What is Yang-22?

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Yang-22 is dedicated to the informal sharing of my practice of the Yang style Tai Chi Chuan 22-form that was created by Grandmaster Wei Shuren.

I started my learning of the 22-form in 1997. It is the one form that I have spent the longest time practicing.

I still keep up the practice to this day, though not spending as much time as I would like. There are so many things to learn from this one form. Just to discover its contents as listed in Grandmaster Wei’s Book 2 & 3 on this particular Yang style will surely take a long, long time.

The 22-form is one form that is never boring to practice. Practicing the form is like reading a well written book and discovering something more about it each time I read it again.

I won’t try to offer instructions on how to practice the 22-form as this would be quite the challenge to do so in a blog. However, if you already practice the 22-form and your progress has slowed down then perhaps the information here would be of use to get you out of the rut.

That’s it for now. It is time for me to go and practice.

GENERAL

Old Six Routines

PRACTICE

2/4 Dots

Simplifying 2/4 Dots

The Mental 2/4 Dots

2/4 Dots & The Rolling Ball

The 3 Passes

The 3 Passes & 2/4 Dots

Heaven, Earth, Man

The 3 Chi Rings

The 3 Chi Rings Part 2

The 3 Chi Rings Part 3

The 3 Chi Rings Part 3

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The 3 Chi Rings particularly the Shoulder Chi Ring plays an important role in the force generation process.

There are different ways to use intent generated force in Yang-22. The majority of these force models rely on the use of the body’s 5 Bows to compress, store and release the force.

In Yang-22 each arm is a bow by itself. However, both arms can also be likened to a gigantic bow. The gigantic bow uses the Open-Close track to bring in the opponent’s strength in the manner of loading an arrow.

Once the arrow is loaded you can then release the arrow. You can think of it as the use of opening and closing in an instant to huajing and fajing. The actual opening and closing process is more complicated than what I am describing here for outsiders to get an idea of what we do.

To be able to generate a strong force that can power a strike that causes internal injury you would need to develop a strong bow that can send your force out like a lighting strike. You will know if your strike is spot on when you tap your target and instead of flying off he just drops in pain on the spot.

If you are not aware of this part of the training, here’s a hint – pay attention to the technique of Play Pipa. This technique uses the Open-Close track and Shoulder Chi Ring to generate the internal force. As you get used to it, you will find that you can use all the Chi Rings for the power generation.

The 3 Chi Rings Part 2

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Where exactly do you place your arms in space when you execute a technique?

In Wing Chun we keep the elbows closer to the body since its a close quarters combat system. However, in Pok Khek Kuen we keep our elbows away from the body since we abide by the principle of an inch longer gives us greater power.

In Yang-22 we use the Shoulder Chi Ring to inform us where to pose our arms for the technique. The Waist Chi Ring is used to anchor and connect the elbows to our waist while the Kua Chi Ring helps us to keep the lower body in coordination with the upper body.

When we move the arms inwards and then outwards we use the Shoulder Chi Ring together with the Open-Close track defined by the Mountain Character to guide the movement of the arms.

The training for the Open-Close track in tandem with the use of the Mountain Character is covered in Part 3 of the Neigong training set. If you are into fajing pay attention to this training because it is integral to the force generation process.

The 3 Chi Rings

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This is not a post about how to use intent to create the 3 Chi Rings. Instead, I would touch on why we have the 3 Chi Rings.

In Yang-22 we practice our form such that the internal and the external harmonizes. Yes, that’s what other Tai Chi styles say too but in Yang-22 we are very specific about how to bring this about.

Our intent is internal, in the mind, it cannot be grasped. Our body is the external shell, we can see and feel it. What is outside our body can be internal or external.

For example, the wall next to you, that you can touch is external. However, our relationship to the wall, how we connect to it is not visible, nor can it be seen – this is internal. Our internal intent maps the relationship between our external body to the wall internally. Our external body creates another relationship to the wall by mapping the connection.

Sounds confusing, right, all this talk about internal and external?

The last movement in Step Back, Repulse Monkey is an example of what I mentioned above. In the final movement, we hold a pose that looks a lot like the Xingyiquan’s Santi posture. However, we are not practicing zhanzhuang here. Our pose is momentary, like a runner getting ready to take off.

When we get into the Santi-like posture we quickly map our mind to an active Chi Dot that is in the air, some 36 inches away (I am just using an arbitrary number here). In our lead hand we have a Small Chi Sphere. Then in our mind we see the Chi Dot.

We quickly gather our body (you know, those steps you do in the Commencement Posture), get ready, Small Chi Sphere in lead hand. Then as soon as the Chi Dot disintegrates, our Small Chi Sphere also does the same. In that moment there is no obstruction between our lead hand and where the Chi Dot used to be.

In the next instant, it is over. The Small Chi Sphere is back in our lead hand. Then our internal Chest Cross communicates with the external Cross. We feel the re-balancing adjustment. Then the technique of Repulse Monkey is over.

And how do we pose our arms?

Using the 3 Chi Rings, of course.

I will continue this in the second part since there’s already too much information here.

Heaven, Earth, Man

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I used to think of Heaven, Earth, Man (HEM) as some philosophical concept. I have read different explanations over the years and the typical explanation is not really satisfying. Most of the time the writer would go round and round the bush, offering an explanation that could not really be put into practice.

In Yang-22 we have HEM. My teacher, Master L, did not call this sub-movement HEM but the moment I heard his instruction on the very first movement of the 22-form I went – isn’t that HEM – in my mind.

This is the HEM part – before we begin the practice of the 22-form we stand upright with both feet together. Next we use the intent to unify Heaven to the Earth with us, the Man, right in the middle.

I won’t explain exactly how to do this. I could but I don’t want other Yang styles to steal our teaching and claim it to be theirs.

Right after the HEM unification, we next use the intent to create the plumb line for the 2/4 Dots mechanism. However, this is not the end. Our intent carries on and the 2/4 Dots plumb line once it goes out in space about our head becomes……. tada! …… the 3 Passes.

So one line, two usage.

I hope you can see now why I wrote about the 2/4 Dots and 3 Passes first. They are the very first two things to be created by the intent. Without the 2/4 Dots and 3 Passes you will have a problem performing the next movement of parting the feet with good control of your balance.

The 3 Passes & 2/4 Dots

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In the post The 3 Passes, I listed an exercise to practice three of the four variations of the 3 Passes.

Once you get the hang of that exercise, the next time you practice it add the 2/4 Dots to it. Check to ensure that every movement you make has the 2/4 Dots and 3 Passes clearly differentiated and manifested in your movement.

Keep practicing until you can move lightly and seemingly effortlessly like a cat stepping while rooted like a mountain while in motion.

The 3 Passes

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Once you have learned to use the 2/4 Dots to move up and down you can add the study of the 3 Passes to it.

The easiest way to think of the 3 Passes is a line connecting the top of the head to the tailbone to keep the body upright. Technically it is really the back of the head that connects to the back and thereon to the tailbone. I chose to keep it simple by just aligning the top of the head to the tailbone.

Why I do this is because aligning two points is much easier to learn. Plus, if the learner has a problem getting it, just ask him to balance a book on this head and learn to walk straight without the book falling off.

This is technically not exactly what the 3 Passes are physically. However, physically keeping the book balanced on the head is one of the four variations of the 3 Passes.

At a more advanced stage the book balancing variation of the 3 Passes is used as the Mother of the 3 Passes. You can use the Mother of the 3 Passes with the other three variations of the 3 Passes.

The four variations of the 3 Passes are :-

i) Vertical Upright 3 Passes (Mother of 3 Passes)
ii) Turn Up 3 Passes
iii) Move Back 3 Passes
iv) Front Lengthen 3 Passes

You can move beyond visualizing balancing a book on your head to imagining that there is a flagpole running from your tailbone up through your head, stretching upwards some 24 inches above your head.

When using the 3 Passes this way it is like a puppet master (your intent) above you is using a string (the 3 Passes) from above to control your movement so that you can move effortlessly.

For the study of the 3 Passes I would practice the sequence below over and over for an hour :-

1) Brush Knee Twist Step (left) – Vertical Upright 3 Passes
2) Transition to BKTS (right) – Turn Up 3 Passes
3) Brush Knee Twist Step (right) – Vertical Upright 3 Passes
4) Transition to BKTS (left) – Turn Up 3 Passes
5) Brush Knee Twist Step (left) – Vertical Upright 3 Passes
6) Play Pipa – Move Back to Vertical Upright 3 Passes
7) Repulse Monkey (right) – Move Back 3 Passes
8) Repulse Monkey (left) – Move Back 3 Passes
9) Repulse Monkey (right) – Move Back 3 Passes
10) Repulse Monkey (left) – Move Back 3 Passes
Repeat from (2)

The above exercise will enable you to study the variations of Vertical Upright, Turn Up and Move Back of the 3 Passes.

The 3 Passes is a key principle so it is important to get a handle on it early.

2/4 Dots & The Rolling Ball

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The Unfettered Mind : Writings from a Zen Master to a Master Swordsman by Takuan Soho is one of my favorite books. Many of what is written within are relevant to our practice of Tai Chi.

In the first part of the book “The Mysterious Record of Immoveable Wisdom” there is a section on a moving ball.

There is a saying, “Throw a ball into a swift current and it will never stop.”

This means that if you throw a ball into rapidly flowing water, it will ride the waves and never stop dead.

When I first read this, it sounded like an interesting theory but how do I put this into practice.

Well, as it turns out you can put this into practice. Learning how to use the 2/4 Dots is the first key.

The second key is the 3 Passes.

The third key is the 3 Chi Rings.

Put at least the above three principles into your practice of push hands and you will feel like a ball that can the waves of your training partner’s swift strength current.

The Mental 2/4 Dots

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I learned the 2/4 Dots by learning the 22-form. This is not the easiest way to learn it but there is context. So as difficult as it is to learn this way, it is still the better way to learn it.

However, for those who cannot learn so many things at the same time in one technique we can try to learn the basics of 2/4 Dots by using the simpler way of looking at the 2/4 Dots that I wrote about here.

1) Body upright, both feet parallel, high horse stance (Dot-C)
2) Open up right foot (Dot-C)
3) Shift Dot-C to Dot-R, turn body to right, left foot turn in (right forward stance)
4) Mentally keep Dot-R, lift up left foot, step forward and place left foot down
5) Shift Dot-R to Dot-L, turn body to left, right foot turn in (left forward stance)
6) Mentally keep Dot-L, lift up right foot, step forward and place right foot down
Repeat

When you read (1) to (6) it sounds just like a typical stepping exercise. The challenge is to keep the 2/4 Dots clearly defined in the mind and more importantly, use it to train your body to move in an apparently effortless, yet controlled, non-telegraphic manner.

This is something that only those who train this way will know what the difference is, and how this difference can help you to do pushing hands, which later can translate across to other learning skills.

Simplifying 2/4 Dots

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2/4 Dots is an easy way to learn where to place our balance. If your balance is on the 4 Dot then the leg on this side is weighted and the leg that has the 2 Dot is unweighted.

However, this does not tell you whether we are referring to the right leg or left leg as far as the 4 Dot is concerned.

Since the teachings stated that 1 Dot and 5 Dot are the two points to avoid, I find it easier to think the balance three dots as Dot-L, Dot-R and Dot-C corresponding to :-

Dot-L = when the balance is on the left leg
Dot-R = when the balance is on the right leg
Dot-C = when the balance is between the left and right legs

So if we take as example the transition from Beginning Posture to Left Wild Horse Parts Mane the stance work and shifting of balance can be stated as follows :-

1) Beginning Posture (Dot-C)
2) Left leg shifts to beside right leg (Dot-R)
3) Left leg turns 90 degrees, shifts to open into forward left stance (Dot-R)
4) Weight shifts to left leg (Dot-R to Dot-L), rotate body to left

The simplification of 2/4 Dots should make it easier for those who are teaching the 22-form to a large group of people, allowing them to always know the balance should be.

2/4 Dots

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In the midst of revisting the past I remembered the first thing I was taught when I visited Master L to begin my learning of the 22-form.

It was footwork. A very simple turn body, shift weight to front leg, back to rear leg, turn body, step forward then repeat.

Back then I didn’t pay much attention to it as it was similar to the type of footwork I had learned in Cheng Manching’s style. But now looking back, Master L had taught me how to do the weight shifting using the 2/4 Dots.

Fortunately, though I didn’t practice this exercise I still got to learn how to use the 2/4 Dots by learning the 22-form. At first glance the 2/4 Dots seemed simple enough to grasp.

However, to do it properly and to use them to control your balance such that you have single leg balance even when you appear to have your weight over both legs, aye, that’s the challenge.

There is a transition between Fan Through Back to Turn Body, Chop with Fist whereby you turn your left foot in such that your legs are adducting before you turn both feet outwards again. At this point your balance is on the 3 Dot.

From here you want to keep your balance on your left leg and shift your right leg to the rear, before you shift your weight to the right leg to form a right forward stance. Typically, after turning both feet outwards it is perfectly normal to shift the weight to the left leg to allow you to take the weight off the right leg, allowing you to shift it.

However, when I saw Master L did the movement he just shifted his right leg without moving his weight to his left leg. My logical mind said that this is not possible and try as I may I could not do it. But then I decided to follow the instructions on how to do this transition. And sure enough, with sufficient practice I could do it the way Master L did it.

The 2/4 Dots are really important to learn properly. Once you grasp them you can easily move about softly like a cat, feet gliding along the ground. With the movements of the arms defined by the 3 Chi Rings and the use of a predominant high stance this is why our Yang style is categorized as a small frame form.