Zhang Chang Xin Liuhebafa

[Wanderingdragon]

My personal journal,
Boxers use the feet to create position, we must use the eyes to lead the feet into position.

Distance is in footwork
Speed is in distance
Knowing distance and technique adjustments?

Strike is step so stick is step as well, control is weight on top of weight, stepping is to be sure you are on top?

The idea of fighting is to engage continuously, until finished, the skill is in finishing quickly, and the art is in finishing unscathed

The body goes where the eyes go, to escape the body must follow the heart.

The upper torso is a barrel, to control the air, is in moving up and down comfortably.

[Strange]

蓄力如弓圓，發勁似箭直；悟透陰陽理，剛柔互參就；
Gather strength like a drawn bow is round; expend force like a shooting straight arrow; Understand completely the laws of Yin and Yang; Hard and Soft complement each other

調息坎離交，上下中和氣；守默如臥禪，動似蟄龍起。
attune respiration to the exchange of Kan and Li; Upper and Lower are in harmony; Being still like Sleeping Zen; Be in movement like a Dragon rising

虛靈含有物，窈窈溟溟趣；忽隱又忽現，息息任自然。
There is something in emptiness; In the deep and minute you must find interest; appearing and disappearing suddenly; every breathe in accordance with nature

避免敵重力，原來自我始；雙單可分明，陰陽見虛實。
Avoid the enemy's force emphasis; the initiative with me all along; Double or single weight are clear; Yin and Yang are shown in Hollow(fake) or Solid(real)

[Wanderingdragon]

蓄力如弓圓，發勁似箭直；悟透陰陽理，剛柔互參就；
Gather strength like a drawn bow is round; expend force like a shooting straight arrow; Understand completely the laws of Yin and Yang; Hard and Soft complement each other

調息坎離交，上下中和氣；守默如臥禪，動似蟄龍起。
attune respiration to the exchange of Kan and Li; Upper and Lower are in harmony; Being still like Sleeping Zen; Be in movement like a Dragon rising

虛靈含有物，窈窈溟溟趣；忽隱又忽現，息息任自然。
There is something in emptiness; In the deep and minute you must find interest; appearing and disappearing suddenly; every breathe in accordance with nature

避免敵重力，原來自我始；雙單可分明，陰陽見虛實。
Avoid the enemy's force emphasis; the initiative with me all along; Double or single weight are clear; Yin and Yang are shown in Hollow(fake) or Solid(real)

Though they suggest movement and are necessary practices in movement, these are better perfected in stillness. These are great visualizations for standing practice.

[Strange]

虛引敵落空，欲收放更急；兩腿似弓彎，伸縮腰著力。
Lead your enemy into emptiness; Wanting to hold but expend force at a greater speed; Both legs bent like bow; Expand or Contract by apply force at waist.

臂脊須圜抱，內外混元氣；息念要集神，仿彿臨大敵。
Arms and Spine must be held round; Internal and External Primordial force; Breathing to concentrate the Shen; Like Facing a Great enemy.

目光如流電，精神顧四隅；前四後佔六，掌握三與七。
Eyes are like flowing lightning; Awareness reaching 4 corners; Front Four Rear Occupy Six; In control of Three and Seven

形動如浴水，若履雲霧霽；飄飄乎欲仙，浩浩乎精虛。
Moving like Bathing in Water*; Like Stepping on Cloud and Fog after the rain; Floating like an Immortal; Greatly Righteous like the Pure Empty

* for zhan zhuang visualization/imagination it is very frustrating at first.
for me i feel the first important milestone is when you are able to imagine and feel like standing in water at a snap; at the drop of a hat, immediately.

[suckinlhbf]

Zhan Zhuang makes me feel happy.
The crucial change from Standing Meditation is to feel the sitting, and sit while moving. Wai Tun Gong is too hard for me, Maybe because of my injuries on L5 and C6.

[suckinlhbf]

Student of Wang Xiang Zhai told me to do imagination, and student of Chen Yiren told me to do projection. Student of Wan Tin Hung told me to use intention.

[suckinlhbf]

The student of Chen Yiren is a very respectable gentleman, called Richard Patton. He moved from London to Hong Kong in 1960's, and his Bagua teacher wrote him a letter for him to bring to Chen so he was accepted. He gave Chen $1,000 a month which was a lot of money at that time. He almost spent his inherited estate to learn. A few years later for a celebration party of Chen's birthday, he drew a picture of Chen in black and white, framed it nicely, and bought it to the party to show his respect. Chen was furious and sent him away. He left with a broken heart without realizing what had happened. Cultural difference, too unfortunate.

[Strange]

unfortunate.
i hope he got his money's worth.

[suckinlhbf]

Had a conversation with a student of my friend last night, a Canadian with more than 20 years in martial art with different teachers and styles. He works as a bouncer in a club so has quite some hand on experience. His body gets more and more relax in the last few years. He talked about they used to train on power and strength all the time, and realizes from his wing chun study how relaxation helps him to move on. He thinks a lot on how to relax, and focus a lot on relaxing the body. And he thinks a lot, and analyses everything he learns. Here is the cultural difference again.
I really admire those people put their time and steer their way through the cultural difference. Especially those who put their time in learning Chinese. Its hard.

[Ron Panunto]

Why didn't Chen like the hand drawn portrait?

[suckinlhbf]

The portrait looks like the picture used for a funeral arrangement. It is like going to a birthday party, and shout out loudly "You go to hell". It's so unfortunate. Richard showed me the picture but didn't talk about the party. His eyes filled with tear when he looked at the picture.

[Wanderingdragon]

Sometimes when there are cultural differences, there is a need for understanding, and more importantly, the need for a brother to stand up for the one misunderstood.

[standing]

i think once again this is the cultural divide being discussed.. Using a present day Western mind-set to decipher a major insult done years ago through ignorance no matter how well intentioned just doesn't fly. The 1960's was a whole different era and an intervention then would have been an impossible undertaking..We must approach the living treasures of another culture with humility and be willing to educate ourselves so that we don't go stepping on everyone's toes just because we insisted on getting through the door at the end of the hallway.
Such statements as," I hope he got his money's worth " etc. is a Western mindset that oozes with a sense of entitlement. Actually some don't give a shit how much it would cost to be accepted as a student with the opportunity to advance as a human being. Just saying...

[suckinlhbf]

the need for a brother to stand up for the one misunderstood

Chen was a Sepsis carrier. He spent two days a week to regulate his body using his kungfu, and he had a group of doctors, lawyers, and priests following him for health. Other than the regular group class, he taught privately one on one, and the agenda was based on what the person wanted. Everybody learnt the things they wanted, and kept them to himself. There were only a few who are willing to share. Lung Wah was one of them, and he passed away last year. The learning atmosphere did not bring them to a close relationship, and hard to find a brother to stand up and it wouldn't happen and work too, especially Richard was a GuoLuo who paid to have private lessons. I think it may be one of the reason they play the style differently as they have received different training from Chen. Lung Wah tried to get everybody together to share and exchange a few years ago but it did not last long. The style is good but dying with a reason.

I hope he got his money's worth " etc. is a Western mindset that oozes with a sense of entitlement

Richard didn't mind how much he had paid to learn as he knew he could get a lot as long as he kept on learning. Not like nowadays, people pays and stays on money's worth.

[drifting]

This is true. There are so many stories from Chen's students saying they learned the most and others didn't learn much, but Chen split them all up when teaching so nobody knows who knew what. No brotherhood in the students of Chen. Ive trained with at least a dozen of Chen's students and I can say that not one of them is what he says or thinks he is. Shame, the style has bad karma.