An explanation of the Ancient Secrets of Long Boxing, eight gate five steps
長拳八門五行秘訣
By Chu Ba Dao Shi 赵爸指导(from my Father’s old notes) translated by Chu Yuk-Hing 2006
The compass is the four cardinal point and the four diagonal points. The body has the eight Gua trigrams 八卦 and the feet step out the five elements, 五行which allow us to control the eight directions. All together there are thirteen postures or shi 十三勢. The five phases correspond to advance, fire, retreat, water, gaze left, wood, look right, metal and central balance, earth. In central earth the feet develop root, like a tree. Earth develops the central balance root土 the standing juang gong 樁功.There are different methods from other Pai 派(Schools of thought).
Then you must study the four sides, it requires much time to perfect them, or else your effort will be in vain. The hand techniques are very wide and expansive. When your form becomes very compact then your movements are free then you have attained the middle and advanced levels of long boxing, or chang chuan.
In Tui So 推手we learn sticking, adhering, connecting and following. We have natural progress to reach interpreting energy. In this way we can use four once to repulse one thousand pounds. We understand sticking energy and develop good seeing and hearing energy, ting gong 聽功. Chi and blood 氣血 are very important to understand chi blood that expresses itself in internal strength. Circulating chi is difficult with out the help of a good teacher-guide. If you can control your opponents membranes his blood will not flow freely. If you grab your opponents blood vessels his chi will have difficulty in circulating, not flow freely. If you attack your opponents acupuncture points 針灸穴. Sealing the death points terminates his life. This is called dian mai 點脈. The ancients said “ there are life and death acupoints but to learn them requires oral transmission. One because of the difficulty of learning, two because it relates to life and death and it depends on the character of the individual.
One must not teach those who are not loyal and filial.
One must not teach those who do not have a good background.
One must not teach those with evil intentions.
One must not teach those who are careless or crude.
One must not teach those who have no consideration for others.
One must not teach those who are outwardly polite but not compassionate.
One must not teach those who are not reliable.
One must not teach those who are quick to learn and quick to forget. It is important to know the eight disqualifications; as for criminals they need not even to be mentioned. Those who do qualify may be given the secret transmissions orally.
You may teach those who are loyal and filial, emotionally stable, faithful to the teaching, respectful to the teaching, and always consistent. Given these five qualities, if a student is truly consistent from beginning to end and never waivers, you may transmit every aspect of the art. From generation to generation this is the way of the transmission.