Tag Archives: 5-Bows

The 5 Bows Part 3

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In The 5 Bows Part 2 I mentioned that the Single Whip is the technique where we first learn about the 5 Bows.

However, the 5 Bows is found in many of the rest of the 21 techniques as well. After you have practiced the 5 Bows in Single Whip many times and understand it, you should gradually learn to implement the 5 Bows in these other techniques as well.

In order to optimize the force generated you should learn to open up your body so that it emulates a highly strung bow.

A highly strung bow allows you to transfer the potential energy into the arrow i.e. the target, allowing you to either send your partner flying off quickly or receive your force into his body resulting in internal injury.

Which brings us to another topic related to the 5 Bows which is the 9 Crooked Pearls. I won’t touch on this for now.

The 5 Bows Part 2

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In Yang-22 the technique that introduces us to the topic of the 5 Bows is Single Whip.

In Single Whip specifically at the conclusion of the technique we learn how to stretch each of the 5 Bows out so that it is optimized for an arrow to load onto them and be instantly released.

Fajing in Yang-22 is not a strong push. Instead, it is like an arrow that penetrates its target so quickly that it barely moves the target back a step.

Is this something unique to Tai Chi? Honestly, I don’t think so. Anyone who understands force generation would know this. Anyone.

The first time I heard about this is from one of my Wing Chun teacher, the late Jim Fung. I forgot the occasion but I think it was probably during an open house.

He had already done a stunning fajing demo earlier using his 1-inch punch. Then as he was mingling with visitors and students he got to talking about the 1-inch power again and this time I got volunteered to try his 1-inch palm strike which he said was more powerful than his 1-inch punch.

I couldn’t agree more after taking a flying trip to the pillar behind me. Despite a phonebook on my chest to absorb the blow I could feel his palm print on my chest 5 minutes later.

That was probably when he said that if he were to really strike a person, that person wouldn’t go flying backwards. If anything, the person would just drop on the spot.

So this was the very first time I heard about how an injurious penetrating strike should be like. Many years later, I had another Wing Chun teacher from an old style who used a fist formation called Arrow Fist that when it struck me felt like a nail had hit me without moving me much.

So if you want to acquire penetrating force, pay attention to the practice of the 5 Bows and the other related topics.

The 5 Bows

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The 2/4 Dots, the 3 Passes, the 3 Chi Rings and the 5 Bows are all related topics in the learning of Yang-22.

They are integral to the storing and release of energy by converting kinetic energy to potential energy which is then released back as kinetic energy as part of the process of power generation.

In this sense, you can say that the entire 22-form is an exercise in how to use movement to manipulate energy and apply it for various purposes such as neutralizing and issuing force.