Tai Chi Chiang – Spear
Yang Ching Fu Story
A martial artist was continually after Yang Ching Fu to accept a challenge. Yang Ching Fu avoided the man. The person finally went into Yang’s house and went through his belongings trying to find books or papers explaining the family martial arts secrets. Yang took him up on his challenge and they went into the courtyard with spears. When their spears touched, Yang shook his spear and the opponent was disarmed. Having no weapon, his challenge was over. Yang spared his life.
Relaxation for
proper alignment
Look outward to
raise the crown
Stretch the smile to the temples to
relax the face.
Relax the
shoulders, shoulder muscles flow outward
Sink the lung points just below the
clavicle
Lift the sternum
Sink the points on the border of the
rib cage
Sink the points on the sides below the
floating ribs.
Sink the points
in the inguinal folds
Align the knees over the kidney point
on the bottom of the foot..
The chest and torso feel light. The legs feel heavy. Sweat should break out over the third eye
point. The fingers should feel like
they’re being inflated. You should be
able to feel heat coming off the hands.
The legs should feel like they’re screwing into the floor.
Spear basics
The essence of the spear is parry-thrust. The spear is just a short, double edged knife
on a long shaft. Controlling the aspect
of the blade and thrusting with the tip are essential. It
is the king of weapons because of its reach. However, you must fight in a large
space.
Modern wushu has lost the spirit
of Chinese martial arts. It prefers
pretty moves over combat effectiveness.
Just as you can hit a person with a handgun, that’s not its primary function. If you don’t know the handgun’s combat
application, to shoot someone, then you end up just waving it around. Same is true of the
spear. The spear was an ancient cavalry
weapon for fighting in battle. Men who
fought on horseback stood in the stirrups and transferred the spear to fighting
position while closing with the enemy at high speed.
The enemy was only vulnerable at the
joints in the armor. That is to say, the
eye holes, the throat, the shoulders, the inguinal crease, the knees and the
ankles. A person in full body armor
cannot be effectively slashed. To thrust
to the torso is also pointless, since the bulk of the armor is located there.
The only
effective attack is to thrust to a chink in the armor.
Modern wushu
focuses on pretty forms that don’t take into account the purpose and use of the
weapon. Old style training focused on
two person application training that taught one how to fight to the death using
the weapon to its best advantage. No one
today is going to carry a spear into combat, so the best one can hope for is to
use it as an amplifier to develop internal skills.
Holding the Spear
To hold the spear correctly, remember
what it is used for: thrusting. That
being the case, you must provide a solid platform to support the thrust against
resistance. Grip the spear with the
right hand so that the base of the spear aligns with the ring finger of the
right hand when laying in the palm. This allows the heel of the hand to cup the
base of the spear so that it doesn’t slide backward when it meets
resistance.
Drop the left elbow and supinate the left wrist so that the spear lays in the left palm.
Extend the left index finger to allow it to steer the blade of the
spear.
The right hand controls the attitude of the
spearhead. Use it to control the
slashing attack of the blade. At a distance, use it to slash or thrust. When
crowded, use the spear like a staff to parry, club and regain fighting distance.
Thrust to full arms length in a bow and arrow. Use the right hand to control
the attack.
Spear demo
Find a
comfortable way to hold the spear. Blade can be horizontal or vertical, you just have to know what orientation it is and
mark your spear shaft so that you can identify your favored position by the
feel of the grip. Sifu favors vertical blade, but
horizontal blade is useful too. Sifu sliced up a
cardboard box with a dull spear to show that with knowledge of blade attitude
and powerful slice, even a dull blade is dangerous. If you hit with the wrong
attitude, you gouge the box and bend the blade.
Tai Chi
Principle
The thrusting spear can be thought of as moving through space in a spiral, much like a bullet shot from a rifled barrel. Think of the Tai Chi Tu. Anything meeting that spiral in a linear motion will be expelled on a tangent to the spiral.
You don’t need a spear to experience
this. Have someone throw a straight
punch at you and meet it with a spiraling fist or palm. The spiral continues unimpeded, but the
linear strike is deflected. The smaller the circle, the
better, since you won’t have time for large movements in a battle situation.
The
spear is a method of teaching sensitivity. Spears should not rub, but adhere. Sifu demonstrated how, when holding the spear against
someone standing, that the most power can be delivered with the fist heart down
and the spear parallel to the floor. If the person sinks to a seated lotus
stance and the spear simply follows, it will rotate the hands so that the fist
heart is out, and the attitude of the spear changes to 45 degrees. In this
position, the whole body can be recruited to deliver power to the tip of the
spear. This "following" ability is what is being practiced in the
spear forms.
Vertical Circles (Parry,Thrust
)
Stand in a flat footed empty stance
holding the right hand a the right hip and the left
hand, elbow down, in front of you. In
this position, the shaft of the spear will fall somewhere along the 30-45
degree line.
To parry, imagine a partner thrusting
to your center. Intercept his/her spear
along the shaft and deflect it by spiraling your spear
tip. This is done by pronation
of the left wrist, turning the left hand over from palm up to palm down and supination of the right wrist, rotating the right hand from
palm down to palm up. Sink into your
posture, a left L stance,
as you do this.
To thrust, shift forward to a bow and
arrow stance and thrust by bringing the right elbow in along the body and
extending the right arm forward. The
elbow of the right arm should be in your center line when the thrust is
complete. Similarly, the left hand supinates as you drop your elbow. Both hands support the spear with elbows
dropped in the center of the body. Both
palms face up!.
As you can imagine, the spear tip
scribes a spiral while it travels forward, impelled by the external rotation of
the right radius.
The
power hand is held at the waist to deflect the spear thrust to the midsection
horizontally. Rotating the spear will move the attack to the side and open the
opponent to your return thrust. Again thrust to a full bow and arrow while
gripping the extreme tail of the spear.
When performing vertical circles, deflect the spear point early
and with authority.
You may not have to retreat to an empty, but just maintain your "L"
stance and thrust. - a parry has very little motion.
With a spear, the angle of the blade is controlled by the right hand and the
shaft is controlled by the left.
Make a
small circle with the wrist of the left hand. Practice with the same person
thrusting until the parry is mastered. Then both people practice and coordinate
their "L" stances. Start in "L", A
thrusts to bow, B starts parry with empty and finishes with "L", A
lets parry shift the bow to an "L".
Go
directly from parry into thrust on the Upper Horizontal Circles and Vertical
circles. Don't break it down into so many moves. Practice 300 times a day on boths sides until this motion is smooth and natural.
Lower Horizontal
Circles (Fixed Step)
Partners
face each other in ready position. One partner thrusts to the ankle of the other to a bow and arrow
stance. The other partner blocks and guides the spear past the ankle to
a rooster stance. When following the opponents
spear, the top and bottom hands should be in vertical alignment and guiding the
spear point away. The spear should be vertical when deflecting the ankle
thrust. This is done by extending the arms and bending the upper torso while in
a rooster stance. The shaft of the spear should be no more than an inch above
your head.
The
spear is held vertical when adhering to the partners thrust, allowing you to
catch and redirect the force away from the ankle. When thrusting, threaten the opponents ankle and thrust to a fully extended bow and
arrow, with both hands gripping the spear at the very tail to maximize the
reach.
When
using this guard, you might be tempted to just push the opponents spear away
instead of carrying it out of the way. If you do, you open attacks to your
fingers and thumbs if the opponent follows vertically. Sifu
showed this on Pete and attacked along the spear with his blade showing how to
attack the grip.
Lower Horizontal
Circles (Moving Step)
As in the
fixed step drill, one partner thrusts to the ankle of the other. Guide the spear past the ankle to a rooster
stance and then step out to a high lotus stance. Square off your stance by stepping the rear
foot to align for a bow and arrow stance and then return the thrust. The key point is to square up your stance to
a good bow and arrow when thrusting.
Your partner then deflects your thrust to his own rooster stance, steps out
to the high lotus, shifts to a bow and arrow and thrusts. Continue and walk the circle.
Upper Horizontal
Circles
Partners
face each other in ready position. One partner thrusts to the face of the other into a bow and arrow
stance. The partner receiving the
thrust fades to an empty and parries, but holds the power hand at the axilla and then returns the thrurt
from this position. After deflecting the thrust to the head, the arms do not
drop below shoulder height, but return the thrust. The power hand lifts the
tail above the head to deflect the high thrust vertically. Rotate the spear in
a clockwise arc to parry and clear the spearpoint
over the head. Return the thrust into a
bow stance.
Tai Chi Chiang San Shou – Spear Combat Form
|
North |
South |
|
Thrust to Abdomen |
Vertical Circle |
|
Thrust to Head |
Upper |
|
Thrust to Ankle |
Block |
|
Thrust to Abdomen |
Vertical Circle |
|
Thrust to Head |
Upper |
|
Thrust to Abdomem
|
Vertical Circle |
North - Thrust to Gut, re-parry, Thrust to Head, leap diagonally, Thrust to Ankle,
leap center, Thrust to Head, re-parry, Thrust to Gut
South
- leap back, Vertical Circle, leap back,
Spear
Continuous form is like sine wave - Gut, Head, Foot, Head, Gut.
The
form trains sensitivity. Remember to take the spear to where the opponent is
not. We practice with a very formalized sequence. We
should strive to shorten the parry and attack as soon as the void is created.
This occurs about half way through the re-parry. Instead of carrying the spear
to its full range of motion and then setting up again for the thrust, the
advanced practitioner will deflect the opponents spear and go straight in.
Chen Spear
Two person exercise, parry thrust
This is the same as the
The ripping sound is caused by the Fa Jing shake executed by the
practitioner. Assuming a right handed
posture with the butt of the spear gripped in the right hand, the tan tien is shifted to the right to propel the spear tip.
Thrust to an opening in the opponent’s
armor. The movement is propelled by a Fa Jing shake in the opposite
direction, transitioning from the L stance to the Horse stance. That is, the tan tien
shifts to the left as the hips twist from oblique to the form line to
perpendicular to the form lin.
Fa Jing is rapid relaxation.
Relax top down into the feet.
Remember the points from the standing practice as your guide.
Horizontal Shaking
·
Static
Stand in a horse stance, holding the
spear in the on-guard position, right hand at right hip and left hand with spear
resting in the palm. Shake with tan tien to right or left.
This static posture is not used for fighting,
it is used to train the tan tien to shake.
·
From the thrust
A. Pull the spear back to the ready
position by rapidly turning form the bow and arrow to the L stance. The left hand stops at shoulder height and
the right hand is pulled to
waist. Adjust to the flat
footed empty stance and ready position.
B. Pull the spear across the chest as
you twist back from a bow and arrow stance to a horse stance. Hands are kept at shoulder height. Elbows must be dropped. Twist with the waist and pull the spear back
with the right hand. Anchor it at
shoulder height by stopping it with the left hand. Shift back to the flat footed empty stance
and ready position.
Lower Horizontal Shake
Begin with both partners in the ready
position. Thrust to your partners midsection, turning to a bow and arrow stance. The partner parries and returns the
thrust. Withdraw the spear, with the
right elbow brushing along the body and pulling back past the right hip. Whip the spear with fa
jing by turning the hip from facing forward to facing
obliquely right, shifting from the bow and arrow stance to the L stance. The left hand stops the spear at the on-guard
position, left palm up. Return the right
hand to the waist as you shift back to the ready position. Repeat.
Look at your alignment. The front toe, the spear tip, the lead index
finger and the nose are all in the same plane.
Upper Horizontal Shake
Begin with both partners in the ready
position. Thrust to your partners midsection, turning to a bow and arrow stance. The partner parries and returns the
thrust. Turn to the Horse Stance while
pulling the spear backward along the body.
Again, the right elbow brushes the body.
Pull the right hand past the right shoulder and pull the right hip
backward in a Fa Jing
shake. End in a horse stance with the
spear parallel to the floor at shoulder height.
Turn to the ready position, returning the right hand to the hip.
Lift up, Slash down
Starting in a flat footed right empty
stance in the guard position,
thrust to a bow and arrow stance. Drop the tip of the spear without letting it
touch the floor. Uppercut
with the spear by sinking into a right empty stance and dropping the tan tien. Let the
spear slide in the left palm and then roll it over to stop the spear’s upward
progress.
Use this to move the opponent’s spear
upward from below and then use the slash down to strike the fingers.
Slash Down
Starting from the lifted spear, slide
the left hand up along the spear shaft.
Step out to a left bow and arrow and shake the spear downward. Relax your shoulders and drive the rotation
from the tan tien.
When the spear is in the on-guard position, stop its momentum with the
left hand. Use this move to smash the
opponent’s fingers after shaking away his spear.
Parry, Diagonal Slash
Partners
face each other in ready position. One partner thrusts to the bow and arrow stance, the other parries. Instead of returning the thrust, slash
diagonally upwards following the spear to attack the fingers. The attacker blocks and lifts the spear,
opening the fingers of the left hand. The spear passes over the fingers. Parry and thrust to continue the drill.
Snap Spear
Starting in ready position, partner A thrusts
to the opponent’s head. Using the
Throw Spear
Start in ready position.
Thrust at your partner to standing position. Your partner parries and returns the
thrust. Reverse the grip on the spear
with the rear hand. Step back to a
seated lotus posture, taking the spear over your head in a reverse parry. After the parry, it rests across the back
with the opponent’s spear laying outside your own
spear. Your rear hand cups the butt of
the spear. Throw the spear at your
partner by pushing your rear hand to the center of your back. Catch the spear in the left hand.
Your partner adheres to your spear through the reverse parry. When you throw the spear, he guides it past
his left side by dropping the spear point into block position. He continues to circle the spear in a large
clockwise circle and attacks with an overhead slash to standing position. You
must adhere to his spear throughout this motion to effectively parry the
slash. After your parry, continue with a
thrust.
Your partner now reverses the grip with his rear hand and
executes the reverse parry, throw spear combination. Continue the drill with
partners alternating the throw spear form.
Finish in ready position.
Spear rotation
exercise to build tan tien awareness.
Stand in the horse stance. Drop the left elbow and let spear rest in
left palm with the elbow down. Grasp the
spear butt in the right hand. Keeping the
left hand stationary, rotate the butt in clockwise circles around the tan tien in large circles.
Do the same
with counterclockwise circles.
Wrapping
Helper thrusts,
the practitioner uses the clockwise arc to clear the attack and then attack the
fingers of the helper. In this practice,
the closer you can get to having the spear
perpendicular to the helper’s body, the better.
Helper thrusts,
the practitioner uses the counterclockwise arc to clear the attack and then
attack the fingers of the helper. In
this practice, the closer you can get to having the
spear perpendicular to the helper’s body, the better.
Game.
Stand far enough apart that spears don’t
touch. The helper attacks. As soon as the spears touch, the practitioner
uses one of the moves we’ve worked on to move the spear out of the way and then
thrusts.
Second
practice, the helper gets two moves.
Chen Style uses 6 spear alleys and 2 cuts. Alleys 1,3,5 use parry counters. Alleys 2, 4, 6 use block counter.