Summer Campus 2022 Flowing Thoughts Sitting On The [Right] River Side Ramon Soranzo

Finally, the long-awaited Summer Campus 2022! For me it was the chance to attend in presence, after months of travel restrictions (not without blatant nonsense) that forced me to attend the past campus through Google Meet only. Of course, also last year was very valuable, but that energy rising when you are all together couldn’t be perceived online. Not to mention that learning in 2D is not the same as learning in 3D which includes a Nasser's touch on you that can be revelatory to all your practice. So, this year I was there at The Studio excited to shake and join hands with my friends from UK, Netherlands, and from Italy too!

Every year the Summer Campus covers a specific subject to our progressive training. No jumping from one topic to another with lofty arguments to appeal to people’s egos. Rather a meticulous construction throughout the years: starting from Grounding, to Sung, Thirteen Dynamics, the real Small San Sao, Spiral Movements, and Rolling Thunder! All that required a continuous study and hard training to advance in practice and understanding of the principles of fighting. It is this progressive learning that allowed us to tackle the new subject of Campus 2022: the River Form.

The River [Water] Form is the first of the set of four Wudang Dim-Mak Cornerstone Forms. Together with the other three Air [Wind], Valley and Mountain — they represent the four Earth Elements. Invented by ancient Wudang masters, the Dim-Mak Cornerstone Forms [not to be confused with the four Cornerstones of Taijiquan] were taken up and taught by Erle Montaigue, who in turn had learnt them on his travels in Wudang, as well as from his teacher Chang Yiu-chun. Little known, Erle himself filmed them in their entirety on DVD as he taught them to his instructors in the UK — including Nasser and Elliot — thus preserving them from possible oblivion [However, we need to remember that for every one-hour video, there are roughly 3 days of Erle’s teaching in situ and not everything is filmed!]

Although they teach the most practical and deadly points of Dim-Mak, they are not meant to cover the whole Dim-Mak. That is also present in forms and training methods of REAL Taiji, Baguazhang and Xingyi, all of which, however, are derived from the Wudang system.

These forms are meant to teach you the body movements to fight in all realistic situations, even with multiple attackers and teach your body to move reflexively rather than having to think about “what to do” in a deadly selfdefense situation. They teach you to how to respond with natural movements whereby the first strike is followed by another and another... running without end until the attacker is neutralized or under your full control.

The River Form is called such because of the flowing nature of each movement and how it flows effortlessly into the next movement, building up great power issued from a very short distance, gaining that power from how the body is moved, like the “great river”.

According to Nasser:

The “great river” has been interpreted by many as the mighty Yangtze itself and the first Cornerstone lives up to its name teaching us the internal aspects of the element — “very powerful, often slow and flowing, often very explosive.”

Each movement of this form is linked to the next in a complex, yet flowing set of postures that emulates the River and the internal flow of Qi throughout the body.

Of the four Dim-Mak Forms the River represents the extreme Yin and this is consistent with the Water itself flowing also underground or sinking when it falls from the waterfall. Moreover, just as water creeps into holes so River Form teaches us how to sneak in all gaps, access complex area and open tight spaces in the attacker’s guard and then take control and then, like water, pouring and pouring until the opponent doesn’t exist anymore.

Quoting Erle’s writings:

The River form teaches us to get into spots easily for instance when someone has a strong en-guard stance etc, like water gets into the small cracks in the stone.

It is not easy to summarize all that was taught in these 3 days. Nasser, as usual, transmitted to us both the tools and the keys for understanding this Summer Campus 2022.

So alongside the report of the fantastic time we spent at The Studio, I will try to give you some insights into the essence of this Campus taken from my notes.

Day 1 – The Earth

At 3pm in the UK in all we were 17 people plus Nasser and Elliot. We started with a Qigong belonging to the Yang family described in Chen Yanlin’s book Taiji Compiled: The Boxing, Saber, Sword, Pole, and Sparring (translated by Paul Brennan, 2014). It was also adopted by Erle Montaigue with some variation in line with the Old Yang Style. Known as the Energy-Moving Exercise Set, it was given to Yang students to learn how to move energy internally and how to understand and use the breath to balance the rhythm in the Taiji Form.

The primary function of this Qigong is how to consolidate the breath or get the breath to join with the rhythm of the movement. Thus, it teaches you how to control the breath in combat. Understanding your own rhythm means understanding your opponent’s rhythm, which in turn allows us to defeat him using broken rhythms!

The role of the breath connected with the rhythm of movement is crucial also to learning the River Form, which has complex body mechanics and sudden changes of rhythm. And the more complex manoeuvring the more you must pay attention to the breathing. That’s why this Qigong was introduced at the very beginning of the Campus.

All movements of Energy-Moving Exercise Set Qigong belong entirety to the old Yang and they are connected to the Yang Form.

The importance of this Qigong is also in teaching several critical skills in the form such as the three bows in the body and joining energies — see for example in Apparent Close, Spear Hands or Drop Down Break Elbow. The sequence of movements is quite long but relatively easy to learn. The various postures teach you the connectivity between breath and movement that you will find in the Form itself.

Breathing in and out occurs in a natural and circular fashion, visualizing the Energy flow ascending through the back up to GV26 in hard palate and then descending through the Conception Vessel to CV1.

The last movement teaches the concept of heavy hands i.e. how to harness gravity to convert it into power through a state of Sung. You basically end by releasing your arms downward with a small fa-jing.

All this is the Energy-Moving Qigong, it provides the keys described above; the rest is only beneficial stretching!

In the second part of the afternoon, we began with the River Form.

Facing north with the feet in a river stance, the Form opens with Arn — a circular movement though smaller as in the opening of the YLC Taiji form. From here, the first movement teaches us to strike to TH8 point on the attacker’s forearm in a downward direction to set up the main killing strike to GV26 just under the nose with a “tiger paw” fist. At the same time, as usual, we are put into the worst scenario of having to defend against two or more attackers, so we are also attacking a 2nd attacker with a sharp cross kick to break his leg at the knee. All in a Bagua-like posture, facing right with the torso while the feet facing north.

According to Erle, already from this first movement and in all the following “we are taught exactly which points to hit for the maximum effect with the appropriate set up points, how to hit them, and in which directions to strike or set up.”

Most importantly, each movement mainly teaches us how to search for the Source of Power to produce maximum effect in positions where high and low of the body are separated.

Transition movements are round and spiral to maximize the power and energy released.

Each of the Cornerstone forms has its own Qigong method of Yin and Yang. The first of the Qigongs in this River form is the “Heaven/Earth” Qigong, taking energy from the ground into the body. The 2nd or Yang Qigong connects physical to spirit or heaven, and it is repeated in the Form four times at the four cardinal corners. Both Qigongs are done slowly usually followed by fast and explosive set of movements to release that accumulated Qi.

The Yin Qigong, at the beginning after the second movement, is meant to build energy up. Both hands are held forward, the right hand higher and forward than the left. During inhalation the weight shifts slightly to the back foot, the palm of the right hand becomes Yin, tip of the tongue placed on the hard palate. During exhalation you reverse, the weight goes to the front foot the right palm becomes Yang and expands forward, and the tongue sits on the soft palate. The whole movement is small and internal. You move the weight by rotating around the sweet spots of the feet. Same movements three times slowly.

From here the river gets turbulent, falls, crashes, smashes releasing the energy as in the rapids. A quick twisting motion to block with the arm [but the movement comes from the center] a punch from behind. Then explosive with a full weight arm break, plum blossom jumps smashing the palms on the head, slapped steps with a neck attack thrusting both hands forwards [akin to Double Spear Hands in Taiji form], followed by a kick to the inside of the knee along with an elbow to the neck in a single motion to finish turned of 180°.

As the “great river” now turns the corner and opens joining a wide part of calm waters, so the rhythm of the Form returns still starting the Yang Qigong called Heaven-Earth united.

Facing north (the other three corner are, in order, south, west and east), hands starting at chest height scoop and hands go up forming a slight spiral [fingertips pointing upward]. Gaze facing the palms as you breath-in and tongue on the roof of the palate. As you breath-out your left foot gonna come up with the sole pointing to the right side as your hands are coming down, your tip of the tongue drops down. Now standing on one leg, the foot follows the hands down. Same entire movement is repeated three times. In this movement you do the opposite of what the body would like to do, raise the hands and feet up and down together. Hands and feet join the rhythm only in the final part, as both come down and that’s where Heaven and Earth unite and moving as one.

The river now makes a tight turn. As soon as the foot touches the ground, instantly the left leg bounces back crossing from in front of the right leg. All weight is on the left and at the same time the right is placed up at head height as if to parry, while left tiger paw fist is trusted forward directed to DM point H1. We are turned to the West in a beautiful twist akin to the Lion in Bagua.

And with this posture finished the first part of the form and the day being already 7PM truly exhausted but satisfied and very Yang in spirit! Indeed, the River works on LUNGS (in addition to STOMACH and COLON) that represents the body’s powerhouse.

Day 2 – The Heaven

The “great river” becomes again rushing with currents in different directions from each other and vortex sucking downward.

Hands are involved in blocking and striking DM points on the neck (ST9), temple (GB3) or at the third eye, breaking arms and necks with PUSH and PULL movements. Simultaneously kicks to destabilize the attacker’s legs in all directions, break his alignment, making collapse him to the ground while we continue to hit gaining total control on him.

Here the upper and lower body do separate things. That’s possible only when Heaven (the head) and Earth (the feet) unite with man in the middle — perfectly aligned, balanced and rooted. Just so the upper and lower body can move independently yet in total harmony with the other.

Due to the common origin with Wudang, the River has the many connections with the Form of Taiji Old Yang and Bagua. You will clearly recognize Fair Lady Works the Shuffle but with a much more sneaky and brutal application, the Plum Blossom-like leaps, Cutting hands among the main postures or intra-movements. But also links with Bagua, with typical torques, spins, cross steps, kicks and sheathing, elbows and breaks to the neck.

Although it is relatively short, learning the River form requires patience and at first daily commitment. Nasser's instructions are clear about this and encouraging to achieve mastery. Start slowly to get all the movements. Then practice the sequence fluidly, no power at this stage. Progressing, you will find that the more fluid you are the

more power you can generate. Only in the final step, put the rhythm and the pace of the River. Everything must happen effortlessly from your center. If you make dead movements with your arms or legs, back and analyze your body mechanics in the transition to that specific posture!

Again, quoting Erle:

You will find when practicing these forms, that the energy builds up very quickly, giving a feeling of well-being and power. This happens because the same energy we use for self-defense, is also used for self-healing.

We concluded the afternoon with a series of drills on mitts build up and issue great power and from a very short distance and from different directions. Achieving the state of Sung here is key.

Then, in a variant to the opening movement of Small San Sao we trained attacks on GB1 and the eyes by moving our hands from Yin to Yang in a left-right lateral direction — without helmets that would be in self-defense quite misleading!

The second day, another long day, came to an end, and most of us stayed for a delicious snack rice and vegetables cooked and offered by our mate Sarb who brought it to the Studio.

The Final Day – The Heaven and Earth Unite

After practicing full form all morning both with Nasser's guidance and on our own, here Nasser began to show the real application of River form for street self-defense.

At the stage, we no longer use the postures as we learnt them in the previous two days, but rather reflexive movements and the body mechanics in an efficient way. Indeed, once we train the form properly these movements become natural, automatic, and connected one to the next, like a river sweeping the attacker and crashing him under the water from the top of the waterfall.

Circular movements can become swirls to split the attacker's defense and strike without a break.

There are no primary and secondary fighting techniques or other such crap for fighters in gyms or their own bedrooms.

The head is point in which man controls his stability, if you can control that person’s head you control him. And here you understand the meaning in the form of backward pulls at the neck to destabilize the head or the chin thrusts to rotate the head followed by a backward pull to take him in whatever direction you decide until he was dragged to the ground, perhaps while putting your fingers in his eyes!

Takeaways

“Teaching comes only to indicate the way and the journey; but the vision will be of the one who has wanted to see.” Plotinus - Enneads

Nasser has succeeded in further developing our ability to move like flowing water, recognizing the Source of Power by how the body moves where high and low are even disjoint, sneaking into tight spaces to enter the attacker’s guard.

The River form has fairly complicated movements. But once you have learnt them, then the basic movements became reflexive and you can slam without thinking. That’s it is so rewarding form both for the martial and the healing.

The River makes you really understand where your internal martial art comes from and to apply it to the area of self-defense specifically on what to do after the first strike.

It provides the tools to progress in this area; when you have access to the attacker, you don’t stop, like a river seamlessly pouring in every direction with your hands/arms and legs until he’s down.

If you learn it properly and constantly training it, your Taiji or Bagua training will climb a step up the ladder, as I’m already experiencing back in Italy in Nasser’s classes.

After this Campus, we began to understand the REAL meaning of Wu Yu-hsiang’s teaching contained in his ‘Expositions of Insights into the Practice of the Thirteen Postures’:

“Be as still as a mountain, move like a great river.”

So, it is up to us to discern it and refine in all our practice!

I am so grateful to have attended this great three-day event. Nasser and Elliot gave it their all both in and out of the classroom.

I thank all classmates for sharing the training and the teachings helping each other, the hugs, and the most playful moments that, especially after these past two years, are the most special and perhaps will be the most memorable. See you next year!

Ciao!

Standing under the shadow of Erle’s red Oak Tree in Evington Arboretum, planted in his memory by his dedicated students in Leicester