Silk Reeling training is presented in two sections Section 1: Dantian, there is an imaginary front to back axis through the Dantian. The Dantian turns to the left or to the right , as the Dantian turns against the torso enforces "Torso Chansi". As the turning faces the shoulder, elbow and wrist, it becomes "shoulder chansi" and so on. The key to the training is turning the body using the Dantian as the center and ensure that all joints turn simultaneously and are linked together as one unit.

The Spiraling of the hand is like a switch, the turning of the hand outward is the "on switch". The Qi traveling from the Dantian up through the back and ending in the fingers which swell and become warm.

Turning the hand inwards is the "off switch", causing the Qi to return from the fingers back down to the Dantian. One should pay particular attention to the movement principles- the movement is through all the joints all the way up to the fingers and should not be allowed to stop at the joints.

If a movement is too big, or too small & not natural and causes Qi to get stuck in a particular section of the joints it is considered to be "Broken Energy". When the movements are balanced Yin & Yang will be balanced in the body flowing freely & Qi operates throughout the body. Practioners need to view the body as a paintbrush from the center to the arms and fingers the Qi must flow like a path operating throughout the body having a sense of one.

As you perform the movements of Section One the imaginary axis travels through the Dantian from the front to the back. As you perform the movements of Section Two : The imagenary axis travels horizontally from left to right, turn the Dantian front to back or back to front. This will affect the torso, shoulders, elbows, knees etc.

The main point here is the folding action of the chest, & waist folding or the moving waves with Qi moving from the DanTian to the fingers & the active waves & back to the dantian or return.

Chen Family Taijiquan combine Section one & Section two techniques. Clearly expressed in the Lao Jia E Lu (Old Frame Set), The movements of "Jin Gang Dao Dui" (Buddha's Warrior Attendant Pounds the Mortar") the up and down movements of the arms are principles from the Silk Reeling training. The spiraling to the left and right are combined movements of Section one & Section two.

As stated in Chen Xin's book on Chen Family Taijiquan "if you don't know Spiral Energy, you don't know Taijiquan and your movements will be broken & empty".

The core of spiral training can simply be stated as the following Movement Principle:

The principle of moving with the Dantian as the center with all joints moving linked together.

Chen family Taijiquan is refered to as the Original Taijiquan after the Daoist contrubution to the Art form. It really should not matter what Taiji you practice they all have elements within each other. The main thing is does your Taiji program have movement principles. Spiral Energy is a crucial element that needs to exist in all Taiji. I refer to Chen Family based on the obvious charcteristics. The other Taiji Familys after Chen such as Yang, Wu, Sun et cetra .. came from the standard if you trace the history of Taijiquan.

if you are interested in Spiral Energy there are many resources aviable to you. Master Chen Xiao Wang, Master Feng Zhiqiang, Master Chen Zhenglei, Master Zhu Tiancai all have printed books and videos aviable to public learning. They all teach international seminars in China, Europe, USA if you have trouble connecting with any of the above just e mail me and I can help you locate them.