What is the skill of Shaolin?
Hello,
My name is John Rojcewicz. I have been very passionate about martial arts, particularly Chinese martial arts, for about eight years now.
During my exploration of Chinese martial arts, I spent about one and a half years training full time in China. I spent some time with master
Wu Nanfang of the Wugulun Shaolin method in Dengfeng, and then a very short time at Daqingshan, where I met master Chen Zhonghua of
the Chen style practical method. Without going into detail regarding my own training experience, I would like to put forth my perspective as to what kung fu is, what
the skill of Shaolin is, what is the splitting of yin and yang in the body to form taji, what is the practical ability which is the goal of the Chinese martial arts tradition.
Its really very simple, but easily ignored. The skill is to move the center, just the center, nothing else moves, only the center, every limp only adjusts to be oriented to the center. If you punch, the fist doesn't move, the arm doesn't move, the shoulder doesn't move, only the center moves, every other part is fixed and can only adjust in its orientation to the center. if you pull, its the same. Go to a door and open it without moving your hand or arm. After grasping the door knob, just move your center away from the door and see what happens. Its very simple, but people don't do it very well. They wont move the center. They'll try to move everything else. Watch a boxing match, see the fist thrust out and in so fast, so much movement, watch when the fist makes contact and it suddenly moves very slowly and usually stops, almost immediately after contact and must be retracted. The legs move the center, the arms are fixed to the center, in this way the the legs may power the arms. There is no other way. If the arms move on their own, they cannot be powered by the legs. When you go for a walk, your body moves because you use your leg power to move your center. This is in fact the only possible way to create continuous power with the body, power capable to move your self through space. Running, jumping, even walking on your hands, whenever you move your body over a distance, it is a movement of the middle, the center. If you punch without moving your arm and hand, and only move the center, your punch will be very slow, but it will have a power which is impossible by any other method. I have said a lot, in a way that may not be very clear, but I hope that you will consider what I have said because it expresses a change of emphasize, which has revolutionized the way I practice and my physical ability as a whole.
Here master Chen Zhonghua demonstrates what I have stated above, but with some differences in way of speaking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1STOWi3QfI
