2011 New Year Resolution!

My Goal:
This upcoming year will be the year of Lion forms.  My goal is to be proficient of 56 Lion forms.  The order of learning will be base on strategy.

My Plan:
I will be working on all the strikes with Single fighting strategy (For example, Sweeping & Cutting & Choping & Cutting & Hooking & Shocking & Blocking & Seizing & Grasping with Lifting and Holding strategy) before I move on to the next strategy.  The reason I decide to learn all 8 strikes with just single type of strategy because I felt this give me a better understanding of how you can apply different type of strikes in similar manner.  To put it plainly, when I practice Lifting and holding form, I'll try to figure out how each strike can be apply in upward direction.

Timeline:
On average 1 type of strategy per 8 weeks or 7 forms every 2 months.

The requirement of hands and arms

HJB tells us that the requirement of the hands and arms are rolling out - wrapping back in - drilling forward - and pulling back away.  I was perplexed when I first heard this. I was asking myself how on earth am I going to accomplish these requirements? Trying to grasp this conceptual requirement rationally, I broke it down to 2 parts which are

1. The lower arm rolling out and drilling forward
2. The upper arm is wrapping back in and pulling back away

First, lets look at the mechanic of rolling out and wrapping back in.  It was explained in the DVD that you need to rotate your upper arm and lower arm the in opposite direction, clockwise and counter-clock wise.  Now, stop and ask your self what is actually rotating? Does the muscle on the arm rotate? of course, your muscle can not rotate... It's your joint that rotate.  The two joints that rotate is your wrist and your shoulder.  Your elbow can not/ should not rotate because it's a hinge joint that can only open or close, like a door hinge.  Basically you need to rotate your wrist one way and your shoulder (including the shoulder blade) the opposite direction.  This also means that if you are doing a posture and both your shoulder blade and wrist is rotating in the same direction, what you are practicing is probably not correct even when the shape of your arm looks approximately correct.

Next, the mechanic of drilling forward and pulling back away.   This means that you need to drill out with your lower arm while keeping the ball of your shoulder in its socket.  It's only common sense, since pulling the shoulder out of its socket would weaken your ability to apply force.  Also persistent practice of pulling out the shoulder might make your shoulder susceptible to injury.

In my opinion, this requirement of the arms maximizes its function in the way nature intended.  With long term practice you will increase the flexibility of your wrist joints and shoulder joint, opens up your elbow, lengthen your muscle and tendon.  Therefore strengthening them.

ps.  For anyone that doesn't have the patient to read .  These three paragraphs can be sumerized to. 1.  Rotate the wrist one way and the shouder another way.  2.  Drilling out your hand while keeping your shoulder in its socket (of course, do not lift the shoulder up either.  Pull it into your body ,not away from it).  I hope this help with your training  =)

Jin Yinting

The person without troubles does not recognize their prosperity;
When trouble arrives, then one begins to know the prosperity of being worry-free;
The body without sickness does not recognize its happiness;
When sickness arises, then one begins to know the happiness of being healthy;

by Jin Yinting ( a Xing Yi master )