The following is a valuable article written by Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang concerning the process of skill development in taijiquan. As it is from his lineage that I first learned the Chen style, I thought it well to present this piece here for everyone to consider. As noted, the original author is Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang with this English translation rendered by Tan Lee-Peng, PhD.
The Fourth Level of Kung Fu
Progressing from the stage with medium circle to that with small circle is required of the fourth level kung fu. This is the stage nearing success and thus is of high level of kung fu. One should have mastered the effective method of training, be able to grasp the important points in the movements; be able to understand the martial/combat skill implicit in each movement; to have smooth flow of the internal energy or qi; and the co-ordination of actions with breathing.
However, during practice, each step and each movement of hands should be carried out with a confronting opponent in mind, that is to say, one has to assume that he is surrounded by enemies. For each posture and each form, each part of the body must move in a linked and continuous manner so that the whole body moves in unison. 'Movements of the upper and lower body are related and there should be a continuous flow of qi with the control being at the waist.' So that when practicing quan, one should carry it out 'as if there is an opponent although no-one is around.' When actually confronted, one should be brave but cautious, behaving 'as if there is no-one around though there is someone there.'
The training content (like quan and weapons) is similar to that in third level of kung fu. With perseverance, generally the fifth level kung fu can be reached in three years. In terms of martial skill the fourth level differs much from the third level kung fu. The third level kung fu aims at dissolving the opponent's force and to getting rid of conflicts in one's own actions. This is to enable oneself to play the active role and forcing the opponent to be passive.
The fourth level kung fu enables one to dissolve as well as express force. This is because at that level, one would have sufficient internal jin, flexible change in yi and qi and a consolidated system of the body movements. As such, during push-hands, the opponent's attack does not pose a big threat. On contact with the opponent, one can immediately change one's action and thus dissolve the on-coming force with ease, exhibiting the special characteristics of going along with the movements of the opponent but yet changing one's own actions all the time to counteract the opponent's action, exerting the right force, adjusting internally, predicting the opponent's intention, subduing one's own actions, expressing precise force and hitting the target accurately. Therefore, a person attaining this level of kung fu is described as '40% yin, 60% yang; akin to a good practitioner.'
To be continued in part 5...
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