Thursday 26 August 2021

Hard Round Or Tender Oval


打拳壯筋骨
Training to strengthen fascias and bones.

寧練筋長一寸,不練肉厚三分
Rather train to lengthen the fascias by one inch than to thicken the flesh by one third.






Contracting the muscles has become such a common norm that we tend to think that it is the only way to move, generate strength... Even when the terms of isotonic, concentric and eccentric are used to oppose three states, maintaining the same length, shortening and extending, it is always in regards to contraction. Still, there is a world outside of contraction, where the muscles relax and extend to their fullest, tensing without contracting. Already mentioned in this blog (see Fascia Elasticity), the image of the bow is central to such understanding, using the body and more especially the fascias and the flesh elasticity is a question of structure.

Sunday 8 August 2021

Forever Young

 

拳怕少壯

The fist fears the young and vigorous1






少時練得一身勁,老來健壯少生病

A whole body strength trained when young, robust, healthy and rarely sick at an old age.


練出一身汗,小病不用看

Training to sweat all over the body, no need to worry about minor illnesses.


身體鍛鍊好、八十不服老

A body well trained, eighty but not acquiescing to old age.


二五更的功夫

Skills coming from an early sleep and an early wake2.





A part of old practices, which is almost lost nowadays, is the training of the organs and its deep transformation of one’s body. To stay fit, for old internal practices, was to upgrade one’s organs, the internal alchemy, which, amongst other things, led to slowing down the ageing process and keep one’s vitality at its best for a long time. 少壯, young and vigorous, stresses on such need.