Yang 108 pattern set : 10 Quesions for the Grandmaster

[Kevin_B]

Dear family,

So here it is! The first part of Sigung's answer to Sisook Andy's fantastic question.

Thank you Sisook for asking the question.
Thank you Sigung for an extraordinary answer.

Question 3

I believe that the Yang 108 Pattern Set is one of the softest sets in our syllabus. Please can you talk about the reasons for this emphasis on softness, and the particular benefits that go along with it?

Sifu Andy Cusick, Shaolin Wahnam Glasgow


Answer (part 1 of 3)

Yes, the Yang Style 108-Pattern Set is the softest set in our repertoire. It is also the softest in all kungfu.

In my young days I learned a Cotton Palm set from my sidai, Sifu Yeung Khun Chi, the Grandmaster of Chin Woo Athletic Association, Georgetown, Penang, who also taught me Tantui, Eagle Claw and Praying Mantis, in exchange for some chi kung and combat applications I taught him.

I only learned the physical form of the Cotton Palm set. After reading from kungfu classics, and learning Cosmos Palm from Sifu Ho Fatt Nam, and Wuzuquan from Sifu Chee Kim Thong, who also knew Cotton Palm, I concluded that the internal force of Cosmos Palm, Cotton Palm and Red Sand Palm was similar. If this is true, then the Yang Style 108-Pattern Set is even “softer” than the Cotton Palm set.

If we list our representative sets from the softest to the hardest, they will be as follows.

Yang Style Set – San Zhan – Baguazhang – Flower Set – Dragon Strength – Wudang Taijiquan – Flowing Water Floating Clouds – Siu Lin Tou – Xingyiquan - .Triple Stretch – Iron Wire

The main reason for this emphasis on softness is historical. When Yang Deng Fu invented this set from Chen Style Taijiquan, he meant it for health. Reviewing the transformation of Chen Style Taijiquan to Yang Style Taijiquan, we can see that Yang Deng Fu did three things:

1. He rounded the movements, making linear movements circular.
2. He enlarged the movements, making them bigger.
3. He performed the movements slowly.

All these innovations made Taijiquan soft.

If you, for example, perform the linear movement of Beauty Looks at Mirror in a circular manner, it becomes softer.

If you perform Beauty Looks at Mirror, still in linear fashion, in a bigger movement, it becomes softer.

If you perform the same movement more slowly, it becomes softer.

Because of exponential progression, the same liner, short and fast Beauty Looks at Mirror performed in a circular, bigger and slow manner becomes nine times softer.

The main benefit of softness is health. Indeed, chi kung for health is sometimes referred to as soft chi kung, whereas chi kung for combat as hard chi kung.

We can immediately feel health related benefits by performing the following simple exercise.

Make a linear palm strike, like bending your elbow and thrust out your palm in a linear fashion.

Now make a circular palm strike, without bending your elbow by circulating your whole arm from your shoulder.

Don’t you feel more relaxed with the circular movement? If you listen to yourself more attentively, you may also feel mentally fresher.

Next, perform the circular arm movement of the palm strike in a small circle. Compare it by performing the same movement in a big circle. If you add waist rotation, it is even better. Do you feel any difference? You were relatively tighter with the small circle, and more loosened with the big circle – physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

Now perform the circular movement -- in small circle, big circle or both –fast and compare it by performing slowly. What difference can you feel? When a person performs a movement fast, unless he is trained in genuine chi kung like we do, he tends to tense his muscles. When he performs the same movement slowly, he is more relaxed. Even for us trained in chi kung, we can feel a difference.

If we can discernably feel the difference by performing this exercise only once for a few minutes, imagine the huge difference by performing Taijiquan the soft way in contrast with the hard way an hour a day, every day for ten years.

(Part 2 follows)

[Kevin_B]

NOTE: Andrew edited the previous post to correct the sentence in quesion.

Dear family,

There is a slight correction to the first part of answer 3:

In the third paragraph the word "harder" should be "softer"

The correct sentence should be:

"If this is true, then the Yang Style 108-Pattern Set is even “softer” than the Cotton Palm set"

Part 2 of Sigung's excellent answer will be posted later today!

All the best,

Kevin

[Kevin_B]

Dear family,

Here is part 2 of answer 3. Simply fabulous.

Thank you Sigung.

Question 3

Answer (part 2 of 3)

The great benefit, by a very big margin, however, is not just being loosened, relaxed and mentally fresh, but to generate an energy flow. As we in Shaolin Wahnam know very well, it is the energy flow that overcomes pain, injury and illness, and gives us good health, vitality and longevity.

An even greater benefit is to attain a chi kung state of mind, or in Taijiquan terms, to enter Tao, or in modern terms to attain a higher state of consciousness. At the fundamental level, this enables us to be peaceful and happy. At the supreme level, it enables us to merge with Tao or return to God the Holy Spirit. And there are countless benefits in between.

It may be a big surprise to many people that despite being the inventor of this wonderful Yang Style 108-Pattern Set, Yang Deng Fu did not enjoy the many wonderful benefits described above, except vitality. It must be realized that we state the truth, though it may not be widely known, and we are not afraid to do so, but it does not distract us from our respect and honour we give to this great Taijiquan master, whose innovations have benefitted us tremendously.

Yang Deng Fu was not healthy – physically and emotionally! He sustained an internal injury from his father’s or uncle’s strike while training that he had to carry for life. He was also notorious for his bad temper. Once when someone annoyed him, he killed the person with just one strike.

His childhood was not happy and he did not enjoy his training. Once he ran away from home to avoid the rigorous training of his secretive family Taijiquan.

He did not live long. He passed away before he reached sixty.

There was no doubt that he had a lot of internal force and was a terrific fighter. Why didn’t he enjoy the benefits of his internal force, except to enhance his fighting ability which did not make his life happier or even easier?

The main reason was that he lacked the philosophy of Taijiquan that we have. He did not know the three functions of internal force that we do, and he did not know that it was chi flow that gives the wonderful benefits of overcoming pain, injury and illness, and gives good health, vitality and longevity. Even if he knew, he did not realize it. Thus, this wisdom and its resultant benefits are not passed down his lineage.

The most important of the three functions of internal force is to maintain life, which includes overcoming pain, injury and illness. It is chi flow, not the Taijiquan movement, that brings about these benefits.

It is quite shocking that many Yang Style ractitioners today, especially in the West, sustain knee injury. I believe this is due to wrong teaching. Many instructors fail to teach rotation of the waist, which is very important in Taijiquan mechanics. As a result students shift their body forward with their knees moving in a linear manner.

It is also surprising that hardly any of the thousands of thousands of Yang Style Taijiquan practitioners all over the world have internal force. Indeed I posed this question to some instructors over meals during the recent Wudang Taijiquan course. The forms performed by thousands of Taijiquan practitioners, especially those of Yang Style, are technically correct. They practice the forms slowly, gracefully and dedicatedly. Why hardly any of them have internal force even whey they have practiced daily for over 10 years?

(Part 3 follows)

[Kevin_B]

Here is the final part of Sigung's answer to Question 3.

I hope you have all enjoyed it as much as I have!!!

Thank you Sigung.
Thank you Sisook Andy.

Question 3

Answer (part 3 of 3)

We do not expect them to be as cost-effective as ourselves. Our students, even fresh beginners, can feel internal force after just one session, or at the most after one month of regular class. Other students even when their techniques are correct and they perform the forms slowly and gracefully without thinking of irrelevant thoughts still cannot not develop any internal force after 10 years!

Mark Blohm was kind to suggest that it was because of the teacher, implying me. Andrea Zilio said that the other students did not have chi flow.

These are excellent answers. A good teacher will be able to help his students to have a chi flow, if not in one month at least in one year. Even if a good teacher is not available, students practicing the techniques and skills correctly should have a chi flow after a few years. The problem is that they do not realize the essential ingredient for the benefits is chi flow with the result that their chi flow which happens haphazardly is not regular and strong enough to bring them the benefits.

We are ridiculously generous. We offer them this golden opportunity, like the Yang Style 108-Pattern course in Ireland. We even go to the extend to say that these students do not have to acknowledge they have learnt from us. We sincerely want them to restore the greatness of their art. But if they choose not to make use of the opportunity, it is their business.

Developing internal force which brings good health, vitality and longevity is only half the task of training Taijiquan as an internal martial art. The other half, besides the internal, is the martial aspect. Hence, in all our Taijiquan training, we pay importance to combat application.

We do so not because we aspire to be terrific fighters, though we are good at fighting if the need arises, but because martial training brings our attainment of good health, vitality and longevity to a higher level. In our law-abiding society, an average person does not have to fight even once a year. Dedicating ourselves to such a rare eventuality is not a wise use of time. But having good health, vitality and longevity affects us everyday of our life. It is wise to bring such attainments to a higher level.

An ordinary person is quite happy if he is free from pain, injury and illness. But the health demand of a martial artist is more than this. He needs, for example, to make quick decisions and execute fast movements. An ordinary person is quite happy if he can sit and watch a game of football or any sport. The vitality demand of a martial artist is higher. He wants to be able to run and jump for an hour or two and not panting for breath and not being tired. An ordinary person is happy if he lives to 90 and be respected as an elderly person. A martial artist lives to 90 and feels and acts younger than others who are 60.

If we perform Taijiquan movements, like those of the Yang Style108-Pattern Set, in circular and big forms slowly, we can attain the health aspects, but not the martial aspect. To attain the martial aspect without neglecting the health aspects, or to attain yin-yang harmony, we have to transform big circular movements performed slowly to small smooth movements performed fast.

Students at the recent Wudang Taijiquan course in Penang learned the required philosophy, techniques and skills for this transformation. Students of the Yang Style 108-Pattern Set in Ireland will also learn the required philosophy, techniques and skills, which will bring a lot of benefits not only to Taijiquan but also to their daily life.

<End>

[brendan]

Dear Family,

I am loving Sifus answers and getting more excited about the course with each answer.

Thank you so much Sifu for taking the time to do so.

Shaolin Salute,
Brendan

[Kevin_B]

I am very happy to hear you are loving Sigung's answers Brendan. I am loving them too!

Here is the answer to Question 4.

Thank you to Jacek for asking the question and thank you to Sigung for kindly taking the time to pen such a fantastic answer. Thank you Sigung!

Question 4

Do we in Wahnam tradition adopt any Chi Kung exercises that are traditionally done by Yang Style practitioners, or do we replace these with Shaolin Chi Kung?

What Shaolin Chi Kung techniques and skills are particularly relevant for the correct practice of Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan and does their effectiveness depend on the level of practitioner?

I was also wondering how to recognize a suitable / competent Yang Style teacher.

Jacek


Answer (part 1 of 2)

No, we in Shaolin Wahnam do not adopt any chi kung exercises that are traditionally practiced by Yang Style practitioners.

Any Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan) practitioners, including those from Yang Style, who adopt any chi kung exercise from anywhere as their main exercise to manage energy (this is what chi kung is) is tactically admitting that theirs is not genuine Taijiquan, though they may not realize it.

Taijiquan itself is chi kung. In other words, when one practices Taijiquan, he is practicing chi kung.

The Yang Style 108-Pattern Set is a set of chi kung with 108 chi kung exercises. The Eighteen Lohan Hands is a set of chi kung with 18 chi kung exercises. Sinew Metamorphosis is a set with 12 chi kung exercises.

In our school, any kungfu set is also a chi kung set. The Flower Set is a set with 72 chi kung exercises, with some repetitions. Flowing Water Floating Clouds is a set with 108 chi kung exercises, again with some repetitions.

In other words, you can take any one or more patterns from the Yang Style 108-Pattern Set, Flower Set or Flowing Water Floating Clouds – just like you can take any one or more patterns from Eighteen Lohan Hands or Sinew Metamorphosis – perform them a suitable number to times to generate a chi flow which will give you good health, vitality and longevity.

For example, you may choose just one pattern, “Lifting Water”, practice it about 20 times to generate a chi flow. Or you may choose the five patterns in “Grasping Sparrow’s Tail”, practice them about 10 times each on the left and the right side to generate a chi flow. If you do this regularly, you will overcome pain, injury and illness if you have any, including those that you may not be aware of, and you will have good health, vitality and longevity. It is worthwhile to remind ourselves that it is the chi flow, not kungfu or chi kung patterns, that bring these benefits.

In his classic book on the Yang Style 108-Pattern Set, Yang Deng Fu recommended some chi kung exercises as supplementary practice. These exercises are similar to, but not the same as, the beginning movements in the Dragon Strength Set.

Some Yang Style instructors borrow chi kung exercises from elsewhere, but they do not teach or practice them as chi kung; they practice them as gentle physical exercise. Indeed some of them explicitly say these exercises are meant to loosen them, or as some sort of warming up. They do not realize that loosening or warming up is not the original objective of these chi kung exercises, and that as a wonderful martial art there is no need to loosen or warm up in Taijiquan. A Taijiquan practitioner, by training his Taijiquan and without borrowing anything from outside, is ready for action at any moment.

Not many people outside our school are aware that the chi kung derived from Taijiquan patterns is more powerful from the chi kung derived from exercises the general public normally classifies as chi kung, like those from Eighteen Lohan Hands and Self-Manifested Chi Movement.

This is understandable as Taijiquan is martial chi kung, which is two levels about Eighteen Lohan Hands which is health chi kung, and three levels above Self-Manifested Chi Movement which is medical chi kung. Chi kung masters in the past classified chi kung progress into five levels, namely medical chi kung, health chi kung, intellectual chi kung, martial chi kung, and spiritual chi kung.

(Part 2 follows)

[Kevin_B]

Here is part 2 of Question 4.

Thank you Sigung!

Question 4

Answer (part 2 of 2)

If chi kung from Taijiquan is more powerful that that from Eighteen Lohan Hands and Self-Manifested Chi Movement, why do I recommend Taijiquan training to be an hour whereas that in Eighteen Lohan Hands or Self-Manifested Chi Movement to be 15 minutes. Isn’t training more time in a more powerful chi kung expose practitioners to over-training. No. The reason is that the nature of training in these three types of chi kung is different.

Shaolin Chi Kung techniques and Yang Style techniques are noticeably different. The techniques or outward forms of Lifting the Sky and Double Dragons, for example, are different from the techniques of Grasping Sparrow’s Tail. If all other things were equal, Yang Style techniques are more cost-effective than Shaolin Chi Kung techniques in practicing chi kung, like generating an energy flow. This is a main reason why many people, without actually knowing what they say, refer to Yang Style as internal, and Shaolin, including Shaolin Chi Kung, as external.

The fundamental skills particularly relevant for the correct practice of Yang Style Taijiquan as well as of Shaolin Chi Kung or any internal art are the same. They are being relaxed and gently focused at the same time. These two skills collective as one is known as entering Tao in Taijiquan, entering Zen in Shaolin, entering a chi kung state of mind in chi kung in general, and attaining a heightened state of consciousness in modern language. This skill is essential. Without it, one cannot successfully practice chi kung, regardless of whether he performs Shaolin Chi Kung techniques, Yang Style techniques or any techniques.

The effectiveness of the techniques but more significantly of the skills, depends greatly on the attainment level of practitioners. The main reason, though most practitioners may not realize it, why more than 80% of Taijiquan and chi kung practitioners do not have the benefits their practice is meant to give is because they lack the minimum skill level even when they may perform the techniques correctly and beautifully.

Most Taijiquan practitioners cannot use their Taijiquan for combat because they lack combat skills even when they have the right techniques. Most Taijiquan and chi kung practitioners do not enjoy chi kung benefits like good health, vitality and longevity because they lack chi kung skills thought thei chi kung techniques are correct. If some practitioners do have good health, vitality and longevity, it is due to other factors, not due to their Taijiquan or chi kung practice.

After having the necessary skills, techniques become important in how much benefits practitioners get from their practice. In other words, after they are skillful in combat or in generating an energy flow, what techniques they choose and how well they perform them how much more benefits they can get. But before this, i.e. before they have the fundamental skills for combat and for generating an energy flow, no matter how good their chosen techniques are and how beautifully they can perform the techniques, they may not derive any combat or chi kung benefits.

There are two excellent ways to recognize a suitable or competent Yang Style teacher, one to access his performance in the art he teaches, and the other to access his effectiveness in his teaching.

A competent teacher of Yang Style or any art must be a living example of the art he teaches. If he teaches Yang Style Taijiquan, he should be healthy as a result of his Yang Style practice, and he should be able to use Yang Style Taijiquan in combat. If he takes medication on a routine basis, and does not know what to do when an assailant punches him or grips his arm, he is not even a competent practitioner, and hence is unlikely to be a competent teacher.

To access his effectiveness as a teacher, you examine whether his students exhibit the benefits the art is meant to give. If the students look tired and stressful, and have no experience at sparring, then the teacher is not competent. If the students are full of life despite some tough exercise, and they employ Taijiquan techniques skillfully to overcome simulated combat situations, they indicate that their teacher is competent.

In the recently concluded Art of Teaching course, we classified teachers into four categories – bad, mediocre, good and great. The aim of the course was to train great teachers.

A bad teacher brings harm instead of benefit, like knee injuries. A mediocre teacher just teaches according to a syllabus, often without knowing whether his students can follow. A good teacher brings benefits the art is meant to give. A great teacher brings out the best in his students, not just in the art he teaches but in their daily life.

The guidelines above show a competent teacher ranging from mediocre to good. It will be fun for you to apply the above classification of teachers into four main types on Taijiquan and chi kung teachers today. It is even more important for you to apply the above answer to find a great teacher for yourself, or if you are already teaching, to make yourself into a great teacher.

<End>

[DarkCosmoz]

Hello all,

This passage made me realize how lucky we are to have Sigung as our teacher:

Yang Deng Fu was not healthy – physically and emotionally! He sustained an internal injury from his father’s or uncle’s strike while training that he had to carry for life. He was also notorious for his bad temper. Once when someone annoyed him, he killed the person with just one strike.

His childhood was not happy and he did not enjoy his training. Once he ran away from home to avoid the rigorous training of his secretive family Taijiquan.

He did not live long. He passed away before he reached sixty. There was no doubt that he had a lot of internal force and was a terrific fighter. Why didn’t he enjoy the benefits of his internal force, except to enhance his fighting ability which did not make his life happier or even easier?

The main reason was that he lacked the philosophy of Taijiquan that we have. He did not know the three functions of internal force that we do, and he did not know that it was chi flow that gives the wonderful benefits of overcoming pain, injury and illness, and gives good health, vitality and longevity. Even if he knew, he did not realize it. Thus, this wisdom and its resultant benefits are not passed down his lineage.

Yang Deng Fu was an incredibly powerful and skilled master. However, he was also known for his huge appetite for food, alcohol and brothels. He used to work as a bodyguard at the brothels before he was forced away by his family members. His excessive eating habits also made him so obese near the end of his life (around 56 years of age) that he had to teach his students from bed. Like Sigung mentioned above, Yang Deng Fu was a skilled fighter but did not realize the true health and spiritual benefits of Taijiquan.

Meeting and learning from Yang Deng Fu would have been an honor, but it honestly cannot compare to meeting and learning from Sigung.

Consider yourselves blessed!

Best wishes,
Stephen

[Jacek Kaleta]

Dear Sigung

It's a great privilege and honour to be able to ask you questions and I thank you from my heart for all your answers.

Although my questions were asked from a low level of understanding and show how much I still have to learn, I have a feeling that the answers can benefit everyone who reads them.

I look forward to continue my studies and learning within Wanham Family!

Thank you Kevin Sihing for allowing my to ask questions : )

Smiling from the heart
Jacek

[Guest]

Dear Sifu,

Thank you for generously sharing these secrets.

Sham.

[Luo Lang]

Thanks to Sifu for the wonderful and profound answers.

Dear Joan Sije,

Many thanks for offering such a wonderful course and starting the thread.

I am enjoying reading it tremendously!

All the best to everyone.

Roland

[Kevin_B]

Thank you for all the comments. I am very happy you are all enjoying these fabulous answers from Sigung.

And this is just beautiful...

Meeting and learning from Yang Deng Fu would have been an honor, but it honestly cannot compare to meeting and learning from Sigung.

Thank you Stephen! So very true!

Sigung's answer to Question 5 will be posted tomorrow.

I hope everyone is enjoying their Christmas!!!

[Andrea]

I really love this thread. There are so many treasures in it, which enhance our understanding and practice.
Thank you Sigung for these comprehensive and inspiring answers. And thank you Kevin Sihing and all those who asked questions.

With Gratitude
Andrea

[Andy]

Dear Sifu,

Thanks for the comprehensive and in-depth answer!

Dear All,

I feel as if I have been reading a new Taijiquan classic rather than a forum thread! Has anyone tried experimenting with the straight and circular palm strikes? Illuminating even reading and trying it out at home!

Thanks to Sihing Kevin and all other contributors

[Kevin_B]

The amazing answers continue! Thank you Sigung!

And thank you to Santi for asking this particular great question.

Question 5

5a. Why is this set so long in comparison with other sets, or why are other sets so short in comparison with this set?

5b. What are the expected results if I specialize in this set in comparison with Wudang set or Flowing Water Floating Clouds?

5c. Would it be more beneficial for my level to specialize in Flowing Water Floating Clouds or in Yang 108-Pattern Set?

5d. What are the things that I should take into consideration when choosing a set for specialization?

Santiago


Answer (part 1 of 2)

The 108-Pattern Yang Style Taijiquan Set is long because initially it was the only set practiced by Yang Style practitioners. This long set could have been linked together from numerous shorter sets. Later, when Yang Style developed into a school of its own, the reverse would happen when shorter sets were composed from this mother set.

This was the general trend in the history of all kungfu styles. When Shaolin Kungfu started there was only one set, the Eighteen-Lohan Set, which was developed from the Eighteen Lohan Hands. Over its long history of over 1500 years, countless sets were developed to meet expedient needs.

When Zhang San Feng practice his kungfu on Wudang Mountain, there was only one set, the Wudang Kungfu Set, which was later called Wudang Taijiquan. As Taijiquan developed, due to differences of needs, aspirations and other factors, different sets issued from this mother set, like Chen Style Set, Yang Style Set, and Wu Style Set.

The same trend could have happened, but actually did not, in our school. To meet expedient needs, I devised four basic sets, namely Black Tiger Steals Heart, Fierce Tiger Speeds through Valley, Happy Bird Hops up Branch, and Fell Tree with Roots. We could have combined all these four sets into one long set called the Wahnam Sets. In the future masters in our lineage could composed shorter sets from this long mother set to meet expedient needs of their students.

But in our school this trend did not develop in this way because I brought our training to a higher level. I introduced classical sets that were the specialties of past masters.

Non-Wahnam students specializing in this set, presuming that they practice it as a genuine art from a competent teacher, will get the benefits this set is specially designed for. Yang Deng Fu specially composed this set for health. Hence, these students will be healthy. They will also be relaxed and graceful, and have some internal force.

They may also be able to apply some of the patterns for combat, but if all other things were equal, they would not be as combat efficient as those who specialized in Flowing Water Floating Clouds. They may also have some spiritual development, but will be unlikely to be as spiritually developed as those specializing in Wudang Taijiquan.

On the other hand, those specializing in Flowing Water Floating Clouds would be combat efficient. They are also healthy, but may not be as relaxed and graceful as those specializing in the Yang Style Set. They may experience spiritual development but not as much as those specializing in Wudang Taijiquan.

Those who specialize in Wudang Taijiquan will benefit most in spiritual development as this is what the set is designed for, but they may not be as relaxed and graceful as those who specialize in the Yang Style Set, and not as combat efficient as those who specialize in Flowing Water Floating Clouds.

But you and all other Wahnam members are different. You will have all the benefits mentioned above, i.e. good health, combat efficiency and spiritual development when you specialize in the 108-Pattern Yang Style Set. Your combat efficiency will be better than non-Wahnam students who specialize in the Flowing Water Floating Cloud Set or any Chen Style Set, and your spiritual development will be better than non-Wahnam student who specialize in the Wudang Taijiquan Set. This is because our teaching is of a much higher level than that in other schools.

(Part 2 follows)