Gilman Studio On-Line Lessons
Yang Style Saber Application Form
Tai Chi Chuan
This Lesson Contains: Side B
Salute The Partner & Turn And Chop Wrist
We now start on Side B. This side has more movement than Side A. The first part, Salute The Partner, is the same as Side A. I have only shown Stephanie from the side for this movement. Next, as A chops her neck, she steps to the side and in, and chops his wrist.
Salute the Partner.
Stephanie, B, stands correctly, relaxed, heels together, toes out at a 45-degree angle. The saber is held down by her side.
She steps back with the right foot, not yet putting weight onto it. The saber starts to make a large clockwise circle in front of the body.
Focus on the center.
Shift the weight onto the right foot and pull in the left toe to empty step on toe. The torso turns to the right. The saber has completed a circle and is coming back towards the left hip. The right arm is starting to swing up and to the front.
The final position for Salute the Partner. The body faces the starting direction. Stephanie is in Ding Bow Stance on Toe. The saber is held to the left side of the hip. The right hand is held to the right side of the head with the palm facing forward.
Focus on the center.
Note: The two partners face each other when going through the form. In order to learn the solo form, we will call the starting direction north so we can talk about the directions from the starting point.
Turn and Chop the Wrist
The first part of this movement is like the start of Chop the Neck for A. B is going to swing the saber around her body and chop.
B brings the saber over to her right side, changes saber hand, and drops the point down. She is hiding the saber from A.
Focus on relaxing the energy into the center.
B side steps, and protects her head.
It is a bit hard to see here but B is stepping forward and slightly to the right with her left foot in order to get out of the way of the downward chop of A. She hasn’t put any weight onto the left foot yet. She still faces basically north.
The saber has swung up in a counterclockwise arc with the point facing down. This has two reasons. One is to be in position to block the downward chop of A if she doesn’t get out of the way fast enough. The other is to swing the saber around to gather momentum for her chop to the wrist.
The left hand comes up to be inside the protection of the saber block and to get ready to be of some use later.
Focus on the saber block.
B is shifting the weight onto the left foot. She is now inside the chopping down by A’s saber, and she is starting to focus on her target, A’s wrist. Her torso is starting to turn to her left.
B gets ready to chop down.
She now steps forward with the right foot. The foot is placed so the toe is at a 45-degree angle (halfway) between north and west. It is about parallel to the left foot on the north/south axis. You can see this in the second picture. The torso is turning left. She is now about perpendicular to A’s chop down.
The saber is swinging around the head. Keep the point down. The left hand stays up in front of the center of the chest.
Focus on the target (A’s wrist).
B chops the wrist.
The weight shifts onto the right foot. The left foot pulls into Ding Bow on Toe with the body facing west.
The saber has chopped down to end in front of the body at belly level. The arms are fairly extended. The left hand had moved to the right wrist as the saber started its downward movement and gives support to the strong downward chop.
Focus on the cutting edge.