping points.  If you are truly smooth and rounded you can overcome any attack.  One will find they can overcome 1000 lbs with 4 ounces (important concept in Taiji circles).  It will become fluid and “waterlike.”  There will be no hesitation as it all just “flows”.  It creates the opportunity to use your whole body, to align correctly and create massive amounts of power that you can store or release.  All the internal martial arts creates circles and Liu He Ba Fa is no different, just it Shen Fa.  One of its most important Jings is Luóxuán 螺旋 Jing (coil/spiral).  Like a spring it constricts and expands.  This is a different energy then the Cánsī 蚕丝 jing  (silk reeling) made famous through various Tai Chi Lineages.   That energy spirals continuously outwards from a centerpoint, creating tremendous power in its own way  (several jings are used simultaneously so spiraling and silk reeling can occur within the same movement).  Luóxuán Jing coils — accepts,  builds, and redirects.  Like wringing out a towel it can compress in the joints, tendons, and bones.  If you learn to listen and understand the energy of an opponent you can then follow properly and build your energy in your own joints through coiling.  This will help greatly as you learn to expand it in method 6 — return.

6 Harmonies, Liu He Ba Fa

Liu He Ba Fa 6 Harmonies: 2nd Harmony– Heart (mind) Combines With Your Intention

2nd Harmony: Combine your Heart (Mind) with your Intention – xin he yu yi心合于意

Focus is important, but more importantly what are you focusing on?  Are you focusing on your day at work, your family, or the task at hand!   It takes 200 days of consistent practice to learn the external movements properly (according to some experts).  What does that movement really mean though?   What is happening both inside and out?   This understanding takes MUCH longer.  The intention of each movement  needs to be thoroughly understood to apply the correct energies and applications.  Without the focus your mind can be pulled away, causing hesitation, inconsistences, and ultimately bad habits.  You need to be fully in the moment of what you are doing and where you are at.  Without it you are mindlessly doing an external form (which can still get a person physical benefits but does not reach the full potential of the art).

 

Also this is where 10,000 repetitions can truly compound.  With intention– with focus, it will engrain in a person’s inner conscious;  it has the potential to become second nature.  To fully open to the intention of each movement; to open to the energy and animalistic nature (yes there are 12 animals within this art) of it has profound results.   You become one with the form and the form becomes one with you.  Liu He Ba Fa has many variants among the main form but if you look deeply into that practitioners inner intent you can see if they have the essence of it.  Are certain moves fierce like a tiger, does it coil like a dragon, and deeper still do they demonstrate the 8 methods such as follow and return.  If their intention and focus is engrained in them, they will display these principles thus demonstrate Liu He Ba Fa.

6 Harmonies, Liu He Ba Fa

Liu He Ba Fa 6 Harmonies: 1st Harmony – Body Combines with your Heart (mind)

Chen Tuan, Creator of Liu He Ba Fa

1st Harmony:  Combine your body with your heart (mind) –ti he yu xin体合于心

Your heart is wild–it can be courageous or scared; it can be scattered or focused.  It can be many things.  The heart (your wild thoughts) must be trained and honed.  This is accomplished through training and dedication.  With Liu He Ba Fa its accomplished by conducting the form and focusing this movement with your heart (mind).   Even though delayed, giving your mind action gives it purpose and training.  You train every muscle with the form and engrain it into you.  Every muscle, tendon, ligament works in alignment and in total unison in action.  The force of such a movement can be outstanding (Force =Mass X Acceleration).  By getting every fiber of your being behind your action it creates a tremendous amount of power.  But to do so requires an immense amount of training.  The old saying by Bruce Lee is I don’t fear a man you does 10,000 different kicks but I fear a man who has done one kick 10,000 times.  Michael Gladwell, in his book, Outliers, is quoted that studies show a similar number in a fact of hours, 10,000, is what is needed to perfect a technique.  Without concentrated dedication to your practice and constant effort, only average gains may be made.

Once engrained it will become subconscious and work towards the instantaneous.  These efforts can be hindered though if you do not train your mind to relax and be calm.  To accept things and understand them.  This, in turn, will relax your body and give its ability to react more quickly, more succinctly.  Fa Song is a great ability.   It is not lazy relaxation, where you become “noodly” and disconnected.  It’s a relaxation that creates harmony throughout your body that allows for your body to feel and adapt.  This starts with your ability for your mind to relax, to let go of the troubles of the day and have the ability to focus on the task at hand.   To feel inside and outside your body the event and work towards totality with it.  With harmony one: through focused movement , proper relaxed alignment, and continued effort, both on the inside and out,  great gains can be made to make the form apart of you.

16 Principles of Tai Chi

[10] Arriving is a Matter of Your Spirit.

The Spirit again!  As discussed in principle 3 the Shen is what gives us the ability understand our surroundings, decipher our opponent, and perceive their intentions without giving anything away.  Your ability to develop your spirit, through slow and deliberate processes can give you a great advantage and open up a whole new world.

Boxers, mma figthers, etc… the great ones are able to see the micro-movements in their opponents and counter or move first off that, disrupting and ultimately overcoming their counterpart’s strategy.  The greats like Li Nengran, Dong Haichaun, and Yang Luchan were able to do this on a different level; through the feeling of another’s energy and spirit.  How is that possible? It’s a different level that takes dedication, years of practice and refinement, and even then only 1 in 10,000 can reach it.

To reach this goal you must develop your Qi into Shen, raise it up into your Upper Dan Tian and develop your Shen valley (part in-between your two brain lobes).  You must open your upper valley to perceive all things (third-eye concept).  This is where it will get weird and will require your already top-notch very knowledgeable instructor to help you!  The sensations and perceptions you will experience will be nothing like you have ever had before (like a baby coming into a new world) and others will have thought you lost your mind.  A instructor will have to guide you back and show you control and understanding.  Last thing a person wants is to be perceived looney yet just be on that next level with no way to get it under control 😉

This concept is where you have to truly believe in the deeper levels of internal martial arts.   Some people consider it laughable, that is fine and I will never begrudge a person who thinks so; the rarity and dedication to this concept seems to have escaped modern times.   However like other esoteric concepts (example- an after life) what does it hurt to go after this level?  Even if you don’t reach it the benefits you will reap from the prior levels will be amazing for mind, body and soul, giving you a long and hopefully happy life!

16 Principles of Tai Chi

[4] Energy sinks to your elixir field.

The elixir field; the cinnabar field; the lower Dan Tian.  Different names, same meanings depending on your lineage and tradition of learning.  The important part to developing true skill is gathering your qi or energy into this area for later use!  Why do I need Qi?  Well Qi is life, you use energy in all things and gather it from all places.   However, the pure stuff though is from your essence, that’s the stuff that can give you wings ;)!  Sure you can learn to relax, breath smoothly, and move perfectly; these skills alone will put you a step ahead of most and give you a very long and healthy life.  But there is more…

This more is why most people look towards internal martial arts, a deeper side that nurtures and improves the body into old age.  Lets be honest, kicking someone’s ass is actually relatively easy and can be learned through a variety of methods , i.e. jujitsu, boxing, wrestling, karate, tae kwon do, etc; in a relatively short amount of time (3 months to a year)…  What the enlightened few look for is that more intellectual method;  the method that involves building your Dain Tian into a powerhouse and finding health and happiness.

To do this you must focus your intent on your lower Dan Tian.  Its location is about 1.5-3 inches below the navel and 2-2.5 inches inside the body (depending on your shape and size ;).  You must put your mind into your lower Dan Tian and focus your energy there.  This not only helps you truly clear your mind and get you into a flow state, it provides numerous health benefits.  Your body relaxes, your breathing and heart rate will slow down, blood will flow there–nourishing organs, your senses will focus inside and you will find tranquility!  There the energy will build and develop, building the jade pill which can nourish the body and develop the spirit.  It must become second nature!  The more you devote your time and intent to it, the greater the benefit; even as you read this blog you should put your mind into your lower Dan Tian and breath into it!  Its not an easy process and neglecting it even for a day has set several masters back from true attainment.  Hell that’s why monks go into the mountains and face walls because developing this is a very important step into gaining immortality, without it no other step can be accomplished.  Every internal martial and qigong art has this concept of developing your lower Dan Tian.  Its theory is simple, but its practice is arduous and demanding!