[QUOTE=TenTigers;948138]I think that would be dependant on the specific style of SPM and WCK. I have seen SPM people who do not use hei-gung, and I have seen WCK people who do.[/QUOTE]
Qi Gong is a very very rare term used in China before early 1900.
So, it is incorrect or even misleading to use Qigong/ Heigong as a point of reference.
In the old time, Every competent art has its own type of body/mind/power conditioning which is called Nei Gong or internal practice.
Thus, SPM or White Crane or WCK… all have their own type of Neigong.
IMHO, SLT or the core of WCK using the Emei 12 Zhuang’s technology which is different then others.
See, Stick or Chi as in Chi Sau has different methods. WCK way is similar to a retrograde Sickle or Boomerang. This is different then other art which is using other type of conditioning.
A Sickling art has its way of body, mind, and applicaitons technics.
Thus, even if in a static single photo short of WCK, SMP… looks the same it doesnt tell anything.
Not to mention, there is a different between the folowing catagory of art.
1, body hard, arm hard, hand hard, (such as Hung Gar in general)
2, Body hard, arm hard, hand soft ( Such as White CRane in general)
3, EVery part is soft, contact point is hard/soft adapting (Such as IMA )
WCK belongs to the #3 catagory due to its characteristics. Thus, it is always call this is a “Female” art due to its soft.
Thus, without a good understand of the art and comparing "Photograph " of individual shape to determine the similarity or different is misleading.
Finally, so what is sickling/boomerang retrograde?
the dramatized idea are illustrated in the following, movie clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLJ2ZIAoN6Q
It is a continous of sickling/boomerang retrograde flow (different then START and STOP repeat art) which looks sticky.
This type of art needs the every part is soft and contact point hard to implement.
When the art was condition wrongly, when it takes the " start and stop repeating" hard body, hard arm,.. type of conditioning or Nei Gong, that becomes a different type of art.
Have you ever ever ask the question why your WCK doesnt have the same “feel” as the WCK idealogy present in the WCK movie or other old WCK master? but more like a Shao Lin or Hung gar or even Karate disregard of you know all about needle within cotton…willow soft… ideas?
and,
Even when you playing with the Woodern Dummy, you cant get close and execute?
chances are you use a hard body, hard army, conditioning. examine closely, and see if this is the case.
if that is the case, then the root cause will be the mis practice of the SLT. That means the YJKYM stuck and hard…
One needs to go beyond the shape or the move to know what the art is. and most of us doesnt have that level of understanding compare with those older generation masters in early 1900. thus we stuck.
Just some thoughts.