Fong on training

Sifu Fong has begun to write papers on various aspects of training. The eager student may refer to the concepts in these papers as an aid to learning. These papers are not intended to replace instruction from an able teacher. Of course, you should be in good health and consult your doctor before attempting any form of exercise. Please note that it may not be possible for Sifu Fong to provide a personal response to inquiries.

"Perfect equilibrium throughout the movements should ideally be maintained by perfect concentration, and although the movements should eventually become a matter of second nature, they are never to be performed absent-mindedly. In this way, t’ai chi chuan guarantees exercise for the mind as well for as the body."

2005

The Meaning of Relaxation October 10, 2005
"By contrast, the very heart of I-chuan training is the mental and physical activity of hard work. Consequently, any interpretation of the notion of relaxation that confuses it with inactivity is fundamentally misguided."

Push-Hands: the Purpose of Making Contact Sept. 25, 2005
"Pictures like that of a flag blowing in the wind, of a fish swimming in the waves, of cock fighting, of the body on fire, and so on were all meant to stimulate the student’s nervous system. They were not meant to be the foundation of new martial arts forms. The basic idea behind each picture is always the same: the student must learn how to 'do the real thing without the real thing.'"

Up/down training: the key to I-chuan’s “six powers” Sept. 12, 2005
"What I have said about sitting on a three-legged stool is true for all of I-chuan training. To train your mind and body always to be in the stage of just standing up from a collapsing chair, or of touching a hot stove, or of doing a 100 yard dash is the heart of standing, test of power, push-hands, and free sparring."

The Spirit of Investigation August 9, 2005
"Remember that the main reason for standing is to store energy in the body and then to transfer that energy to the hands and feet so that you can, in turn, transfer it to your opponent. If you don’t work (“gunn”), you won’t build energy. If you don’t let go (“sung”), you won’t be able to transfer that energy. But you cannot first do the one thing and then the other.."

2004

Combat Stance July 24, 2004
"... the purpose of combat stance is constantly to increase one’s mental and physical power."

Test of Power July 24, 2004
"The fundamental aim of test of power is to train the student how, while moving, to project power he has generated from his standing practice."

Walking July 24, 2004
"There is little chance that any formal technique...is ever going to be as natural as the informal "technique" of walking you have been practicing all your life."

Why Follow July 24, 2004
"Art of any sort demands more than just blind obedience and a good memory; it demands that one make the teaching one’s own.

2003

Eight Methods of I-Chuan Health Stance Mar. 8, 2003
"Don't make it happen and don't forget what you're doing"  — Wang Xiangzhai
"Do not learn to do the wrong thing perfectly" —Gregory Fong

2002

The Meaning of Training Nov. 2, 2002
"I would much rather a student learn how not to do something wrong than that he or she learn to do the wrong thing well. And because there is always further support that can be added to a person’s movement, training in this way is the task of a lifetime."

Zhan Zhuang from an I-Chuan Perspective Dec. 2, 2002
"For health, martial arts, and successful functioning in daily life, the skeleton must be positioned so that the weight of the body is carried to the floor through the feet. If the skeleton is out of alignment, the lower back and knees will bear an undue burden in supporting the weight of the body."

Some Basic Principles of I-Chuan Training: Part One "In I-Chuan, there are two kinds of standing meditation (zhanzhuang): the health stance and the fighting stance. Although distinct in both form and function, the two postures are inseparable. Health stance is the basic training in I-Chuan, and it is critical for learning the fighting stance. Without the energy and good health developed by serious work in the basic health stance, it is senseless to consider fighting. As Wang put it, "if one doesn't do well in basic training, in the end one will have to go back to lesson number one."