Well just a little
I learned a Sun taijiquan short from a few years ago, pre pandemic, from Jesse Tsao. I liked the form, but I have never been comfortable with it. Today I figured out why, and I felt that 30 years of taijiquan as well as many years in Xingyiquan gives me a bit of leeway and some small amount of licenses to change it a bit. Nothing against the original form but there were 2 things that became obvious to me as to why I was not comfortable with it.
1) I believe I have more Xingyiquan background
2) I have knee issues
There are postures in the short form that are very much Xingyiquan postures, as well as a kick that, at least to me, comes from Xingyiquan 5 elements. So, there is one posture that to me seemed like it should end in in Zuanquan, now I am not sure if Sun Lutang has Zuanquan anywhere in the traditional form, and I apologize if this is blasphemy but it fits, rather well, IMO. Another change was to Piquant, which is in the form, I just changed how you get there, again looking more Piquan of Xingyiquan. The kick also comes from Xingyiquan 5 elements and all I did there was make it more Xingyi correct, IMO.
I also added to a transition, mostly because I’m thick headed and could never get that transition correct, without the addition. I did not add anything new to the form, just completed the transition the appears in other place in the form.
Another change was the last kick, this is where the knees were am issue. A spin to a fast round house kick. I replaced that with 2, more traditional, heel kicks to get into the right stance for the end of the form. There is one other posture I am thinking about changing, also due to knees, but so far I have not.
Result, at least for me, is I am more comfortable with it, like it better for what I'm dealing with, and I think it is a bit more martial
Nothing against the original, this just fits me better.
I learned a Sun taijiquan short from a few years ago, pre pandemic, from Jesse Tsao. I liked the form, but I have never been comfortable with it. Today I figured out why, and I felt that 30 years of taijiquan as well as many years in Xingyiquan gives me a bit of leeway and some small amount of licenses to change it a bit. Nothing against the original form but there were 2 things that became obvious to me as to why I was not comfortable with it.
1) I believe I have more Xingyiquan background
2) I have knee issues
There are postures in the short form that are very much Xingyiquan postures, as well as a kick that, at least to me, comes from Xingyiquan 5 elements. So, there is one posture that to me seemed like it should end in in Zuanquan, now I am not sure if Sun Lutang has Zuanquan anywhere in the traditional form, and I apologize if this is blasphemy but it fits, rather well, IMO. Another change was to Piquant, which is in the form, I just changed how you get there, again looking more Piquan of Xingyiquan. The kick also comes from Xingyiquan 5 elements and all I did there was make it more Xingyi correct, IMO.
I also added to a transition, mostly because I’m thick headed and could never get that transition correct, without the addition. I did not add anything new to the form, just completed the transition the appears in other place in the form.
Another change was the last kick, this is where the knees were am issue. A spin to a fast round house kick. I replaced that with 2, more traditional, heel kicks to get into the right stance for the end of the form. There is one other posture I am thinking about changing, also due to knees, but so far I have not.
Result, at least for me, is I am more comfortable with it, like it better for what I'm dealing with, and I think it is a bit more martial
Nothing against the original, this just fits me better.
