by kenneth fish on Mon Aug 21, 2017 10:41 am
At its basic level, the forward hand strikes forward and down (the arc may be long or short depending on which version of Xingyi - Li Cunyi vs Shanxi etc). The retreating hand pulls down and back. The effect is described in Chinese as like pulling apart a piece of firewood (forward hand presses forward and down with the palm, rear hand pulls back and down with the fingers).
Note that this is a description of the trajectory and intent, but not the mechanics. In the torso the forward hand is driven by movement of the entire ribcage on the same side pressing forward, as well as compression of the intercostal spaces and forward and down movement of the entire torso with the hip joint as the pivot point (as if the torso were a second class lever and the hip the fulcrum).
Again, this is at the basic level - eventually there are far more mechanical forces brought into play.
Last edited by
kenneth fish on Mon Aug 21, 2017 10:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
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