charles wrote:windwalker wrote:Interesting approach one I had not expected from you it seems very mechanical.
I'm a mechanical engineer. I've designed and made musical instruments for more than three decades...
Good, I would have figured you'd work it out but maybe not. One of my students here a very close friend and long time taiji practitioner, a Distinguished Professor of Power Mechanical Engineering he teaches robotics in one of the colleges here, has been invaluable in the “work” . Providing a good sounding board for most of the theories we work with. So far most of the work has been consistent when aligned with physics that explains them The problem with the "wave theory" of martial arts is the practical implementation. A wave is a periodic oscillation in which energy is transferred through a medium, but the medium's mass is not transferred. How, in terms of practical martial application, is a wave created in the human body?
Its not a problem and has been shown, and can be explained. The problem is for those who either have not worked with this idea in mind or have not come in contact with it yet. Martialy It tends to disrupt the others body at the point of contact and cause reactions that many question .... If I understand you correctly, Peng jin is the taughtness of the body that allows a wave to propagate through the body. What instigates the wave that goes through the body? What is the "plucking" that starts that "string" into vibration/oscillation?
Very easy to understand, actually I covered it but you seemed to have missed it awhile back.
My friend did the translation its literal, which aligns quite well with the physics we use to explain whats happening and how.
Wei Shuren's book on taiji.
"圖一(Figure 1)
以懸掛的古鐘為例(圖一),鐘體中心有一條垂直線,線下端繫一鐘錘。內功練到較高境界時,鐘錘可以旋轉,上縱及下伸。
若以古鐘比喻人體,鐘口即是三道氣圈的胯氣圈,鐘蒂為肩氣圈,中間為腰氣圈。
Take a hanging ancient bell for example(Figure 1), inside the bell frame there is a string hanging vertically at the center. The end of the string ties a deadweight. When the internal strength (Jin) reaches a higher level, **the deadweight can rotate, leap upward and stretch downward. To compare the ancient bell with the human body, the bell opening corresponds to the hip’s ring of chi among the three rings of chi. The bell crown corresponds to the shoulders’ ring of chi, and the middle of the bell to the waists’ ring of chi.
把古鐘的垂直線均分為四段,即形成五個點。(圖二)
(一) 頂點;位於人的咽喉,乃點穴之門,故又稱為絕命點,因為它不容易動轉,是權衡身體變動的準星。
(二) 上死點: 因受頂點的牽掛而活動範圍小,此處受力不易化解,故稱死點。
(三) 靈活點: 相當於人的心口處,是人身旋轉最靈活,最難控制的一處。推手時要由此處探出反應再擊死點。
(四) 下死點: 受鐘錘垂墜的影響而活動範圍不大,內勁向此點擊發易於奏效。
(五) 下垂點:位於垂直線最下端,是鐘錘所在處。此點在人的兩胯之中,它一動變影響全身,所以通常把它當作穩固下盤之用。"
** kind of echos what Interloper had posted
If one can do it, much of the meaning can be expressed using modern physics to explain and test it by.
In answer to your questions. Its a different model. There are things that can be done using this that can not be done with out it.
I really don't see the need to explain it any more detail only to say as I have said that there are different models based on physics that at least IME explain a lot of what some feel is unexplainable.
Like you, I tend not use words like qi, yi or some of the other buzz words until a solid foundation has been built using a physics based approach first which then is aligned with what is described using what some might call traditional verbiage.
The thread started by asking what "song" meant which I suggested it might be a good idea to understand it from its root characters.
鬆
The upper character means hair or pine needles.
The lower character means pine tree.
The common meanings loose, release or relaxed are what most use and question.
Another way to look at it could mean to be straight like a pine tree, with flexibility like pine needles.
Standing straight like a pine tree, allows one to manifest what is called "peng jin" or expanding force.
Pine needles are easily moved by the wind, and yet are part of the pine tree. They too have peng jin, while still being flexible.
Using this definition would explain why peng arises from being fan song...
one needs to understand fan song, before one can get peng jin.
that turned really well
Just sharing some thoughts based on my own work...reading the others I do find them interesting.