Balance test in Zhan Zhuang (站樁)

[Earl Grey]

3 hours ago, ReturnDragon said:

Never mind. I think this is the wrong place to discuss about sabre movement.

 

Too late, I already saw your complaints. 

 

Unfortunately, as you asked for more insight on your form, I will have to say that 1) I can't give you that information for free, it requires more in-depth and technical analysis, and it wouldn't even be from me, but my teachers; 2) I have already said all that I or my teachers are willing to comment on publicly and for free. 

 

Frankly speaking, you need to completely start from near zero and empty your cup to absolute zero just to get a handle on what you are missing in your skill. Then you need to be guided accordingly. It is as simple as being given one move and told to practice it for years before you even get considered to learn the next one, and then working on mastering those before anything else.

 

I was told to practice seven moves in Yang Taiji before I could learn 108 form, and I found through proper internal practice that those were more than enough to demonstrate in movement and in sensing hands that others, even those who boasted spending a year in Wudang, couldn't even come close to in terms of skill or understanding, for all they did was memorize movements as though their teachers were choreographers rather than internal masters. 

 

If you are humble enough, I can introduce you to them. At the moment, passing yourself off as a self-realized master and the misinformation in your other threads need to be addressed. 

 

Do not also think for a moment that others don't see your attempts to show off non-existent skill proves your worth.

 

Do not believe that it is not obvious that these are some passive-aggressive and underhanded attempts of yours to either get someone to reveal some things that allow you to come back and say, "Aha! But you just showed you don't have it and I do!" as you reference a Scamgong text or Bullshido site to prove your so-called mastery, and at worst, obfuscate humility and stupidity to get free lessons that you will use later as though it were your own teachings. 

 

Sorry, but we are genre-savvy, ChiDragon/ReturnDragon. 

[moment]

18 hours ago, ReturnDragon said:

Ok! Eral, fair enough. Thank for your time.

How would you like to talk about the other video with the sabre movements?

 

So much, where to begin? Improper timing is affecting your balance.  You keep going in and out of alignment which also affects your balance. No where near enough intent projecting through your fingers and the tip of your sabre. Not enough powering from the waist.

Edited February 11, 2020 by moment

[moment]

55 minutes ago, Starjumper said:

 

There's more, much more.

 

Agreed!

[moment]

12 minutes ago, Starjumper said:

 

Shall I say more?

If you wish! The problem as I see it here, is that we could fill pages.  But, the only way it is going to matter is if you sell DVDs and get more people on your mountain.  I no longer need to make a living.  But, you do and I have no problem with that.

 

Edited February 11, 2020 by moment

[ReturnDragon]

5 hours ago, moment said:

 

So much, where to begin? Improper timing is affecting your balance.  You keep going in and out of alignment which also affects your balance. No where near enough intent projecting through your fingers and the tip of your sabre. Not enough powering from the waist.

Thank you for your comments. Talking about balance, so far, I haven't fallen onto the ground yet. If I am out of alignment, then, I would have difficulty on the transition for the next move. Fingers do not transmit force to the sabre. Rather it is the grip of the fingers with a strong wrist and the swing with the combination of the arms. You must be talking about a Ta Chi sword!

[moment]

52 minutes ago, ReturnDragon said:

Thank you for your comments. Talking about balance, so far, I haven't fallen onto the ground yet. If I am out of alignment, then, I would have difficulty on the transition for the next move. Fingers do not transmit force to the sabre. Rather it is the grip of the fingers with a strong wrist and the swing with the combination of the arms. You must be talking about a Ta Chi sword!

You really have no clue. You consider not falling as balance? Transmitting intent (not force) through and beyond your weapon (all weapons) has been mentioned by many great Wushu masters.  Even if all you do is videos, how could you possibly not know that.  One of the major concepts of Yiquan is projecting and (retracting) intent.  You are having dificulties on transitions.  It is plain to see!  I have no more time for head-hiding ostriches.  I am going to just let Starjumper and Earl Grey have at it.  I am to old for glass full BS.

Edited February 11, 2020 by moment

[ReturnDragon]

How old are you?
The intent is in the mind to determine what is the next move and how much force to be applied.

Edited February 11, 2020 by ReturnDragon

[Cleansox]

The intent should manifest in the movement. 

When I learned the sabre in the 90-ties, I was told that it was a f****ng weapon and I should treat it like that. It is not a dancing partner. The pointy end goes in to the opponent, and the edgy part removes tissue from the opponent. 

My interpretation of the comments, put in a less analytic way and with less accuracy and style, is that this cannot be seen in the vid. 

I might be mistaken here, since I quit doing the martial side 20 years ago. 

[moment]

1 hour ago, ReturnDragon said:

How old are you?
The intent is in the mind to determine what is the next move and how much force to be applied.

You do not understand intent as it is applied in the internal arts.  As for how old I am, I started study under Raymond Chung and Dave Harris in 1965.

[moment]

16 minutes ago, Cleansox said:

The intent should manifest in the movement. 

When I learned the sabre in the 90-ties, I was told that it was a f****ng weapon and I should treat it like that. It is not a dancing partner. The pointy end goes in to the opponent, and the edgy part removes tissue from the opponent. 

My interpretation of the comments, put in a less analytic way and with less accuracy and style, is that this cannot be seen in the vid. 

I might be mistaken here, since I quit doing the martial side 20 years ago. 

Essentially correct. In hitting basebal, golfball etc.It is called follow-through but, in internal arts it is continued with your spirit-mind. To do it correctly in a relaxed, (especially under pressure) forceful way with ones own individuality, takes many years with a good teacher.

Edited February 11, 2020 by moment

[ReturnDragon]

42 minutes ago, Starjumper said:

 

OK, by next movement do you mean the following movement, like for example after 'Grasping Sparrow's Tail' is 'Press', and after 'Press' is  'Push'?

 

Yes, one must know what to do from one move after another. Otherwise, one will get lost and stop the whole sequence of the posture.

Edited February 12, 2020 by ReturnDragon

[ReturnDragon]

38 minutes ago, Starjumper said:

 

The video you are discussing is titled Tai Chi Sword, is it not?  Actually it's called broadsword, or knife, and is supposed to be heavy like a cutlass.

 

Yes!
It was a modification of a Japanese  samurai sword by the Yang family. By Chinese definition, an one edge blade was considered to be a sabre like a cutlass.

[ReturnDragon]

38 minutes ago, ReturnDragon said:

Yes!
It was a modification of a Japanese  samurai sword by the Yang family. By Chinese definition, an one edge blade was considered to be a sabre like a cutlass.

Sorry,
Yes, it is a Tai Chi sabre, not a Tai Chi broadsword.

[ReturnDragon]

19 minutes ago, Starjumper said:

Is Engrish not your first language?

Sorry, yes, it is not.
What I had said didn't sound right to me anyway.

[ReturnDragon]

19 minutes ago, Starjumper said:

 

But, but, you said:

 

Implying that what you were doing was not tai chi sword.  In any case, your concept of how to use the sword is incorrect.  Don't hack, slice.  

 

Please, I was to talking somebody else. Please read the whole text.

[Earl Grey]

So: RidiculousDrag-On posts trying to show off, then claims that 

 

On 2/11/2020 at 2:27 AM, ReturnDragon said:

No problem I just want to hear your valuable comments. Thanks!

 

and when comments are made on the level of skill displayed (NONE), he attempts to explain

 

On 2/11/2020 at 2:27 AM, ReturnDragon said:

Please also keep in mind that I am a Tai Chi practitioner.

 

As though doing Tai Chi means that he knows what he is talking about and those of us who aren't doing Tai Chi wouldn't know it, but what do you know? Moment, Starjumper, and I all do Tai Chi too!

 

Then he attempts to justify that he does have highly-skilled understanding when talking amongst Tai Chi practitioners:

 

6 hours ago, ReturnDragon said:

How old are you?
The intent is in the mind to determine what is the next move and how much force to be applied.

 

1 hour ago, ReturnDragon said:

Yes, one must know what to do from one move after another. Otherwise, one will get lost and stop the whole sequence of the posture.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen: just as @Walker displayed before, we now have once again in only two pages and hardly a day has passed that the changing narrative of a clueless bloke who goes from attempting to show off to only wanting feedback to then saying it's because he is doing a different system than those scrutinizing him to now attempting to justify his skills as viable. 

[ReturnDragon]

Does anyone know Klinsly personally? I need to relate a message to him.

Edited February 12, 2020 by ReturnDragon

[Walker]

3 minutes ago, Earl Grey said:

As though doing Tai Chi means that he knows what he is talking about and those of us who aren't doing Tai Chi wouldn't know it, but what do you know? Moment, Starjumper, and I all do Tai Chi too!

 

I will go out on a limb and say that ChiDildo has never done taijiquan in his life. All he has done is danced along with some internet videos. He thinks "moving slowly while doing moves that look like they might be martial arts=taiji." Huge mistake. Too bad he is too stupid, too dishonest, and too mentally ill to wake up.

 

All we can do is keep pointing out his errors, and pray that he goes away soon so that maybe, just maybe, just maaayyybbbee one day it will be possible to have just one conversation about these arts without it turning into an exhausting round of explaining to a deluded motherfucker with an agenda that up is up, down is down, sky is blue, water is wet. Might be too much to ask for, but then again last week I found out a guy I used to drink beers and get into trouble with made out with Scarlett Johanssen (not fucking kidding.), so... Anything is possible.

 

Then again, if you asked me to bet, I would say the chances of me getting to play spin the bottle with Ms. Johanssen are significantly higher than the chances of ChiDandruff growing a brain and a sense of dignity. 

[ReturnDragon]

6 minutes ago, Starjumper said:

What is your first language?

Chinese!

[Earl Grey]

4 minutes ago, Walker said:

 

I will go out on a limb and say that ChiDildo has never done taijiquan in his life. All he has done is danced along with some internet videos. He thinks "moving slowly while doing moves that look like they might be martial arts=taiji." Huge mistake. Too bad he is too stupid, too dishonest, and too mentally ill to wake up.

 

All we can do is keep pointing out his errors, and pray that he goes away soon so that maybe, just maybe, just maaayyybbbee one day it will be possible to have just one conversation about these arts without it turning into an exhausting round of explaining to a deluded motherfucker with an agenda that up is up, down is down, sky is blue, water is wet. Might be too much to ask for, but then again last week I found out a guy I used to drink beers and get into trouble with made out with Scarlett Johanssen (not fucking kidding.), so... Anything is possible.

 

Then again, if you asked me to bet, I would say the chances of me getting to play spin the bottle with Ms. Johanssen are significantly higher than the chances of ChiDandruff growing a brain and a sense of dignity. 

 

Your friend is one fucking lucky dude.  and I'm cheering you on because Scarlet is hooooooot. Remind me to tell you about some of the celebs and models I knew back in the day when we grab a beer or some tea. 

 

I used to work in Hollywood as well as an actor and journalist, so yes, it is all quite possible--all higher than ChiDumbass here ever having any skill or understanding. 

 

If he were a lot more humble, I would tell him to look me up in California next I'm there to do actual Zhan Zhuang and do the Strength Trial. But as it stands (no pun intended, seriously), he's likely to spend more time posing online and afraid to actually deal with people who know what the the hell we're doing. 

[freeform]

13 hours ago, Starjumper said:

completely lacking what's called internal connections

This.

 

To be fair - it may be that ReturnDragon has only had access to Chinese Sports Federation Wushu Taichi (or something just as communist and official sounding)... which is little else than dance acrobatics.

 

What we’re talking about here, ReturnDragon, is something very different. Whatever information you’ve had access to is not even close to what real internal arts are about. It is fundamentally different. 

 

The reason everyone is ganging up on you is because after they have pointed out - time and again that what information and understanding you have is not the “real deal”, you still push your understanding as being real - probably because you’ve invested time, money and effort into it - so it’s understandable that you’d feel protective over what you’ve got.

 

But now you have a choice...

 

Option 1) You forget what you know, and assume that you’re a complete beginner. Take this opportunity to get some advice from experienced internal arts practitioners - to be directed to authentic teachers, or even books and videos (although that will not get you very far - real teachers are always the best way to learn). This option is particularly attractive because you’re already interested in these arts to some extent - and now you have access to real teachings. You have an opportunity to learn something profoundly life-changing and transformative.

 

Option 2) Carry on pretending to be an expert in something you don’t even have the very basic understanding of (yet!?). Anyone who does have even a basic understanding will call you out - again and again and again. The attractive aspect of this option is that you need not learn anything new, develop yourself in any way and you get to feel important and misunderstood.

 

What will you choose?

[senseless virtue]

13 hours ago, ReturnDragon said:

How old are you?

Ah, the classic A/S/L questionnaire has begun to take foot.

 

13 hours ago, ReturnDragon said:

The intent is in the mind to determine what is the next move and how much force to be applied.

Stated like a true PUA.

[senseless virtue]

On 2/10/2020 at 8:27 PM, ReturnDragon said:

Please also keep in mind that I am a Tai Chi practitioner.

I feel you don't know the difference between practicing Tai Chi, playing Tai Chi, and funnily goofing around trying to mimic Tai Chi forms.

 

Your artistic interpretation of Tai Chi forms certainly passes the circus standards of Clown Gong. Welcome aboard, bro!

 

PS. Your weapon form would look more harmonious with a banana or cream pie in your hand.

[Zork]

Well i am late and the party is over but my 0.02 euro cents are that your movement isn't good even by external art standards.

Someone mentioned transitions in this thread. They are key to examining whether one understands the movements and has internalised the outer forms of the art. When i observe a clumsy transition between stances, i know i am looking at a novice. Sorry but that is what you are @ReturnDragon.

On the inner strength i cannot comment. I trust the experienced members here.

[ReturnDragon]

Thank you all.
Sometimes, I do judge the book by its jacket to see what I want to see. However, whatever is inside the book is really supporting the jacket.