I thought about writing a post discussing my general preference for a more compact form, both in theory and in practice. But there are plenty of good arguments on all sides of the “frame” game. Plus the well-known training concept of “start large, learn it well, then go smaller”. And the various approaches to lengthening the tendons, expanding the joints, so on and so forth.
Everybody has to find their own teacher and their own way. But I did recall some words I read in one of my very first kung fu books, so many years ago. I think I can quote it correctly, although I’m not sure where this saying came from:
“Big moves are not as polished as small moves. Small moves are not as polished as stillness.”
This sounded completely mysterious to me when I first heard it. Mysterious, and not very appealing either in terms of training. But fortunately I just tucked it away in the basement of my mind, rather than judging it one way or the other.
April 23, 2008 at 6:50 pm
That’s a quote from Wang Xiang Zhai, the founder of Yiquan. The foundational exercise of Yiquan is stake standing.
April 23, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Thanks for that info! I know very little about Yiquan but it’s pretty cool that when they’re standing, they’re not just standing.
April 23, 2008 at 9:29 pm
And now that you mention it, Rick, I realize that Standing Stake is the most compact stance of all.
April 24, 2008 at 5:25 am
The quote I use is:
“Action originates in inaction, stillness is the mother of movement”
Do you do a lot of zhan zhuang training, TJQ?
April 24, 2008 at 7:03 am
In the past I’ve done a fair amount… more than some folks; much less that some others (such as yourself).
I never attempted more than 15 – 20 min. in deep horse stance. Though the one time I got a taste of falun gong, we spent at least an hour in horse stance and somehow I survived, as did my buddy from taiji class.
I have to stand up all day at my job… not chained to one spot, thank goodness. But when I am working in one spot I almost always employ horse stance or bow stance and make the best of things.
Talking about “Preparation” before taiji form, I confess I used to do the bare minimum usually, like “OK, I’m calm now, let’s go!” But nowadays I’m trying to make a stand that’s meaningful.
April 25, 2008 at 5:42 am
Next time, try doing zhan zhuang in a high stance and note if you feel any different. I used to go low and such, but now I find it quite difficult to maintain a higher stance. Give it a shot