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Developing Intuition through
the Kick of Zhong Ji Fist
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| Back in the early
'90's I made my home in the changing room
of a Taiwanese kung fu school. I was crazy for
kung fu and trained every day morning and
evening. Twice a month our shifu, Shi
Zhengzhong, travelled to Hong Kong to train with
the famous master of Grand Ultimate Praying
Mantis Fist, Zhao Zhuxi (Shifu was crazy for
kung fu too!). At our school Shifu was
teaching us Master Wang Juezhen's 'Zhong Ji
Quan-Intermediate Fist.' Zhong Ji Quan is a
Longfist form with a special characteristic. |
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The first half of the form is one side of a two
person form and the second half of the form is the other
side of the two person form.
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| Shi Zhengzhong with Master
Wang Zhuezhen
(1911-1990) |
Shi Zhengzhong with Master
Zhao Zhuxi(1900-1991) |
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My illustration from two
person Zhong Ji Quan |
I was so amazed by Zhong Ji Quan's clever way of
turning a solo form into two person drills that I
illustrated the entire sequence.
Our Training Goal
When Shifu taught us the two person form he broke it
down into three sections of two person drills. Just before Shifu was about to make his bi-monthly
visit to Hong Kong to see Zhao Zhuxi he gave us a
training goal; over the weekend while he was away we
should train the first section of the two man form for
300 repetitions.
'If you train 300 times you'll be ready to learn
section two of the two man form.' He gave us this goal
knowing that just ten repetitions of this two man drill
was enough to tire us out.
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Mo Qi the
Shared Intuition |
Intuition shared between two people is
called mo qi (mo chee), to know in your heart what your
partner will do without saying it. It is a mutual
knowledge shared between two people from one moment to
the next, like a shared intuition.
When the skills developed through mo qi
are applied to an opponent instead of a partner it can
become your own personal intuition of the opponent's
intentions,
'Whether he desires to advance or
wants to retreat, yet he can do neither.'
Shi Zhengzhong developed our mo qi
through the constant repetition of two person drills.
Though the moves of two person drills
are prearranged, yet each repetition of two person
techniques with your partner is bound to have slight
variations. Tuning in to these slight variations
develops one's mo qi. Forced in to so many repetitions
forces you to economize your energy. Muscles must learn
to relax at the proper moment and exert force only when
needed, It forces you to generate power from your legs
and turning of your waist. If your hands and feet are
confused and in disarray your energy will be used up
long before reaching the goal. By giving us the goal of
three hundred repetitions Shifu was giving us the
opportunity to develop our mo qi.
When Shifu returned from Hong Kong he
taught us section two and I got a chance to train with
my elder brother Xuzhi (Shu Jer). During the drill, as I
chased him he always seemed too far away and when he
chased me I couldn't escape him. I felt that Xuzhi began
chasing me after my retreat yet reached me before I
could defend.
'Set out after he does, yet arrive
before him.'
I stopped to catch my breath,' Elder
Brother, how is it that I seem to be working harder and
moving faster than you yet I can neither reach you nor
escape you?'
He smiled and said,' That's just the way
it is.'
This is a skill not easily put into
words. What I was experiencing were the result of his
intuition. No matter how you look at it these skills are
only developed through.
The Ambush Attack
The following photos help to explain how
section two of Zhong Ji Quan develops the ambush
technique.
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| Joan (blue) and Kristine (white) face off
for the second section of Zhong Ji Quan |
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| Joan starts by kicking Kristine. |
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| Joan uses the forward momentum of her
kick to finish with a punch to the throat. |
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Kristine blocks and strikes |
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The solo posture, lifting
punch. |
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| Joan blocks with her left... |
and closes with her right hand. |
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| Kristine makes an opening
with her left and... |
Strikes with her right palm, but it is a
ruse. |
Setting Up the Ambush
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| The solo posture. This strike, is less
powerful than a punch, but faster, Kristine uses
it too infuriate Joan. In the following move
Joan will chase Kristine as she runs away. This
is setting up the ambush. |
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| Joan hooks down and... |
sticks in the palm. To defend Kristine
merely dodges her head out of the way. |
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Piercing Palm, Kristine skips
away from Joan (not shown) in the solo form she
holds this posture and... |
turns left and follows with
the pushing palm. |
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All followed by this toe kick. |
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In the two person drill
there is no piercing palm move, Kristine
suddenly spins left and kicks with this round
kick. |
Tempt Your Opponent with Bait
Best said by Sunzi over two thousand years ago.
One who is skillful at keeping
the enemy on the move maintains deceitful
appearances, according to which the enemy will act.
He sacrifices something, that the enemy may snatch
it. By holding out bait, he
keeps him on the march; then with a body of picked
men he lies in wait for him
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