# Yiquan E-book



## LiamBoyle

http://mysite.verizon.net/reswv21m/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/yiquanbasicskillsv2.pdf

I can across this pdf file on Yiquan sometime back.  As I am not a student of Yiquan (I'm a CMC/ZMQ taijiquan player, actuallY) I was merely looking for additional material on Zhan Zhuang training.  However, I noticed in the pdf the sixth chapter is on developing Fa Li / Fa Jin which in many internal arts schools is considered something of an "indoor" technique.  Personally I don't train explosive force, as my Sifu has said that such training is simply not yet for me - it will happen in time.  I was wondering what some here thought of this material and its apparent availability.


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## mograph

I like the book (_especially_ the fact that it has no pictures!), but think that students should not underestimate the amount of practice involved in internalizing its concepts. 

I also think that one of the reasons these concepts are "indoor" is that they require patience and practice. This tends to weed out the students who are looking for a quick fix or "secret technique".


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## LiamBoyle

The chapter on Zhan Zhuang is pretty good in my opinion.  However, I firmly believe that there should be no such thing as "indoor" and "outdoor" teachings.  Even though the Yiquan book explains roughly how to do these practices, only practice and perseverance can actually help someone develop these abilities.


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## oaktree

It is actually a very good book from what little I have read from it and being it is free.

 I personally enjoyed chapter 4.


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## LiamBoyle

It's actually one of the main reason I want some type of e-reader like a kindle (as long as said reader can handle .pdf files).  Along with this book, I probably have over fifty different .pdf files on various aspects of taijiquan and related martial arts training techniques.


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## oaktree

On Verycd.com and Easymule you can find many PDF there are some in english most are in chinese.

It would be excellent if Kindle or any e-reader could play video format.


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## Xue Sheng

LiamBoyle said:


> The chapter on Zhan Zhuang is pretty good in my opinion. However, I firmly believe that there should be no such thing as "indoor" and "outdoor" teachings. Even though the Yiquan book explains roughly how to do these practices, only practice and perseverance can actually help someone develop these abilities.


 
There is no indoor and outdoor technique. There is what you are ready to learn and what you are not ready to learn. A good sifu knows better than his student what the student is ready to learn.


Good book by the way, thanks

You may also like this one "Chi Kung: Way of Power by Lam Kam Chuen"


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## LiamBoyle

I've read that one.  I like the five basic Zhan Zhuang postures he presents, but as far as the advanced postures go - I use postures from the CMC (ZMQ) taiji form.


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## Xue Sheng

LiamBoyle said:


> I've read that one. I like the five basic Zhan Zhuang postures he presents, but as far as the advanced postures go - I use postures from the CMC (ZMQ) taiji form.


 
What would be an advanced Zhan Zhuang posture form CMC?


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## LiamBoyle

Golden Rooster, Snake Creeps down, and Repulse Monkey (good for the lower back) would be the main three I use (mostly Rooster and Repulse monkey - Snake creeps down is hard on the knees).  Single Whip is supposed to be really good for opening the joints according to the writings of Professor Cheng.  Any of the form postures can be used for Zhan Zhuang training.  I prefer the Taiji postures to the advanced Yiquan postures.


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## Xue Sheng

Thanks

Basically Traditional Yang Taijiquan stance training.


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## LiamBoyle

Exactly, although there's a bit of difference to how one stands in the postures between traditional Yang (Yang family style) and the CMC/ZMQ style.


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## mograph

It's what you _do and think_ (intention) while holding a stance that makes it "Yiquan" or not ... right?


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## Xue Sheng

LiamBoyle said:


> Exactly, although there's a bit of difference to how one stands in the postures between traditional Yang (Yang family style) and the CMC/ZMQ style.


 
Yes there is.


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## Xue Sheng

mograph said:


> It's what you _do and think_ (intention) while holding a stance that makes it "Yiquan" or not ... right?


 
I am of the belief that 

What you do is stand

What you think is nothing be it  Yiquan, Taijiquan, Baguazhang, Xingyiquan, Changquan, Wing Chun or for that matter Sanda.

But then I do not do Yiquan so I could be wrong.


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## mograph

Xue Sheng said:


> What you think is nothing ...


Xuesheng, the essence of Yiquan is, you guessed it, Yi. Intention. If you read the PDF, you'll get a better idea of what the student is asked to do during standing practice. 

Now, keep in mind, that these intentions can also be applied to the traditional standing postures of other arts with varying effects. The student is encouraged to experiment. It's this internal focus and aforementioned intention that makes this practice more than simply standing.


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## Xue Sheng

mograph said:


> Xuesheng, the essence of Yiquan is, you guessed it, Yi. Intention. If you read the PDF, you'll get a better idea of what the student is asked to do during standing practice.
> 
> Now, keep in mind, that these intentions can also be applied to the traditional standing postures of other arts with varying effects. The student is encouraged to experiment. It's this internal focus and aforementioned intention that makes this practice more than simply standing.


 
Agreed, it is much more than simple standing


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## Tommy

Thanks Liam for the book.

I agreed with Xue that there are not indoor or outdoor techniques. When you are ready a good sifu will teach you more. Faster not always better. My sifu used to say Siu Min Tau is used to take over a year to teach and a few years to learn it correctly. I used to disagree with him but now I think he is right! 

I couldn't wait for my taiji lesson to begin. The funny thing is though my main arts is wing chun and, i have been practicing it over the last 10 years, but I have only 3 books about wc. However, in the last three weeks I have bought more 10 books in Taiji (anything with the Professor name on it and yang style) and qigong.

When i decided that I will be learning CMC Taiji i did some research and found out that many people don't think CMC Taiji is Yang style, and after watching lots of video from the Yang family and many others and compare them to the Professor,  I agree it not a Yang style anymore and i don't like the word "simplified" either. I would rather it be called CMC style.

Sorry guys if I went of the subject.


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## LiamBoyle

Actually many of us who practice the CMC/ZMQ style refer to it as that, or as "Cheng" style.  It was Professor Cheng Man-Ch'ing (Zheng Manquing in pinyin romanization) who called the Taiji he created "Simplified." This was in the 1930's before the creation of the 24 posture form of simplified taijiquan.  There is a different understanding of "sung" between CMC style and traditional Yang, and traditional Yang style doesn't use the principle of "beautiful Lady's hand," at least, not that I am aware of.


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## Xue Sheng

LiamBoyle said:


> Actually many of us who practice the CMC/ZMQ style refer to it as that, or as "Cheng" style. It was Professor Cheng Man-Ch'ing (Zheng Manquing in pinyin romanization) who called the Taiji he created "Simplified." This was in the 1930's before the creation of the 24 posture form of simplified taijiquan.


 
The Yang family also calls it Cheng Manching style, as a matter of fact they sent out of their way to make the distinction between Yang family style and Cheng Manching style



LiamBoyle said:


> There is a different understanding of "sung" between CMC style and traditional Yang, and traditional Yang style doesn't use the principle of "beautiful Lady's hand,"


 
Yes it does as does Chen, Wu, Wu/Hao, Sun, Zhaobao


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## LiamBoyle

I stand corrected about the principle of "Beautiful Lady's Hand."  That would be why I added the "not that I am aware of" to that statement.  I now know, so thank you for enlightening me.


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## Quotheraving

mograph said:


> Xuesheng, the essence of Yiquan is, you guessed it, Yi. Intention. If you read the PDF, you'll get a better idea of what the student is asked to do during standing practice.
> 
> Now, keep in mind, that these intentions can also be applied to the traditional standing postures of other arts with varying effects. The student is encouraged to experiment. It's this internal focus and aforementioned intention that makes this practice more than simply standing.



I've only been practising YiQuan for about a year so I should begin by qualifying this by saying that I'm no expert. 

In my experience both of you are correct.
We do think nothing during practise and we do practise with intent.

Intent however is a vague and misleading term, what we try and do while practising combat postures is to imagine a pressure acting upon us so strongly that it becomes a palpable sensation. 
The body reacts to the imagined pressure in the same (though less extreme) way it would to a real pressure, by stabilising and accepting this imagined force through the body and into the ground. 
This effect becomes more pronounced the less tense the body is and this relaxed concentration helps prevent the mind from becoming distracted and straying into verbal thoughts.

It sounds a bit kooky and new agey with all that visualisation stuff but my ability to respond quickly to changes and ground pressure in push hands has massively improved as a result of practising Yiquan and I heartily recommend it to everyone.

In the health postures (weight evenly distributed between both feet) it's a bit different, we don't tend to imagine pressure so much as a feeling of buoyancy and being supported, which is harder than it sounds but very rewarding when it does happen.



PS the chinese word 'Sung' in Yiquan (at least for our school) is translated as 'unbound', not just sunk and relaxed, but in a middle place, balanced and free to move without constriction.


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## mograph

Nicely said, all of it, not only in what you've said, but how you've phrased it. It sounds as if you've made it your own, as it were. :asian:





Quotheraving said:


> PS the chinese word 'Sung' in Yiquan (at least for our school) is translated as 'unbound', not just sunk and relaxed, but in a middle place, balanced and free to move without constriction.


 Along those lines, I've read that the character for _sung/song_ relates to long hair, previously bound up and tied, now let loose and unbound.


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## Devlin76

Thank you for the book link.  I do a little standing practice and find Yiquan very interesting.


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