Sinew Metamorphosis, One Finger Shooting Zen and Golden Bridge

[Andrew]

And now to Roeland

To me, Sinew Metamorphosis is much easier, posture-wise, than Golden Bridge.

I don't disagree. The stance for Golden Bridge is more challenging in some ways but the "simple" stance for Sinew Metamorphosis can be more challenging in others.

Andrew

[Babnik]

Advice?

Dear Roeland,

thank you for your advice for not to practice One Finger Shooting Zen but then what kind of Force training will I do?
Some times when I feel like for variation I practice Pushing Mountains also.
I understand and I have experience Force training to be happened also in the Set training and/or in the Lifting The Sky or other Chi Kung patterns and/or in specific Kung Fu patterns (Kung Fu=Chi Kung).

In my daily routine ussualy afterwards entering in Chi Kung state of mind

Sorry
I forgot to say that the above means that when I start my session I begin with Smile from the Heart,Chi Kung state of mind and then I make some repetitions of Lifting the Sky which helps me a lot.
Also I have to add that after One Finger Shooting Zen my Chi Flow/Standing Still feels like honey (if that has any meaning).
I mean that I fell the Chi to move more concetrated with less external movements, a lot of internal movements and my body feels to move through honey (all of these without discomfort,on the contrary ).
When I practice another pattern or Kung Fu Form the Chi Flow is differnent, or few times the same.
I cannot describe the exact feeling but surely the One Finger Shooting Zen is very powerfull and it has halped my strikes to be more "hard" (but not external hard) when I want,to concentrate my hit in close distance without move my hand away the target and my Tiger Claw to has a little improvement.

Dear Andrew,

Thanks again for your welcome!
Now what changes do you advice me to do in my schedule?
Shall I continue the One Finger Shooting Zen the way I do (concentrations in form,breathing,sounds and a little bit gently visualization but not always)because I see only postive signs?
Shall I give up this training and try Horse Stance again with very slow steps at this time?

I understand that the best thing to do is to learn from Sifu Wong or another instructor but this will be delayed for two years the minimum and untill then I want to use my time as good as I can.

(I hope not to get many Kilometers away from the original thread!!! )

[Mark CH]

Sorry now if I am wrong, but isnt the one finger shooting zen as explained in Sifu book only part of whole art. I have not learned it so correct me if I am wrong.

[Babnik]

Not sure...

Dear Mark CH,

I am not sure but the exercice One Finger Shooting Zen is only a part of the whole art of One Finger Zen (somewhere in this Forum in the Legends and, if I remember correct, some years ago says how this Art came from some Lama to Shaolin) and it's the base for future developement in this art and has to be trained for some years before going to another level (Hitting bells with the finger perhaps and usage in Dim Mak?).
Also I have to add that this is an holistic training of the 3 treasures Jing-Chi-Shen so if it is practised good enhanses anything we do, just like any Chi Kung exercise
I am sure that the instructors will know more than me so please forgive me if I am wrong

[Andrew]

Babnik,

I would suggest you return to the Horse Riding stance and attempt to improve it before moving on to One Finger Shooting Zen. Indeed the form showed in Sifu's book is only part of the whole. However, it can also be performed as in the book with excellent results IF it is done correctly.

The reason I suggest returning to Horse Riding stance is simple -- stances are the basis of Shaolin Kung Fu. The Horse Riding stance is also the basis for many force building exercises. Get the foundations correct (in this case Horse Riding stance) and then you build on them. Get the foundations wrong and you will build on a rocky base which may become instable even if the initial building stages work out reasonably well. It all belongs in the category "safety first".

If you do decide to continue with the One Finger Shooting Zen training then please avoid visualisation and ensure, as far as you can, that you are completely relaxed at all times during the training. The sounds are also important but difficult to explain in a book so don't worry about them too much.

Andrew

[Babnik]

Okz

Thanks Andrew

I will follow your advice and I will return in Horse Stance training because I understand the importance of stances in Kung Fu.
I have used them in friendly sparring and the combination of agile footworg footwork - solid stances - flexibility in weight distribution in solid stance works fine!
Sometimes the hand strikes-defenses there not needed but acts likes cherries on the top of the cake
I like also to use the Unicorn Step to go around my partner (in the few times that I find one, most of the times I train alone), it's fun eventhough I have not so much speed but I hope that after of a couple of years I will be much faster.

I believed that if I was training One Finger Shooting Zen, I was training also Horse Stance but I was wrong...
(ok,I admit it, I am lazy, I wanted to train two things simultanuesly and I forgot the rule "Safety first" and I wanted somebody to tell me, )

Oh,well...I will return to Horse Stance-Leg Flexibility and I will post after of a couple of months my results.

I am very thankfull for Sifu and you guys for the methology and the answer of questions which is provided in the books, here in the Forum, in this website and in the videos. I haven't found better methology either for Combat or Chi Kung and I am very lucky that I can grasp some things and use it.

But the most significant thing is the attitude that you have here, it's a splendid example that you express and acting according to what you teach!

[Andrew]

I believed that if I was training One Finger Shooting Zen, I was training also Horse Stance but I was wrong...

Babnik, you are actually not completely wrong --- it's a question of semantics maybe. But the best is to get the stance right then add to it.

Keep us updated on your progress.

Andrew