Techniques and methods of stance

1. About zhanzhuang.

There are three types of stances: sitting, lying and standing, with standing being the main one. To use your whole body's strength, your spine is the key. The proverb of boxing is that it starts from the feet, moves to the spine, and takes shape in the hands. It looks like the hand is hitting someone, but the actual force should come from the spine. When you can generate force from your spine, you are on a higher level. It can be said that if you know how to use your spine, ordinary practitioners will probably be no match for you. In terms of martial arts, it is considered a threshold. The hand is like the tip of a branch of a big tree. How strong can the hand be? Including the arms, the strength is not that great. The spine is the trunk of a big tree. It can be difficult to find the use of spinal strength while sitting, especially for beginners. Regarding the adjustment of the spine in the stance, I have already mentioned it before and will not repeat it again.

When standing in a stance, don’t exert any effort on your back heel, and your body’s weight should be on the ball of your forefoot behind your toes. The heels are weak. It seems to be stepping on the ground but not the ground. My feet feel numb while standing. Some parts of your body feel uncomfortable, which may be related to your standing posture. It should be comfortable. If the strength drops too much, it will become uncomfortable over time. A boxing proverb goes like this: when you hold your head upright with an empty collar, your energy sinks into your Dantian. The top of your head is like an acrobat holding a bowl of water. If you don't hold it upright, the water will be poured out. In this way, your head will be centered. When your head is centered, there will seem to be something gently pulling upwards. , Xuxu leads, and the breath sinks to the Dantian, so that the internal organs feel comfortable. When standing, my whole body feels a little ecstatic. When standing, if any part of your body feels uncomfortable, adjust it to a comfortable level. Soreness, swelling and numbness are considered normal, but it should not be excessive, especially at the beginning, as it may indicate that there is something wrong with your posture.

Just start standing idle, don’t think about it so much. Only fools can use their skills. It will be effective if you stand so gracefully that you can then consider issues such as your spine. After only a few months in Zhanzhuang, there is nothing else to talk about.

It is better to have a quiet environment. Especially on the top of the mountain, it feels so beautiful. The horizons are broadened and the mind is also broadened. But urbanites don’t always have such conditions. It feels good to be on the balcony of a high-rise building at night. The surrounding field of vision is wide, the night is quiet, the spirit is not relaxed, and the feeling of harmony and unity between heaven and earth is easy to understand. Let me say it again, harmony between heaven and spirit, amplification of spirit, is a very important feeling in boxing. In practicing strength, one can gain self-reliance without practicing it, become comfortable without practicing qi, and grow without practicing energy. This is all in it.

2. Regarding people who have never practiced boxing. My suggestion is to take a boxing class or a Chinese wrestling class. Some hitting movements must be guided by a coach. If you practice them for several months, the effect will be poor if you just figure them out on your own. Since it’s just for self-defense, don’t go to a martial arts training class. Of course Sanda training classes are also available. Only after you actually fight a few times will you understand what a real fight is like. Just sitting at home and thinking about it won't do. I personally prefer boxing and Chinese wrestling, not Sanda. Maybe it's my bias. In addition, practice Zhanzhuang according to the instructions I introduced. How to simply practice speed and strength? There is a set of teaching methods in boxing that I don't agree with. As a student, you just need to know and deal with the coach, and you don't have to practice seriously. Once you have reached a certain level of stance, you will slowly understand what speed and power are.

When you reach a certain level of zhanzhuang, your body's ability to withstand blows is very strong. This is a by-product of zhanzhuang. You don't need to pursue it, it comes naturally. If you stand to a certain extent and feel energetic, don't pay attention to it. Let it be. Sometimes the Qi is arched upward from both sides of the spine. Some people have a greater reaction, while others have a milder reaction. When I was practicing in the early years, a senior brother stood there, swaying his upper body back and forth, saying that he was angry, which made us laugh.

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The most basic requirement for zhanzhuang is to maintain a certain posture and persist in the exercise method for a period of time , and, based on this concept, through inheritance and summary from generation to generation, various schools and methods have been developed based on different groups of people, different exercise purposes and effects.

The first requirement for zhanzhuang is the posture requirements, and these posture requirements, even from the perspective of modern science, are in line with the natural laws of the human body and are conducive to the movement of human qi and blood. We can't help but feel great respect for our ancestors.

We know that the human body needs rest and replenishment after mental and physical work in order to continue. And the best rest is sleep. Sleep is a behavior forced by nature to prevent humans from being tired and wasting their body energy until they die of exhaustion.

When human beings pay attention to their own health, they will turn passive sleep into active rest. The reason why sleep can restore the human body's fatigue to the maximum extent is that it is the result of relaxing the human body and mind as much as possible, because the relaxation of the body and mind , giving up the interference of Qi and blood movement, and allowing Qi and blood movement to converge on its own track to converge energy waste and repair the strained body. If our daily rest cannot fully replenish and repair the day's wear and tear, then the body will "work with injuries." When you endure and recover yourself, the disease breaks out. From this simple truth, we can see that for people who don’t know how to exercise to repair strain, sleep is the best way to maintain health. As long as you get enough sleep, you can avoid many diseases. If people can take the initiative to consume as little physical energy as possible and cause as little strain as possible when working, then our chances of getting sick will be greatly reduced. If people can imitate or even exceed the relaxed state of sleep more often, then the chances of recovering physical fitness and repairing strains will be greatly improved, and our chances of getting sick will be further reduced. Furthermore, if we can understand the laws and characteristics of Qi and blood movement, and use certain methods to maintain good Qi and blood movement and avoid strain, then our wish to live a healthy life will not be unattainable.

The above principle is to illustrate the general principle of exercise, which is relaxation, tranquility and nature.

Only when you are relaxed and calm can the possibility of fatigue and seven injuries be reduced to a minimum. Only when it is natural, that is, when Qi and blood circulate according to its own laws, can the body be guaranteed not to be harmed. Relaxation, tranquility and nature have become the general principles of traditional fitness exercises. Although this general principle may be partially and temporarily modified for specific purposes and in order to exert specific functions of the human body, the final general principle will not change. Relaxation means to relax as much as possible while maintaining the correct posture. Quietness means trying to keep your consciousness as quiet or focused as possible during the stance process. Of course, it is also best to keep the environment quiet so as not to affect your concentration and tranquility. Naturalness means that during the exercise, you should strictly follow the requirements of the exercises. The more natural the better, and do not artificially impose strength or thoughts to help breathing and the movement of qi and blood in the body.

As mentioned earlier, posture and health were mentioned earlier. In the process of historical inheritance, people have summarized a set of simple and effective formulas to facilitate mastering and memorization, such as hanging the head in the air, hanging the eyes with the curtains, the tongue on the roof of the mouth, Smile on the face, hold the chest and straighten the back, sink the shoulders and elbows, open the arms and legs, relax the fingers and relax the wrists, center the tail, wide the chest and strengthen the abdomen, smooth the hips and hips, etc. We still follow the traditional teaching methods and use these familiar formulas and sayings to explain the detailed requirements for the whole body posture of Zhanzhuang.

Head and neck: The top of the head is suspended in a void, the virtual spirit holds the strength, etc., which are very vivid formulas. That is to say, the Baihui point on the head seems to have a virtual rope to gently hang the head in the air. , the rotation is light and does not put additional pressure on the cervical spine. In this way, the cervical spine naturally maintains the best natural curvature. We know that the nerves inside the spine are extremely rich. The central nervous system of the human body uses these nerves to provide command feedback to the trunk. The top of the head is suspended, because the best and most natural curvature of the cervical spine is maintained, so that the spinal cavity is not deformed by external pressure. to affect nerves and maintain spinal cord flux. Bad posture habits in the neck can cause related conditions such as nerve compression and brain malnutrition, which can cause serious harm to the human body. If we experience it carefully, we will find that we are usually accustomed to tilting our heads back slightly and tilting our jaw forward. This posture causes the cervical spine to bend backwards excessively. Long-term bad habits will cause the neck muscles to have poor blood supply, stiffness and distortion, which will in turn cause oppression. The blood vessels and meridians in the neck cause insufficient nutrient supply to the head. When you move your cervical spine a little, you feel soreness and discomfort in your neck. This is because of long-term poor posture, causing blood supply obstruction or neck muscle strain. Some people also feel a rattling sound in their neck when they turn their neck. This is a sign that the tendons and vertebrae are already somewhat stiff. Some teachers say that slightly retracting the jaw is actually to achieve this requirement. Some teachers said that slightly leaning the neck against the collar of the clothes also guides us to do a good job of supporting the imaginary spirit. Face: Smiling is the most relaxed and natural expression of human facial muscles. Smiling can also bring good feelings to others, which can also feed back good field energy information to you. Smiling can make you feel happy and maintain a good attitude.

Eye: When exercising, it is generally advisable to first retract the eyes (that is, the eyes go from far away to gradually approaching and then withdraw into the skull), and then the eyes are drooped, that is to say, the eyelids are like curtains. Slump down naturally without any thoughts of tightening your mind. Maintaining this natural state of drooping the curtains is in line with the smooth flow of local qi and blood. At the same time, because the eyes are drooped, the eyes are not distracted, so it is not easy to be tempted by the outside world and keep the mind introverted. As the saying goes, closing your eyes to rest your mind is actually what Chinese medicine says: the liver opens up the eyes and closes the eyes to keep the spirit alive. Some exercise methods also require you to open your eyes for exercise due to special reasons, or to avoid the complex scenes brought about by closing your eyes to achieve peace of mind. However, even so, they also require you not to look around and your thoughts are distracted. They also require you to close your eyes and calm down over and over again. god. Only in exercises with special effects, the eyes are required to be retracted and directed.

Tongue: It is often said that the tongue touches the roof of the mouth, but beginners often end up with tongue tension because they are not used to it. Therefore, we recommend that in the initial stage of stance, there is no need to deliberately press the tongue against the roof of the mouth, as long as you relax naturally. When exercise reaches a certain level, due to the circulation of qi and blood in the body, the tongue may automatically press against the roof of the mouth at a certain point. Even if this kind of power does not occur, it is not too late to press the tongue against the roof of the mouth with a little thought when the body fluids under the tongue are gushing out and the body is swallowing. By that time, you will have mastered the key to relaxation well, without causing tension by taking care of the top of your tongue and the roof of your mouth.

Shoulders: Generally speaking, the traditional saying is to sink the shoulders, which actually means to relax the shoulders. Relaxation of the shoulders has a characteristic, which is the feeling of elongation. That is to say, the elbow is pulled outward or downward. At this time, a concavity will appear at the junction of the shoulder and arm bones at the acromion, which feels like the shoulder and arm are lengthened. Therefore, tradition often puts "sunken shoulders and dropped elbows" together.

The terms armpit: open armpit, empty armpit, open armpit, etc., actually require the armpit to be pinched tightly, and to relax the armpit, as if it feels empty enough to hold down a small balloon. In fact, once you have finished lowering your shoulders and elbows, you can feel the feeling of weak armpits. Opening the armpits not only facilitates the circulation of Qi and blood in the shoulders and arms, but also reduces the natural pressure of the shoulders on the lungs, thereby making the lungs work more naturally and freely.

Elbows: As mentioned when talking about shoulders and armpits, dropped elbows means that at any time, no matter what posture or position you are in, you must have the intention or tendency to abduct and drop to lengthen your shoulders. Special tendons of the arm.

Wrists: Straight and relaxed. In special exercise methods, there is a requirement to raise the wrist and step on the wrist, that is, when the fingers are raised, the little finger side of the wrist crease, that is, the end of the ulna, has a forward thought or tendency.

Fingers: Just stretch and straighten the five fingers naturally, do not use force to straighten them.

Chest and back: hold the chest and pull out the back. How do you feel about it? Imagine you are hugging a tree that is thicker than a human hug, and try to make your arms and fingers as long as possible to wrap your arms around it and make it feel like your hands are touching. Some people describe it as holding a child in a bus with many people, and the arms around you have to protect the child and resist the feeling of others squeezing the child. Furthermore, if bending over is the tendency of the chest and back to close forward, just like the tendency of the shoulders and hips to close, then holding the chest and pulling the back is like the tendency of the left shoulder and right shoulder to close together, and the left hip and right hip to close together, which is the longitudinal bending of the body. trend. Of course, the trend mentioned here is just a little bit of intention and tendency, rather than trying hard to achieve that effect. Because you can use force, but it goes against the general principle of relaxation, tranquility and nature. It should be noted that the above mentioned things are all to let readers understand what it means to hold the breast, rather than to ask everyone to do it with force. You must remember that at any time, the only requirement for your breasts is to be loose. Holding the breasts in place also helps the breasts to relax better. Waist: Usually when we stand upright, the area around the waist Mingmen is bent forward. When standing, we need to slightly intentionally protrude the Mingmen backward. To achieve this while maintaining the aforementioned body posture requirements, we need to Bend your knees slightly to match.

Abdomen: When the above-mentioned essentials are done, you only need to relax the lower abdomen, and it will naturally meet the requirements. Relax, relax, and relax again. Just like that, your lower abdomen will gradually feel full and your chest will gradually feel empty. This is what we used to call a wide chest and a solid abdomen.

Crotch: The crotch should have a tendency or intention to be rounded.

Knees: As mentioned before, in order to make the slight kyphosis of Mingmen, the knees need to be bent to cooperate. Generally speaking, the degree of bending the knees should not exceed the toes.

Feet: Keep your feet on the ground and don’t use force. The general pile method emphasizes that the feet are parallel and forward, but some special pile methods have different angles.

The center of the body falls on the feet. According to different pile method requirements, the landing point is not consistent, but most of them are required to be in the Yongquan area, which is about 1/3 of the front of the foot.

Toe: falls naturally to the ground. Some special pile methods require forceful scraping of the ground, and they need to be implemented according to the specific pile method.

Legs, because the knees are bent, the entire weight of the human body is usually borne by the straight knees, and the strength is mostly borne by the alignment of the bones. However, after the knees are bent, the muscles and bones involved in bearing the weight are different, and initially you will feel more upright. More exertion or fatigue. At this time, the requirements for the legs are to be tight and loose. On the premise of maintaining the posture and gradually exercising the leg tolerance, relax as much as possible, relax, and relax again.

We briefly introduced the posture requirements of each part of the body earlier. Careful readers may notice that the hips are not explained. This is because the requirements on the crotch are difficult to experience, and therefore paying too much attention to the crotch during the operation will cause tension. Therefore, the specific requirements on the crotch will be introduced when we introduce the specific pile method, and will be explained separately when needed. .

Breathing generally requires natural breathing and attention to breathing, but no artificial strengthening or changing of the breathing state, unless there are special breathing exercise methods in special functional exercise methods.

Spirit, traditional exercise requires, without exception, a quiet mind, relaxed emotions, focused thoughts, and a detached and peaceful state of mind. Do not perform standing exercises when your mood changes drastically.

The height of the stand. The effects of the exercise will be different if the height of the stance is different, the force is different, and the intensity of the exercise is different. Generally speaking, if you stand low, you will have to exert effort, your breath will be thick, and you will have less practice (the degree of tranquility), and your reaction will be quick. If you stand high, you will use less effort, and you will be able to relax easily and fall into tranquility. Your breath will be thin, plus breathing and intention. And depending on the exercises, the exercise effects and functions are also different.

So, regardless of the special training methods and purposes, we perform Zhanzhuang exercises. Just from the height of the Zhanzhuang, what height should we choose, or in other words, what height can give the best performance? As for the fastest effect, if you stand too low and overload, you may not be able to achieve the best exercise effect. If you stand too high, you worry that the fitness effect will be too slow. This is especially true for young and strong people who have not yet accepted or accepted it in their life experience and mentality. When you like a quiet exercise method, how do you find the starting point for a good stance height? In fact, predecessors have done a lot of exploration, and each sect has its own inheritance and habits, such as Tai Chi. In the past cold weapon era, practicing Tai Chi also required real swordsmanship and fighting in the world. Exercise was indispensable, but when it comes to health preservation In this era, it seems that elevated postures have become the mainstream, and the Tai Chi martial arts that follow are becoming more and more mysterious. Although each sect has some special experiences and insights that are kept secret in order to survive during the inheritance process, with the progress of the times, the concept of survival of traditional sects has gradually faded, and traditional training methods are gradually being replaced. With disclosure and integration, some secrets should not become secrets. However, so far, Zhibang has not seen any introduction on the height of the stance method in any newspaper, magazine or website. In other words, on this point, is disclosed for the first time. Readers may ask, what is so mysterious? In fact, some of the tips and tricks of traditional exercise are not that great once you have tried every possible means to find them. In fact, there are many secret tips. Even if you say them publicly, if you don’t know their purpose or function, you will think that they are Ignore this very common sentence. As for the optimal height of the stance, it also corresponds to the traditional saying, pretend to pass thousands of books, but really pass a piece of paper. Although it is too simple, the timing is indeed very effective. If I tell you plainly when introducing Zhan Zhuang, I am afraid you will not pay attention and accept it. Therefore, I have said a lot, just to have a profound impact on you.

The best height for standing, in one word: the height for jumping!

The so-called true teaching does not mean that you can completely understand the truth after hearing one sentence. On the basis of one sentence, there is considerable explanation work. Although compared to the training scene, it is easier to understand that the take-off height is the optimal stance height, but it still needs a brief explanation: You can do an experiment, take off on the spot and touch the height, everyone has done it.

That's right. When you take off from the same spot and touch the height, you will squat down, and then jump up as hard as you can. At this time, have you paid attention to the height of your squat? This height is the most suitable for your current physical strength and the height that best unleashes your potential. In other words, as a standing exercise, this height is your best entry height! By the same token, what is the optimal width of your feet? I think you readers have guessed the answer. Yes, when you touch the height and take off, the width you naturally use is. But theoretically speaking, it is shoulder width, the optimal width to support the human body.

The time, place and position of the stance

The theory of traditional Chinese medicine shows that the human body's qi and blood circulate. At different times, the qi and blood of different meridians are different, so in a strict sense In other words, any kind of exercise, different seasons, times, directions, etc., should have relative stance time and direction. But this is only theoretical, because humans have evolved to this level, and their sensitivity to various time and space influences in nature has been reduced to the most convenient level for self-protection. Just imagine if humans are strongly sensitive to very subtle changes in nature. Unable to adapt to the living environment of this planet. Therefore, when we perform Zhanzhuang exercises, especially in the early stages, the impact of the time, place and position of Zhanzhuang on the human body can be ignored. However, when the natural space-time environment undergoes drastic changes, the human body can easily feel its impact. Therefore, when we perform standing exercises, we should also make corresponding adjustments. When practicing outdoors, you should pay attention to fresh air, but you should avoid places with strong winds. If there are trees, flowers, grass, streams, and lakes, it is more suitable. If you practice indoors in winter, you should try to keep the air fresh. For example, sudden changes in temperature, wind, rain, thunder and lightning, rain, snow, fog, etc. are too outdated, and we should avoid exercising during times of such drastic changes. In terms of time, you should avoid doing Zhanzhuang exercises when you are mentally tired, physically tired, overly hungry or full, etc. At the same time, it should also be noted that standing exercises should be performed about half an hour after meals, and do not drink water immediately after standing, especially cold water. Complete defecation and defecation before practicing, and the belt should not be tight.

The duration of each exercise

The Sutra says: "When a person exhales, his pulse moves three cun, when he inhales, his pulse moves three cun. When he breathes steadily, his pulse moves six cun. One day "One night, every thirteen thousand five hundred breaths, the pulse travels fifty degrees, all around the body." That is to say, the human body's qi and blood must circulate through the human body 50 times throughout the day and night. According to a 24-hour day, the qi and blood will completely circulate through the human body for one week. That's about 0.48 hours, about 28.8 minutes. When we exercise, it is generally best to complete a complete cycle of Qi and blood. That is to say, each exercise should complete at least one Qi and blood cycle, which is 28.8 minutes. In addition to preparation and adjustment to enter the state, the general exercise requirement should not be less than 30 minutes. Minutes, that’s the truth. Once you gain experience with exercise and feel the subtle changes in your body, you will be able to appreciate the impact of this time period on the human body. For example, we mentioned in the meditation talk that after sitting quietly for about half an hour, there will be a very special feeling period, because this is the time when the special qi and blood yin and yang change when entering the practice state, which is usually manifested as a short-term alternation of qi and blood. If it is not smooth and the mind is not nourished, it will cause irritability. We have repeatedly emphasized the time required to exercise each time. Readers should understand the reason. Therefore, everyone should pay special attention to the time of exercise. Time is also called Kung Fu in Chinese vernacular. Only by using Kung Fu can you develop "Kung Fu".

Readers often have many questions about the height of the stance. Generally, the most frequently asked question is the difference in exercise intensity and effect between high stance and low stance. Some people say, I am not strong enough, will it be effective if I raise the stake frame higher? Will the effect be reduced? etc. Generally speaking, as long as you are in good health and can insist on standing at a relatively low stance, you should do low stance exercises first. We will discuss the relevant theories in the chapters related to the level of exercise. Here we only give a brief explanation: Low Zhuang, according to the past saying, starts to exercise the thicker and shallower parts of the human body's Qi and blood. This will lay the foundation for future in-depth training. Good foundation. At the same time, because the emphasis is on postures and the requirements for lightness and lightness of breathing and thoughts, the energy mobilized by the human body is relatively "rough". In this way, don't think that this roughness means that the level is low, but if you practice deep and detailed methods that focus on thoughts from the beginning. , not everyone can correctly grasp the internal movement, or in other words, without a "coarse and shallow" foundation, most people cannot grasp the deep and detailed internal movements well.

Another reason is that the movement of qi and blood caused by low piles has a greater corrective effect on the superficial levels of the body. It hardly gives you the opportunity to be interfered by human thoughts, and it operates on its own like a destructive force. In other words, the exercise of the body The effect is more direct, faster, more natural and easier to experience. Because its exercise level is closer to the "quality" level, it has the greatest effect on physical exercise. Especially for people who aim to exercise, they will use easier exercise methods that focus on mindfulness and relaxation at the beginning. Once they are not grasped well, , haste often leads to waste, and when the interior scene is complex, which way to grasp it will have certain side effects on the body. Having said that, high pile exercise is also a very good exercise method, but you need to grasp the key points when exercising. If someone is in poor health and is not accustomed to low piles, the pile frame can be raised appropriately. To what extent can it be raised? We still use time to limit it. For example, some people say that I want to start with high piles and gradually reduce and increase the amount of exercise. Then you can choose a height that you can stand for more than half an hour if you work very hard. Remember, it is not achieved easily, but with great effort. height. When you can maintain this height for a certain period of time and your body can relax after adapting to this height, increase the amount of exercise and lower the stand. Why do you need to practice low piles after practicing high piles? Doesn't the high pile training make you deeper and more detailed? The reason lies in the word "transparent". Readers who have practiced to a certain extent can ponder this word. Just like a college student, he may not necessarily do the most difficult questions in middle school. For those who are too weak to perform low-pile exercises, high-pile exercises are also feasible. How high is it? Even people who can only lie in bed and cannot move, but can barely lift a finger, can perform Zhuang Gong exercises. Or the limbs cannot move at all, but the consciousness is clear, and the "pile work" exercise can be performed in the same way.

I have said so much here, but in fact I want to explain that as long as you choose the pile exercise, you should start with "a slightly higher pile frame for more than half an hour at a time" or "low pile exercises accumulated for half an hour" , you can flexibly control it according to your physical condition and hobbies, but we still recommend that people, especially young people, who can withstand low piles for tens of seconds, start with low pile exercises. You will slowly experience how powerful it is in "cleaning, organizing, and conditioning" your body.

Many people have taboos about female compatriots performing traditional exercises. They believe that women have special physiques different from men and are not suitable for the practice of traditional fitness methods. In fact, this is a wrong view. It is undeniable that some of the traditional exercise methods are not suitable for women or are not suitable for women’s special periods. However, as long as we understand the principles of traditional fitness, grasp the principles of exercise, and do not choose methods that are not suitable for female compatriots, adjust With the amount of exercise under special physical conditions, it is completely possible to practice traditional fitness techniques and achieve good results. For example, Ms. Mi Jingke followed Mr. Wang Xiangzhai to do zhanzhuang exercises. Not only did she cure her own disease, but she also lived a long and healthy life. At the age of over 90, she was able to teach her children to practice zhanzhuang in the park, making an outstanding contribution to the promotion of zhanzhuang fitness.

Zhan Zhuang is the best exercise method suitable for everyone.