Smoky Mountain YSB Study Group Information

Requirements of the Basic Strikes of the Lion System:

Sweeping Strikes

By Jim Lindsay

Smoky Mountain Study Group, Knoxville, TN

Disclaimer: The following requirements are primarily gleaned from paying attention to the videos provided on the Lion System Foundational Practices, though corrections and insights I have received from my instructors, including He Jinbao, are included to the level of my understanding and my ability to manifest them in my training. I claim no authorship of these ideas.  These lists are almost certainly not comprehensive and welcome correction or addition.

Sweeping Palm (削 – xiāo: to scrape, a paring knife used for peeling fruit)

A general idea to keep in mind while practicing the Sweeping Palm is that the arms are like swords or knives, slicing the opponent with their outward-facing surfaces. Many of the transitions involving sweeping strikes involve a subtle scraping force, consistent with the name of the palm. Though subtle, this force should not be ignored. The force of this palm is generally a wheeling force, as if the arms are moving along gigantic wheels so that the force possesses a quality of roundness to it.

Rising Sweeping Strike: This strike is a very effective opening strike, inter alia.  It can be used to meet the opponent’s arm at the outset of a confrontation, and it can be used to open the opponent. It is perhaps the most effective in the Lion System as an opening strike.

Body mechanics: The force is generated by turning at the waist fully from one side (wind-up) to the other (execution of the strike).  There should be little, if any, in the way of arm movement except to change the positions of the arms.

• The feet are planted in the typical shoulder-width stance with the toes digging into the earth.
• The hands are in the ox-tongue palm, thumbs squeezing into the laogong (palace of work) points (PC-8, centers of the palms).
• The body sits down.
• The chest concaves.
• The back rounds.
• Both hands move in a round fashion, one circling from its finishing point to the starting point of the next strike.
• The eyes move with the hand, watching it from start to finish, including the wind-up.
• When stepping, the hand and foot move in harmony, as do the knees and elbows.
• Striking should be performed with a slow-fast cadence.

 Lead arm:

• The strike sweeps outward while rising upward, following a wheeling-outward direction.
• The elbow does not pass the foot.
• The fingertips are at eyebrow height and straight at the completion of the strike, rising from the opposite hip.
• There is a force from the elbow to the shoulder that is pulling inward (“pulling back in” force).
• There is a force from the elbow to the hand that is stabbing outward (“drilling out” force).
• Pull down the shoulder (“relax the shoulder” force).
• Roll the elbow under, creating a twist in the arm (“drop the elbow” force).

Supporting arm:

• Positioned 10 cm. (4 in.) below the elbow of the lead arm.
• The function of this hand is pushing downward, both capturing and defending. To perform this naturally, the hand will have to leave the ox-tongue palm, though this should not become a priority until it can be done comfortably and naturally without losing the power in the striking hand and the cadence of the strike.
• Upon transitioning from one of these to another, there is a slight scraping force in the arm about to become the supporting arm.

Inward Sweeping Strike:

 Body mechanics:

• The force is generated by turning at the waist fully from one side (wind-up) to the other (execution of the strike). There should be little, if any, in the way of arm movement except to change the positions of the arms.
• The feet are planted in the typical shoulder-width stance with the toes digging into the earth.
• The hands are in the ox-tongue palm, thumbs squeezing into the laogong (palace of work) points (PC-8, centers of the palms).
• The body sits down.
• The chest concaves.
• The back rounds.
• Both hands move in a round fashion, one circling from its finishing point to the starting point of the next strike.
• The eyes move with the hand, watching it from start to finish, including the wind-up.
• When stepping, the hand and foot move in harmony, as do the knees and elbows.
• Striking should be performed with a slow-fast cadence.

Lead arm:

• The strike sweeps inward with a wheeling motion with the force being generated by turning fully at the waist.
• The strike begins with a small circle to get the hand and arm into position, taking place down by the hip at the beginning of the wind-up.
• The elbow is down.
• The hand is at roughly shoulder height.
• There is a slight hook to the hand.
• The six forces are present to as much a degree as possible, through wrapping back in dominates to wheeling out.

Supporting arm:

• The supporting arm circles, rolling across and then and pushing downward, finishing at waist level with the palm facing downward, somewhere between the centerline and hip.
• The scraping force is most pronounced on this strike and easiest to practice.  After one strike is concluded, the next begins by rolling the hand over and executing a scraping force with it.

Capturing Sweeping Strike:

 Body mechanics:

• The force is generated by turning at the waist fully from one side (wind-up) to the other (execution of the strike). There should be little, if any, in the way of arm movement except to change the positions of the arms.
• The feet are planted in the typical shoulder-width stance with the toes digging into the earth.
• The hands are in the ox-tongue palm, thumbs squeezing into the laogong (palace of work) points (PC-8, centers of the palms).
• The body sits down more pronouncedly than in the other sweeping strikes and should not come back up, as if sitting in an invisible chair.  The feet are not set wider to try to create this deeper stance. Technically, the body sits down before the strike is executed.
• The chest concaves.
• The back rounds.
• Both hands move in a round fashion, one circling from its finishing point to the starting point of the next strike.
• The eyes move with the hand, watching it from start to finish, including the wind-up.
• When stepping, the hand and foot move in harmony, as do the knees and elbows.
• Striking should be performed with a slow-fast cadence.

Lead arm:

• The strike begins with the arm across the body, palm up as in rising sweeping. The arm rolls over into the capturing position at the end of the strike.
• At conclusion, the palm will be down, the wrist will be slightly lowered, and the forearm is at a slight angle so that an opponent’s attack can be captured or trapped. The elbow should be lower than the wrist, though the hand should be parallel to the floor.
• The shoulder is down.
• The elbow is rolled under.
• The force of this strike is wheeling downward and outward, striking with the outside edge of the forearm. The downward force is accentuated by the sitting down at the waist. The wheeling outward force is accentuated by turning fully at the waist.

Supporting arm:

• This hand is positioned 10 cm. (4 in.) from the elbow, as in rising sweeping, pushing downward.
• This arm moves nearly identically to the supporting arm in the rising sweeping strike.

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