KEND wrote:I'm sure this question has been asked before, I applied it to Hsing yi but found no satisfactory answers. In TCC forms there are a certain number of techniques which are repeated, others which are not. Is this determined by frequency of use or ones favored by the creator. If you were given the 13 postures would you do it differently
The form practice is designed to give you ample amount of training within 1 training session of 3 sets the 8 Taiji Quan methods applied in all directions (5 gates) while maintaining the basic 9 alignments, performed to strict adherence to the 5 requirements, achieving 6 integration (coordination of physical movements, lead by correct shifting of xin and yi).Since the form is designed to acquire Taiji Quan skill, there are then 3 major aspects of what to include: we want to repeat movements that, 1) within one skill, represent one or more classical taiji quan skills (8 methods = 4 main methods, 4 assistant methods). Some, like Lan Que Wei, contain all 4 of the major skills. 2) Some, like Yu Nu Chuan Sui (fair maiden work the shuttles), is especially challenging in terms of maintaining the 9 alignments. And finally, 3) the length of the form is designed to be challenging in terms of maintaining the 5 requirements of practice (song man yuan huo, zhong zhen an shu...)
There are certain practices that if you do it for a brief duration (1, 2, 5 minutes each time), even if you do that every day for decades, you'll still barely scratch the surface. Meditation, Qigong, Zhan Zhuang, and internal martial art are like that. To enter the required state for the body and the mind requires that each training session be long enough.
The traditional Taiji form is to be completed in ~50 minutes. And in the old days people did 3 sets in each session. It's a huge challenge not just for the body, but for the mind (to maintain concentration).
For the body, if you design a form of that length, you need it to properly warm up in the beginning, and cool down near the end. So there has to be a natural physical rhythm to it, from easy to difficult, to easy again. This is why most of the kicking movements are deeper in the form.
Each of the classical skills, like Lan Que Wei (peng lu ji an), Yun Shou (overlapping shifts in xin and yi), etc, will be repeated multiple times, in multiple directions. It's expected that mentally, in the beginning you're not at your deepest, most concentrated state, so there has to be enough high quality reps later in the form.
The sequencing also take into consideration the space it's supposed to take. So you can't design a form that goes on forever in one direction, also you want to practice footwork (the 5 gates) in each direction in equal measure, so ideally you have equal number of steps in each direction. One area that most beginners don't pay attention to, but was actually a key part of form design is that you are supposed to end up on the exact same spot you started in. If you didn't, you need to retrace your steps carefully to see where your step is too big or small, wide or narrow. This is no simple task, as there are several types of steps, each with its own standards on length and width.
When we say 13 postures, we don't mean there are 13 postures that express everything that is possible with human body, but these are postures that can be regarded as classical representations of Taiji principle and its main skills (4 main methods, 4 assistant methods).
So the other less repeated skills are ones that don't embody as many of the principles as these classical ones (like Lan Que Wei), but are still useful, like the 4 assistant skill (cai lie zou kao). We also want to have a representative sample of shou fa - common application ideas likely encountered in any kind of martial art fighting (common ti da shuai na skills). So sequencing wise they are useful fillers to be placed at appropriate points to satisfy all the requirements above.
In terms of mental training: since the late 50's short forms with little or no repetition has become popular. Most of them finish from 18 to 22 minutes. There is nothing wrong with those. Again, "external martial art practice is designed to enhance natural abilities, internal martial art practice is designed to fundamentally alter natural abilities". Before something new becomes the new second nature, we need to actively monitor the process, hence the slow pace of practice. It is much easier to maintain that total concentration for 22 minutes than 50 minutes. If you lose concentration and put the body on auto-pilot, then you're practicing the body's natural ability again, undoing the work. That's like stepping on the gas when the car is point at a wrong direction. You'll still get a physical workout, but practice-wise you're no closer to the goal. Even in bodybuilding, no one advocate doing large volume of something using the incorrect way. Lots of people actually prefers the short form, as they think the level of mental concentration is higher in each set, and they get more benefit from say the same 1 hour practice. This is especially true if you go from one set to another without stop.
In terms of focus on each of the three sets: people usually say take it easy in the first set, let you body and mind enter the state gradually, naturally. The first set just pay attention to physical part, the alignments, the three external integrations, etc. In the second set, pay less attention to the physical part directly, but focus on application intent. Doing that provides great shen training. And if your shen is in the right place (ex. this movement is a block to the eye level), then the physical movement will automatically be correct as well. Correct external movement leads to correct internal feeling (include qi feeling). And over time the presence or absence of those feelings will serve as a natural guide to your practice. And then the final set you forget movement and originally intended application, focus instead on xin - how you're feeling, if at some point you feel open and expansive, do that physically, if some point you feel the springiness of the spine and other 4 bows, express that, if you feel pent up energy, be more explicit in your fajin, if you feel connected smoothness, go with that flow...