24 Essentials (廿四要)

Head【頭部]

Head needs to straighten Upright 頭要頂
Neck needs to push straight 頸要豎
Cheeks need to contract (suck in) 顎要收
Eyebrow needs to raise 眉要揚
Vision needs to concentrate 目要注
Teeth needs to cling together tight 齒要合
Tongue needs to "suck hard" 舌要舐

Arms【手部】

Shoulder needs to sink 肩要沉
Elbow needs to fall 肘要墜
Wrist needs to strike back腕要扣
Palm needs to pole 掌要撐
Finger needs to lead 指要領
Thumb needs to open 拇要開

Trunk【身部】

Back needs to turn in circle 背要圓
Chest needs to stretch 胸要寬
Abdomen needs to full 腹要實
Ribs needs to sit 肋要坐

Waist【腰部】

Waist needs to turn 腰要擰
Buttocks needs to wrap 臀要兜
Hip needs to clip 胯要夾
Anus needs to lift 肛要提

Leg【腿部】

Knee needs to keep close 膝要縮
Groin needs to tight 脛要緊
Toe needs to cling 趾要抓

Hi Folks,
Just to kind of introduce myself, here is a picture of me doing a pakua (八卦掌) sword form (Cheng 程 style ), in my backyard here in Taiwan.
Don’t laugh, I know my form is not very good but anyway I have always enjoyed Chinese martial arts.


take care,
Brian

Wow! Swordman Brian (from Taiwan) hee hee...

Wonderful posture! Straight body...Steady strance...the sword parallel to the ground (WOW!).... You must have been practising for quite some time.

Btw, do you take in any new student ? :P

Wishes you a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hi Reborn,
Thanks much for the kind words. I hope to start teaching sometime within the next ten years or so! And I would be happy for you to be my first student!

I have always liked the "Taoist" martial arts of taiji, pakua and xingyi. The martial arts are in my view a very good, very healthy, way to practice the Dao. Much about Daoist study is "ironic", opposite than what you would expect. For example martial arts can be about harming people, causing dis-harmony and strife. But Taoist martial arts are about helping people to good health, harmony and peace.

It is an irony.

take care and I look forward to working with everyone over the new year.
Brian

Tao!... simple word with profound meanings....

Baqua...about Yin & Yang..... doesn't everything revolves around it?

Life & Death....? Life is the begining of Death....Death is the begining of another Life.

Ah! The Baqua zheng sword play. So beautiful & smooth flowing.....floating like a butterfly.....

My Shifu(master) won't teach me yet. Have a lot of "basics" to learn & work on. :o

Envy & respect you Brian! 'pray'