by Niall Keane on Thu Aug 17, 2017 1:46 am
In the system I practice we have several types of gung training...
From a practical / martial viewpoint these can be viewed as developing different skillsets and attributes necessary for fighting:
jibigung methods, which deal with training basic coordination, chi being the "flow of yin and yang" so the coordination and balance of up and down, left and right, coiling and uncoiling etc... so one may have "single sweep lotus leg" and carry out 41-111 repetitions. This drill "trains" how to coordinate the opposite movements of the hips and waist, as required in sweeping an opponent. Beginners struggle, more advanced work in sinking and raising, and advanced work in cai lang methods. These methods focus on common, somewhat singular and simple movements within the styles delivery of technique.
We have "nei gung" methods, such as "Jade Rabbit Gazes at Moon" ... now, with nei gung we are into "recovery with power", which is related to "borrow but give nothing to borrow" So in this particular one of the 24 one begins by dragging upwards and the legs and core (dantian if yon like) does the work. at the limit there is a shake (in towards the body, the opposite of a typically demonstrated fajin, a dragging (yin) shock to the opponent (something I have never witnessed in other styles) a really useful skill in shuai jiao and chin na applications. At that point one has reached a "completion" of movement in a certain direction, so the perfect recovery, which itself is power that uses the exhausted previous position for its potential power begins... there's a slight crouching in the torso and a drag down into the core as the hands drop along the forward centre line (we have just lifted out opponent and so uprooted him and now we are smashing him down...) at the end of this "drop" there is a "tearing" separation to the left and right, generated from the closed torso / core / condensed dantian, now opening and expanding.. this revolves upwards along the side centrelines the hands ot chest height, to another "limit" and again uses a limit as the crest of a wave to revolve internally and crash back down and send the hands out in a push / strike. At that limit the process begins again - the upward drag using the pushes limit to generate maximum power...
Now that's martial nei gung... training the body to use and recycle power endlessly... like the great river, surging and flowing without interruption... Such nei gung exercises are practiced 41-360 times each. (you can understand how this develops the practitioners ability to use nei jin fast)
Once we know this, once we understand how to recover with the "appropriate "power and have some options on this, combined with the technique training we can wrestle and spar and have "options" once we connect with the opponent, the second level grows form the understanding of ourselves and the "feeling" of limits, to be able to fell and understand them instantly in the opponent and so exploit them, making "our" technique xuan xuan, followed by third level "dissolving the self and embracing the one", being instantly aware of our environment and using it too, in the same fashion...
Other gung / conditioning methods include:
rolling thunder punching with 2kg weights in the hands for 20 minuters at a rate of 180 punches a minute (speed and endurance and twisting rotations in strikes, and guard position during strike)
rolling thunder on pads for 3x3 minutes (as above with impact - the puncher tries to drive back the pad man, the pad man trains absorption (useful for his own guard) and tried to remain put and in balance with his pad hand held out)
running rolling thunder on pads as the pad man runs back, stops, forward etc. with no rhythm to his changes, developing awareness, timing, angle and range
rolls on a mat back and forth 80plus over two minutes three times (trains how to "fall" and recover back to ones feet, and conditionins the back of the body to receive force.)
handstands on fists for 2 minutes (we now know through scientific explorations that "standing / placing weight on the bones thickens them and makes them stronger.... so this Tai Chi Chuan method of arm conditioning far exceeds the micro-fracture arm-hitting that can create localized patches of strong and weak bone and can lead to long-term damage to limbs. )
sanshou drills like:
Gyrating arms - training the practical usage of Wu Style Reeling Silk skill
Five Element Fist - training how to use one hand to defend and counter
Flying FLower Palm - Training combinations and how to follow strikes with stuff like yin and yang palms recycling from each other.
rolling thunder drill - punch aand forearm shielding
stroke the lute drill - retreat in order to advance, cat-stances, adding in angle, adding in horizontal chops and vertical rolling thunder punches...
and on and on....
When I say it is better to practice gung and conditioning methods rather than hand form 10 times, this is what I mean.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand which would give you nei jia "fighting ability"?
Last edited by
Niall Keane on Thu Aug 17, 2017 1:59 am, edited 3 times in total.
The Emperor has no clothes on!