Four Corners?

a forum specifically for the variation(s) of Taiji found within Reeders' arts.
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munkman
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Four Corners?

Post by munkman »

I was introduced to an old form direction movement called for corners when first practiced can cause disorientation. Yet I finally undertood the principle of the footwork, but I started taking Tai Chi in college (Yang Long Form) and these exact movements are in the form also. The form hits directions from four angles like an X almost with a palm strike and a rising block.

Anybody else recieve this?
In movement, be as swift as the wind; In slow marches, be as majestic as the forest; In raiding and plundering, be as fierce as fire; In defence, be as firm as mountains; In camoflage, be as impenetrable as darkness; When striking, be as overwhelming as thunderbolts.
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Sifu Guro Dan Donzella
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4 corners

Post by Sifu Guro Dan Donzella »

Sounds like you are talking about Lion technique. but that uses the 4 walls. Sifu Donzella
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jkinnear
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Four Directions Taiji

Post by jkinnear »

GGM Reeders taught a form called Four Directions. It uses taiji ball and serving tea on the four corner mandala. Of course this is done taiji slow and won't cause disorientation. But he four corner principle is all throught the arts. The Northern Wind's Windercise program uses four corner and that can make you dizzy. Roberto Torrez has some four corner routines in his Kun Tao video also. I think just about any movement can be done on the four corner mandala.
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kungfujoe
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Post by kungfujoe »

The Four Corners form is a bit different than the Lion movement that Dan is talking about, and I believe it's different from the Four Directions form that Jeff is talking about (if he's referring to the one that starts from a three, and opens with a back hand to crane hook and back fist).

I've done a little bit of Yang Taiji, and I haven't seen anything there with the "exact movements" from Four Corners (the form that opens from a horse with a horeshoe kick, an outward block, and a finger strike) - but as I said, I've only done a little bit of Yang Taiji. :)

Lance, given that you've been able to fairly quickly video stuff and post it to the web, maybe you can do a quick video of the segment of Four Corners and the segment of the Taiji form that you're referring to as a reference? I'd recommend that you first ask Master Brown if he'd be okay with you filming a portion of one of the forms he taught you and making it publicly available, as some teachers are strictly against this practice, even for a short sequence from a form as opposed to the whole form. The Four Corners form that I know can be broken into 4 logical sections (the blocks and sweeps/kicks section, the block-punch-kick section, the one-legged section, and ~270 degree movements with outward blocks and seikans section). None of the Taiji that I've learned has any movements that match any of those segments very closely (again, my Yang experience is very limited).
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Post by Jerry Martin »

Hello Munk,

Question for you. Where in the form (Yang long form) does this movement appear? Is it towards the end or in what I would call the third and final section?

If so, I believe it's called threading the shuttle or something like that.

The form that I do (classis 108 Yang style long form) is comprised of three separate forms that connect to make the long one. Each one is longer than and kind of builds on the skills learned in the previous one. In the third and longest section, the pattern is as follows;

Embrace Tiger, return to mountain
Single whip
Part wild horses main (or something similar) ((done five times))
ward off
grasp sparrows tail
single whip
ward off
and then the movement in question which I believe is called "threading the shuttle"
Up until this movement, most, but not all, of the form is done in a back and forth (east and west) kind of pattern). This movement is done to the four corners of the room.
Step forward with the left foot, rising block with left hand and palm strike with the left, step behind with the right foot towards the corner to the left, unspin and rising block with the right hand and palm strike with the left. Step with the left foot towards the next corner (on the left) and rising block with the left hand, palm strike with the right. Step behind again with the right foot towards the last corner, unspin and rising block with the right and palm strike with the left.

In my experience, there are lots of iterations of Yang style long form tai chi. This may not be anything close to what you are looking for. But then again......

Let me know either way as I'm interested in the outcome of this discussion.

In Peace, Jerry
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munkman
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Post by munkman »

I could record the corcorners from the yang tai chi form. The differences are subtle, but if you recognize it, it could lead to a little more insight.
In movement, be as swift as the wind; In slow marches, be as majestic as the forest; In raiding and plundering, be as fierce as fire; In defence, be as firm as mountains; In camoflage, be as impenetrable as darkness; When striking, be as overwhelming as thunderbolts.
Sun Tzu