A good punch

BASIC EXCERSIZE: PUNCHING WHILE SHIFTING TO EITHER SIDE IN A FORWARD STANCE
The following is a root practice and needs to be done very day. Zhang XiangSan was fond of saying that if we could do a good punch then the rest of our kung fu would be good also. There are many important qualities that are developed through this method of punching and there is no real substitute for it.
Start in a horse stance with one arm extended in front and the other at the in a fist at the waist. For explanations sake, have the right arm the extended in the front of the body.
1. Pull the right fist back to the hip while shooting out the left fist and shifting into a right bow and arrow stance.
2. Pull the left hand back while shifting into a horse stance.
3. Push off from the right foot and punch with the right while shifting into a left bow and arrow stance.
4. Do this at lest fifty times in both directions (one hundred). Work up to three hundred a day.

When we practice punching there are particular principles to take into consideration. In addition to what has already been presented previously there are two terms which are required for mobility in relation to the qua. One of these terms relates to sinking the hip and pelvis. When referring to this the term ‘zou qua’(seat the hip) is used. We choose to drop the entire qua or pelvic region as a single unit or in the case of punching dropping one side, left or right, in order to assist in generating force to the other side. We also use zou qua to assist in creating a rebounding force on the same side that has been dropped. In order for one side the properly drop the opposite side must empty the weight. To empty one side we use the term ‘yi xu’ one (side) empty. Conceptually this is like a ball bouncing from one side of the qua to the other, from the left hip to the right hip. Whether or not we drop the qau as single unit or drop one side while we empty the other we must maintain our central equilibrium.

Going to a deeper level

There is an advanced level of practice to generate force for punching. This is not recommended as a beginning method. The principles of ‘yi xu’ (one side empty) and ‘zou qau’ ( sit hip) in relationship to ones central equilibrium must be clearly understood and verifiable before moving on. This is introduced as a method to move towards a deeper understanding of conceptually raising our level of practice. The following is a description of how circular energy applies to punching.
Chan si jin and punching
Your energy rolls along the arm circling horizontally and energetically from the upper area of the qua and generating the force which spreads downwards and outwards through the knees and feet and exponentially towards to the fists. It starts generating as a small circle from the qua (hips and pelvic) and moves outwards to a larger circle at the base towards the knee region to execute the force. This is essentially an energy generating form of practice. The first circle begins at the qua and then will generates deeper and wider as we execute additional techniques. Always pay attention to the elbow. Without the elbow you cannot properly interact with an opponent without causing a leak in your structure. Always drop the elbow.understanding that it is related and connected to the qua. This falls under the same principle as san jie, or three parts. The elbow, shoulder and qua, are three connected parts. By generating a horizontal circle from the qua, shoulder and elbow will respond accordingly. As the technique is executed further outward towards extremities then the circle will expand outwards exponentially lower in addition to higher. As the fist moves out further from the center of the circle that is generated from the qua, the body responds by sinking deeper.

For this reason all previous aspects of structure have to be understood. You need a strong connection to your central equilibrium. You have to understand ‘chen and zheng’ (sinking and growing). This is necessary so that went we touch the opponent we respond properly in relation to the force that they give us. When someone touches us, we must feel that the energy comes to us in a spiraling manor. All energy is based on spiraling movements or (chan si jing).
Bong (warding off) energy is our intercepting energy; the first energy we use when we touch an opponent. From there we grow outwards. That means we impose our energy out towards the opponent as we sink our body downwards using the same principal of circling, smaller at the qua and then deeper and wider as it spreads out towards the knee and lower extremities. The energy circles also in the extremities of the arms and hands. Ideally the minute we touch an opponent a multiple series of circular forms of energy are involved. With one touch simultaneously multiple energies are generated. This is the six harmony way. Energy should never be terminated or broken in six harmony practice. So the rule is the moment one makes contact there is an unbroken line that moves in a series of spiraling forces. This is the nine-linked chain, which refers to various fundamental connections of the joints of the human body. When one link is affected the entire chain is affected as an unbroken line of force. This sometimes is not entirely understood when talking about the idea circular forces. When grand master Zhang XiangSan would touch an opponent it would be a straight line, which is to say that the circles were so refined and invisible that the minute he touched you the attack was direct and overpowering. The numerous aspects of continual circular forces would be indistinguishable. The idea of even seeing it from the standpoint of a circle is too late, the action has already occurred and the movement appears to be a single unbroken, straight, direct line of force. So if he were to do a movement such as pifeng (split and seal), which is generally considered a splitting wide arcing movement, it would be done in a fashion that appeared to go up and then drop down, BANG!!! like an explosion.