Xingyiquan Questions..

[MaartenSFS]

It's the cross-stepping, low stances like Longxing that I can't do. I began learning Paoquan today and the extreme inward turning was also killing me. That on top of putiing most of my weight on one leg all the time is just too much.. Also, I very much doubt that I'll use most of the variations like Longxing anyways. Today I saw another form called Lianhuan Zashi, which was more of the same, but longer. Wuxingquan, plus Sanshoupao, Wuhuapao it is...

[edededed]

In wuxinglianhuan, the only funky stepping is pretty much taken from the linear wuxingquan practice.

- When you practice bengquan and turn around, aren't you doing the longxing-ish thing that is in wuxinglianhuan?
- As for one leg weight... pretty much all the wuxing do it But I guess it is more apparent in pao and beng.

[dspyrido]

MaartenSFS you get more out of the training by being able to handle the weighting on one leg, sinking right down, engaging the bows, tripoding the legs & twisting vs. learning another sequence.

This will help build legs that can handle 1/2 a tonne of weight on a leg press but are also able to move fluidly. This is hsing-i's jibengong.

[cloudz]

dspyrido, quick question: what do you mean by tripoding the legs ?

cheers

[Josealb]

dspyrido, quick question: what do you mean by tripoding the legs ?

cheers

Thats only for gifted few.

[Michael]

dspyrido, quick question: what do you mean by tripoding the legs ?

cheers

Thats only for gifted few.

Do your b***s hang l**, do they...?

[dspyrido]

dspyrido, quick question: what do you mean by tripoding the legs ?

cheers

Those who are well endowed will only understand.

Jokes aside ... in some styles there is an emphasis to pinch the knees in inward to create greater stability (wc & hung gar come to mind). I never liked doing that because it placed pressure on the knee & I think it sacrifices mobility. But I understood the idea of getting a knee in the way of a kick to the groin.

Later in hsing-i it seemed to happen again but something was different. It took a few years to understand it was not the knees being pinched in but the waist turning so that the hips faced forward. This is even when the stance is santi with one leg ahead of the other. Done this way the waist must twist forward in order to be square & knee naturally pulls in. This ends up "tripoding" (ok they are just angling in because I can't think of a better word for it). Done in the form or even static standing & when combined with pull the back bow & compressing the hips & it works the core just like sinking into the legs works the thighs & calves.

[cloudz]

dspyrido, quick question: what do you mean by tripoding the legs ?

cheers

Those who are well endowed will only understand.

Jokes aside ... in some styles there is an emphasis to pinch the knees in inward to create greater stability (wc & hung gar come to mind). I never liked doing that because it placed pressure on the knee & I think it sacrifices mobility. But I understood the idea of getting a knee in the way of a kick to the groin.

Later in hsing-i it seemed to happen again but something was different. It took a few years to understand it was not the knees being pinched in but the waist turning so that the hips faced forward. This is even when the stance is santi with one leg ahead of the other. Done this way the waist must twist forward in order to be square & knee naturally pulls in. This ends up "tripoding" (ok they are just angling in because I can't think of a better word for it). Done in the form or even static standing & when combined with pull the back bow & compressing the hips & it works the core just like sinking into the legs works the thighs & calves.

thanks D, see what you mean, makes sense

interesting what you mention in the first paragraph about WC.. they use the goat stance where the feet are turned inward. I have come across a similar idea in ILC although the inward pointing parallel stance is not really used in that way but the idea and feeling is part of the stance work - just enough to get a feeling of natural spiralling to emerge (up & outwards through body).. I say natural spiralling as it's a result of the positioning of the feet and the bodies natural reaction to that rather than your own intention to spiral. Stance becomes stable and loaded (ready to spring), if you know what I mean. This is a bit different from what you describe I think, but I thought I would mention it as it connects to what you said about the WC stance. In Xingyi I don't think the feet have that parallel to inward position in relation to each other, but the inwards aspect is created a bit differently ..

I have only done a little Xingyi in the past, so it's been interesting thread. Good stuff.

[MaartenSFS]

So, I've been training Piquan, Zuanquan, Bengquan and since several days ago Paoquan for almost three hours straight every morning. Riding a bicycle there (at around 4:50!) is my warm-up, plus some Jibengong exercises. It's pretty brutal, but it's an investment and I can already feel the positive effect on what I trained before. I'll do this for another two or three months until the snow comes and then shift to a focus on combat whilst still tweaking my technique. After 8:00 or so I begin training my others things and do some partner work if there's anyone around. Gotten some sparring bouts in over the past month and I'm told that there is a sparring group that does mostly boxing at another park that I'll go to when I feel confident about what I've learned here.

[dspyrido]

interesting what you mention in the first paragraph about WC.. they use the goat stance where the feet are turned inward. I have come across a similar idea in ILC although the inward pointing parallel stance is not really used in that way but the idea and feeling is part of the stance work - just enough to get a feeling of natural spiralling to emerge (up & outwards through body).. I say natural spiralling as it's a result of the positioning of the feet and the bodies natural reaction to that rather than your own intention to spiral. Stance becomes stable and loaded (ready to spring), if you know what I mean. This is a bit different from what you describe I think, but I thought I would mention it as it connects to what you said about the WC stance. In Xingyi I don't think the feet have that parallel to inward position in relation to each other, but the inwards aspect is created a bit differently ..

I have only done a little Xingyi in the past, so it's been interesting thread. Good stuff.

Spingy feeling starts in the toes, goes through the ankles & to knees. It pistons up or in 4 directions. The heel helps with grip especially when pushing into a person but need not be engaged if there is no one to push against & speed is required.

In santi there is a feeling that you can spring from front or back leg by pushing off from the toes in all 4 directions.

When combined with the twisting of waist it all becomes like a loaded spring coil - spiral power. The spinginess though is based on raw power to loadbare & the ability to do this in the fastest time. In the xy forms it comes from just hours & hours of leg work & torso twisting while throwing strikes.

[dspyrido]

So, I've been training Piquan, Zuanquan, Bengquan and since several days ago Paoquan for almost three hours straight every morning. Riding a bicycle there (at around 4:50!) is my warm-up, plus some Jibengong exercises. It's pretty brutal, but it's an investment and I can already feel the positive effect on what I trained before. I'll do this for another two or three months until the snow comes and then shift to a focus on combat whilst still tweaking my technique. After 8:00 or so I begin training my others things and do some partner work if there's anyone around. Gotten some sparring bouts in over the past month and I'm told that there is a sparring group that does mostly boxing at another park that I'll go to when I feel confident about what I've learned here.

When I started xy my sifu told me that training the legs would be hard. He mentioned that in his 1st month when he would finish training & went to lie on his bed he would first sit, pick up one leg with his hands, place it on the bed & then repeat for the other leg. It was the same for me.

I always tell people who do this sort of training to go try a leg press & see what they top out on. Then train for a year & retest to get a measure of the impact it makes.

[Strange]

"tripod"....

for ppl beginning to do zz practice, a common instruction from the teacher is to tell the student
to relax in the position, you hip should be like you were sitting down.

many try to do it, but still cannot do it, cannot relax.
you can only do it if you open your rear, or meaning separate the glutes
this brings you into a sitting position while standing
the knees are brought in (without you forcing them)
so you can feel you feet, knees and then up to your hip (kua) is connected
i find that it also loosens and relaxes the lower spine for better force transmission
but individual experience may differ
just saying