Stretching the body with Qi




I really pity those of you who train with an instructor who does not teach anything about Qi!

The one big difference between Wenhsiuquan and Jeet Kune Do is that Qigong is expressly part of Wenhsiuquan's training regimen. 

Last week I have learnt a really cool training method from Wu Style Taijiquan. I must admit that the writer of the book actually gave a lot of complex information that I have still not digested, but one really cool technique did find its way from the pages into my morning work-out's warm-up.

It goes like this:

Standing in an upright posture (yoi for the karate people), feet flat on the ground, shoulders relaxed, and so forth (Taijiquan people know the drill...) you begin to stretch your neck upwards so that all the vertebrae have a space between one another. This is not done by straining, but rather in a relaxed posture and while breathing slowly.

 Just by doing that I have already felt a surge of Qi course through my veins. Not quite the same as flexing all my muscles and yelling until I am bathed in a halo of fire and my hair turns white, I suppose, but awesome nevertheless. Those of you who have just made your acquaintance with Qi may be happy enough with this, but I immediately went on to do something else:

The next technique was called, very simply, but still aptly, "Lengthening the limbs with the imagination".

Now- Wu Taijiquan's high stances and techniques are not something I would choose to practice, but hey, I love my high kicks! So- after learning this technique I immediately applied it to my splits! Instead of visualising the muscles softer and longer I actually imagined my legs growing longer! Now THAT really does wonders! In no time I ended up a lot more limber and kicking for the skies!

I am still not as flexible as Chloe Bruce, and really also do not want to be. Still- the increased flexibility I have gained is welcome. I really see no point in kicking beyond your own head's height (and in earlier years some fighters would not even bother going beyond their own waist-level) and I would therefore not spend too much time training to do so. If you, however, want to be the next Chloe Bruce (no- I do not mention Jean-Claude van Damme in my posts) then I hope this tip is of at least some help.

Enjoy your training!

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