concepts:- patience
- spacing
- timing
- bagua qi-gong (level 1, level 2, & level 3)
- quick qi-gong
- side B, palm change 2
- drills: palm change 2
qi-gong
after waiting for everyone to arrive, Sifu instructed us to come together to start the day with bagua qi-gong, level 1 & level 2. i had missed the last 2 stances for the compass directions southwest and west for level 2, but they seemed to be rather straightforward extensions of the other directions so it wasn't too difficult.
we went through them methodically, except this time Sifu named the animal and the body organ each compass direction was meant to match. to some extent, we had done a little of this before, and the information is in the school's handouts (the ones i had gotten from Sifu and Mike Hitchcock), but apparently you are supposed to consciously form an intent on these items as you perform the qi-gong.
Sifu repeated level 1 and level 2 twice, and then brought us together to introduce level 3. level 3 is done walking in a circle, and essentially integrates level 1 and level 2 into circle walking, so that the practitioner performs them while stepping. from what could understand, level 3 can either be done walking a single circle as a group, or walking circles individually.
Sifu asked John Eagles (who has returned from back surgery) to lead us through level 3 while he went to start the baji lesson plan. however, there apparently was some confusion as to how we were going to conduct the exercise, and Phunsak decided that it might be better to lead the session himself. he had us find our own individual circles, and simulate his movements.
level 3 follows the stances of level 2, but has the practitioner walk on a circle, switching directions clockwise or counter-clockwise, with the practitioner evidently completing 3 revolutions in each direction. for each direction on the compass, the practitioner begins to walk the circle again using the corresponding stance.
we went through this once, and then took a break.
at this point, Ching-Tzsieh asked Phunsak to review the "quick qi-gong" Sifu had showed us during lei tai training last Sunday. Phunsak did a demonstration, but then mentioned that his own version of "quick qi-gong" was different from Sifu's, whereupon she asked to see his. from what i could tell, i think his version is more derived from tai chi (although...he mentioned that he had learned this version from Sifu), while the one Sifu showed us is more bagua-related (since it compiles all the bagua stances from mother palm).
i ended up helping John Eagles with this, since he was curious as to what it was and how it looked. i'm not entirely clear on it myself, but i remember enough that i know the sequence of the palms...although, i am still curious as to the exact synchronization of breathing with the movements.
side B, palm change 2
Sifu returned, and lined us up to learn side B, palm change 2.
side B, palm change 2 follows the pattern of side A, with the 2nd palm change being more complicated than the 1st. side B, palm change 2 has 9 palms within it, compared to side B, palm change 1, which has 4 according to the class curriculum handouts. it is similar, however, in that i notice just like the 1st palm change it seems to be a little more linear than side A. but this may be because we have only so far been learning side B in a line and with a partner, and not yet in a circle. consistent with the rest of side B, palm change 2 is an exact counter to the 2nd palm change of side A, with each technique of side B countering a technique of side A.
from what i could see, there was little in terms of overt circular movement in the initial techniques of palm change 2, but there was a lot of twisting action in the arms, which get heavy emphasis in engaging and redirecting an opponent's arm strikes. the footwork largely moves back and forth along a line with the attacker. the last part of the palm change 2 starts to become more circular, with the defender moving the forward hand (the hand towards the opponent) in a large circle facing the assailant with the intent of throwing the attacker's reaching hands off-balance to open up their torso for a counter-strike.
drill: palm change 2, side B v. side A
Sifu asked Phunsak to guide us in doing a 2-person drill with side B v. side A. we lined up in pairs, with 4 side-by-side sets of partners, such that 4 people who were doing side B were lined up facing the 4 people who were doing side A. each set of partners would begin by facing each other using lean against a horse and ask for directions. on command, the side B partners would initiate the drill by performing the 1st technique of palm change 2, which was then countered by the side A partners. this process of action-reaction continued through until the entire palm change for each side was completed, with the partners finishing in the opposite side they began (e.g., if they started with lean against a horse and ask for directions facing each other to their left side, then they finished with lean against a horse and ask for directions facing each other to their right side).
the partners repeated the drill until Phunsak said "change," at which point everyone moved one person to their left, with the result that they faced a new partner. for the person at the end of the 4-person line of side A or side B, they would just take the place of their partner (e.g., the person at the end of line of side A would simply step over and become the 1st person of the line for side B). basically, we were just gradually switching partners in a clockwise direction.
we did this drill for awhile, enough that i started to get a feel for it--at least in the sequence of techniques. however, i should point out that i didn't (and still don't) feel entirely comfortable with it, since i found myself having to consciously think through the drill. the problem isn't just recalling each technique, but responding to the partner in a way that is coordinated and smooth. this adds another layer of complexity to the palm change, even for side A, palm change 2, which i had felt comfortable with doing solo before today...it's just different doing things with a partner.
i think the critical parts of acclimating to doing 2-person drills involving side A and side B are:
- patience--you have to learn the techniques, but you also need to learn when you're supposed to initiate an action versus react to one, as well as adjust for differences in each partner's body type, reach, and body language. it's very subtle, but it has drastic consequences. as a result, being able to read and adapt to these nuances involves some adjustment in mind-body awareness. and this is something that requires time and practice.
- spacing--2-person drills, because they involve adjusting to different partners of different sizes and behavior, require an ability to recognize correct spacing to maximize the effectiveness of the techniques. this means that you have to develop a sense of spacing to do these drills properly.
- timing--2-person drills, in so far as they are about 2 people interacting with each other, require a sensitivity of the timing between acting and reacting to your partner. much like spacing, this means you have to develop a sense of timing to perform the drills effectively.
of course, this is yet another reminder that the solution to this is practice. and not just solo practice, but practice in pairs. i think i'm going to have to see about scheduling weekday practices with John and Kieun sooner than i expected.
with that, we finished the day (it went very quickly). Sifu called the class to a close, and we left for lunch.
No comments:
Post a Comment