I was happy to hear that we will have a polishing seminar for Mizu Quan. I had been focusing a lot lately on other forms and, when I went back to Mizu, unfortunately some parts were not clear. As such, I have been looking forward to go through this form again and make it clearer.
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Sifu started the seminar directly with warm-up and the form as we had already learned it so there was no need for a lecture and, this way, we could spend more time on the form and the details.
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Mizu Quan, or Secret Ancestor Fist, is different from other Chun Yuen forms in that there is no fast version and easy version. There is only one version as the form prepares and trains the body. This is clear from the first movements that are similar to Qigong movements. This makes it quite unique.
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After going through the first part and splitting into rooms on zoom to go through it with fellow students, we found that, as we practiced it, we remembered more and more from the original training and I could recall the energy and some details. A lot of details I missed as I was still relatively new when we did Mizu Quan originally. But this time around it is much clearer and the details are easier to remember and integrate.
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The second and third parts we did, I could remember more easily but still some parts were harder. So, going through them again with Sifu was illuminating and a great feeling. As if all the memories from going through this form were coming back from years before. It was so nice to see the energy that Sifu uses for each movement and it was wonderful to be able to ask questions and find answers and correct the form after all this time.
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We advanced 2 or 3 parts more into the form and now I could really see a most amazing fact. Originally, when we started Mizu Quan, my body was still not fully trained. I would find some positions and kicks difficult on the knees, back and abdomen. This time around, I could do all these movements with such ease that I impressed myself. I am very grateful for the skills that Sifu teaches us and how every one form improves and strengthens the body and the Qi.
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One thing that was useful was to be paired with senior students who had done the form before and were more aware of the subtleties and details I could not understand yet. This way, their corrections and observations helped me to practice this first part even better.
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We still have the second seminar to polish and correct the second half of the form so I am really looking forward to that as Mizu Quan is quite complex in terms of the details and movements. And the second part is different and has intricate direction changes so it will be very useful for awareness of the space and for really understanding the form in its entirety.
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Thank you very much Sifu for this great form and for coming back to it so we can better understand it and the Chun Yuen Quan skill!
by Radu Hurmuz
Student Comments
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It’s been a while since I have seen the form and I found a lot of things where I had got less clear or was doing strange spirals! Thank you so much Sigong for the chance to polish what I know, it has been really helpful! Lee B
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Many Thanks for really helpful Mizu polishing. It is so good to improve and know that I am going in the right direction when on my own. Jo
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Always liked this form – it has a very different flavour to the other bare hand forms but still retains a lot of the same postures. Sigong said it was like a Chun Yuen Qigong. It is interesting how authentic Kung Fu has elements of Qigong in it, and a lot of our Qigong forms have martial elements in them, too. In the end, we need good qi to be healthy, and we need good health as a base for any martial arts we train. Yin and Yang, hard and soft…
Thank you, Sigong.
Paul Hogg
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Thank you Sifu for revising the Mizu Quan. I certainly needed clarification on certain moves. Great detail covered today. Much appreciated Sifu. Thanks also to those who helped in the breakout rooms. Looking forward to more polishing. Peadar
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Thank you Sigong for another great seminar. It was fantastic to be able to spend some time polishing Mizu Quan as i certainly needed my memory jogged! It is a lovely form and it did come flooding back after I had dusted off a few cobwebs. I am already looking forward to the second polishing seminar.
Many thanks again Sigong.
Nicci
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Thank you Sigong for the excellent Mizu Quan seminar. Having missed the course the first time round, this polishing seminar was a really great introduction and unsurprisingly quite challenging. It was fantastic to see different Chun Yuen movements and shapes, and the form itself looks amazing. Thank you also to everybody for their help, polishing time and patience. Sam
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Great polishing of Mizu Quan. Familiar movements and remembering some transitions. Practicing the form feels very refreshing and relaxing. Thank you Sigong. Michalis A.
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Thank you Sifu for the polishing opportunity.
Hope we can get through it all, specially the ending bit. I love the form and like the flow in it. Good you said it was a combination between Chun Yuen and Qigong + no fast version.
Would be fun to try it out with 2 or 4 people going at the same time.
Looking forward to the next polishing.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend. And thank you again.
Saskia
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Great to be polishing Mizu Quan, was able to clarify some of the details that I have been wondering about for a while. Thank you Sigong for revisiting this form. Christine