the rum soaked fist: internal martial arts forum

Just completed hours of video for my Coaching Programme starting in January - this is a sample teaser I did for FB for the destructive cycle push hands for Grasp Sparrow's Tail.

I have never heard of the "destructive cycle" applied to Taiji push hands. Xingyi practices this in their two person drills. So what is the opposite of the destructive cycle?

The constructive cycle in the form, ward off, roll back, press and push.

What are you trying to show or teach in that video?

What is unique, different or "better" in your presentation of it than what is already found in any of the other seemingly endless popular videos on entry-level push hands?

Where do "Aun" and "Loi" come from? (Yes, Cantonese speakers pronounce "lu" as "Loi", but I've never seen it Romanized as "Loi". They also pronounce Taijiquan as "hi get kuen", but it is never Romanized that way.) Why not avoid confusion and use the standard Romanizations?

The way that I understood the cycle of Destruction had nothing really to do with the forms. I believe it is Taoist Theory which connected the martial arts to the 5 Element charts. So basically it was more of a mindset. It had very little to do with standard Push Hands and which move was used.

It was the way I understood what I'd been taught and it concurred with what I had been taught in all other fighting arts, in every movement the opponent is weakest the moment before his strike lands, at the end of his retreat, at the beginning of a strike and at his strongest stick, blend and follow. 4 cardinal fighting strategies taught in the circle of push hands to feel them intuitively.

Hi Steve,

Thanks for sharing your video...just watched it a couple of times and I really wanted to give it a respectful viewing.

Got some questions:

1)Do you ever stand closer? A bit too far for our practice...unless there was a huge size disparity.

2)At 1:06 - 1:07 ish, the women seems to Grab the mans forearm (with her left hand) and pull it towards her. Is this on purpose?
- could it be she's just correcting him? Is he a newb?

3) At 1:20 - 1:30 the women does Press with her left hand closer to the middle of her forearm.
-Do you ever have them change that position to a different place?

Subitai wrote:Hi Steve,

Thanks for sharing your video...just watched it a couple of times and I really wanted to give it a respectful viewing.

Got some questions:

1)Do you ever stand closer? A bit too far for our practice...unless there was a huge size disparity.

2)At 1:06 - 1:07 ish, the women seems to Grab the mans forearm (with her left hand) and pull it towards her. Is this on purpose?
- could it be she's just correcting him? Is he a newb?

3) At 1:20 - 1:30 the women does Press with her left hand closer to the middle of her forearm.
-Do you ever have them change that position to a different place?

1. Yes we do a wide range of push hands drills including 'small circle' and free style to include strikes, locks and throws.

2. That was to subtly change his structure as part of the push technique.

3. As I said on the other thread the basic is applied 3 fingers away from the pulse but we apply it in a variety of ways including the 'clasped' position.

charles wrote:Where do "Aun" and "Loi" come from? (Yes, Cantonese speakers pronounce "lu" as "Loi", but I've never seen it Romanized as "Loi". They also pronounce Taijiquan as "hi get kuen", but it is never Romanized that way.) Why not avoid confusion and use the standard Romanizations?

In cantonese romanization it should be something in the range of “On”, “Zai”, “Pang” and “Leoi”

Taijiquan becomes Tai Gik Kyun/Kuen

YM