Basic rules
The warm-up in Fei Jing (and in traditional kung fu in general) is distinctive and may look unusual to those who do not know its inner meaning. It is loosely divided into several parts: the creation of Yin and Yang, the birth of man, the development of man and the development of his inner energy.
The warm-up has two main tasks: to set the energy in the body in motion, and to loosen the body itself.
- Breathing is abdominal - the chest does not take part. The diaphragm massages the internal organs, and the lungs take in more air.
- The arms and legs move at the same time.
- Each exercise is done eight times and starts to the left.
- The arms and legs are never completely straight - according to one of the basic principles, energy cannot flow through a straight arm or leg.
- The exercises in the matan or luntan stance build a correct stance and a natural stretch.
For girls the directions are reversed: where it says "left", read "right", and vice versa. The exercises should only be learned under the guidance of an instructor.
The creation of Yin and Yang
Sunrise
- Execution
- From a normal stance with the feet together, step to the left and then to the right to shoulder width. At the same time the hands come together in front of the body and draw a wide circle from bottom to top - as if the palms were sliding over a large ball in front of the body. Then return the same way. In place, the hands rise to the solar plexus with the palms up; at the top the palms turn down and the hands lower. The eyes follow the palms.
- Breathing
- Hands up - breathe in; down - breathe out; to the solar plexus - breathe in; back - breathe out.
- Energy
- In the upper position the palms receive Yin energy; for balance, Yang is created in the Tan Tien. As the hands rise, the energy sinks, and the other way round.
- Philosophical aspect
- The sun was considered the centre of the universe, so this exercise comes first. It symbolises the creation of Yang, which in the philosophy of the style comes before Yin: sunrise, zenith, sunset and the last ray of the sun.
- Martial aspect
- Circular blocks.
Contemplation
- Execution
- Matan stance. The hands are in front of the body, as if resting on a medium-sized ball; the elbows are relaxed, and the Lao Gun points face the Tan Tien. Complete concentration for eight breaths in and out.
- Energy
- Yin enters through the soles of the feet and spirals up to the Tan Tien, then around the body and arms to the Lao Gun points and back - a closed energy circuit. Yang enters with the inhaled air, descends through the "nine palaces" (the throat) and the "yellow court" (the solar plexus) to the Tan Tien, and rises along the back to the Upper Tan Tien. In the Tan Tien, Yin and Yang mix.
- Philosophical aspect
- Through self-contemplation Yang looks into itself and sees Yin - Yin is created.
The birth of man
The next exercises represent the birth of a human being. Their order follows the order in which the parts of the body are "born".
Birth of the head
- Execution
- Stand with the feet shoulder-width apart. Four quick circles with a relaxed head, then one circle in which the body tenses in each direction (forward, left, back, right). The same in the opposite direction. The thumbs cover the Lao Gun points so that the energy does not escape.
- Martial aspect
- Evading strikes to the head (with or without a weapon), or striking with the head.
Birth of the body (of the Tan Tien)
- Execution
- The Tan Tien performs the five basic trajectories eight times each: wood - Ben (from outside in), metal - Bao (from inside out), fire - Bo (from bottom to top), water - Quan (from top to bottom), earth - Hen (from back to front).
- Breathing
- The speed is not fixed; what matters is that the breath stops at the moment of tension.
- Martial aspect
- Absolutely every movement in Fei Jing - blocks, strikes and footwork - follows one of the five trajectories or a mixed trajectory (for example, wood-fire).
Birth of the arms
- Execution
- Take the luntan stance to each side in turn. The arms draw wide circles in the direction of movement and finish with a sharp movement: the hand on the side of the straight leg forms a fist, and the palm of the other hand seems to "push" it.
- Breathing
- Into luntan - breathe out; back - breathe in.
- Martial aspect
- Preparation for the style's typical wide movements, blocks with the arms, and evading strikes.
Birth of the legs
- Execution
- The hands and gaze rise, the body stretches, and one leg moves back onto the toes. The hands come down and the knee rises; the leg "opens" by itself when the hands meet the knee. The leg then steps forward onto the heel and the body takes the lonhuantan stance.
- Martial aspect
- The "snake's tongue" kick, the lonhuantan stance, natural stretching.
The development of man
Birth of balance
- Execution
- The arms open out to the sides, perpendicular to the body, and the body and back leg tilt to horizontal without changing their position relative to each other. The back leg is straight and the gaze is forward. It helps to imagine a thread tied to the neck and to the point on the back opposite the Tan Tien.
- Philosophical aspect
- After birth, a person learns to walk - that is, to keep their balance.
- Martial aspect
- Correct body position for a back kick.
Birth of anger
- Execution
- Matan stance. 36 punches in all directions, as fast and "angry" as possible.
- Philosophical aspect
- The student throws out excess anger and energy, so as to treat their partner as a partner and not as an opponent. It symbolises instinctive movements, made without thinking.
- Martial aspect
- Speed of strikes.
Understanding
- Execution
- Matan stance, the hands in the "bear paw" position with the index finger extended. The front hand draws a circle outwards; the other hand is on the waist. The gaze follows the tip of the index finger - the first four times turning the head, the next four with the eyes only.
- Philosophical aspect
- A person begins to reflect, to control their movements and to understand that an innate reflex is not always the right movement.
- Healing and martial aspect
- Good for the eyes; it trains the gaze to focus on one point while seeing everything around it.
Birth of thought
- Execution
- Matan stance, the palms in the "character for happiness" position. The elbows are no more than a fist's width from the body, one hand up and the other down; they change places in turn.
- Energy
- The energy gathers in the Lao Gun point of the upper hand; as the hands pass each other, the descending hand passes it to the rising one.
- Philosophical aspect
- Thought is born in the process of understanding. Good thought (Yang, above) and bad thought (Yin, below) are set against each other; if the hands pass each other away from the centre, one thought prevails.
Loosening the body
The following exercises have no philosophical or healing aspect - their main purpose is to loosen the body.
The monk's rest
- Execution
- One leg is bent at the knee with the toes pointed; the other is stretched out to the side. The arms and body draw wide circles towards the bent leg, with the shoulder reaching as close to the ground as possible. Arms up - breathe in; down - breathe out.
Green bamboo
- Execution
- Sit with the legs stretched forward. The arms draw wide semicircles up and forward with the palms facing each other, and return along the legs with the palms up. In the lowest position the gaze is forward, not down.
The snake bites its tail
- Execution
- Seated, one leg straight. The other is held at the knee from the inside, and the second hand holds the foot: eight quick circles in one direction, two pulls towards the body, then the other direction.
The snake coils up
- Execution
- Seated; one leg straight, the other bent. The hand on the same side is on the knee, the other holds the foot; the leg straightens upwards while the hand presses the knee. Lifting - breathe out; returning - breathe in.
Butterfly
- Execution
- Sit with the soles of the feet together and pulled in towards the body; the hands hold the ankles. The knees move loosely up and down until a stretch is felt.
36 presses
- Execution
- On the inner and outer side of the legs there are 36 points on the muscles, which are massaged by pressing - inside and outside at the same time. When pressing - breathe in; the point is released all at once, followed by breathing out.
After the Young Eagle warm-up, from the 4th grade onwards, students learn the Soaring Eagle warm-up. See the grading syllabus.