Sunday, July 20, 2014

It's The Basics That Are Important

I keep hearing this from my teacher, and it is also something that Matsuda Ryuchi (松田隆智) writes about. There may be many forms in a style, but it is the most basic that is most important. Because most of the time, that basic set embodies all the important things in that style. It is the essence of that style. It may be a few moves, but if you get it right, it is all you need.

My teacher teaches a way to practise 揽雀尾 in a never-ending manner as a warm-up and basic exercise for 杨氏太极拳, because this single move has 4 out of taiji's 8 forces.

Matsuda-sensei likes to stress the importance of 八极小架, and studies the variations amongst the various schools since it is the essence of 八极拳.

There is 四把 and 六大开 in 心意六合拳, 10 basic moves that forms the style's essence.

Similarly, 形意拳 has 五行拳, just 5 different moves but they form the core of 形意拳.

So as we practise the various forms, we must not forget that it is the basics that are important. Forms are just a way for us to string the practice of those basics together.

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