WhiteCrane28-07

White Crane Sword Pt28

Learning how to move the tassel more and more is fascinating as it involves less effort on the sword than I initially thought.
I have really enjoyed the journey so far in learning White Crane Sword. It is a beautiful and complex form that teaches the ability to use the sword and tassel in very intricate and wonderful ways.
 
In this seminar, Sifu tested the students who were ready. This is very helpful as there were many difficult parts in the middle of this section so it’s good to test and polish before moving on.
 
We started with the first part of the section which is quite familiar to everyone by now and it is great to get all the little details right. In the separate rooms, where we practiced with fellow students, it was good to see and for others to see how we practice and give any hints or help. Luckily, the first part was quite good and so we quickly moved on to the next one.
 
The second part contains a lot more rotations and  changes that are similar but then become different afterwards. For this part, it was also easier than previous times but there were still some questions. As Sifu showed us this part of the form and students were able to ask questions, we understood more and, in the practice rooms afterwards, we were able to check with each other that our understanding was correct.
 
Then, during the third section of this first half, we went through the ending of this section, including the new part we did last week. This was easier than I initially thought, and I found myself going through it a lot better than before. The ending of this part is quite nice and I especially like the timing on the moving of the tassel off the shoulder and the rotation of the hand right before a strike down.
 
With this part finished, Sifu moved on to testing the students who were ready. Everyone who was tested passed and this was very good to see how well everyone understood the first half of White Crane Sword! It was also very good to see how others practice the form and to see all the details again.
 
I very much enjoy White Crane Sword and appreciate all the details and the energy of the movements. The tassel sword trains a lot the movement with the whole body and how the sword flows. The form also trains the mind and the whole body to move as one.
 
Learning how to move the tassel more and more is fascinating as it involves less effort on the sword than I initially thought. I can best describe the movement of the tassel as effortless flow, allowing the movement to happen by correct positioning and energy instead of using strength.
 
I really appreciate that I have been able to learn this complex and wonderful form and look forward to the next part a lot.
 
by Radu Hurmuz

Student Comments

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It’s nice to spend time polishing this portion of White Crane Sword, helps to focus on solidifying the last movements particularly, before moving onto more new material. Thanks, Sigong! – Kay

It is so good to polish, There were a good four or five things I still picked up that I was not quite doing right even after all these weeks! I also really appreciated one to one breakout rooms now that we all know the form a little better, it gave me much more chance to talk through with another person some of the things I had seen and to catch things we were doing differently. Thanks Sigong for making sure we are all on the right path! Lee B

Another great polishing seminar. I can feel the kinks in my form slowly disappearing.
Thank you, Sigong
Paul

The last couple of seminars have been all about polishing and checking the forms. This has been so helpful and reassuring that even though there is so much more detail and flow to work on, at least we know we are heading in the right direction. Thanks Sigong and others for your help.
Belinda

Enjoyed the polishing session today, White Crane is such a nice form to practice, and very satisfying when the tassel flows smoothly! Thank you Sigong for teaching us this great form. Christine

Thank you to Sigong for your wonderfully clear polishing today and thank you to all the people in the break out rooms for your help. I manage to retain a little more of this challenging form each time and it is (very) slowly coming together. Thanks again . Nicci

Practice is key to good flow of movement and flexibility. It is exciting, but it is also good to check on your travel in this form so far. Thank you, Sigong, for a challenging form full of twists and turns, Earl