The Six Combination & Eight Methods of Liu Ho Ba Fa

The Eight Methods

1. Chi. Concentrate the spirit to make the chi move. This is the chi kung method. Imaginations involved in making the spirit and chi circulation move like water in the ocean, be like a tidal wave. It is like a contained fury.

2. Bone. Holding the power in the bone. The meaning is to make all the joints connected. There can be no empty or loose place. This method enables you to make the outside soft, the inside solid.

3. Image. The idea here is change the race, copy the inside. Anything in the universe that moves you can copy. You see the image and take the spirit in order to radiate, the meaning. When we see animals fighting we copy their meaning and spirit.

4. Follow. There are two ideas here: circle and through. This involves the spirit and chi. The spirit must circle, go out in all directions, and the chi must circulate, in other words, go through. "Follow" means you know the opponent and know yourself, you design and react. You must use the basic principle of yin and yang to develop chi and power, mind and power, with no breaking. The spirit is like a radar, but the power must be straight. The joints bend, but the mind must be straight and unhesitating. You cannot focus, you just react. This is for developing sensitivity and the flexible instinctive power that enables you to react.

5. Lift. This refers to the crown point of the head. The meaning is to wake up, be alert. It makes the chi and circulation faster. But, it is not focused on. It is comparable to running the orbit in the chi kung exercise.

6. Return. This means practice yin and yang, in and out. In is a chi and mind exercise; out is a coiling exercise.

7. Check. Calm and Humble. the idea is to concentrate on clearing up your mind, and make the breathing smooth and deep. If you control the breathing, you can remain clam. When you are calm, the body is able to remain relaxed. When your body is relaxed then you can move. The movement I refer to is the movement of the chi through the body. When the Chi can move smoothly through the body to make a complete cycle, you are able to breathe deeply, giving your body more oxygen. (Oxygen means energy). This gives you power like a wave, leaving you more flexible and able to react.

8. Conceal. Fake and Hide. This means you must have the idea in your mind without letting your opponent know what your intentions are. For example, you must signal to the east and hit to the west. Point to the south and hit to the north. Up is unreal and down is real.

Inside Six Harmonies

1. Body and Heart Together. The basic principle of Lu Ha Ba Fa is to copy the natural image of something. For example, copy the image of animals or things. When animals are fighting, you must see their meaning, speed and power. You must imitate the feeling and take that feeling into your body. The mind and heart is not referring to the physical heart but to the confidence. The heart means confidence. We must build up the confidence.

2. Mind and Heart Together. When you get the image and you can imitate the feeling in your body you must build up the feeling by practicing. By practicing you build confidence.

3. Mind and Chi Together. Once you practice enough to get confidence then you can move without hesitation. The body and breathing (chi) will move naturally and automatically to the mind.

4. Chi and Spirit. The spirit is a high level of alertness. When you are alert at this high level, then the Chi automatically goes to the whole body at a higher level with the spirit.

5. Spirit and Movement. In martial arts, the spirit uses the eye, ear, and sensitivity. When you fight your opponent you see, hear or feel. If you have the benefits of all the first four harmonies together, your spirit will receive a signal and send a message to the mind which will instantly react and power will automatically follow.

6. Movement and Empty. When you have the benefits of the first five harmonies, then you will know how to react. You won't need to focus on technique or anything else, just react. Like the cossack says, "No technique, no focus in the mind." The real meaning or technique is to move without thinking. Like a fish in a wave or a flag in the air.

Outside Six Harmonies

1. Body and Joints Together. The three joints of the body are the spine, the back and the neck. Body and joints together means move from the spine to the back then to the neck.

2. Hands and Joints Together. The three hand joints move from the shoulder to the elbow to the wrist.

3. Foot and Joints Together. The three foot joints move from the hip to the knee to the ankle.

4. Hand and Foot

5. Elbow and Knee

6. Shoulder and Hip

All the main joints must start together and stop together in harmony.

The Outside Eight Methods Means Eight Directories

Five Hearts Together. The five hearts are the centers of the two feet (the center point of the arch), the center of the two palms and the center of the top of the head (Top Dan Tien). You must have the feeling of the five points working together then you will feel strong.