三戰 [Sam Chien (three battles), or San Zhan], 三顫 (three shakes), or 三正 [San Zheng (three straight/proper postures)]?
Helen Shen
I came across the term 三戰 in the recent years since it is not the
term we use in our style of Fujian white crane. Took look some writing
from the internet, it puzzled me, and discussed the term with my sidi
Taylor, it got muddier. Attached here are two articles I saw on the
internet sites. First one probably is from the early time of the modern
century or late Qing dynasty (I am guessing it by the tune and the
style of writing) and second article is a current writing.
First Article:
Look into the content of the first article, it is exactly how we would
like to do in our style of white crane – Float, sink, inhale, exhale,
to cultivates Qi, at the same time, how the mind/body posture, weight,
movement/coordination need to be to achieve such objective. However,
the term 三戰 is confusing and misleading from the content itself.
三 means 3, 戰 usually means battle or can mean 顫 (shake) in the
VERY OLD writing. In the article itself, there is nothing related to 3
battles or 3 shakes. It states at the beginning:
“所謂「三戰」，意即頭正、身正、步正”, it is
saying: “三戰 (San Zhan) means head straight/proper, body
straight/proper, steps straight/proper”. My question is: according to
this statement, should 三戰 (San Zhan) be 三正 (San Zheng)? 3
straight/proper postures make more sense than 3 battles/shakes. For
the sake of discussion: in general, when we face front (as we stand
straight), both shoulders and hip bones are aligned, 1) if we just turn
our head, then the head will not be straight/proper, 2) if we face the
front and only twist the body, then the body will not be
straight/proper, and 3) if head and body remain, but only step the
legs/feet to a wrong direction, then the steps will not be
straight/proper. So, head, body, and leg/step movements should be
constantly in the relative, coordinated, and proper position/posture
besides float/sink/inhale/exhale.
Second Article:
It states that 三戰 is the fundamental/beginning practice for the
white crane fist, and briefly states that 3 'principals of' battles,
三戰, are: Jing (精), Qi (氣), and Shen (神). [Jing, Qi, and Shen
are the principals for all Chinese martial arts throughout the history,
they are not necessarily specifically for white crane, but certainly
can be if one chooses so. Jing, philosophically means 精華, i.e.
essence; in martial arts, it means 精通, i.e. extremely skillful. Qi
can be explained different ways, one explanation in martial arts can be
found in http://www.taomartialarts.com/crn/crn_main.html. And, Shen
means spirit.] I am not sure where/when did the writer or his school
start to use 三戰 as these three principals in their white crane
style? In the second part of the article, he highlights the basic
movements of his style with inhale/exhale/hand-movements/steps that he
calls the 10 fundamental steps 'the movement of 三戰'.
First article describes 三戰's movements how internally would be
felt, and second article describe 三戰's movements how externally
would be followed per style and per writer's perspectives. I have been
curious how other white crane practitioners do the 三戰 or feel about
the practice. I enjoyed reading the first article's description and
thought that I couldn't describe the internal feeling better than that,
except the Chinese words of 三戰 do not represent the content (which
should not occur for a good Chinese writing, generally speaking).
As to how I feel when I do my forms, it has changed along the way. At
the younger days, felt the more I practiced, the more energy I had, to
stretch, to move about, or to deliver whatever (per mental capacity at
time). As for now, at my 50s, muscle easily gets cramp if overdone, and
jumping and running became much work due to body weight distribution
changes and other body changes. As for/at practice, (besides different
styles/techniques,) I like the feeling about:
1. At each movement or in between the movement, I am at the position
either defending/to-defend or attacking/to-attack. So I can always be
ready at moment, and I would not have much opening at combat situation.
2. Position and timing – In our style, a lot of times, the movement
begins with inhaling in a defending move and ends with exhaling in an
attacking move. Driven by the breathing, defending/attacking should be
in a relative posture/position that is relevant to the opponent’s
position, and, there is the timing/tempo to get to such relevant
position. And, there is a thrilling timing/tempo in between inhale and
exhale, or defending and attacking that makes us calling such physical
activity an art – sticky (at right place) at time of defending and
then flowed with the attack.
3. Qi practice, breathe out from the lower Dan-Tian – We make loud
sound when do the forms, and the sound is [pushing out] from the
Dan-Tian, not from the throat. As such, the force goes first downward
and then the same time goes outward/upward-or-downward. As we breathe
out from the Dan-Tian, we push Qi downward to solidify the footstep,
then gain the counter reaction from the gravity and channel the force
out at same time.
4. Qi/Jing practice, make Jing purer – Qi becomes smoother and
stronger as the practice goes on. As head, shoulder, back, waist,
hips/legs/feet, and arms/elbows/wrists (or hips/shoulder, legs/elbows,
and feet/wrists) are all proper to let Qi flow, Jing/force becomes
purer. (Jing is an internal feeling of the force)
5. Mind of no mind – Doing without thinking, knowing without
thinking, and performing without thinking with all the above. Feel good
about the doing, the moment, the life, ...
:) Helen
Article 1:
論南少林福建白鶴拳之三戰拳
福建鶴拳與其他福建南少林拳法一樣，以「三戰」為基本功的組合訓練，拳諺有稱：「三戰為萬法之始，入門之基」。所謂「三戰」，意即頭正、身正、步正。通過「三戰」的練習，達到動作的規範。
鶴拳古譜說：「教徒之法必以三戰為先，端正為務，然後練其手足相應，兩骨出力一氣串出，此「沉」一字也。「沉」乃是三骨串插推叫身力，呼吸出勢，威如虎，非人可比也。」
「三戰」動作簡單，內容則至精至微，包含著鶴拳的技、理、法，為不可或缺的一個功力訓練組合。先師時時告誡我們說：「練拳三戰起，三戰練到死。」、「三戰比起什麼補品都要補，只要練好三戰，百病不侵，益壽延年。」
「鶴拳理法述要」說：「練拳要先知理法，初用功以輕柔為主，呼吸清徐，意氣下沉，步馬寬柔，腰腿靈活，肩沉肘墜，池吞田吐。次則舒揹運氣，神靜志閑，關節柔綿，丹田充實，浮沉伸縮得宜，寬緊緩急相應」。
練習三戰要求做到：
一)
頭項提正、貫串呼應：練拳時，頭項要挺拔起來，頭用意向上頂，下頦內收，頭頂好像戴上一頂石帽子。頭項能夠挺拔起來，就有上下相引之力，沒有頭項的挺拔，上下力就無法連通貫串。「挺拔」並不是隨便抬抬頭、擰擰頸，「挺拔」在意不在動作形態，拳經有謂：「是以頭頂出力，能靜不能動，如戴千斤之勢」。頭項挺拔，「腦後大拇筋與諸龍骨串落，腰中盡尾骨，與腿頭足掌心相呼相應」，這樣，就有上下相引力。當然，頭為一身之主，它是整個身體的「首領」，也就是由頭領起全身上下之力。除了頭足相叫應外，掌心與丹田、脅腹，拇指與背、腰、腿，尾指與頭頂、腰足等等也要有互相呼應之意，才能做到一動無有不動，「全身練成一塊」的「整體力」。
二)
沉肩墜肘、緊守心胸：頭項挺拔，雙肩自然放鬆沉落，有挑千斤重擔之意，兩肘下墜內夾，腋下不可夾死，肘尖不可貼脅，應有一個拳頭大的空間，以利勁力能來能去，出入自然舒適。胸部放鬆，胸部肌肉一緊張，氣必上浮。沉肩守胸，可增大肺活量，挺胸擠背必得其反。
三)
兩手昭陽、吞吐節力：雙手沉肩、墜肘、坐腕成「昭陽手」，分成三節，肩至肘為內節(根節)，肘關節為中節，腕關節為尾節，要做到內節如鐵一般堅實，與肩身成一整體；中節吞墜，尾節如膠如漆，靈活多變。雙手來去出力發勁，出手時吐氣(吐)，收手時吸氣(吞)，一吞一吐互相配合無間，堅持「中門不讓，子午不離」。練習時與肩、頭、背、胯、膝要貫串一氣，互相呼應，如有橡筋互相牽引、拉扯，吞肩坐節(墜肘)，發胛力，勁達指尖。出手時節中隨身與胯同向，不可縮入開出，手節對膝，承接全身各處之力。
四)
前三後七、不丁不八：三戰的基本功訓練，以「不丁不八」三戰馬為主。鶴拳馬步要求「四點金落地」，雙腳十指抓緊地面，而膝頭則靈活機動微微上提，步法視勢變而動，如水無定勢，進退如在爛泥中走動，腳掌與腿、胯、腰、肩配合，上沉下頂，與頭項聯成一個整體，做到「全身發力齊動」。進退時不可貪前失後，腳掌心與手掌心要互相叫應貫連。身勢要動中有靜，靜中有動，沉中有浮，浮中有沉。做到拳經說的「步步接身勢而出，戰出指定無響步之聲」、「前足作後足，後足作前足，進退必當頭腦、肩背、腰中、臀內一齊，平直不可反出曲入」。
五)
呼吸注氣、丹田發勁：鶴拳的呼吸以自然舒適為合，吞吸吐呼，它的呼吸聲由丹田發出，如果聲由咽喉出，聲音鬆散，必定是「中氣受鬱，五肢不能接續」，也即是說未能做到氣沉丹田，挺拔叫應。如果頭項提正，胸部舒展，中氣暢順，丹田氣滿，則能提腸束氣，就能以內勁發出。
三戰的頭、身、手、腳四種力勢的吞吐浮沉訓練，緊密配合著呼吸發勁、進退步法、勁力來去、上下貫串、手腳協調，它概括了鶴拳的技、理、法。三戰易學難精，必須信心、苦心加恒心毅力，論年不論月，要練到手腳協調叫應，上下貫串和順，配合呼吸發勁，做到「身動如山飛，氣脹似海溢」。
鶴拳經有謂：「學者苦心勤練，論年不論月，舉手行步，五肢歸接中肢，雖手足動如車輪，而身能靜如鐵柱，手能硬如鐵枝，兩足落地，步步生根，任遷不散，可見真成實力活力，愈出愈奇，豈有不盡善盡美哉！」
Article 2:
白鶴拳入門拳──三戰
「三戰」為白鶴拳的入門拳，故亦稱之為「拳母」。昔日二高師於各館
所傳授的拳套套路，雖各有不同，但是「三戰」卻一定是首先傳授的，
而且是差異性最少的。
所謂三戰者：一戰「精」、二戰「氣」、三戰「神」。在行「三戰」之
時，應貫注全付精神，心中細細抑其躁氣，戒其狂妄，惡心改善心。因
此這套拳不僅能練手足相應，更是修心養性的好功夫。
拳經有言：「教徒之法，必以三戰為先，端正為務，然後練其手足相應
。」是以行練之時，頭身手足四種之氣勢，一者需頭頂提正，顯庭頂天
如降地；二者身需含胸拔背，懸肩插甲，兩臂如棉；三者手分三節，上
節懸肩，中節吞墜，尾節如柳枝；四者兩足不丁不八，十指落地，俱能
活動。
三戰之動作：
請拳－寧神靜氣，雙腳張開與肩同寬，蹲身雙臂下垂，雙掌約置於膝蓋
，兩眼平視，吸氣入丹田，雙手含意相對上舉，身隨手、氣上浮
，雙手含意舉至定位，身體微向前傾，兩眼平視意在指端，稍停
，鬆勁吐氣，墜手下身。
起式－左腳向前跨半步，右腳向前跨一步，成不丁不八之架式，雙手盤
肢。
搏肢肘木手－吸氣收手在胸，吐氣搏肢，墜肘吞氣木手。
圓手吸氣－吸氣下身，收手至身側，吸氣張臂如展翅，出手起身，吸氣
下身收手。
吐氣推手－收手短吸氣，雙手推出盡吐丹田之氣。
轉手金手－轉手後成金手。
圓手吸氣－吸氣下身，收手至身側，吸氣張臂如展翅，出手起身至最高
點，吸氣下身收手，以上手勢均為金形。
吐氣推手－鬆手氣稍吐，短吸氣收手，吐氣推手。
吸氣收手、進馬推手吐氣－吸氣收手，進右腳，推手吐氣。以下接著回
到第三步驟至第九步驟為一個循環，重覆三
次循環，稍停。
收式－收手回身前，收右腳與左腳平行，手收下。此收手與腳之動作應
同時進行，順氣起身。
以上即為白鶴基本入門拳「三戰」之分解動作說明，唯因套路動作並無
定式，其乃不斷的在轉變，以照相方式來詮釋並不理想，應配合老師之
教導與示範。以上僅供參考，增加記憶，白鶴仙師有言：「拳頭若要好
，要從三戰討」，惟望各位社員，再接再勵，精益求精。
資料來源：賴醒民老師
------------------------------------------------------------
jo wrote:
> Helen
> I sorry that I haven't replied sooner, this is because I don't own
> a computer. I have spent some time thinking about your question and I
> find I hard to answer. Firstly it is difficult for me to separate my
> Wing Chun from my White Crane because they have become blended, this
is
> due to the fact that I been without an instructor for over three
years
> (I definitely won't be winning any prizes for my Wing Chun forms.) I
> tend mostly to practice the Sam Chien (three wars) form at the
moment,
> as it is the key to the version of White Crane that I do. There is a
> saying that goes "Begin your training by practising Sam Chien and
> don't stop practising Sam Chien until your very end." The Sam Chien
> looks external but in this style external and internal are not
> separated, it is said that "hard and soft combine in use". How I
> feel depends on how and where I train, when I can, I like go to a
> nature reserve near where I live and train as the sun comes up. I
> perform the form slowly with my eyes closed, and the golden sun on my
> face and try I to imagine that I am a crane exploring the water. I
> become the water. When I train this way I feel uplifted and peaceful.
> When I train at home the emphasise is on tension and speed afterwards
I
> feel powerful and energised. I hope this answers your question.
Please
> can I return the question and ask how you feel when perform your
forms?