| SanZhan or Sanchin Form?
Hi,
Who out there uses a version of the SanZhan or Sanchin form in their training and art?
If so what lessons do you get from the form and how do you training it?
The Mandarin "San Zhan" translates as "Three Wars". This is to mean the conflicts of "mind, body, and spirit". Yet in ancient Chinese culture there was not a distinction between the mind and the spirit, which is a more modern, western concept. In the traditional way and our research has led us to view the SanZhan the wars of those between "mind, body and breath", or "mind, body, and qi (internal energy)".
Breathing for SanZhan is important to its practice Correct breathing builds up internal and external strength, massages the internal organs, and concentrates the mind and spirit of the practitioner.
It is our belief that SanZhan started out as an exercise or moving Chi-Kung/Qigong practice and later was assigned a fighting element.
SanZhan is an water element form mainly because of the Jin that one seeks to train when doing this form. “Shui Lan” or “Water Wave” Jin is the main aim of training in this form. It is a similar to the silk cocoon jin that you'll find in Taiji except that there is a more ‘rolling’ type of movement to express the Jin.
BaBulian (8 Steps) is found more in the hand movements. If you observe the “hands cycle” portion of the form, you should be able to detect the 5 Elements (WuXingShou) sequence. This element cycle changes from style to style so it is of little use to go into this deeper.
BaBulian starts with a "Three Wars" sequence of three similar movements forwards; "Calling Crane Wing Spreading", "Calling Crane Shaking its Plume" and "Calling Crane Shakes it Body". It then moves on to the "Four Doors" sequence which consists of "Calling Crane Blowing", "Calling Crane Prey (Breaking Bamboo)", "Calling Crane Folding Wings", Left and right "Calling Crane Stretching its Neck" (Mighty Hook) and finishing with "Calling Crane Leaving (outgoing) the Nest".
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