gongfu

 One thing I see a lot of on youtube and at tournaments, is people with very low skill executing techniques in sequences with full power. It is obvious to the on looker, that the technique’s power comes from slightly relaxing then tightly contracting the muscles and spending a lot of mental energy in doing so. A person who practices that way all of the time, cannot improve after a certain low level of skill is met.

 Part of the problem, is that when these types of people are home practicing their gong fu alone, going through the drills and sequences, they are either using self resistance, power and speed, or all three. That isn’t how gong fu is practiced. The important things to do, when you are studying your techniques, is to fully concentrate your mind and completely relax your body. When your mind is really concentrated, you can feel the rythm, see the uses, get a feel for the movements and really absorb the practice time. When your body is completely loose, signals and blood are properly delivered, and there are no distractions coming from your body. You can really flow from one technique to the next, understand the transitions, the places where there is a little power, and where there is alot etc. Remember that you memorize the sequence, so that you can go home and let it teach you, your not teaching your gong fu anything, your gong fu is teaching you. This is how I was taught:

 Before examining your forms, or any pieces of your forms lie flat on your back. Listen to the rythm of your breathing and relax the belly completely. Then relax the chest and the face, then the pelvis and the legs, the toes, the toenails, conciously relax every single part of the front of your body. Then the top. The sides, the bottom and the back. When you stand up, stand up very slow, and keep close attention to the breathing. Just pay attention to it. When you do your forms, concentrate on the area between the navel and the hip bones. You don’t need to picture energy or time the breathing, just concentrate on that area. In every movment, stay completely soft. When your done, throw a few punches and you’ll see what I mean.

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