Long Feng is satisfied that I know both Wudang Tai Chi Sword and Yi Jian Mei, and has started teaching me 56-sword. I think I need a lot of practice before I will be able to do either of those two forms as well as I’d like, but I am excited to start learning the sequence for 56–wo shi liu shi. That was my goal for the coming year.
Excellent video of 56-sword; Qi Shi.
To start with, here’s an excellent video, which I think will turn out to be the same thing Long Feng is doing. So many of the movements are also found in the other two forms and 32-sword as well! Other movements are reminiscent of the traditional long form, with which I have only a small acquaintance.
Looking at the opening, the first thing she does (in the picture above) is turn to her right and, as in lan que wei, does press and push. Then she continues with Three Rigs Around the Moon. So Qi Shi is like 32-sword, except for that press and push. What I see so far is:
- Qi Shi
- Ding Bu Dian Jian
- Du Li Fan Ci
- Pu Bu Heng Sao
- You Zuo Ping Dai
Then she transitions as if to do Fen Jiao Ling Jian (Wudang) but instead of kicking, she does this:
Looks like Xu Bu Liao. Then she turns to face the back and continues with a series just like Wudang Taiji Jian:
7. Pu Bu Chuan Jian
8. Deng Jiao Qian Ci
9. Tiao Bu Ping Ci
10. Zhuan Shen Ping Ci
She then does what looks like Phoenix Spreads Wings, or what in 32-sword is called Che Bu Fan Liao and then again Zuo Xu Bu Liao. The move after that is unrecognizable to me (except it somewhat resembles the last move in Yi Jian Mei!). This is enough to get me started. I need to find a real list of names.
Clearly, knowing the forms I’ve already learned, this will go a lot faster. That’s already the first minute and a half. To be continued!
Tai Chi Notebook 