Daoist idea, Humans made correctly but the abilities we have deter us from learning.
Gained the ability to make things up in our heads.
Everything Master Chen learned are afterthoughts / accidental.
Don’t know when you get it, and when you think you get it, you don’t.
A dog is just what it is, but we make up this view of what they should look like.
Whatever it is, you don’t know it. And whatever you know it isn’t what it is.
Jody
Cross hands
Cross hands should be below chest level.
Step up to push with two hands
Right hand positive circle in shun - elbow must be in lead.
Emphasis
Performing the form with the emphasis.
The lead needs to have the speed, size, power, protruding angle. Needs to draw the attention.
Step back whirl arms
The stretch between the two hands is the primary action, the other moves are not stressed.
Step back block touching coat
Lead with left hand going backward.
Rear hand must rotate back in negative circle
Elbow on a table, push the shoulder down to drive hand up.
物极必反 wu ji bi fan. Matter extreme must reverse. When you follow the rules and do something, at its extreme, matter reverses itself (yang becomes yin at the extremes, vice versa). Landmark principle of yin yang.
Paddy
Buddha’s warrior
Front elbow must follow torso. Front elbow is smaller gear, torso is larger gear.
Separate the sequential moves, don’t do them together (out with hand / rotate waist).
Solid
Find the solid. One hand touch the side of the box to allow the next part to move. Need 3 points to make you solid. Then set back on the wall. Set hand on the front wall without losing the back.
Step-wise
Teaching and learning method. Step by step. Discrete rhythm (counting). Not continuous.
White crane
Hand did not flip over. Rear hand has to go behind you, has to come back in a rotation. Pulled the hand because the shoulder could not rotate.
No pulling and pushing. Have to rotate and place. Movements must be independent in their dimension.
Twist step
Elbow strike. Elbow must be placed to cover distance. Elbow needs to catch an arm.
Mike
White crane
Swing arm over the head. Don’t flare it out sideways.
Pound mortar
Pivot with left foot. Finish with right.
Yuxin
Block touching coat
Front foot too far forward, two feet should be parallel.
Single whip (small change palm three times)
Forearm in a tube, shoulder pushes it forward. Movements are inside. Linear. No looseness.
Source of power is the shoulder, elbow opens up.
Shoulder propels the elbow. Levered power. Action inside the elbow.
White crane
Don’t go sideways, has to be on top vertically.
Paul
Pound mortar
Hand needs to go up.
Wenming
Need the ability to both generalize and be specific. Until you can do both, you haven’t really understood it. Need to verbalize the difference to find it. Gives you a totally fresh perspective.
Brian
Inflection point and twist
Spiral (to go over with the kua). Needs to have the inflection point across which the orientations switch. Has to be a twist.
Crankshaft - what the body does to create a rotation from sticks. The turning over point. The bicycle is more advanced. The crankshaft has unevenness where it gets stuck and turns over (critical point). 丹田内转 dan tian nei zhuan. Every move you’re looking for the point where adjusting a little gives you the room to go over to the other side. That little bit is the agility / the life / the catalyst. Machine moves until you give it a soul. That intent has to be there.
Can make the core very thick (cylinder) or very thin (fine line).