English version of Dec 2 notes

This is a translation for the first note of December 2009. Original: December 2nd, 2009.

Tonight, Casey and I went to Master house.
Master hasn't really corrected any of my genji gong stuff for two weeks.
At his house, we fired off some punches and master gave some advice

First: My legs need to be more stable. He said "unstable legs lead to crappy punches." Additionally, he said that I need to sink from my dantian, and not my chest.

Second: My punching isn't natural enough. I need to relax my arms and if I do, I can punch with more power. E= MC^2. I'll have the same mass regardless if I'm relaxed or not, but my speed increases if I relax, thus more power.

Third: To achieve natural punching, I need to keep my body swallowed/kept closed"


Later we practiced Ying Yong Quan:
Master said that I have improved my intent, but I need to keep it within a frame. He said that with good intent, one has focus, but without a proper frame, everything falls apart.

Ba Bu Gou:
Master said that this form is about practicing together, and making everything work well together. Master added while that is true, you don't pull punches, you still have to punch for real, just be sure to stop short of the person's body. The fighting intention must be present also. Without it, it looks fake.

Lastly, Master said that while this form is about two people working together, we must watch our own stepping. Without a good base, we can't block people's punches. (This goes back to talking about holding your frame correctly). He said that the first step to working together is the ability to control ourselves. Without the ability to move correctly from position to position, then it becomes hard/impossible to work well with a partner.