The Treasure Book of Chinese Martial Arts (Volume I)
How to master technical fighting and the three golden methods of study
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Chapter 1 Six Elements
What is a technique in martial
arts?
A technique is a maneuver. A technique is both offense and defense at
the same time. A technique is to
neutralize attack. A technique is to
outsmart your opponent. A technique is
to defeat your opponent. A technique is
about handwork. A technique is about
footwork. A technique is about
positions. A technique is about knowing
the force. A technique is about using
the force in a smart way. A technique is
about yielding to the force. A technique
is to avoid the strong point. A
technique is to strike the weakest link.
I. What Constitutes a Technique
(Ji)? (The Six
Elements)
A technique means a move or
several moves in a sequence. The design
or the Formula (Si Tzi) for
a technique is consisted of 6 elements.
They are 1) strategy to neutralize the incoming attack; 2) strategy to
open the door for counter attack; 3) defense strategy in the interim; 4)
strategy for counter attack; 5) maneuvers to the position; and 6) the timing
factor. When you study or create the
technique, you have to take these 6 factors into consideration.
In practice, you consider 3
factors: your position relative to the opponent, the timing of movements, and
the movements of your hands, feet and the whole body.
The six elements of a technique
are illustrated in the following example.
For example, the opponent moves
his right foot forward and punches your face with his right fist. What to do?
You move your left elbow up and
deflect his right arm with your left forearm. His attack is neutralized
(element 1, 2, and 3). At the same time,
you move your right foot forward (maneuver, element 5) and punch him with your
right fist (counter attack and timing, element 4 and 6).
II. Neutralization (Element 1):
To make the attack fail, you only
have to move a little from the target area.
You move only when the opponent moves.
The force is greatest at the end of the fist, which is the delivery
point. The forearm or upper arm has a
little force when you do a straight punch.
You may contact the opponent’s
forearm to confine it, to grab it, to twist it, to turn it, or to pull him to
the side, upward, or downward.
Chinese martial arts are highly
developed in the restrain strategy of the opponent’s arms and legs.
III. The Doors (Element 2):
The door (Men) is your arm. When you raise your arms in
front of your chest. Your head,
neck, chest and abdomen are shielded.
The door is thus closed. If your
arms are out of the way, it is called that the door is open.
The door also means the entrance
to the vital areas of the body. If the
mid-door (Chun Men) is open, it means the chest/abdomen is open for
attack. If the left door is open, your
left side is open. If the right door is
open, your right side is open. The upper
door is open. Your head and neck are
open for attack. The lower door is
open. Your groins and feet are open for
attack.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Techniques in Chinese martial
arts (Wushu) are multi-faceted. To use a
technique to gain an advantage in fighting is called Technical Fighting (Ji Jih). The techniques are usually simple and
straightforward. And yet they are rich
in contents and rationales. The study of
rationales behind the techniques (Xin Fa), methods of basic skills (Gong Fa),
and methods of techniques (Ji Fa)
are called the three Golden Methods (Bo Fa). Practice of basic skills (Gong Fa) is the foundation of Wushu learning. The techniques (Ji Fa) are derived from the basic skills. Xin Fa is the guiding principle for the design of
techniques. This book reveals to you how
to use the three Golden Methods to study Wushu.
Five classical schools of Wushu are studied in this book. They are Tai Ji Quan, Ba Gua
Zhang, Tong Bei Quan, Ba Ji Quan,
and Qin Na.
This book tells you how to start with the basic and how to reach the
proficiency of a master. This book is a study manual for a beginner. This book is a review for an intermediate learner. This book elucidates all the wisdoms in Wushu
in a format that is easy to understand and fun to read. This book is a must read for a master of any
Wushu. Even if you have absolutely no
idea about martial arts, you may still find this book informative and easy to
comprehend. This book will give you an
idea what Wushu is all about. This is a
treasure book of Chinese martial arts for everybody.
About the Author
My Wushu
learning started over 30 years ago. In
the beginning, it was hard and hard. I
hated that I have to practice everything over and over. It took me 6 months just to do Tai Ji Quan 13 moves right. I had to assume the Tai Ji
Primordial Stance for 25 min everyday. I
had to practice Tai Ji Qi
Gong for another 25 min. And then I got
to do the 13 moves over and over for 25 times.
I was told that when I feel tired, I still have to practice a couple
times more. This is the time I learn
Gong Fu. Everything else before that is
simply to get my Qi smooth (warming up). Even today, it is still hard and hard. Why? I
still do everything the same way over and over.
However, I do not hate it anymore.
I put up with it long enough? I think.
Nope! When I assume the Stance, I
feel relaxed. After a while, I feel
warmth and Qi flowing along my muscles. Or I am feeling my fatigue. When I practice Qi
Gong, my lung expands longer and I exhale longer, too. All my internal organs are massaged and
oxygenated. I am in my mid-40. If people say that you swim and jog, you may
live longer and healthier. I would say that you practice Wushu, you have the
same results and much more. When I practice
13 moves, my arms and legs seem to have will and Qi
of their own. I move slowly and
continuously. And I feel my Qi flowing on and on.
Every move is a balance move.
Weight shifting is seamless. My
two hands are in opposing positions all the time. My legs are moving, too. My waist and my
elbows are turning. Hey, all my body
parts are moving! I am a walking Tai Ji. I am part of the
Nature/Universe. I am in unison with the
Heaven. What else sports or exercises do
all these at the same time?
Hum---None! You know what I am
fighting, too. You know what. I am meditating, too. You know what. I feel alive with a lot O2 in my system. My muscles are relaxed and gently stretched,
too. My mind is rested, refreshed, and
focused. My eyes follow the movement of
my hands. My neck is turning, too. My co-workers said let us play Golf or
Yoga. I said leave me alone with my Tai Ji.