LESSON FOURTEEN... WU STYLE TAI CHI CHUAN PLAYSHOP

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LESSON 14:

                      CLOUDY HANDS (repeat 3 times)
                      GRASPING BIRDS TAIL
                      SINGLE WHIP

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Letters in ( )* stand for the eight directions=N, S, E, W, NW, NE, SW, SE.
Numbers in ( )* correlate to the frame number in main lesson image below,
as much as possible...(some frames are 'in between' described movements,
in which case either I will try to redo the image, or you will need to exercise
your imagination even more than is necessary to learn any movement art from
'text and images' alone in the first place.)
Formula in brackets [W= ] denote weightedness, which is the amount of body
weight shifted to either side (L=left, R=right, even=doubleweightedness);
example: [W=70R] means 'put 70% of your weight on your right side.' The range
here will be approximate, ideally based on an individuals personal needs, abilities
and experience. *You may choose to read through the text the first time disregarding these
parentheticals...it's easier!!
We OPENED the set (Lesson 1) facing North(N); as you view images on your monitor for the current postures (below), imagine that you are again facing North(N) as you begin Lesson 14. As you end this lesson (Single whip) you are still facing North(N).

                         Cloudy hands (repeat 3 times)
                         Grasping birds tail
                         Single whip

Cloudy hands (repeat 3 times)   (1 through 42)

     As Single whip concludes in Lesson #13, your left palm, with fingers upward, points to the NW corner (at about a 45° angle to your torso), creating about a 90° angle with your right arm, which points to the NE corner. Your left foot also points to the NW corner creating about a 90° angle with your right foot, which points to the NE corner. Your head faces the same direction as your left palm (NW) and your weight is distributed evenly. (1) [W= even]
      Cloudy hands is a posture which is repeated twice more later in the set
and it consists of three repetitions of nearly the same motion within the posture itself. Cloudy hands starts as you shift your weight slowly to your left [W= 60L] as your head begins to turn in the opposite direction, from facing the corner (NW) to facing forward (North) (2-5). When you move, your hands begin to move also, always moving as one.  Your left hand begins to move further to the left (West) as you shift to that side, slightly lowering in an arc as you begin rotating your left elbow counterclockwise.
     Simultaneous to that, your right hand begins to drift in the same direction (West), remaining all the time at about shoulder level, with your right fingers slowly unfolding from the beakish pose and flattening out (2-5). Your right palm faces the floor (and therefore is parallel to it) with your fingers pointing away from you (North) as it moves.  As you finish shifting your weight to your left [W= 80L] your right hand completes its leftward drift, reaching a place in front of your face, which has all this while slowly turned rightward from looking to the corner (NW) to gazing just beyond the right hands movement.¹ At this point, your left hand, with palm facing the floor and fingers pointing away from you, aims directly to the West, and your head faces North with your gaze fixed just past your right hand in front of you.¹ [Here your arms form at about a 90° angle.] (5)
     As you shift your weight [W= 60L] back toward your right side (East), your right hand, palm turned down at first, then slowly turning away from you, returns rightward to the NE corner [W= 60R]. It moves in a slight arc, first ascending, then descending, by rotating clockwise at the elbow, remaining all the time at about shoulder level (6-10). Next, continuing downward from the NE corner, as your right hand reaches about chest height (at which point the palm has turned down again) [W= 80R], it begins returning back (11) toward you (West), rotating in an arc from your elbow, with the palm turning to face that same direction (West) as it does so.
     Concurrently with your right hands movement, your left hand drops further downward, continuing an arcing motion, turning the palm from facing down to facing East as it reaches its nadir, or low point, passing (rightward) by your torso just before your thighs (9).  As your left hand continues moving to your right (East), and you continue to shift your weight in that direction, your upper torso only twists in that same direction.  Your left hand rises up in its continuing arc as your left palm turns, facing upward. At this point your hands pass by each other (11), to your right side, at just about chest height, your right hand moving downward and just beyond (East of)² your ascending left hand as they pass very closely. [W= 80R]
     Turning your upper half so that it follows the motion toward your right (East) here as you shift your weight toward your right aligns you so that as your hands meet, you face your hands (NE).  Initially, your eyes follow the movement of your right hand as it returns to the corner (NE), then descends - at which point your eyes pick up the movement of your ascending left hand as your hands pass and follow its next movements.¹   Remember to keep your elbows at least slightly bent at all times.
     (Ultimately, what happens in Cloudy hands is that both of your arms rotate, moving (mostly) from the elbow joints, in full circles... well, ovals, actually... in opposite directions to one another: left hand moving always counter-clockwise; right hand moving always clockwise.  In this way they meet each other twice each full cycle around.)
     The point where your hands pass by each other signals the next shifting of your weight, this time back toward your left. Your left hand arcs up and then toward your left (West) at about shoulder height as your gaze follows (12-18) that motion [W= 60R].  As they move toward the left past you, your left palm and forearm turn, by rotating at the elbow, from first facing upward, to facing toward you as they pass [W= 60L] in front of your head, and finally, to facing away from you [W= 80L] as they begin the second repetition of rotation in these three Cloudy hands.
     As your right hand descends down to (and a few inches in front of) your right leg, lift the toe of your right foot (15) and turn it to your left (West) [W= 90L] by pivoting on your right heel (16,17) until your right foot aims toward the NW corner (a 90° pivot), then raise your heel [W= 100L] and move your right foot off of the ground and to your left in tandem with the movement of your right arm in the same direction (17) (see note).  Place your right heel down first (18) [W= 90L], then toe (19) [W= 80L], pointing the toe toward the NW corner, so that it rests parallel to and lines up even with the instep (approximate midpoint) of your left foot, comfortably close to it (within 12 inches.)  Your foot should rest down again completely at about the same time as your hands pass by each other to your left side. (19)
     At the same time, your descending right hand also draws toward your left in its continuing arc, first reaching its nadir just in front of your thighs (15) before it ascends to where it will next pass by your left hand at just about chest height on your left side. This time it is your left palm, descending and facing down, which is passing just on the outside of your rising right palm, which faces up. (19)
     As your right hand continues moving to your left (West), and you continue to shift your weight in that direction, your upper torso only twists in that same direction, precisely the same action as just before on the other side, only in this opposite direction.  Twisting your upper half so that it follows the motion toward your left (West) as you shift your weight toward your left aligns you so that as your hands pass by each other, you face your hands (NW). (19)
.

     Here it should be pointed out that the images below reflect one technical difficulty faced here in the production of these images for this website.  It is sometimes hard to accurately represent in these images the basic proportion(s) with which the movements should occur because the room where the images are captured is so small.  [This is especially true of the postures like Cloudy hands and Wild horse tosses mane in which the movements cover a lot of physical space.]
     More specifically, in this lesson, the distances between the feet and legs had to be shortened markedly from what they should be just so that all of the movement of the posture could fit into the frame of the image. There is more information on all of this near the images below, but for now you should understand that without the complications forced by the constraints of a small production space here, the distances between legs and feet in these images would be somewhat GREATER. However, an OLD axiom still prevails over all else said here on the subject of measurement:

                     do not over-do      do not under-do

            back ABOVE to (see note) link               back BELOW to (seen note?) link

     At this point, where your hands meet and your right leg has moved alongside your left, begin to twist at your waist, turning your upper torso only once more to your right side (East). Next, your right toe lifts up (21) [W= 90L]³ and turns toward the NE corner (again now at a 90° angle to your left foot) by pivoting on the heel (22) [W= 80L], then rests down again (23) [W= 70L].  Simultaneously, your left hand continues to descend as your right rises, both rotating their respective palms and forearms to again turn toward you as they pass by you: the lowering left hand passing just in front of your thighs while the right hand draws in a slight arc from your left to your right side at about shoulder level, passing directly before your face (22) as it does so. [W= even]
     Next, your hands continue moving past you, toward your right [W= 70R] until your right kneecap is aligned directly above (but, in no case further out than) your right toe, at which point you lift your left heel up off of the floor (25) [W= 90R], then your left toe (26) [W= 100R], and move your left leg directly to your left side (West) as far as you can comfortably stretch it (seen note?), placing down your left toe first (27) [W= 90R], then heel, resting your foot down completely (28) [W= 80R].  Your left foot should then rest parallel to your right foot with the left toe aligned even with the instep (approximate midpoint) of your right foot and both feet aimed toward the NE corner.
     (The rest of Cloudy hands is mostly a repetition of what is written above.  It is in a slightly different shade so that you'll know it is mostly similar to what is written above already; also it may help you not get too lost in this rambling text.)
     Simultaneously to your left leg moving to your left, your arms continue their cycle. As your right hand passes your face, start to turn your right palm and upper forearm from facing you to facing away toward the NE corner, rotating clockwise at your elbow, remaining all the time at about shoulder level. Next, continuing downward from the NE corner, as your right hand reaches about chest height (at which point the palm has turned down again), it begins returning back toward you (West) (26,27), rotating in an arc from your elbow, with the palm turning to face that same direction (West) as it does so.
     Concurrently with your right hands movement, your left hand drops further downward, continuing an arcing motion, turning the palm from facing down to facing East as it reaches its nadir, passing (rightward) by your torso just before your thighs.  As your left hand continues moving to your right (East), and you continue to shift your weight in that direction, your upper torso only twists in that same direction.  Your left hand rises up in its continuing arc as your left palm turns, facing upward. At this point your hands pass by each other, to your right side, at just about chest height, your right hand moving downward and just beyond (East of)² your ascending left hand as they pass
very closely. (26) [W= 80R]
     Turning your upper half so that it follows the motion toward your right (East) here as you shift your weight toward your right aligns you so that as your hands meet, you face your hands (NE).  Initially, your eyes follow the movement of your right hand as it returns to the corner (NE), then descends-- at which point your eyes pick up the movement of your ascending left hand as your hands pass and follow its next movements.¹
     The point where your hands pass by each other signals the next shifting of your weight, this time back again toward your left.  Your left hand arcs up and then toward your left (West) at about shoulder height as your gaze follows that motion [W= 60R].  As your left hand is passing your face rotate your palm away from you, with your left arm continuing to move left (West). As your left palm passes in front of your face, your head continues rotating toward your left, following the movement of your left hand. As your left palm passes your face (31) and rotates outward, palm facing away toward the NW corner, your left foot moves in tandem with it, and with your turning head, by pivoting on the heel (28-30), turning your left toes to the corner (NW), then settling your left toes down, creating about a 90° angle with your right foot. (31)
     As they move toward the left past you, your left palm and forearm turn, by rotating at the elbow, from first facing upward (29), to facing toward you (31) as they pass [W= 60L] in front of your head, and finally, to facing away
from you (33) [W= 80L] as they begin the final repetition of rotation in these three Cloudy hands.
     As your right hand descends down to (and a few inches in front of) your right leg, lift the toe of your right foot (30) and turn it to your left (West) [W= 90L] by pivoting on your right heel (31) until your right foot aims toward the NW corner (a 90° pivot), then raise your heel [W= 100L] and move your right foot off of the ground and to your left in tandem with the movement of your right arm in the same direction (32).   Place your right heel down first (33)
[W= 90L], then toe (34) [W= 80L], pointing the toe toward the NW corner, so that it rests parallel to and lines up even with the instep of your left foot, comfortably close to it (within 12 inches.)  Your foot should rest down again
completely at about the same time as your hands pass by each other to your left side. (34)
     At the same time, your descending right hand also draws toward your left in its continuing arc, first reaching its nadir just in front of your thighs (31) before it ascends to where it will next pass by your left hand at just about chest height on your left side. This time it is your left palm, descending and facing down, which is passing just on the outside of your rising right palm, which faces up. (34)
     As your right hand continues moving to your left (West), and you continue to shift your weight in that direction, your upper torso only twists in that same direction, precisely the same action as just before on the other side, only in this opposite direction.  Twisting your upper half so that it follows the motion toward your left (West) as you shift your weight toward your left aligns you so that as your hands pass by each other, you face your hands (NW).

do not over-do do not under-do

     At this point, where your hands meet and your right leg has moved alongside your left, begin to twist at your waist, turning your upper torso only once again to your right side (East). Next, your right toe lifts up (34,35) [W= 90L] and turns toward the NE corner (again now at a 90° angle to your left foot) by pivoting on the heel (36-39), then rests down again (40) [W= 70L].
Simultaneously, your left hand continues to descend as your right rises (35-
37) , both rotating their respective palm and forearm by the elbow, to again turn toward you as they pass by you: the lowering left hand passing just in front of your thighs while the right palm draws in a slight arc from your left
to your right side at about shoulder level, passing directly before your face
as it does so. (38) [W= even]
     Your right hand passes your face, as you start to turn your right palm and upper forearm from facing you to facing away toward the NE corner, rotating clockwise at your elbow [W= 70R]. Your hands continue moving past you, toward your right as you shift your weight that direction until your right kneecap is aligned directly above (but, in no case further out than) your right toe. (42) [W= 80R]

Grasping birds tail    (43 through 45)

     The fourth Grasping birds tail of the set is short and sweet. (Everyone must be fairly certain of this one by now as it is, and Cloudy hands sets it up perfectly.)
    Your left hand rises up in an arc (43) to about shoulder height as your left palm turns, facing South with fingers pointing East. Your right hand reaches your right side (at which point the palm points to the East with fingers pointing up), and your hands meet, but this time do not pass by each other.
     Twisting your upper torso so that it follows the motion toward your right (East) as you shift your weight that way (this starts above in Cloudy hands) aligns you so that as your hands meet here you are facing your hands (NE).¹
     Here's the grasp. As your hands meet to your right side at about shoulder height, with your left fingertips hovering against your inner right wrist, bend your right wrist downward (44) and fold your right fingertips together
(pointing down, your fingertips and thumb tip gathered as one at the end of your fingertips so that your right hand looks 'beakish'.)
     Your right arm points NE as you finish the posture, as both it and your left hand end up at shoulder height. Your left fingertips (pointing East) are grazing against your right wrist, and your left palm is facing South (45). [W= 70R]

Single whip    (44 through 51)

     (Along with each occasion of Grasping birds tail during the form there comes a Single whip.  This combination is the most common in the set, occurring nine (9!) times; you should be getting the "grasp" of it by now. :)   [This version is the same as in Lesson #1 and Lesson #13.]
     Single whip really begins concurrent to Grasping birds tail; at least the lines are fairly blurred.  Lift your left heel up off of the floor (44) [W= 90R], then your left toe (45) [W= 100R], and move your left leg directly to your left side (West) as far as you can comfortably stretch it, placing down your left toe first [W= 90R], then heel [W= 80R], then resting your foot down completely (46).  Your left foot should then rest parallel to your right foot with the left toe aligned even with the instep of your right foot and both feet aimed toward the NE corner. [W= 70R]
     Shifting your weight to your left more [W= 60R], draw your left hand in that direction too, across the front of your face, with your fingertips at eye level, pointing upward and slightly to the right, your palm facing in. Keep your right hand stationary through the entire posture.
     As your left hand passes your face rotate your palm away from you, with your left arm continuing to move left (West) until it points NW at about a 45° angle to your torso, creating about a 90° angle with your right arm which is still pointing NE. As your left palm passes in front of your face, your head begins rotating toward your left, following¹ the movement of your left hand, and rests facing the same corner (NW). As your left palm passes your face (47), rotates outward (48-50) and stops (51), palm facing away toward the NW corner, your left foot moves in tandem with it, and with your turning head, by pivoting on the heel (47), turning your left toes to the corner (NW) (48), then settling your left toes down (49), creating about a 90° angle with your right foot. [W= even]

           ~   ~ ~   ~   ~

     Although this lesson is easily 50% larger than the others so far (even the main image is larger than usual), and appears to be MOST complicated judging from a reading of the text, it is i believe one of the most Joyous of all the postures, waving your hands as if clouds in the sky... and i believe it is actually one of the simplest to master... O, Irony.

           ~   ~ ~   ~   ~

(Remember to keep your knees and elbows at least slightly bent and your pelvis tucked in throughout the set.)

(If at all possible, it is suggested that someone read the text to you - or record it on a tape and play it back - while you slowly practice the form...and slowly is the best way to practice.)

notes:

¹ Your gaze should be directed just past or beyond your hands, not directly at them. This rule applies generally throughout the set, where your eyes should be fixed on a point in space just beyond whatever is right in front of you.  _go back_

²   Naturally, on your right side, your left arm won't reach as far as your right arm, so your right hand is outside of your left hand here. Of course, as you move on your left side, next, your left hand will naturally outreach your right, and will therefore become the outside hand as they pass one another on the left side of you.  (Cloudy hands is one of my favorite postures in the set, and i suspect one of the reasons is its symmetry... a fine balance is realized as left and right take turns creating wonderfull windmill circles in a fine conflu-ence.) _go back_

³   As I have tried to emphasize here and there throughout these lessons, anywhere you see stuff like: "at a 90° angle" or "[W= 80L]" or even "(left, NW; right, NE)"....please, please, understand that these are basically my approximations. They are certainly not cast in stone, but simply guidelines to get you moving in generally the right direction at generally the correct balance. Though I have attempted to assign these numbers accurately, especially with regard to their relativity to each other, it's natural for each individual student to dither somewhat from these (my) norms. _go back_

                        The links back to the above footnote numbers will only return you to
                                       the very first use of that number in the above text,
                   not to the subsequent references on this page to the same footnote number.

do not over-do do not under-do

click>>>LESSON 1<<<here
click>>>LESSON 2<<<here
click>>>LESSON 3<<<here
click>>>LESSON 4<<<here
click>>>LESSON 5<<<here
click>>>LESSON 6<<<here
click>>>LESSON 7<<<here
click>>>LESSON 8<<<here
click>>>LESSON 9<<<here
click>>>LESSON 10<<<here
click>>>LESSON 11<<<here
click>>>LESSON 12<<<here
click>>>PREVIOUS LESSON - 13<<<here
click>>>NEXT LESSON - 15<<<here

List of moves

FUNDAMENTALS OF
TAI CHI CHUAN
breathing
moving as one
being grounded
tan tien (center of balance)
ding jin (common axis)
continuity
single weightedness
double weightedness
yin/yang duality
bent knees and elbows
fist space/separates
moving on a curve
moving slowly

as time permits i will explain these concepts and expand the list of fundamentals

May I suggest the best way to see these images in the days after the lesson page has changed is to 'right click' on those images you want NOW and click
'save image as', then save it to some hard drive (the loads are BIG!)
You can also freely copy/paste/amend the text. (But do not sell, please)

~ ~ special thanks ~ ~
to
Michael W and Shar'n
for making free cyberspace available for MORE Playshop lessons at
www.caliban.net
NOW all of the Playshop lessons should ALWAYS be available online

~ ~ ~

Follow my movement on your monitor.
You will be performing a Right Hand Set...
(Tai chi is practiced from both sides)
When YOU practice tai chi, move slowly
(and hopefully less jerkily than this animation)
If the pictures stop animating on your page, hit reload (refresh)
(I've even had to "clear memory cache" first if I interrupted initial page loading)

THE IMAGE DIRECTLY ABOVE IS TO DEMONSTRATE
THAT ONES STANCE CAN BE WIDER THAN SHOWN
IN THE MAIN IMAGE ABOVE IT(IF ONE HAS ENOUGH SPACE TO PLAY IN)
[Frame numbers match in both images] see also: NOTE

A
different
angle
of
this
lesson
as viewed
from
the East
AGAIN, RESTRAINT OF PRODUCTION SPACE
NECESSITATES THAT THIS IMAGE IS
ONLY ABOUT 2/3RDS
OF THE LESSON.

click>>>LESSON 1<<<here
click>>>LESSON 2<<<here
click>>>LESSON 3<<<here
click>>>LESSON 4<<<here
click>>>LESSON 5<<<here
click>>>LESSON 6<<<here
click>>>LESSON 7<<<here
click>>>LESSON 8<<<here
click>>>LESSON 9<<<here
click>>>LESSON 10<<<here
click>>>LESSON 11<<<here
click>>>LESSON 12<<<here
click>>>PREVIOUS LESSON - 13<<<here
click>>>NEXT LESSON - 15<<<here

~ ~ ~ ~ ~notes:
I made the Tai Chi graphic images using a reverse image option so that I could
video the Left Hand Set, then when it is viewed here on your monitor, it appears as a mirror image of a Right Hand Set, which you can emulate by following my movements. Most Tai Chi students only learn the Right Hand Set, and it is a good way to start. One can practice the opposite side movements (Left Hand) by practicing the reverse of the image(s) above. I am fortunate that the students who instructed me at my 'tai chi beginning' practiced both sides of the set daily. By learning the left and right versions (identical, just reversed) of tai chi, I believe one may gain even more.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~more notes:

Please let me know what you like here and what really bugs you here, too
TO EMAIL HERE PLEASE MANUALLY CHANGE 'AT' TO '@'

Is there some aspect of the movement not made clear by the images (or the text, for that matter)?? Please tell me, and if I cannot clarify it with words I will try to make a new image to illustrate a way out of that confusion.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~still more notes:

It is better by far to experience learning Tai Chi of any kind in a group setting, primarily for two reasons. First, it's more fun! and nothing is better for learning than sharing ideas and practice with individuals who share the same interests. By having many artisans practice together, this allows for an excellent source of useful feedback. More than critically watching the moves as others do them, this also affords an opportunity that is unparalleled: by standing in the center surrounded by more advanced students, with every movement in every direction, the novice has a rotating view of the form. This allows the newer student to follow all the others, even as the plane of movement tangents onto a new direction. Turn left, a senior student is in front to follow from; turn right, another teacher is in view;
spin around 180° and, yep, you guessed it.

Though learning Tai Chi from pictures, and (sometimes even worse) from text, is not the best method to use...it is what I can offer. Some people have little or no access to teachers or classes in their area; some have little or no money for them even if they did exist; some folk are shy and some may be to dis-eased to go to a class; it is for all these people (the ones online, at least) and of course for the martial arts intellectuals (you know who you are) that I make this meager presentation.

TAI CHI CLASSES
For anyone in or near (or just visiting) the San Francisco Bay Area, please accept our invitation to join us in our VIRTUAL REALITY PLAYSHOP
(real people), any Saturday morning from 8:45 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.
at 1819 10th Street, in Berkeley.
(The set usually begins @ 9:10 a.m. Saturday
Just take the outside stairs on the south side of Finnish Hall to the top to get in--or take the disabled folks elevator inside--if you need it)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ finally! feedbackfinally, your notes:

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~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Only you yourself will know if you have stretched
your chi 'enough', 'too much', or even 'not enough'. What we desire to achieve with Tai Chi is balance: to get there, moderation, not excess, is required.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~Keep in mind while upon this new journey that we do it for our health, for our joy, for our spiritual reawakening...not to suffer more, but to complete ourselves
as beings, and rejoice of the universe.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~With gratitude to Li Lida (1922-1982)

SPECIAL THANKS
to Ruth, David, Lydia, Michael, Shar'n, Harold, Eileen, Robert,
and all of the other people who have helped me learn Tai Chi...

injoy.      heartLove!

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nothing new here in this part of the Universe since
5:55 A.M. P.S.T., Friday, January 15, 1999

we share some common strand in this universe...we

as one