Partner Training Work
Partner training work helps each player to find out how to apply the particular power of the techniques that he/she has trained independently.
Partner training
Partner work is not sparring. The drills are friendly (with a partner, not an opponent), but still not overly cooperative. Sometimes considerable force needs to be used in to check and test the power and skills. Remember that each drill is working on a specific thing, so you do need to do the required thing, and not improvise to ‘beat’ someone.
Things to think about in partner training
Partners help you to find your skills and power. It helps to train with three types of partner: a partner much stronger than you, a partner about your equal, and a partner much weaker than you. Each can teach you something about your skills. Someone way beyond your skill/power level will give you a feeling for what whole body power is. Someone your own level gives you a chance to find the power yourself. Someone below your level enables you to feel what it is like to apply the power.
Remember that if you hurt your partner they might not want to play with you again. If you don’t cause them difficulty (which may include some pain) then they don’t learn very much. This is a fine balance. Being tossed into a tree is frustrating but fun. Having an injury twisted so that you cannot think of anything but pain is less so.
Partner training drills are repeated for a long time during a sessoin, to fully find the power and help change the body. Do each drill for at least twenty minutes. In the partner drills it is important to use the whole body power developed in the bear walking, and not get carried away with trying to ‘get’ your partner. As with all abilities, one’s ability in partner work improves with one’s connectedness, which is developed in circle walking.
If something is ‘going wrong’ it is usually not your partner’s fault, but how you are dealing with what he/she is doing. Find the answer to your problem within yourself.
The Ma Gui system places some emphasis on Yin Fu’s chuanzhang, but it also trains many other techniques and has other training methods.
Some representative partner drills (in no specific order)
The pages are also loosely organised just put more on a page, instead of one per page.
Chuanzhang
This trains the principle of connecting the spirit and intent, and the principle of crossing the arms to gain control. Since bagua uses stepping, one of the main defensive techniques is to step a bit aside and cross the attacking arm with your arm, setting up a press down or a drive in (much as you would do with a spear)
Lion form
This is similar to the chuanzhang drill, but in lion form. In the ball rolling method, use the inside triangle stepping to go straight in with a lion holds the ball, connecting with the lower hand.
Huajin, Absorbing power
This trains the principles of settling the body and advancing the body as a unit, the method of absorbing in the body core and hips, and the principle of controlling the opponent without grabbing them.
Dai Shou
This connects within the chuanzhang drill. As a partner drill, you can take turns doing the drag after you connect with a chuan, or both drag at the same time. To use it as a defence, if your partner comes in strongly, then continue the movement by pulling. You may just do the grab and lightly tug to get the idea, or you may do a full daishou.
Dragon walking
This trains controlling the partner and getting used to walking while spotting another person.
Dragon single palm change
This is similar to the chuanzhang drill, but using a more lateral power. In fact, if your partner is coming in too strongly in the chuanzhang drill, you can dissipate his/her power by shifting subtly to the danhuanzhang (single palm change).
Coiling Palms
This trains the method of coiling with the hands, of connecting and changing with the feet, and of moving in space and changing position. This is similar to the crossing arms drill, but with the arms less straight, much closer together. This is one of the rare times that we might use a bit of qinna, playing with the fingers of our partner.
Crossing arms
This trains the application of koubu and baibu stepping, the application of the body technique, and the method of coiling the hands. It develops the idea of ‘crossing’, the same as is done with a spear. If you can get your arm crossed with the opponent, then you can control and get in.
Wrist wringing
This trains the principles of going with the direction of a grab to change, and of going above the head to protect yourself against a joint controlling grab.
Anzhang
This is yazhang, applied to a partner. The technique is yazhang (press down), and when applied, the power is anzhang (settle down). This trains the principles of whole body strength settling down and scooping up, the method of training the deep skill of whole body strength, and the method of sticking with the whole body strength.
Kaizhang partner practice, directly in, and walking around, with Philippe.
