CORRESPONDENCE MODE AND EXPANSION MODE OF SANTI STANCE
Santi Stance
Question
In Xingyiquan, can we develop internal force by just practicing the Santi Stance?
-- Miyoko, Japan
Answer
Yes, we can develop internal force by just practicing the Santi Stance -- without practicing other stances and other force training method.
In fact, the Santi Stance is excellent for developing the type of internal force required by Xingyiquan. Initially I was surprised why the Santi Stance, which is well know for developing internal force in Xingyiquan, is asymmetrical, unlike the Horse-riding Stance and the Three-Circle Stance which are primary means to develop internal force in Shaolin Kungfu and Taijqiquan, and which are symmetrical.
This puzzling question was accidentally answered when I prepared to teach Xingyiuqna at the UK Summer Camp in 2013. In the preparation I read up a lot of Xingyiquan classics. It was mentioned in one of the classics that the Correspondence Mode and the Expansion Mode were used in practicing the Santi Stance. although the explanation was brief, as most explanations in classics were, I could understand the underlying philosophy straightaway.
When I employed the Correspondence Mode and the Expansion Mode at the Xingyiquan course at the UK Summer Camp, course participants were amazed at the tremendous amount of force generated, and this force was particularly useful for Xingyiquan.
Not many Xingyiquan practitioners know about the Correspondence Mode and the Expansion Mode of the Santi Stance. Indeed not many people have heard of these two terms.
Will Xinyiquan practitioners who have no knowledge of the Correspondence Mode and the Expansion Mode be able to develop internal force by just practicing the Santi Stance? Yes, they will, but they will be far less effective had they also employed the Correspondence Mode and the Expansion Mode.
On the other hand, even if they employ the Correspondence Mode and the Expansion Mode in their Santi Stance training, Xingyiquan practitioners will get better result if they first spend some time on the Horse Riding Stance before attempting the Santi Stance. (In the Xingyiquan course at the UK Summer Camp, we did not spend much time on the Horse-Riding Stance prior to the Santi Stance, because all the course participants had previously practiced the Horse-Riding Stance well.)
Training the Horse-Riding Stance first will develop foundation at their dan tian. This will not only speed up their training of the Santi Stance later on, but also enhance both their solidness and agility as well as give them good health and vitality.
Many people may be surprised how stance training can enhance both solidness and agility, as these terms are ordinarily contradictory. But Shaolin Wahnam students would know. If you don't, please ask your sifu.
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