Silk Reeling Demo (A)

[Xue Sheng]

We've hit on something that I consider a big missing part of many Kung fu schools. Maybe this is one of modern Tai Chis "missing links".

When I first starting learning, first sifu kept a whole closet of exotic training devices. Iron palm bags, sand jars, a lot of different things with rope. When I learned Tai Chi, same thing. Lots of neat little training gadgets, sticks, balls, and more rope.

So I can't really imagine what it's like to train any kung fu style with just my own body, and whenever I check out classic kung fu cinema (which is a really good source for a lot of styles) you see it all the time. Sure lots of empty hand fist sets, but often a lot of training devices too. 36th Chamber..has literally 35 rooms of such things.

We talked about plum flower poles a while ago. You can do stancework in your living room, gym, or the street pretty easy, and get great. Then try it on an elevated platform and fall on your butt fast.

Somewhere, long ago, I was reading some research on how Tai Chi was shown to help people live longer simply through balance training (and then avoiding falls, broken hips, etc).

That was when I started training Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg and similar Crane technique with a kettlebell on my foot. Very effective.

Early days of training with my Yang Shifu we would hold postures, any posture (including rooster and kicks), for long periods of time...while he walked around the room, checking and adjusting everyone posture

 

[Xue Sheng]

Consider this:

When training "intent," the focus should be on feeling one's center of balance and disrupting the opponent's. However, using weights or objects like bricks can inadvertently shift the focus away from this central goal.

In Taiwan, a teacher I knew used to have his students put toothpicks in the fold between the elbow and forearm to maintain a slight fold during push hands training. While this helped with the physical aspect, it unintentionally hindered their intent, as the focus shifted to keeping the toothpick in place, just as using any type of weight held during the solo practice would...

Silk reeling and pulling have specific purposes within Taiji communities and should be done with these goals in mind.

I think proper use of intent, or not using intent, is a problem in taijiquan these days. But you can use intent with ankle weights and wrist waits..... just not as a beginner.