pattern, then the percentage of yin and yang jing used to issue the power can easily be changed as the situation demands.
In the taiji diagram yin and yang are mixed, with some yin in the yang and vice versa. In terms of jing, the soft (yin) and hard (yang) energies are mixed in the same way. Soft and hard does not mean weak and strong; it simply implies different kinds of power. Having the ability to manage the jing is important in kung-fu. For example, being able to balance the yin and yang jing has many advantages. Because you don’t know which part of your body you will have to use to attack or defend, or the expertise of your opponent, a calm, balanced awareness should be maintained. When the power and movements are balanced and calm, not committed to any fixed pattern, then the percentage of yin and yang jing used to issue the power can easily be changed as the situation demands.
Figure 2
Figure 3
The training of baguazhang emphasizes this idea. Another name for baguazhang— yin yang bapanzhang (yin and yang eight circling palm)—aptly describes this system. Yin and yang are continually changing in the circular twisting movements, but the jing is balanced. Of course, the percentage of yin and yang changes when a weakness is created or appears in the opponent’s defense, and the power is issued.
The art of xingyiquan has three levels of training for power. Ming jing (clear) develops the obvious, more observable energy. An jing (dark) develops the concealed, less obvious energy, and hua jing (melting) combines the clear (yang) and dark (yin) as in the taiji diagram. At the higher levels of any kung-fu system, the practitioner is able to control the jing; and direct the flow of energy as well as the movement of the body according to the principles of yin and yang.
Understanding the theory of yin and yang can give insight into the depth and sophistication of Chinese philosophy and kung-fu. Both kung-fu and the theory of yin and yang were developed to satisfy the practical needs of the ancient Chinese. Acquiring that understanding is best accomplished through practical, direct experience such as learning kung-fu. Then the theory becomes a reality.
Part 2
The Foundation
of Kung-fu
Mapping Kung-fu’s DNA
We definitely live in a modern age compared to the world in which kung-fu originated. Every day more science fiction becomes science fact as a rapidly increasing array of technological wonders enhance our daily lives. Nowadays when we have a problem or mystery to solve, we can choose from many sophisticated tools to help clear away the confusion and lead us to the truth. DNA testing, for instance, is used in such diverse areas as archaeology, criminology, and medicine. These high-tech tools not only provide society with sophisticated, reliable investigative techniques but also affect our individual attitudes. Today, we are more prone to gather convincing evidence before jumping to conclusions.
Stance training builds a very strong foundation, which is absolutely essential to perform kung-fu’s whole-body usage techniques.
This kind of scientific examination should also be applied to the study of kung-fu. You can avoid shedding tears and sweating blood in an all-out journey to a martial arts dead end by discovering the kung-fu DNA, the building blocks that make up authentic kung-fu. Following are some of the core kung-fu building blocks derived from my investigations and experience. The list is by no means complete, and only a beginning attempt to map out a complete DNA of traditional kung-fu.
Horse stance
Although the horse stance is used in many non-Chinese systems, kung-fu’s needs are different from other martial arts. Stance training builds a very strong foundation, which is absolutely essential to perform kung-fu’s whole-body usage techniques. In the kung-fu horse stance, the practitioner’s toes must point straight ahead, feet parallel, and knees angled slightly inward. While it is incorrect to point the knees out, the thighs must stay open creating a rounded, not sharp, angle at the groin. The buttocks should not protrude or be lower than the knees.
All empty-leg stances are potential kicks, knee strikes, and sweeps.
Empty-leg stance
With the empty-leg stance, all weight is on the supporting leg, and none on the front leg. All empty-leg stances are potential kicks, knee strikes, and leg sweeps. The empty leg may also be called upon to move forward, backward, to the side, or into a twisting step at an instant without the body first having to shift its weight distribution. In kung-fu’s empty stance, the front leg must be fully available for these uses.
Kicks do not use the arms for balance
During a kick, the arms are either performing other techniques or in a ready position, prepared to initiate an appropriate response to the opponent’s movements. In kung-fu, the relationship between legs and arms is that of equal partners in attack and defense, not subordinates to a principle worker. Using the arms to balance the body during kicks is a natural tendency, but in terms of kung-fu usage it is untrained and immature technique.
The entire body finishes moving at the same time
There are two common ways the timing of movements lacks full coordination. Part of the body finishes its movement while other parts are still traveling to completion, or the lower body settles into a stance and remains inert while the upper body follows with several attack and defense techniques. In kung-fu, the entire body, not just the arms, must work as one unit. Power issuing depends on unbroken, coordinated movement throughout the entire body. In addition, every part of the body must keep moving at all times to sustain the momentum of a usage technique.
Punch from the spine
Punches must originate from the spine, not the shoulders. The kung-fu practitioner’s two arms become a single coordinated unit, beginning with the fingers of one hand, traveling up the arm, through the shoulders, across the upper back, and down to the fingertips of the second hand. When one arm extends, the other one compliments the movement like parts of a pulley system.
Both fists hit the same target
As the first fist withdraws after punching to make way for an attack from the other fist, the second hits exactly the same spot, replacing the first. Opponents always try to open up leaks and penetrate a practitioner’s guard. Punches that hit the target side-by-side give the opponent an open channel to invade into the practitioner’s space.
Split attention
The kung-fu practitioner must be able to manage different areas of the body simultaneously, rather than focusing on a sing/e area or body part.
The kung-fu practitioner must be able to manage different areas of the body simultaneously rather than focusing on a single area or body part. Awareness must extend beyond arms and legs to include the entire body. In addition, because our attention quite naturally tends to fixate on what we can see or what we have targeted (such as an opponent), we must train ourselves to pay attention to what is around us at all times. For example, kung-fu training requires positioning an arm behind the body in a specific position. A fist extended out behind
