Wahnam Cloud Hands Grasp Sparrow Set: 10 Questions to Grandmaster Wong

[Andrea]

An exquisite example is “Black Bear Sinks Hips”. Where do you think is the anchor in this Black Bear pattern?

In the stance?

For those who don't know the pattern. You can see it here at 0.11 http://www.shaolin.org/video-clips-4...9/taiji730.avi

[Guest]

Dear Sije, thx for adding the video.

I was thinking, the front foot?

[Andrea]

Dear Tim Sisook

Yes I think you are right. The front leg works, when it is used like in the video - as a defense against felling techniques like "Carry Tiger Back to Mountains" in TCC CS9 or a grappling attack.
The pattern can be used differently as well - from the back for example (I was not able to find a picture for this application). But maybe just like a pattern can manifest more than one of the 13 techniques (Black Bear manifests chen and kao), different applications also change which techniques are manifested. Maybe the attack from the back manifests more of "chen" ...

Anybody else having a thought about this?

In any event - I am looking forward to Sigung's answer and to part 2.

Best regards
Andrea

[Davy]

My guess

I would say from the hips. The gravity center goes down so that the body in a lower position becomes more stable, giving us the control of the situation and upon our opponent. In such a situation where both opponents are in a bodily similar position the hips play an importan role, I guess. The person who has a better hips control, i.e more stable gravity center, is clearly in a more advantageous position. I would say that also that, as the movement is executed from the hips, is really the dantien the anchor of "black bear sinks hips".
Of course the stance has to be strong and we need to be good rooted but I think honestly the dantien acts as control room for all the pattern.

[Luo Lang]

Thank you Andrea for the very nice video to get some visual idea to your explanantion.

Congratulations you hit the nail on the head!

[Luo Lang]

Cloud Hands Grasp Sporrow Q/A 4-Part 2

Cloud Hands Grasp Sporrow Q/A 4-Part 2:

(Continued from Part 1)

The five steps are as follows:

Jin, or move forward.
Tui, or move backward.
Gu, or step to the left.
Pan, or step to the right.
Ding, or remain at the centre.

Moving forward, backward, to the left, and to the right are obvious. An excellent approach to practicing all these footwork movements is our Pushing Hands.

Remaining at the centre poses a problem in combat situations. What does it mean? How does remaining at the centre enables you to be combat efficient.

I faced this problem initially. I spent much time thinking over it. The “enlightenment” came when I started teaching Taijiquan, reinforcing the advice that a teacher learns a lot when teaching.

In fact, remaining at the centre is a key to winning in many combat situations, especially in modern times when opponents frequently fight like Boxers or use kicks randomly. If you are one of those who tend to retreat when facing a threatening opponent may recall me telling you to nail your feet to the ground.

We also train this important technique of remaining at the centre in Pushing Hands. Can you guess at the important skill involved? Yes, it is body-movement. You sink your body backward, without moving your feet, to avoid an opponent’s attack. You may remember my advice in Pushing Hands – when an attack is short-ranged use your hands, when it is middle range, use body-movement, when it is long-range move your feet.

These 13 techniques were reputed to come from the great Zhang San Feng, who composed the first Taijiquan set based on these 13 techniques. It was not called Taijiquan then. It was just called the Thirteen Techniques. It was also called 37-Pattern Long Fist.

I reckon these 13 techniques were manifested in 37 patterns which were performed continuously without a break like the continuous flow of Yangtze River, the longest river in China, sometimes called the Long River. Over time this short set developed into a long set. The Wudang Taijiquan we practice in our school has about 140 patterns.

Besides helping us to learn the basic movements of Taijiquan, these 13 techniques also deepen our Taijiquan understanding and practice.

As the 13 techniques are basic, which means very important, they form a foundation upon which all future Taijiquan development depends. How fast and how far a Taijiquan practitioner advances will greatly depend on how well he has practiced these 13 techniques.

If he does not understand the principle of warding off and cannot perform the technique effectively, he will take a long time to learn how to defend himself against even simple attacks. For example, when an opponent throws him a thrust punch, and he blocks it head on, he may quickly move to other patterns or other techniques, but he will take a long time and a lot of effort, as well as much punishment, to be able to defend against opponents’ attacks effectively.

On the other hand, if an opponent throws him a thrust punch, as he knows that blocking the attack head-on is against Taijiquan philosophy, he deflects the attack using minimum force. He may spend more time mastering the technique, but once he understands the philosophy and is able to perform the technique well, he can learn other patterns manifesting the same techniques very fast. This, in fact, is one of the main reasons why our students can achieve much in a short time.

If he does not understand the principle of using his body-movement while remaining at the centre, and cannot perform the technique well, he will not progress far no matter for how long he may practice. For example, whenever an opponent kicks at him, he retreats his steps, with the result that he will be pressurized by a kicking opponent. He may practice a long time and take a lot of punishment, but he may still not know how to counter kicks.

On the other hand, if he has a good understanding and practice of the technique of remaining at the centre by using body-movement, he can shift his body backward without moving his feet, to avoid the kick, and swiftly move his body forward, again without moving his feet, to counter attack as soon as the kick passes. He may spend more time mastering this technique, but once he can perform it well, he can learn many other patterns and techniques within a short time.

So, by practicing the 13 techniques well and understanding their philosophy, because these 13 techniques form the foundation of Taijiquan, a practitioner can progress fast and far. As an analogy, instead of learning how to speak over a telephone, in a restaurant, at a supermarket, on a date, or while working in an office, a students learns the basics of speaking well. Once he can speak well, he can do so in any situation.

(Part 3 follows)

[Luo Lang]

Cloud Hands Grasp Sporrow Q/A 4-Part 3

Cloud Hands Grasp Sporrow Q/A 4-Part 3

(Continued from Part 2)

The answer to whether any Taijiquan pattern can be classified into these 13 techniques is “yes and no”.

The technique “chen’ or “sink” as manifested in the pattern, “Black Bear Sinks Hips”, for example, is missing in this classification. As we have experienced in our practice, this is a very useful technique. When someone punches at you, you grip his arm using “Old Eagle Catches Snake”, and press him onto the ground. This is an application of the sink technique. When an opponent grabs your leg when you kick him, your respond with an elephant-step and hang your reverse fist on his head. This is also the sink technique.

Another obvious area not covered by the 13 techniques is when you strike, like using “White Snake Shoots Venom” , “Bow-Arrpw Thrust Punch” or “Green Dragon Shoots Pearl”. The 13 techniques also do not cover kicks, like “White Crane Flaps Wings” and “Cross-Hand Thrust Kick”.

In such situations, the answer is No. No, there are many Taijiquan patterns not classified into these 13 techniques.

On the other hand, the answer can be yes if we take the 13 techniques as a general, inclusive classification, instead of a specific, exclusive classification.

Using the examples above, “Black Bear Sinks Hips” may be classified as “roll back”; “Old Eagle Catches Snake” as grip; “Elephant-Step Hanging Fist”, “White Snake Shoots Venom” and “Green Dragon Shoots Pearl” as press, and “White Crane Spreads Wings” and “Cross-Hand Thrust Kick” as spread. According to their footwork movement, the above patterns may be classified respectively as centre, back, forward, forward, centre, back, centre.

Are we forcing these patterns into techniques that are previously fixed? No, in fact, historically it was from the 13 basic techniques that these later patterns developed, sometimes with modification or variation. It is helpful to remember that kungfu is alive, and this classification is for convenience, and not as compartmentalization to restrict us.

Let us have some fun classifying the patterns of the first sequence of our Wudang Taijiquan set into “eight gates” and “five steps” of the 13 techniques as follows.

1. Cosmos One Energy – roll back, centre
2. Two Aspects of Yin-Yang – roll back, centre
3. Nebula Evolving Round –ward off, centre
4. Cosmos First Emerges – spread, right
5. Cosmos First Emerges – spread, left
6. Shift Horse Ask Way – ward off, right
7. Shift Horse Ask Way – ward off, left
8. Ward Off and Strike – press forward, right
9. Ward Off and Strike – press forward, left
10. Open Window Look at moon, press forward, forward
11. Cannon Fire Toward Sky – press forward, back
12. Golden Tortoise Exposes Back – press forward, forward
13. Two Saints Transmit Tao – press forward, forward
14. Ape Throws Rope – press forward, back
15. Ape Throws Rope – press forward, back
16. Ape Throws Rope – press forward, back
17. Single Bee Sucks Pollens – press forward, centre
18. Gentle Breeze through Sleeves – spread, back
19. Cannon Fire Toward Sky – press forward, forward
20. Spiritual Lion Opens Mouth – press forward, forward
21. Green Dragon Tests Claw – press forward, forward
22. Play the Lute – grip, centre

The 13 techniques are found in all Taijiquan sets, ranging from the relatively elementary Cloud Hands Grasp Sparrow to the very advanced Wudang Taijiquan. An understanding and practice of the 13 techniques provides us with an introduction to basic Taijiquan movements as well as leads us to its profound depth.


<End>

[Luo Lang]

Cloud Hands Grasp Sporrow Q/A 5-Part 1

Sifu Mark's question is not only very mindful and interesting, Sifu's answer is mindblowing.

Cloud Hands Grasp Sporrow Q/A 5-Part 1:

Question 5

Andrea's question reminds me of the Song of Secrets for Training in the 13 Techniques.

I'm interested to know how Sifu's understanding of this classic has changed over time and how that understanding has influenced Sifu's practice, advancement and teaching of Taijiquan, as well as all types of Kung Fu. In particular I'm interested in these two lines: "All the time pay attention to your waist, the abdomen is charged with chi and might." and "What is the aim of Tai Chi Chuan practice? Health and vitality and eternal spring."

Sifu Mark Blohm



Answer

The “heart-attainments” of past masters, which may be translated as the essence of their teaching, are recorded in classics, often in what are called “kor kiut” or songs of secrets. The secrets are hidden in the open and coupled with the conciseness of the classical Chinese language and the need to have background knowledge of kungfu terms, many people may not understand the classics even when they know the dictionary meaning of all the words used in the songs of secrets.

The following “Song of Secrets for Training in the 13 Techniques”, shortened to “Songs of 13 Techniques”, is very important in Taijiquan, and has contributed much to the development of Taijiquan as well as other kungfu styles in our school. It is reproduced below first in its original Chinese wording, then in Cantonese pronunciation, in Mandarin pronunciation and in its English translation. We wish to thank Sifu Michael Chow for providing the material at
Song of Secrets for Training in the 13 Techniques.



十三勢行功歌訣

十三總勢莫輕識，命意源頭在腰隙。
變轉虛實須留意，氣遍身軀不梢癡
靜中觸動動猶靜，因敵變化是神奇
勢勢存心揆用意，得來不覺費工夫
刻刻留心在腰間，腹內鬆靜氣騰然
尾閭中正神貫頂，滿身輕利頂頭懸
仔細留心向推求，屈伸開合聽自由
入門引路須口授，工用無息法自休
若言體用何為準，意氣君來骨肉臣
詳推用意終何在，益壽延年示老春



Sap Sam sai Harng Kung Kor Kiut

sap sam chong sai mok heng shik, meng yi yun tow choi yiew kwik
phin chiun hui sat sheui lau yi, hei phin kwoon keui but sau chi
cheng chong chook doong doong yau cheng, yian tik phin fa si san kei
sai sai chiun kwai yoong yi, tak lai but gau bei kung fu
hak hak lau sam choi yiew kan, fook nap soong cheng hei thang yen
mei lui choong cheng san koon deng, moon khuen heng deng tau yun.
zhai sai lau sam heong chui kau, wat san hoi kap teng tzi yau
yiap moon yian lou sheui hau sau, kung yoong mou shik fatt tzi yau
ye yin thai yoong hou wai cheun, yi hei gwan lai kwat yoke san
cheong cheui yoong yi choong hou joi, yik sau yin lin si lou chiun


Shi San Shi Xing Gong Ge Jue

Shi San Zong Shi Mo Qing Shi, Ming Yi Yuan Tou Zai Yao Xi
Bian Zhuan Xu Shi Xu Liu Yi, Qi Bian Shen Qu Bu Shao Chi
Jing Zhong Chu Dong Dong You Jing, Yin Di Bian Hua Shi Shen Qi
Shi Shi Cun Xin Kui Yong Yi, De Lai Bu Jue Fei Gong Fu
Ke Ke Liu Xin Zai Yao Jian, Fu Nei Song Jing Qi Teng Ran
Wei Lu Zhong Zheng Quan Ding, Man Shen Qing Li Ding Tou Xuan
Zi Xi Liu Xin Xiang Tui Qiu, Qu Shen Kai He Ting Zi You
Ru Men Yin Lu Xu Kou Shou, Gong Yong Wu Xi Fa Zi Xiu
Ruo Yan Ti Yong He Wei Zhun, Yi Qi Jun Lai Gu Rou Chen
Xiang Tui Yong Yi Zhong He Zai, Yi Shou Yan Nian Shi Lao Chun


Song of Secrets for Training in the 13 Techniques

Don't underestimate the thirteen techniques, the source of life is at the waist.
Pay attention to 'apparent' and 'solid', without hindrance chi flows with grace
Stillness in movement, movement in stillness, adjust according to what the situation is
Every technique must be guided by will, combat efficiency will be achieved with ease
All the time pay attention to your waist, the abdomen is charged with chi and might
The spine is straight and full of spirit, the whole body is relaxed with head upright
Be attentive to details in every move, spontaneous let your movements be
A teacher's guidance is needed to enter the way, when accomplished, unrestricted the rules is he
What is so difficult about the form? Mind and energy are the king
What is the aim of Tai Chi Chuan practice? Health and vitality and eternal spring

(Part 2 follows)

[Luo Lang]

Cloud Hands Grasp Sporrow Q/A 5-Part 2

Cloud Hands Grasp Sporrow Q/A 5-Part 2:

(Continued from Part 1)


Before answering the questions posed, it would be helpful to have a brief explanation of the “Song of 13 Techniques” as follows.

The thirteen techniques refer to eight techniques and five footwork movements from which Taijiquan evolved.

The eight techniques are

1. Ward off
2. Roll back
3. Press forward
4. In contact
5. Grip
6. Spread
7. Elbow
8. Anchor

The five footwork movement are

1. Move forward
2. Move backward
3. Move to the left
4. Move to the right
5. Remain at the centre

The source of Taijiquan movements is at the waist. For example, when a Taijiquan practitioner wards off an attack, he does not merely moves his hands from his elbow, but he starts his movement by rotating his waist.

In Taijiquan combat it is important to note whether an opponent’s movement is apparent, which means feint, or solid, which means real. He may, for example, feint a top movement with his hand, and when you attempt to response to this hand movement, he may kick you below, which is his real attack. However, if you neglect the feint movement, it may change to be a real attack.

This distinguishing of whether opponents’ movements are feint or real should not interrupt your chi flow and fluid bodily movement. On the other hand, when you make feint and real movements, the movements must also be smooth, and not staccato, so that your opponents may not differentiate them.

You should attain the harmony of stillness and movement. For example, when you move about vigorously, your mind is still. When you mind is active, you are relaxed and composed. You are able to adjust quickly and spontaneously to whatever the situation is. When an opponent rushes at you with multiple attacks, you remain relaxed and response accordingly. If your opponent remains still, you may make feint movements to distract him.

Every movement you make is purposeful. You do not make unnecessary or wasteful movements. In this way you attain combat efficiency easily.

All your movements issue from your waist. Your chi is always powerful and focused at your dan tian. You have good posture and good balance and presence of mind. Your whole body is relaxed and always ready for action. Your movements are spontaneous, and perfect in details.

A competent teacher is necessary to initiate you into genuine Taijiquan. At the beginning rules and guidelines speed up your progress. But when you are advanced, you would not be restricted by rules.

Although perfect form is important, you should not be unduly worried over the form. Mind and energy are the most important in Taijiquan. What is the aim of practicing Taijiuan? It is to attain good health, vitality and longevity.

An understanding of the “Song of 13 Techniques” has contributed much to both my practice and teaching of Taijiquan and all other kungfu styles. The changes brought about by this understanding may be viewed from two dimensions: before understanding this classic, and how the changes continue to improve my practice and teaching after understanding the classic.

Before my understanding of the classic, my performance of kungfu was more external and head-on when responding to opponents’ attacks. An excellent example is my changing of “Beauty Looks at Mirror” to “Single Tiger Emerges from Cave” when responding to an opponent’s thrust punch in the basic Shaolin combat sequences.

(Part 3 follows)

[Luo Lang]

How Taijiquan improves your Kung Fu

Dear family,

The latest two answers were kind of mindblowing. Thanks to Sifu Mark for the mindful questions!

Interestingly so far there are many Kung Fu practitioners having signed in for the upcoming Cloud Hands Grasp Sporrow Set course.

This brought up to two very interesting questions which our members are asked to answer:

Why and how does the Cloud Hands Grasp Sporrow Set contribute tremendously to ones Kung Fu development?

Why do on the other hand Taijiquan practitioners benefit tremendously when Shaolin Kung Fu practitioners take part at Taijiquan courses?

[RyanS]

Gratitude

Thank you to Sigung for these in-depth and invigorating answers, and thank you to our Shaolin family for such mindful and sophisticated questions -
reading (and re-reading) this thread is a profound joy and an honor. So inspiring!

Blessings to all,

-Ryan

[Luo Lang]

Cloud Hands Grasp Sparrow Q/A 5-Part 3

Cloud Hands Grasp Sparrow Q/A 5-Part 3:

(Continued from Part 2)

In my early years of teaching, I taught students to use “Beauty Looks at Mirror” to defend against an opponent’s “Black Tiger Steals Heart”. Later I taught students to use “Single Tiger Emerges from Cave”. Despite their names, the “Tiger” defence is “softer” than the “Beauty” defence.

This change was not influenced by any specific line in the “Song of 13 Techniques”, but by the general concept in Taijiquan of “using minimum force against maximum strength”. This concept was also applied in the Mirror Hand defence, but more so in Single Tiger.

After the understanding of the classic, changes continued to improve both my own performance and my teaching.

The line, “the source of life is at the waist”, for example is seminal. It helped to illustrate the essence of Taijiquan mechanics, leading me to understanding that even without internal force, Taijiquan could be used by a smaller-sized person against a physically stronger and bigger opponent.

The benefit was not only in defence. It was also in attack. The rotation of the waist led me to understand spiral force, and how to explode it in Single Whip. It also led me to understand exploding spiral force using Black Tiger Steals Heart in Shaolin Kungfu.

The next advancement was in reducing big movements to smaller ones. which participants at my Intensive Taijiquan Courses would have experienced, and which resulted in increasing speed and combat efficiency. A further development was exploding force from the wrist instead of from the dan tian. All these developments could be traced to the line “the source of life is at the waist” from the Song of 13 Techniques.

The line “without hindrance chi flows with grace” was also very influential. Before understanding this line, my Taijiquan movements were graceful but still physical. After understanding it, I was able to generate energy flow, then internal force with my Taijiquan practice.

The benefit spilled over to other styles of kungfu. My Shaolin Kungfu became smooth and flowing. Some of those who attended my Intensive Shaolin Kungfu Course would have remember me telling them to perform Shaolin Kungfu movements as if they were Taijiquan.

In Wuzuquan it enhanced the development of internal force in San Zhan, a skill I took more than two years to acquire in the late 1960s, but which with the help of chi flow course participants at the Special Wuzuquan Course in Penang in December 2012 could acquire in a matter of days!

In the Baguazhang Course in June 2012, chi flow not only helped course participants to develop internal force using the eight mother palms but also move fast and effortlessly in Baguazhang Circle Walking. It even enhanced consolidation of internal force in such a powerful set as Iron Wire.

These developments in Taijiquan as well as other kungfu styles owed much to the line "All the time pay attention to your waist, the abdomen is charged with chi and might" of the Song of 13 Techniques. Paying attention to waist rotation not only has made all our kungfu movements very elegant, and enabled us to exploit the momentum of our opponents, but also has remarkably enhanced our generating and exploding spiral force.

The line “What is the aim of Tai Chi Chuan practice? Health and vitality and eternal spring" has helped to shape the basic philosophy of our school regarding why we train kungfu and chi kung. While students of many other kungfu schools hurt themselves physically and psychologically in their free sparring practice, and students of many other chi kung schools focus on learning and demonstrating chi kung techniques, we are very clear that the priority of our kungfu and chi kung training is to have good health, vitality and longevity.


<End>

[Luo Lang]

Cloud Hands Grasp Sparrow Q/A 6-Part 1

Cloud Hands Grasp Sparrow Q/A 6-Part 1:

Question 6

In our early days of the Shaolin Kung Fu and Taijiquan set training development you thought us the breath control as an effective way to train chi, force and speed. I found this teaching amazing.

In recent times this teaching in Taijiquan quite obviously but also in Shaolin Kung Fu became less focused. My guess is that it is because of the magical introduction of the flow-method. I have found this teaching marvelous.

At the combined Shaolin/Taijiquan course in Bern you mentioned, if I am correct, that this development aimed at the mind level in our martial arts development meaning to use mind to direct chi in order to move the body. Also you mentioned that this development would lead to the cosmic mode where cosmic breathing would be activated. So there was no specific need for breath control this way.

Could you please elaborate on the flow-method, corresponding with the mind level of training a martial art and the connection of it to Cosmic Breathing?

Sifu Roland Mastel



Answer

This is a very important question that not only illustrates the philosophy of internal force training and spiritual expansion but also describes the development of our teaching in our school.

When I first taught Shaolin Kungfu in Intensive Shaolin Kungfu Courses in the early 2000s, “Lohan Asks the Way” was used to develop the important skills of form, force and speed. This method was very effective and helped students to perform any kungfu set with picture-perfect form, internal force and flowing speed. This in turn enabled them to apply kungfu techniques effectively in combat sequence practice and free sparring.

The procedure was as follows. First students performed the patterns in picture-perfect form. Next, they exploded force at appropriate patterns. Then they linked various patterns into a sequence, and performed the sequence of many patterns flowingly as if they were one continuous patterns, without neglecting their picture-perfect form and internal force. Because the various forms were performed flowingly without any unnecessary break, speed is attained without the practitioner becoming hasty.

I learned this method from my sifu, Sifu Ho Fatt Nam, when I practiced Four-Gates. My sifu found that I performed the set in a staccato manner. So he asked me to perform it flowingly, linking many patterns into a sequence and performing a sequence in one breath. We call this procedure form-force-flow, i.e. from picture-perfect form we progress to exploding force at appropriate times, then performing various patterns flowingly. Later we called it the force-method.

When I taught Taijiquan, especially in Intensive Taijiquan Courses, I discovered that practitioners could develop internal force by first performing the form flowingly, then letting their energy flow as a result of their flowing form, and eventually when their energy flow was vigorous it generated internal force. I did not invent this method; it was practiced by many masters in the past. But I noticed the process operating inside the practitioners, and when I taught the process to other students, I could help them to develop internal force effectively.

We called this process form-flow-force, i.e. first we performed the patterns in picture-perfect form, than the various patterns were performed flowingly, and when the flow became vigorous it generated into internal force. Later we called it the flow-method.

When I looked back at my own development of internal force, I discovered that the same process operated in a similar way, but because I was unaware of the process at the time, I took a much longer time than our students now to develop internal force.

The process in my case was similar to, but not exactly the same as, the one I taught to Taijiquan students. The similarity was in the chi flow. In my case, I generated an internal chi flow as a result of my smooth movements. Then I consolidated the chi flow into internal force.

In the case of the Taijiquan students, they also generated an internal chi flow as a result of their smooth movements. But their chi flow generated itself into internal force when its flow became vigorous. There was no conscious attempt on the part of the Taijiquan practitioners to consolidate flowing energy into internal force. When they exploded force, or fa-jing, a lot of energy was focused and exploded out, but the energy was not consolidated in a way done in the force-method.

I applied this flow-method when teaching some Shaolin sets like Siu Lin Tou, Fower-Set and even Iron Wire, and found that students developed a lot of internal force within a very short time! The flow-method was also safer than the force-method because the flowing energy would wash away any blocked energy should students unwittingly practiced wrongly.

(Part 2 follows)

[Andrea]

Thank you Sigung for sharing you experience and knowledge - over and over again. Thank you Sifu for starting this thread.

I am really enjoying these Questions & Answers. There is so much to take away and inspire my own Tai Chi Chuan and Shaolin Kungfu practice.
And I am very much looking forward to the "Cloud Hands Grasp Sparrow" Set course in Bern next month, where all of this will come alive.

Best regards
Andrea

[shaolin_mike]

This is another super thread, thanks to Sifu for sharing the martial arts encyclopedia that is his mind with us