Getting Back On Track

For the month of October 2015, I have practised 21 hours of taiji, including:
23 sets of taijiquan (4 Chen, 12 Yang, 7 Sun)
24 sets of taijijian (12 Chen, 12 Yang)
12 sets of Yang taijidao

I am slowly getting back on track... yes!

Besides routines, I am also spending time on basic exercises. These take about 30 minutes to an hour each day, and especially good for busy days when I know I won't be able to practise full sets.

Practising With The Spear

Back when I was in Singapore, I learnt some basic spear techniques from my teacher, Master Kwek Lee Hwa. The most basic, of course, is 拦拿扎 (lan, na, zha).

Recently, I have started to include this as part of my own training. Nothing complex, just that basic spear technique. And I kind of have an inkling as to why martial artists of the past all practised with the spear.

Because the spear is a long and heavy weapon. Yes, you can use it with muscular strength, but your arms will eventually grow tired. But if you learn to use your body as a whole, you can thrust with more force, and pull back the spear faster. And repeat this for more times.

Seems to me that lan, na, zha is one of the keys to learning fa jing. So it is going to be in my training regime for a while.

Painting a Picture

"Styles are like colors, one’s heart is the paper, and the teacher is the brush." - Matsuda Ryuchi

Eventually, the picture is drawn by the artist himself.

Practising Outdoors

It is a new thing for me to practise outdoors.

After all, most of my practice had been indoors, and even when outdoors, the practices were at community centres. Which means that when it rained, the CC staff would find an indoor venue for practice to continue.

But not now. Not when I practise on my own in a park.

When it rains, I end up doing basic exercises in my room.

Hopefully, I can settle into a rhythm for practice soon... and with it, find a suitable venue for indoor practice as well.