Hand Strums the Lute 手揮琵琶 applied

Hand Strums the Lute 手揮琵琶

Excerpt from: The Treatise on Tai Chi Chi Chuan
Attributed to Wang Tsung-yueh

"If the opponent raises up, I seem taller;
if he sinks down, then I seem lower;
advancing, he finds the distance seems incredibly long;
retreating, the distance seems exasperatingly short."

• This treatise is considered the most important document of all in The Tai Chi Classics. One caveat to keep in mind about the Classics is discretion in reading it:
• “…the classics are considered the holy writ of Tai Chi but they also hold some glaring errors…”  Master Stephen Hwa
• It provides practical explanations for the physics and mechanics of movements connecting the art to concepts of anatomy and physics.

This application is demonstrated by Master Stephen Hwa here: Hand Strums the Lute

This describes the dynamic internal energy for the application:
This "hand strums the lute" occurs in the Classical Tai Chi form a number of times (3) that precede and intersperse the repetitious movement “Parting Horses Mane”.

The internal discipline of the movement itself comes from the core with the arms being largely immobile.  The lifting of the opponent comes from what might be called a lifting movement of the core at the waist.  An analogy might be described as opening the lid of a trunk with all the energy at the hinge. The body "opens" from a low to a high position wherein the student is inclining slightly back. 

One sees this type of vertical core movement "opening" in the opening “preparation” movement, the first movement of the form albeit without inclining.

Master Hwa:  "In the Jou Tsung Hwa's gathering I picked a guy to come at me.  He came at me, I sat back and threw him. Everybody (laughter) and I picked a big guy, so he came at me. So you see, let me do it slowly like in the form. It is really this move that is before "parting". This is a movement to handle people who come over the top at you and you do this.

Student: (laughter) that was hard for me to either lower myself or fall over.

Master Hwa;  You notice when a bigger person comes at me, I do not raise my hands.  My hands are still down here, I just lean the body back. With my arms down here they are very strong, IF I RAISE THEM THEN I CANNOT 

 LIFT HIM.

Student: All I felt was the integrity of your form, I did not feel any pressure.

Master Hwa:  Right. When I did it at the Jou Tsung Hwa festival, a guy that I threw, said "you do it very smoothly".  You do not feel any kind of forced movement. Very natural, I think.  This is why we never lift our hand over our head in the form or otherwise. If someone comes over the top I do this.  This looks like the hand is over the head but it is not.

 Master Stephen Hwa, "It would help if you remembered that sometimes the appearance of reality is an illusion. My students in class often told me that they thought I was moving a certain way and tried to do the same. Later, they found out their observation was incorrect. That was why I incorporated different views in my video so you could see my moves from different angles to reduce the risk of a wrong impression. Using a fresh eye to review the lesson video could uncover any misinterpretation of my My students in class often told me that they thought I was moving a certain way and tried to do the same. Later, they found out their observation was incorrect. That was why I incorporated different views in my video so you could see my moves from different angles to reduce the risk of a wrong impression. Using a fresh eye to review the lesson video could uncover any misinterpretation of my movements.