Yiquan staff practice (Gun Fa, 棍法) is used as supplemental training of the fundamentals.  While the staff can be used as a weapon, today, our emphasis is using this training to further develop/cultivate the balanced force (Hun Yuan Li, 浑元力) and whole-body power release (Fa Li, 发力).  Here, the term “staff” is used to cover pole, staff, or stick weapons between 6 foot to 7 foot in length and about an inch in diameter. 

 

In traditional Yiquan Gun Fa (棍法) training, the staff is made of white wax wood (Bai La Gan, 白蜡杆).  This plant has a relatively straight main trunk.  When this trunk grows to between 1 to 2 inches in diameter, the trunk of the sapling is used as the traditional staff.  Because of the grain structure, it is very tough, virtually unbreakable or indestructible.  Since white wax wood staff is difficult to come by outside of China, you can use any flexible wood or synthetic polypropylene staff as a substitute.  (For a short time, the white wax wood staffs were available from Cold Steel Special Project: www.ltspecpro.com.)  

 

Simply, self-defense with any (cold) weapon is to make the weapon an extension of your arms/hands to discharge/release your balanced force (Hun Yuan Li, 浑元力) through the weapon onto your opponent.  Even though we do not place too much emphasis on the use of (cold) weapon for self-defense today, still you should not waste your training time on flowery solo sequences or patterns (Tao Lu, 套路).  You must never fall into the trap of developing sequential patterns (“if this than that”) as response and solution to the dynamic changing problem of fighting/combat.  Rather, you should develop un-conscious decision-making references for your spontaneous instinctive fighting reflexes through mental visualization and sparring.  To be useful, skills must become spontaneous reflexes. 

 

Staff practice must follow the training and conditioning theories and principles of Yiquan:  Understand the theories and principles involved; use interactions with external/internal isometric opposing forces pairs (Mao Dun Zheng Li, 矛盾争力) to harmonize, synthesize, and ingrain your maneuvers/techniques into “habit”; and learn distance intervals, timing, angle, accuracy, and agility (the ability to adapt and change according to your opponent) with real experience gained from sparring with real partners.  Remember that Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) consists of modeling and imaging.  In modeling the student mimics the movement of the teacher and in imaging the student think through the movement to "ingrain" the skill.  Both mental and physical exercises are necessary.

 

诀曰: 拳成兵器就, 莫专习刀枪。

 

Oral Tradition:  Skill is more important than the weapon.  It is easier to learn to use a (cold) weapon after you have mastered the basic skills of empty hand fighting.  Do not train exclusively with swords and spears.

 

We will start exploring Gun Fa (棍法) with a description of the half-grip and the on-guard posture.

 

Grip

 

Yiquan uses the half-grip (Ban Wo, 半握) to remove your fingers from being hit by your opponent’s staff sliding down the staff shaft (Shun Gan Hua Da, 顺杆滑打).   Here, your right front hand grips the staff shaft with the base of your thumb and your middle, ring, and little fingers on opposite sides half way around the circumference of the shaft, with your right thumb and index finger lying along the length of the shaft pointing towards the point.  Your left rear hand grips the shaft near its butt end with the base of the thumb opposite your four fingers halfway around the circumference of the shaft.  The left rear hand thumb may lie along the length of the shaft pointing towards the point or wrap around the circumference.   The section of the staff between the hands must contact the waist or body, above your hipbone at navel level (most of the time).

 

On-Guard Posture

 

From the right-lead small step on-guard posture, use your right leading hand to hold the staff point at mouth/throat level, right palm facing left, with the left rear hand hold the butt end in contact with your waist just above your hip, left palm facing right.  The left rear hand is on (touching) your waist.  The right front hand, slightly flexed and bent, keeps the staff point at your opponent’s mouth/throat level with the point centered at the central line.  The staff point, your nose and your front foot are on the same vertical plane.  Always threaten your opponent with the point; keep the staff between you and your opponent.

 

Next, we will very briefly describe the five overlapping categories of Yiquan basic Gun Fa (棍法) training:  resistance drills (Mo Gan Shi Li, 磨杆试力), trial and feel (Hua Gan Shi Li, 滑杆试力), power release (Hua Gan Fa Li, 滑杆发力), slip staff drills (Shuang Ren Dui Hua Dui Za, 双人对滑对扎), and sparring.

 

A.  Fixed step resistance drills (Mo Gan Shi Li, 磨杆试力)

 

The purpose is to seek, sense, be aware of, explore, and experience the interaction of frictional resistance forces in the (six) principal directions:  forward/backward; upward/downward; left/right lateral.

 

Forward/backward:  Start with the on-guard posture, with the front section of the staff (towards the point end ) resting on a tree branch at throat level to provide friction/resistance.  With whole-body harmony effort, drill your rear leg, take up power from the ground, mildly opposing with the front leg, compress the imaginary spring between your knees, push your staff forward and downward, rotating your right leading hand counter clockwise to palm facing down (Nei Luo Xuan, 内螺旋), left rear hand to palm facing up.  Then, push off your front leg, mildly opposing with the rear leg, stretch the imaginary spring between your knees, pull your staff backward and downward, rotating your right leading hand clockwise to palm facing up (Wai Luo Xuan, 外螺旋), left rear hand to palm facing down.  Sense, perceive, explore, and experience the dominant forward/backward friction forces as if trying to “saw” off the tree branch.  Feel for the dominant forward/backward force against the light frictional resistance as the staff shaft rub on the tree branch.  Be aware of your whole-body synthesis.  These actions cover the forward thrust (Za, 扎; Tui, 推; Chuo, 戳; Ci, 刺) and backward pull (Dai, 带) maneuvers.

 

Upward/downward:  Repeat this exercise using different angled tree branches to explore and experience the dominant downward and forward force or upward and forward force while pushing forward with Nei Luo Xuan (内螺旋), and the dominant upward and backward force or downward and backward force while pulling backward with Wai Luo Xuan (外螺旋).  These actions cover the upward lift (Beng, 崩; Tiao, 挑) and downward chop (Pi, 劈; Dian, 点; Ya, 压) maneuvers.

 

Lateral left/right:  Repeat this exercise using different angled tree branches to explore and experience the dominant lateral leftward forward or leftward backward forces with Nei Luo Xuan (内螺旋), and the dominant rightward forward or rightward backward forces with Wai Luo Xuan (外螺旋).  These actions cover the left/right lateral parry (Na, 拿; Lan, 栏; Heng Dou, 横抖) maneuvers.

 

When you have mastered the whole-body harmony of the actions with these, mix up the sequence for sensing and exploring the resistance forces in all the six principal directions.  Reverse the rotational direction along the axis of your staff whenever you feel inclined.

 

B.  Trial and feel (Hua Gan Shi Li, 滑杆试力)

 

Use solo trial and feel exercise (Hua Gan Shi Li, 滑杆试力) to ingrain whole-body harmony of action of each technique/maneuver.  Do forward thrust and backward pull, upward lift and downward chop, left/right lateral parry, etc.  Sense, perceive, explore, and experience the internal/external opposite forces; harmonize and interact with the surrounding.  Change, adapt, and refine to achieve whole-body harmony of action and force; ingrain each maneuver/technique into “habit”.  Initially train in fixed-step (Ding Bu, 定步), then incorporating footwork and use free-step (Huo Bu, 活步).  Repetition is the mother of all skills.

 

C.  Power (Hua Gan Fa Li, 滑杆发力)

 

From the right lead on-guard posture, use solo Fa Li (发力) exercise (Hua Gan Fa Li, 滑杆发力) to practice power discharge/release (Fa Li, 发力) in the six principal directions: forward thrust (Za, 扎; Tui, 推; Chuo, 戳; Ci, 刺), backward pull (Dai, 带), upward lift (Beng, 崩; Tiao, 挑), downward chop (Pi, 劈; Dian, 点; Ya, 压), right lateral (Lan, 栏; Heng Dou, 横抖), and left lateral (Na, 拿; Heng Dou, 横抖).  Use the staff with whole-body harmony of action and balanced force (Hun Yuan Li, 浑元力); initially train in fixed-step (Ding Bu, 定步), then incorporating footwork and use free-step (Huo Bu, 活步). 

 

D.  Slip staff drills (Shuang Ren Dui Hua Dui Za, 双人对滑对扎)

 

This is two persons “push hands drills” using the staff.  Timing, distance, angle, and accuracy can only be learned from experience, with basic two persons slip staff practice (Shuang Ren Dui Hua Dui Za, 双人对滑对扎) with a teacher/partner.  Actual hands-on instruction is required for this phase of staff training. 

 

Let your mind-body experience your intellectual learning by doing these two persons trial and feel exercises.  Initially, slow is smooth; eventually, smooth is fast.  Cooperate with your slip staff training/sparring partner; learn the timing, angle, and distance.  Do it correctly every time will reinforce your automatic response and un-conscious competence.  Repetition is the mother of all skills.  You must practice both mental and physical training and conditioning.   Use your imagination to refine and invent new drills.  For continue development, you must modify, adapt, change, and add to what is given to you.

 

E. Sparring

 

When you have questions concerning a maneuver, the answer can usually be found in sparring.  Use appropriate protective equipment.  Set up safety rules of engagement.  Free form “touch sparring” seem to be the appropriate place to start.  Full contact sparring with even modified weapons is definitely still dangerous.

 

 

 

 

Yiquan body mechanics stresses whole-body synthesis; every maneuver must conform to whole-body harmony (Zheng Ti Xie Tiao, 整体协调) using curve physical form to deliver linear whole-body balanced force (Xing Qu Li Zhi, 形曲力直); every element must move as part of a whole-body movement (Yi Dong Wu Bu Dong, 一动无不动) using natural core/limbs rotations/twisting (Yi Dong Quan Shen Zhuan, 一动全身转) to take up power from the ground (Li Cong Di Qi, 力从地起) through proper alignment and connected-ness of your whole-body (Lian Tong Yi Guan, 连通一贯).  You must use core/body movement to guide/drive your hand movement (Yi Shen Cui Dong Shou, 以身摧动手) while adhering to the principle of guarding your central line and attacking your opponent’s central line (Shou Zhong Yong Zhong, 守中用中).  In this WebBlog we will explore a class of Yiquan Shi Li (试力) training exercises called “core/torso maneuvers” (Shen Fa Shi Li, 身法试力).  The emphasis is on “torso moves” or “body methods” (Shen Fa, 身法) designed to improve/cultivate Yiquan body mechanics. 

 

In YIQUAN TACTICS: THREE HITS AND THREE NO-HITS (Monday, December 31, 2007) of this WebBlog, we have explored the time-based tactic of “Hit on Execution” (Shan Da, 闪打) where you either deflect your opponent’s attack by changing his force direction (e.g., using a parry) or by evasive action to move from your opponent’s line of attack (e.g., slipping  pass a fully developed blow in its “strike focus zone”) and simultaneously attack his opening from another line (e.g., using a hit-on-the-slip).  To this end, you use core/torso maneuver Shi Li training (Shen Fa Shi Li, 身法试力) to enhance your whole-body coordination, and to cultivate/develop your abilities to:

 

1.   Integrate your whole-body, to accomplish proper alignment and connected-ness to drive/guide your striking limbs (Yi Shen Cui Dong Shou, 以身摧动手) from your core/torso (center), and to take up power from the ground.

 

2.   Remove your body from the line of the attacker’s force by slip, duck, bob and weave, etc., while staying within your fighting interval to counter attack.  Here, your torso and hands usually move in opposite directions invoking the use of internal opposing force pairs (Shen Nei Zheng Li, 身内争力):  torso moves left/right while hands move right/left; torso moves up/down while hands move down/up etc.

 

3.   Add power to the delivery of your whole-body balanced force (Zheng Ti Hun Yuan Li, 整体浑元力) onto your striking target by torso oscillation (Gu Dang, 鼓荡), whole-body movement/momentum (Zhong Li Bo, 重力波) and hard tensed focus (Song Jin Zhuan Huan, 松紧转换).  Here, your torso drives your hands and they are usually synchronized to move in the same direction, e.g., both moving forward simultaneously.

 

As in all Yiquan Shi Li exercises, you must always keep your hands within your “comfort zone”:  do not raise your hands higher than your eyebrow, do not lower them below your navel; your left hand does not crossover your central line to your right, your right hand does not crossover the central line to your left; when retracting your hands, do not collapse your frame (Jian Jia, 肩架) and let your arms “touch” your torso; when pushing forward, do not push beyond your lead foot toe (左手不往身右来, 右手不往身左去).  Shi Li (试力) training should initially be in fixed step (Ding Bu, 定步); then extended to free step (Huo Bu, 活步); and finally synthesized into push hands and sparring.  However, at every Shi Li level, the emphasis should be on the perception and cultivation of the “path of force propagation” (Xun Zhao Jing Lu, 寻找劲路) to take up power from the ground, to deliver the internal power as external force (Ba Li Shi Chu, 把力试出).  You must train constantly to maintain combat readiness.

 

To simplify the description of the core/torso Shi Li maneuvers, we may consider your core/torso as a solid rigid body with six degrees of freedom: forward/backward, lateral left/right, upward/downward, and twisting along these three axis (DOF – see any text book on classical Newtonian mechanics).  However, due to our body construction and Yiquan’s requirement of whole-body synthesis, we must never train to isolate movement in any DOF of the core/torso.  That is, you should not limit your maneuver to only pure forward/backward movement in a single direction; all maneuvers should contain movement in all DOF with selected dominant force direction but forces are balanced in all directions. 

 

Let us briefly explore three quintessential core/torso maneuver (Shen Fa Shi Li, 身法试力) exercises in fixed step:

 

1.  Spinning/Turning (Xuan Fa Shi Li, 旋法试力)

 

Assume the palms down left-lead small step posture.  Visualize you are standing in waist deep water; your hands and forearms pressing down on an imaginary large floating ball, hands at shoulder level, elbows lower than your wrists.

 

Pushing with your left lead foot, stretching the imaginary spring between your knees, shift your hips backward, downward and slightly to your right, compressing the imaginary spring from your rear hip to the ground, pull the imaginary ball outwards to your left and backwards towards your body while pressing it downwards, rotating your wrists in synch to fingers pointing to your right.  Simultaneously as you shift your hips right visualize stretching the imaginary spring between your left foot and your head and turning the imaginary floating ball with both hands to the left.  Do not let your right hand cross to the left of your central line, keep your elbows prop out with your hands higher than your elbows.  Then, shifting your hips left stretching the imaginary spring between your right foot and your head; turn/spin the imaginary floating ball to the right, rotating your wrists in synch to fingers pointing left.  Do not let your left hand cross to the right of your central line, keep hands higher than elbows.  Continue by shifting your hips forward, pushing the imaginary ball forward away from your body while pressing down slightly, do not push your palm heel beyond your front toe.  Repeat this spinning/turning slowly and evenly, spinning/turning the ball counter-clockwise around a vertical axis.  Prop your elbows outwards; your hands must not cross your central line: left hand stays to the left of your central line and right hand stays to the right.  Rotate your wrists in synch.  Practice doing both clockwise and counter-clockwise spinning/turning.  In this spinning/turning (Xuan Fa Shi Li, 旋法试力) exercise, the dominant force is forward/backward and the hands are at or below shoulder level. 

 

Note:  When you move the ball to your left, your body shifts to your right and vice versa to remove your body from the line of attack.  Your center of gravity moves in an oval (elliptical) path with the short axis along the lateral left/right direction.  Though in this maneuver, the dominant forward/backward force is used to induce the secondary lateral left/right force (Zong Bo Dang Chu Heng Bo, 纵波荡出横波) the whole-body balanced force (Hun Yuan Li, 浑元力) requires that forces in all six direction be present and balanced. 

 

When you have mastered this in fixed step (Ding Bu, 定步), incorporate the wading step (Mo Ca Bu, 摩擦步) with your spinning/turning Shi Li maneuver.

 

2.  Waving (Yao Fa Shi Li, 摇法试力)

     

From the left-lead small step posture, bring hands up to face/mouth level, keep shoulders down and elbows prop out at shoulder level.  Rotate your forearms to palms facing forward.  Visualize your hands intercepting an imaginary large ball rolling toward you.  As this ball approaches, receive it by sinking your whole-body onto your rear leg, backwards and to your right, compressing the imaginary spring from your rear hip to the ground, conducting its force to the ground (stretching the imaginary springs between your front foot and your head, and between your front knee and rear hip).  Direct the imaginary ball to your left with both hands while shifting your body to your right to avoid its force (Tactic: move away from the line of force).  Do not let your right hand cross over your central line to the left.  After neutralizing the ball's motion/momentum, next shift your body to your left while directing the imaginary ball to your right with both hands; do not let your left hand cross over your central line to the right.  Then push the imaginary ball forward.  Repeat this circular motion in a clockwise as well as counter-clockwise direction.  Feel with the entire body; let your mind-body experience a coordinated, whole-body effort.  Prop your elbows outwards; your hands must not cross your central line: left hand stays to the left of your central line and right hand stays to the right.  Your center of gravity moves in an oval (elliptical) path with the short axis along the forward/backward direction.  In this waving (Yao Fa Shi Li, 摇法试力) maneuver, the lateral left/right force is dominant and the hands remain approximately at face/mouth level, with elbows lower than your shoulder.