Wong Kiew Kit's Home Page
THE HORSE STANCE
Everything you wanted to know about the Horse Stance and More
by Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit
Edited and compiled by Sifu Anthony Korahais
Sifu Wong practicing the Horse Stance
This webpage is reproduced from
Sifu Anthony Korahais’ website at http://www.zenergyarts.com/index.html
Fundamental Force Training
Question
I've learned Chinese martial arts for one and a half years. One of my “ji-ben-gong” is “zhan zhuang“ (also called horse-riding stance). I found that this is the most difficult to train. After two to three months of training horse-riding stance, I am just capable of standing for 2 minutes.
Answer
The word "j-iben-ggong" means fundamental force training. "Fundamental" does not mean "the lowest level", but means "most important, being the foundation for all future development". Most people merely know the surface or dictionary meaning of these terms; they do not really appreciate their meaning. If they did, they would have spent at least five times more effort on “ji-beng-gong.
"Gong" is provisionally translated here as "force". Actually "gong" is much more than what the term "force" can suggest, but there is no suitable English term that can convey the complete concept of "gong", and "force" is the nearest equivalent available, though it is in fact still very far off. The whole idea of kungfu (spelt as "gongfu" in Romanized Chinese) is the training and application of "gong".
Besides force, "gong" includes aspects like accuracy of form, speed, fluidity of movement, temperament, mental clarity and freshness, spontaneity of reaction, and quick decision making. In some ways "skills" many be a better substitute than "force" for "gong". but it may sometimes give a wrong connotation.
Zhan zhuang means "stance training". Some people translate zhan zhuang as "standing on stakes", which is a literally translation and, in my opinion, translated wrongly. A Chinese word has many meanings, sometimes related, sometimes different from one another. One of the meanings of zhuang is "stakes" or piles driven vertically into the ground to support a building. Another, more usual, meaning is foundation, the result of a collection of stakes. In kungfu, zhuang means "stance", related to the meaning of "foundation".
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One of the most popular stances used in zhan zhuang is the Three-Circle Stance, or the Taiji Stance as it is widely used in Taijiquan. In southern Shaolin Kungfu, the most important stance is the Horse-Riding Stance. It is the most demanding exercise in all kungfu. The Three-Circle Stance, by comparison, is childs’ play. If you can persist in training the Horse-Riding Stance, you can do anything in kungfu or in life.
Remaining correctly at the Horse-riding Stance for two minutes is quite an achievement. Most people cannot remain for half a minute. But you should aim at five minutes, which is the minimum requirement for a reasonable attainment in this stance training. You must progress gradually. It may take you many months, or even years, but the effort will be well spent. Many people expressed amazement at my internal force when they sparred with me. This is one of the rewards of my many years of stance training.
The Way of the Masters
Question
Can you show me the way to stand longer? Should I stand longer? How long should it be?
Answer
The way all masters have traveled is by sheer hard work. If you are not ready to put in hard work everyday for at least a few months, you can forget about developing internal force with the Horse- Riding Stance.
Of course you should stand longer, but the increase of time must be gradual. It is reputed that great Shaolin masters in the past like Hoong Hei Khoon and Thit Kiew Sam remained at their Horse-Riding Stance for hours everyday! Nevertheless, with reference to our present standard of kungfu, if you can remain at your stance for 15 minutes, you would have done well.
Here is some advice which may make your hard work more pleasant. Indeed, initially most people find practising the Horse-Riding Stance "torture", but gradually, the few who persist and succeed in overcoming the initial pain, will find subtle joys in the stance training.
Most important of all you must relax -- physically and mentally. Asking how to relax is like asking how to speak or how to eat. You just relax, like you just speak or eat. If you can relax you will have removed the most significant obstacle preventing you from lengthening the time of your stance training.
It is important to have your form correct, and remain at this correct form throughout the exercise. See that your body is upright, your mouth slightly open, and your fists held firmly at your waist. Your eyes may be open or gently closed. Breathe naturally and gently. Place your mind at your abdominal dan tian (energy field) and count your breathing.
Let us say in this first training session you can "sit" on your Horse-Riding Stance for 10 breaths. "Sit" for 10 breaths for the next two sessions. At the fourth session, i.e. after training for 3 sessions, increase 1 or 2 breaths. For the next 3 sessions "sit" on your stance for 11 or 12 breaths. Continue training in this manner, adding 1 or 2 breaths after 3 sessions. In this way, provided that your training is consistent and regular, you will be able to "sit" on your stance for about 15 minutes after a few months. You will also find that your breathing has become deeper and longer.
Zhan zhuang or stance training does not merely give your solid stances. More significantly it builds your internal force and gives you mental clarity and freshness. You should also complement your stance training with leg stretching exercises, so that your footwork is not only solid but also agile.
The Immovable Root
Question
I need to develop an immovable root. My Kung Fu instructor said that I should practise stances but he wasn't specific. Could you please tell me some ways to develop an immovable root?
Answer
Why would you like to develop an immovable root?
Some masters in the past, like the Shaolin master Hoong Hei Khoon and the Taijiquan master Yang Lu Chan, had immovable roots. When they stood at the Horse-Riding Stance or the Three-Circle Stance respectively, a few people pushing at the masters could not move them.
But they did not purposely set out to develop immovable roots. Their immovable roots were a bonus. They were also very agile. Should these few people try to touch the masters, they would also not succeed as the masters could move away so fast.
If you really want to develop an immovable root, the method is very simple, but by no means easy. Just practise the Horse-Riding Stance or the Three-Circle Stance for a few hours every day for many years. That was how Hoong Hei Khoon and Yang Lu Chan got their immovable roots.
But you should not, in Chinese terms, "mistake branches for the stem". In English, you should not mistake effects for the purpose. Hoong Hei Khoon and Yang Lu Chan spent hours daily for years on stance training for the purpose of developing internal force, and one of the effects was that they had immoveable roots.
You need not practise for hours for years. If you can practise daily for five minutes on the Horse-Riding Stance, or fifteen minutes on the Three-Circle Stance for one year, you would have developed sufficient internal force against which black-belts would find formidable. Your internal force could not make you immoveable yet, but by itself an immoveable root is not very useful. On the contrary you should at the same time daily practise leg stretching exercises so that you are also agile.
How Long Should I Stand?
Question
How do we train our stance? How long per session? What if I can't bear it at first? Because for a beginner to do 2 hours is very unbearable. But what is the true period for a beginner?
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Answer
All these are academic questions, which mean they are good only for intellectual discussion, and are not likely to produce practical benefits. Nevertheless, I shall answer the questions.
You train your stance, especially the Horse-Riding Stance, every morning, assuming the position described by masters. Make sure you are relaxed physically, emotionally and mentally. Start with a comfortable period per session, say a minute. Gradually increase your time of training.
When you first feel the stance unbearable, continue to bear it. When you feel it extremely unbearable, complete your training session. Nobody expects a beginner to do 2 hours of stance training. If he can remain at the Horse-riding Stance correctly for 5 minutes, he would have done remarkably well.
There is no "true" period. Some masters may advise 5 minutes, others 10, but I would advise a fresh beginner to start at a minute, which actually is not easy for many people when the Horse-Riding Stance is performed correctly. I am making this statement from years of personal experience.
The above is actually good advice. Then, why do I say these academic questions and their answers not likely to produce practical benefits. There are a few reasons, and the most important is the presumption that the students involved practise the stance regularly, and they practise correctly.
Most people do not even practise the stance regularly. They just read the answers and store them as intellectual information. Some may practise for a few days, and then stop practising.
Some, like you, may practise diligently and regularly. But when you are a beginner practising on your own, it is most likely you will practise wrongly even though you intellectually know the correct procedure and method. For example, you are likely to be tensed physically, emotionally and mentally when you know you should be relaxed.
Then, how would you get practical results? Learn stance training from a competent instructor. Once you do so, you won't ask those academic questions. If you ask, as you may sometimes do, you don't need my answers because your instructor will advise you. Even if you want my answers, without observing you in action, my answers given generally may not be suitable for your particular situations.
Question
I attempt it like this: hold a horse-riding stance for 1 minute, then rest for 1 minute. I do it 3 times per day which means 3 sets per session. Is this correct? I don't mind the hard work; I just want to become a great martial artist.
Answer
There is no hard and fast rule on how to practise the Horse-Riding Stance. My method is as follows.
"Sit" correctly on the Horse-Riding Stance for as long as you comfortably can. Then gradually increase the time of sitting. Practise just one session per day. Initially you may spend just a minute or two on the stance.
When you can sit correctly and comfortably for 5 minutes, you would have attained the minimum requirement for this basic training. This may take you about three months of daily practice. The emphasis is sitting on the stance correctly.
Hard work is necessary for accomplishment in any art. If you mind any hard work, you may as well forget about genuine kungfu training.
But putting in hard work on stance training alone is not the way to genuine kungfu training, not even at an ordinary level. For your sake, for the time being forget about becoming a great martial artist. You would certainly achieve more if you just concentrate on becoming a good kungfu student.
The first thing an aspiring good student does is to find a master, or at least a good living instructor. You are not even ready to make this effort, but expect to be proficient by learning from books. You certainly have a much misinformed idea of what genuine kungfu training is.
How Masters Are Made
Question
However I am a beginner and I would like it very much if you could point me in the right direction on how to start, how to build up my progress in flexibility, fluidity, strength etc. I am already a bodybuilder for 7 years, so strength is not an issue for me, nor going through pain barriers.
Answer
If you are looking for a practical answer to your question of how to start Shaolin Kungfu, and how to build up your flexibility, fluidity, and strength, I would suggest you practise correctly and progressively "Lifting the Sky", the Horse-Riding Stance, and leg stretching exercises -- and nothing more -- daily for at least six months.
Many people might be disappointed with the answer, but that was how most masters were made in the first six months of their kungfu career.
For a philosophical answer, I would recommend that first you read up from reliable, established sources what genuine Shaolin Kungfu is, next find a genuine Shaolin master who is willing to teach you, and then train the way he asks you to.
If you are serious about Shaolin kungfu training, by following this direction you can achieve what most others will take more than five times longer to achieve. While a lot of hard work is essential in Shaolin kungfu training, enduring pain to progress, or "punishing yourself" as practitioners in some strenuous arts call it, is regarded as silly and therefore greatly discouraged.
Pain is a symptom of energy blockage, indicating that something is wrong in the body (and mind). While there may be some muscular ache at the initial stage of the training, pain should not occur. As you progress, your prior energy blockage will be cleared and you will be full of vitality, mentally fresh and free.
These benefits -- considered fantastic by those who practise exercises which actually lock up their body systems and stress their mind -- are the inevitable results of genuine Shaolin kungfu training; it is not for no good reasons that Shaolin Kungfu is considered by many as the greatest martial art.
The Importance of the Horse-Riding Stance
Question
I did all 3 courses with you England. Firstly, I would like to thank you for coming to the United Kingdom and sharing your great arts. Thanks again for correcting my horse stance.
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Answer
Some people wonder how great Southern Shaolin masters like Hoong Hei Khoon, Thit Kiew Sam and Wong Fei Hoong had such tremendous internal force. They wonder whether these masters did weight lifting, long distance running, punching sandbags or striking poles. These methods, which many modern kungfu students do in the hope of developing strength and stamina, were not the methods of the masters. The masters' main methods were the Horse-Riding Stance and Golden Bridge.
In my younger days I had been engaged in a lot of sparring and some real fights. Fortunately I was able to get out of combat safely. Looking back, I find that the most important factor for my successful combat was not because I knew a lot of techniques or I was fast, but because I had spent much time practicing the Horse-Riding Stance.
Unless one has the experience, it is not easy for him to understand why practicing the Horse- Riding Stance can contribute to combat efficiency. In this respect I recall Leslie, who is a grandmaster himself. Once I showed him a technique to free oneself from an arm lock. He held my arm tight. I lowered my stance and released his grip with a twist of my arm. All at once he exclaimed, "Ah, the Horse-Riding Stance!" It is significant that he did not mention about the technique at all.
Many people, including kungfu instructors, have read about the importance of the Horse-Riding Stance, often mentioned in kungfu classics. But not many people practice this stance arduously. There are two main reasons. One, they do not believe that such stance training can really develop internal force. Two, they often practice the stance wrongly.
Indeed, it is difficult for uninitiated persons to believe how by merely remain at the Horse-Riding Stance, one can develop not just internal force, but tremendous internal force. Many think that the purpose of this stance training is to develop leg muscles and a solid base. If one wishes to develop leg muscles, he would probably do better with weight training. Developing a solid base is only one of the objectives, and it is only partially correct. Stance training not only give you a solid base but also make you agile!
The main purpose of the Horse-Riding Stance training is not just training the body, but training energy and mind. It is a marvellous method evolved by masters through the centuries where the practitioner's form is reduced to the bare minimum so that he can focus on training his energy and mind. Because the form is simple, it is easy for the uninitiated to make mistakes. The most serious mistakes is that they are tensed although they think they are relaxed. The next most serous mistake is that after some time their stance is not upright.
I want to go to China
Question
Also, would studying Shaolin Kung-Fu be easier or more enjoyable if it is learnt in the country it originated from? I have always had a dream of learning in the Shaolin Temple amongst the monks. Would my not being Chinese shatter my dream?
Answer
Practising genuine Shaolin Kungfu -- in China, the United Kingdom, Sudan or anywhere in the world -- is never easy. First, finding a genuine Shaolin master who is willing to teach you is very difficult. The actual practice itself is very hard work. But the rewards are tremendous. A saying in Chinese (Cantonese) reads as follows:
hok tak sil lam chen miu fatt
hou pei tim seak pin kam juin
It means:
Being successfully trained in the genuine Shaolin arts
Is better than having the magic touch to change stones to gold
Most people would think the expression an exaggeration. Personally I can vouch for the truth of this expression. If you appreciate that genuine Shaolin training actualize your full potential -- in all your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual dimensions -- you may appreciate that it is better than becoming fabulously wealthy.
I think it is more difficult and less enjoyable to learn genuine Shaolin Kungfu in China. It is very difficult to find genuine Shaolin masters even in China, and even if you can find one he is not likely to teach you, especially when you are unfamiliar with traditional master-student relationship, and think that learning from a master is doing him a favour, or that it is his duty to teach any Tom, Dick and Harry if they desire to learn.
If you had the unbelievable luck to learn from a genuine Shaolin master in China, you would find your learning less enjoyable than, say, in the United Kingdom. For example, you would not drive to his apartment, say "Hi, good morning," then have tea served by him, before starting your morning training.
Instead you would have to track half a mile to his humble shed, prostrate before him in a customary way, rush to a nearby stream to bring back two pots of water which you would carry using your tiger-claws, boil the water and serve him tea, then practise your Horse-Riding Stance with the two pots on your thighs, while he slowly sips tea and admires the sky, perhaps with a cane in his hand, ready to whack you if the pots fall.
But you won't get such treatment at the Shaolin Temple today. Traditional Shaolin Kungfu is not taught in the Temple nowadays. But you can register yourself with any of the numerous schools around the Temple. These schools also do not teach traditional Shaolin Kungfu, but they teach wushu, a modernized form of kungfu promoted as sport. The instructors often wear monks' robes.
As the Shaolin Temple today does not teach Shaolin Kungfu, whether your being non-Chinese is a hindrance, becomes an irrelevant question. But in the past, although the Shaolin Temple was, and still is, Buddhist, one's race and religion did not make any difference.
First Be Healthy
Question
I would just like to thank you for such a wonderful web page. I have no medical problems other than a mild curvature of my spine though it does not bother me and has not affected my flexibility I have begun doing the horse stance to increase the time I can stand and I am also stretching regularly.
Answer
Thank you for your kind words.
Although your spine does not give you much problem, it is better to overcome the slight defect, and then further strengthen it. Your spine is your backbone, which figuratively means it greatly influences how well you can perform and how much you can approach your full potential. Your spine not only holds you up structurally, but also houses your central nervous system which controls your physical movements, physiological functions as well as intellectual activities.
Ideally you should come to my Intensive Chi Kung Course which will be excellent for your spine, but in practical terms this is not necessary. As your case is not serious, you can practise "Lifting the Sky" and "Carrying the Moon" from my books, and you can achieve good results. Just do the two exercises as I have described in my books; don't add anything -- in action or in thought -- on your own. For example, if I say "breathe in gently", just do that. Do not breathe in gently and think of chi flowing to the curvature of your spine -- this is adding something extra.
You may continue your Horse-Riding Stance and stretching exercise, but give priority to "Lifting the Sky" and "Carrying the Moon". For example, if you have time for doing only one exercise, then practise either "Lifting the Sky" or "Carrying the Moon", rather than Horse-Riding Stance or stretching.
You may like to read a related article at
Stance Training and Becoming a Scholar Warrior
This webpage is reproduced from
Sifu Anthony Korahais’ website at http://www.zenergyarts.com/index.html
Intensive Courses offered by Sifu Wong
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times since 5th May 2006