Touching on the 'iron ball qigong' that Fupow mentions briefly.
I learned a version of this, that was taught to me by my teacher and to him by Chen Qin Zhou (I hope I'm spelling that right.) It definitely fits the description of large, full-body movements that you're talking about. I don't know about it being high level and unfit for intermediate practitioners (I'd be hesitant to call myself intermediate, especially considering the time I've gone without any intesive practice lately) but Sifu Hwang typically teaches it as an accompaniment to the first set of 'external' kungfu a student learns - in my case, the Elephant Kungfu form.
And now, a brief description. The 'iron ball' I used was an ordinary bowling ball - I think a 10 or 12 pounder. The method was essentially carefully regulating breathing to coordinate with dantien motion and leg motion to achieve the goal of powering the ball around without using much if any arm strength. The ball is generally held at the dantien with one hand underneath and one hand atop. Motions to impart to the ball include up/down cycles, horizontal circles (both clockwise and counterclockwise), in front of the belly and in a semicircle around the front of the body, also 'popping' the ball into the air. When I did this qigong after some time off from doing it, I'd get sore in the anterior serratus, lumbars, and obliques.
Last edited by Chang Style Novice; 05-12-2004 at 02:16 PM.
All my fight strategy is based on deliberately injuring my opponents. -
Crippled Avenger
"It is the same in all wars; the soldiers do the fighting, the journalists do the shouting, and no true patriot ever get near a front-line trench, except on the briefest of propoganda visits...Perhaps when the next great war comes we may see that sight unprecendented in all history, a jingo with a bullet-hole in him."
First you get good, then you get fast, then you get good and fast.