Training of Zheng Li and Reaction

Zheng Li: so called Zheng Li in Yiquan, which is a spring-like mental force produced by the mental induction of forces going through the body up and down, forward and backward, left and right, and competing each other for the central point of the body. It is after you having possessed Zheng Li and then after the practice of Shi Li and Fa Li that you are able to bring out Zhengti Li (unified force).

During the practice of Zheng Li, you should start out from the simplest, and then go for the one of the whole body. For both the simple Zheng Li and the one of the whole body, you need to search them in the practice of Hunyuan Zhuang (universal post).

Training Method of Zheng Li

You can choose any of the three postures in Hunyuan Zhuang. After you have assumed the proper posture, imagine there is an elastic rope winding over the wrist of your front arm, with its front end bound to something in front, for example a wall or a tree, and its back end around your neck under the Fengfu Point. In your mind, your neck is as if stretched and twisted slightly (twist it to the left when your left arm is in front and vice versa). Your body leans back as if to stretch the elastic rope to as to pull your wrist, while your neck stretches the rope tight in front. So, in your imagination, there are two forces opposing each other and eliminating each other, while the hand keeps still. Once you feel a force, give a pull and drop it free immediately, as if the back hand were holding an elastic ball. When the body is dragging the front hand (with the focus on the neck), the back hand is intended to hold the ball as an echo. Practice it repeatedly, and after a period of time, you are able to feel the once loose and once tight Zheng Li. This is the so-called mental force featuring "looseness is just like tightness and tightness is just like looseness". In Master Wang Xiangzhai's words, the degree of tightness should not overpass the proper line.

Training Method of Zheng Li of the Whole Body

When you have felt Zheng Li after a period's practice, based on this, you can start to practice Zheng Li of the whole body.

Stand in the posture of Hunyuan Zhuang. Imagine your head is being pulled by an elastic rope above, with forces competing up and down between the head and the central point between your feet as well as competing between it and the back foot. There are also forces competing obliquely between the head and the front foot, forces competing left and right between the front hand and the back one, forces competing obliquely between the right hand and the left foot and between the left hand and the right foot, forces competing obliquely up and down between the two elbows and the two knees, and forces competing obliquely between the left hip and the right knee and between the right hip and the right knee. As for the arguing forces between the hand and the head and between the shoulder and the hip, they are included in the forces competing between the head and the feet. On the whole, forces from every direction are competing for the central part of the body. But pay attention to that the key for the control over the degree of tightness is in the competition between up and down.

In the practice, you should keep the form crooked while the force straightforward, as if coming from all directions. Then make a further imagination that all the hairs on your body become tense and stretching forward, as if connected with the outside world with a dragging force between them and the world. The body seems unable to move, yet every part of it seems to be moving slightly. During the practice, your mind activities must be thorough as if feasible, yet meanwhile, they should not to be too rigid. This is what Master Wang meant by his words "with a force free and natural above your head, your body is as if hung up by a rope" and "when the force is loose, the intention should be tense, with your hairs as powerful as halberds".

Training Method of Reaction

The basic training of reaction lies in the training of the quick reaction of one's nerves so that one is able to exert force towards the opponent while defend oneself at the same time.

The first training method goes like this. After you have gained Zheng Li of the whole body, you feel as if there were springs connecting all parts of your body, and the body itself was one spring. Then, imagine that someone come over to push or hit one part of your body lightly, with the force coming any direction, up or down, forward or backward, left or right. Once intensify your intention, you will find force coming from the central point of your body and about to rush out of this part. After a long period of practice when you have obtained such feelings, further imagine about a sudden attack from some one. Once your intention gets there, your force arrives at right the same place. But it should not be issued out to be seen. You should try to achieve the state of "wherever the will gets, the force arrives there at the same time. There's no division between will and force."

The second training method is like this. Imagine you are standing on a raft drifting on the water, which tilts forward and backward sometimes, or sways left and right sometimes, or rises and sinks up and down. When the raft tilts forward, transfer your weight balance slightly backward; when the raft tilts backward, transfer your weight balance forward slightly; when it is swaying left and right, then move your gravity center left and right; when it rises, lower your gravity center a little bit; when it sinks, raise your gravity center slightly. All these are done in your mind, with being seen from the outside. You should conduct these activities with the whole body, rather than rely on your legs and feet alone. In the beginning, you may follow the order of up, down, left, right, front and back. After a period of practice when you have got some feeling, break the order and do the practice with changing directions. In the beginning, you may assume the movements of the raft are slow. When you've practiced some time, you should gradually accelerate the speed of its movements. For example, imagine it is on roaring waving with a myriad of changes in an instant.