My good friend Sifu Donald Kerr of Spinning Dragon Tao has been producing some nice movies not too long ago that includes my trainer, Sifu Rand, demonstrating Tai Chi purposes from our model of the Yang kind. If you happen to’re , I’ve written an article in regards to the full lineage of that kind earlier than, however a fast abstract is that it’s the Yang kind from earlier than Yang Cheng-Fu’s modifications, however with some enter from Solar Lu Tang, so it’s a little bit of a hybrid.
Needle at Backside of the Sea, Shoulder by way of the arm and White Snake Spits Out Tongue.
I believed I’d do some posts as new movies turn out to be obtainable evaluating the movies to the historic books on the type that comprise images.
There are a few historic books obtainable that catalogue the lengthy kind in fairly some element. The primary is the 1938 e book by Gu Ru Zhang, then there’s the 1952 e book by his scholar Lengthy Zi Xiang, each of which have been kindly translated by Paul Brennan.
I’m utilizing the 1952 e book by Lengthy Zi Xiang right here, because the photographs are of a better high quality. The English variations of the transfer names will at all times be barely completely different, relying on the translator. Brennan interprets these strikes I’m as we speak, so as, as Needle underneath the ocean (海底針), Shoulder by way of the arm (肩通臂) and White Snake shoots out its tongue (白蛇吐信).
In our faculty we use the names Needle at Sea Backside, Fan by way of again and we don’t have a reputation for what Lengthy is looking White Snake… it’s simply a part of Fan by way of again.
The applying Lengthy describes for Needle at Sea Backside is, “If the opponent punches to my chest, I seize his wrist and press down, making his energy drop downward.” It’s a reasonably brief clarification, but it surely does appear to match the modern-day demonstration fairly properly:
For Shoulder by way of the arm, Lengthy says, “If an opponent strikes from in entrance of me, I take advantage of my proper hand to prop up his fist in order that he can not decrease it, on the identical time utilizing my left hand to hinder his waist and ship him outward, inflicting him to topple over.”
Once more, that’s a reasonably good clarification of what occurs in that video.
Lengthy has yet one more software for the a part of the shape we don’t identify - White Snake… – which is an easy block and strike to a distinct opponent, “If an opponent punches to my waist, I then press down with my proper hand whereas my physique strikes again in order that his punch lands on nothing, after which I take advantage of my proper [left] fist to strike to his face.“
We appear extra within the subsequent transfer, which is “Torso-Flung Punch” (撇身捶) based on Brennan’s translation. We name this transfer “Chop opponent with fist“, and it’s the pure conclusion to the earlier strikes, so I’ll add it on right here:
The reason for the applying is: “If an opponent assaults me with a [left] punch and [right] kick on the identical time, I then withdraw my proper leg, inflicting his kick to land on nothing, my proper hand urgent down his fist. Then my left palm pushes down on his arm, and my proper hand turns over from inside with a strike to his face.” Which ties in very properly with the video exhibiting the applying by Sifu Rand: