CLOUD HANDS: FROM CHI FLOW MOVEMENTS TO PATTERNS AND SETS
How did Taijiquan begin? Did the great Zhang San Feng, the First Patriarch of Internal Arts, invent it out of the blues?
Zhang San Feng was already a great scholar-warrior when he graduated from the Shaolin Temple and settled on the Wudang Mountain to continue his Taoist cultivation. Hence, he did not need to invent a new art to promote health or train combat because he was already very healthy and combat efficient. What he did was to continue his spiritual cultivation to attain the Tao.
While in the extreme stillness of his standing mediation, chi swelled inside him resulting in spontaneous movements. This was expressed in Taijiquan principles as “extreme yin generates yang”. His movements were fluid, fast and powerful, and were poetically described as “flowing water floating clouds”, later shortened as “cloud hands”.
Zhang San Feng taught these “cloud hands” to his inner-chamber disciples to help them attain Tao. Later these “cloud hands” movements were stylized into patterns, and then linked together to form a kungfu set, which came to be known as “Wudang Kungfu”. A few centuries later, another great scholar-warrior named Chen Wang Ting employed Taiji principles to explain its philosophy, and called this style of kungfu “Taijiquan”.
These video clips were taken at the Guan Yin Temple on the Blue Mountain
Please note: you can download the video clips onto your own computer and view them at your leisure. Place your computer pointer at the picture or one of the links, and right click. Choose “Save Target As”. Select the directory or sub-directory where you wish to keep the video clip. Click “Save”.
Circulating Hands
Cloud Hands is a very important aspect of Taijiquan training. Here Cloud Hands is performed with the hands moving in circles with the stance at a stationary poise.
The size of the video clip is 1026 KB.
Click here to download.
Horizontal Hands
Cloud Hands is performed here with the hands in more rectangular movements with the hips gently rotating to both sides.
The size of the video clip is 1269 KB.
Click here to download.
Sideway Movement
Grandmaster Wong demonstrates performing Cloud Hands while moving the stance sideways using side-steps.
The size of the video clip is 1146 KB.
Click here to download.
Unicorn Steps
Here Grandmaster Wong demonstrates turning around using the Unicorn Step while performing Cloud Hands
The size of the video clip is 1107 KB.
Click here to download.
Various Stances
Participants move sideways using the Unicorn Step, then using various stances.
The size of the video clip is 920 KB.
Click here to download.
Variety of Movements
Participants move in various directions using various stances while performing Cloud Hands. This is an excellent method to train footwork as well as energy flow.
The size of the video clip is 957 KB.
Click here to download.
Grasping Sparrow's Tail
The spontaneous “flowing water floating clouds” movements, or “Cloud Hands”, are stylized into patterns. These patterns, called “Immortal Waves Sleeves”, “Double Dragons Carry Pearl”, “Push Boat According to Current”, “Black Bear Sinks Hips” and “Open Window to Look at Moon” in Wahnam Taijiquan, are collected known as “Grasping Sparrow's Tail” in Yang Style Taijiquan.
The size of the video clip is 717 KB.
Click here to download.
Green Dragon
Continuing from Grasping Sparrow's Tail are Single Whip, Green Dragon and Playing the Lute.
The size of the video clip is 1300 KB.
Click here to download.
Various Punches
Following Playing the Lute are Thrust Kick, Fierce Dragon, White Snake, Catch Snake, Thrust Punch, Straight Punch and Vertical Punch.
The size of the video clip is 1094 KB.
Click here to download.
Different Kicks
The movements conclude with Side Kick, Fierce Dragon, Striking Tiger, White Crane and Circulating Hands. This set of movements is named “Cloud Hands” after the movements poetically described as “Flowing Water Floating Clouds”.
The size of the video clip is 696 KB.
Click here to download.
LINKS
Wahnam Taijiquan Training from Basics to Free Sparring
- Part 1 — The Secret of the Internal Force Masters
- Part 2 — Cloud Hands: From Chi Flow Movements to Patterns and Sets
- Part 3 — Developing Combat Skills in Pushing Hands
- Part 4 — Practicing Combat Techniques in Striking Hands
- Part 5 — Applying Kicks, Throws and Grips in Striking Hands
- Part 6 — Combat Sequences 1 and 2: Top, Middle, Bottom and Sides
- Part 7 — Combat Sequence 3: Pressing Attacks and How to Defend against Them
- Part 8 — Combat Sequences 4 and 5: Thrust Kick, Side Kick and Whirlwind Kick
- Part 9 — Combat Sequence 6: Felling Opponents with Carrying Tiger Back to Mountain
- Part 10 — Combat Seqeences 7 and 8: Chin-Na or Gripping Attacks and their Defences
- Part 11 — The Eight Simplified Combat Sequences of Wahnam Taijiquan
- Part 12 — From Guided Sparring to Free Sparring in Wahnam Taijiquan