Follow In Order To Lead

Follow in order to lead. One of the methods and practices for applying the idea and principle of "invest in loss". If you will allow the other person to push you into a position without any offering any resistance of your own you will tend to find yourself in an excellent position to continue their motion and take advantage of what ever they have given you. At first this is easier said than done. Everyone wants to resist and often at first will think (and even argue) that they are not resisting the advances of their partner and will often accuse their partner of being tense. In part this can be due to continually getting pushed and moved by the partner and not being able to figure out how to flow into the space that the partner is pushing them into without falling or being moved or uprooted.

Drop root, go softer and let go of the need to resist. At first this can be easier said than done. You really have to be willing to let go. The upper body should be like a sponge and if you feel any tension then it is probably your own. Think about it. Your partner pushes you from the start and continues pushing. They use force to start with and while you flow with their push you do not feel resistance. When you resist you feel tension. Life is much like this.

You may have to go slow at first but with a little time and practice you will be able to do it much faster and against a much bigger and stronger partner / opponent. Let them move you while you let your body flow into the natural position where it wants to go in response to their push. Really feel it first and then as you get better at it learn to observe how and what they are doing so that you can actually see them struggle to move you or uproot you.

Any overextension by your partner/opponent becomes the handle by which you can easily move them. Their smart choice (when they are working on being sensitive to the position) is to not over extend themselves and give themselves to you. The Tai Chi postures are, at least in part, as varied as they are to help practitioners learn how to flow in many different directions so that the practitioner has a method to utilize to go in the direction the energy is going instead of fighting the flow of power. Work the postures with this in mind and you will find that your physical understanding of direction and force will vastly improve. This to is learning how to use "investing in loss".

Also, by paying attention to the force and direction that your partner or opponent produces you will get better and better at finding unnecessary tension and over commitment, drawing off inappropriate tension and force from others and you will also learn to feel when they withdraw and change direction or become confused or indecisive while trying to decide in what direction to push and what to do next. This will improve your sensitivity to the point that eventually you will push, move or uproot them while they think they are getting you. The partner / opponent will not even feel you negate and/or counter their movement. In other words you will really develop refined skill and higher Kung Fu. You will be getting excellent return on your investment.

Please post on the forum to let us know how this goes.

Sincerely,
Sifu Clear