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Wonderful job of explaining traditional training practices, Mark. Lots of good advice there. I feel compelled to note however, that Mr. Li himself did not teach that way. He would start most students on form practice within a week or two of joining his class. If Mr. Li sensed a strong martial background he would start immediately teaching you the form and fill in rowing, walking, and standing practices later. If your hips were completely frozen, then you might not start the form for a month. To my knowledge, Mr. Li never publicly taught the animals. We didn't become aware of them until years later when other 6/8 instructors began publishing books and videos.
Why did Mr. Li depart from traditional practice? This is obviously not an exact quote, but he once told me "I do not wish to waste my student's time, therefore I teach shortcuts to internal practice". Of course Mr. Li's idea of a shortcut was to do an hour (minimum) of daily standing. Some shortcut,Huh? I also remember Mr. Li telling a group of us "Even if you forget the form, if you stand for one hour a day, then you need never fear the enemy".
Was Mr. Li's streamlining of traditional practices an unqualified success? Oh, probably not. He was quite disappointed that many of his students merely learned the form as meditative dance without doing any serious internal work. Most of his students wouldn't do the standing, didn't learn his martial applications, and weren't interested in either his pushing or sticking hands. On the other hand, many students who wouldn't have been comfortable in a more martial environment did at least learn his form. Given the frantic pace of our society, perhaps learning a moving meditation was sufficient for them.
Enjoy your practice everyone-whatever it is.
In a message dated 4/29/2009 4:24:42 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, mmcgee@... writes:
Standing, Rowing and Walking are the root (foundation) of Hwa Yu T'ai Chi. We learn the Eight Methods during this period of training. (Five Word Song: If one wishes to learn this internal exercise, then one must first learn the eight methods.) We also experience the development of the Six Combinations (Harmonies) during this time. I highly recommend an extended period of time (at least 6-12 months) training in Standing, Rowing and Walking to prepare for the Animals and Long Form.
The Animals reveal great insights into Hwa Yu for both health and self-defense. Each Animal form is short enough to learn in a few lessons. It is during the lessons that follow that the movements reveal the individual Methods and Harmonies of each Animal. You might want to spend 3-4 weeks on each Animal form before going to the next Animal. If you are learning the self-defense aspects of the Animals, you will want to spend more time on each Animal.Ideally, it would be best to have three years of experience in Standing, Rowing, Walking and the Animals before starting the Long Form. Master Li wrote in the Five Word Song: "Practice 'walking' and 'rowing' daily for two or three years. The more you practice, the more graceful you are in your exercise ... In ancient days in China, students of Hwa Yu took three years to train in rooting, before they began to learn the Form." Individual students of Hwa Yu develop understanding and abilities at an individual pace. The key is to relax and enjoy the movement. If you have a teacher, he or she will be able to guide you through your training. If you don't have a teacher and are using Hwa Yu videos to learn, there are many instructors in this forum who will be able to share their thoughts about training with you.Thanks and have a wonderful week!Mark
On Apr 27, 2009, at 8:19 PM, dasisdad wrote:
How long should you practice each animal form before learning a new form? Also, when is a good time to start learning the long form?
Stephen
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