Martial Arts Crowd Walking Method
Many years before I did learn pa kua chang crowd walking methods, I was reading a martial arts journal, I think it was Black Belt, and I discovered this anecdote involving Morihei Ueshiba. O Sensei would go to different towns and put on Aikido exhibitions. I have no doubt the exhibitions were spectacular, however the thing that inspired the heck out of me was the story his uchideshi (inside student) provided involving O Sensei’s crowd walking procedure.
When traveling across a train station (for example) O Sensei would just walk straight forward, emanating his chi, and the masses would part. Individuals might turn and stare at this imperious titan, then the masses would close up. The Uchi deshi, loaded with trunks and bags, would struggle through the closing people.
The thing that awed me about this relating of occurrence was not that a man could easily emanate effective chi and sweep back a masses, but that it reminded me of my very own crowd walking experiences.
When I was in eleventh grade I used to love to run through groups. I might be late for class, or simply playing tag with someone, and unexpectedly something would come over me and I would be in complete sprint. The halls would certainly be jam-packed, and I would be turning on the nickel, hurrying full tilt, not able to be tripped (and a couple of the teenagers might make an effort). Young women might gasp and also offer little shrieks as I ran full tilt towards them, then turned and spun around them. The ground resembled a magnet to my feet, I never ever slipped, it was like I was flash, yet with magic glue on my soles.
O Sensei’s crowd walking blew me away, however it was so different from mine.
Radiating chi like he was a walking heating system. It was the start of my martial arts calling, and control of chi in such splendid way was yet a dream. Still, I had my very own strategy.
As time went on I obtained the capability to emanate chi, though not to the degree of O Sensei, yet, remarkably, I started to hold my very own procedure up as perhaps not so scruffy.
The key, of course, was in engaging in Pa Kua Chang, in walking the circle. Especially, I would focus on walking EXTREMELY slowly. I would feel the chi go up and down the legs, and I started to comprehend a few things.
One, there was even more finesse in my strategy than simply turning it on and blasting individuals back.
Two, Pa Kua Chang in fact didn’t instruct individuals to crowd walk like I was doing it. Classic Pa Kua Chang was more into tricky hands, and not into fine tuning the walk itself. Walking slowly, concentrating the mindset on the generation and control of chi in the legs, made lightening in the legs. And this lead to the next understanding.
Three, I could guide individuals ways to walk through crowds ten times more effortlessly and effectively, and there was a WHOLE LOT more pleasure in the teaching.
Chi blasting a group is entertaining, however it is pretty much a bully strategy.
Understanding ways to worm through the people at high speeds thrills the creative imagination, it is subtle, it needs more entire body method. And this last is fascinating, and actually essential to the expanding martial artist.
Contrast it to a musical instrument. Chi blasting such as O Sensei did is comparable to the opening chords of’ 2001: A Space Odyssey.’ (Thus Spoke Zarathustra). Crowd walking such as I explain and explain with my particular Pa Kua Chang resembles playing Flight of the bumblebee.
One is spectacular, the other is elaborate. One is outstanding, the other is subtle. One is overpowering, the other is shading subtleties of hue unto infinity.
And, of course, when it concerns crowd walking martial arts methods, one should study both. Have the ability to be subtle, and blast at a second’s notice.
This page has a real short cut to learn Pa Kua Chang method for crowd walking.