MO CHA SHU

Technique of "Rubbing and Thrusts" | Brief Description

Excerpt from the book: Jin Jing Zhong. Authentic Shaolin Heritage: Training Methods of 72 Arts of Shaolin >

The Shaolin technique of “Rubbing and Thrusts” belongs to “hard” and “external” exercises, it is “hard” Yang force as to its character, but at the same time it also strengthens the inner spirit. The training method is rather simple and understandable, that skill is used in such Shaolin techniques as “Methods of impact on acupoints” (DIAN XUE SHU), “Methods of impact on bones” (YU GU FA) and other basic methods of Gong Fu.

The method of training is as follows. Stand up and put feet together at the first gleam of light in the East. It is necessary to stand freely, close the mouth and “hide the tongue”(it means that the mouth is closed, the tongue is behind teeth and touches the upper palate), reach complete composure. After jointing both palms, rub them 20 times on each other. At first, lay the right palm on the center of your chest, and the left palm on your spine. Thus, both palms face each other. Do 40-50 rubbings with palms, making circular movements. Then, move the right palm to the back and the left palm to the center of the chest and do 40-50 rubbings as above described. You must not breathe out through the mouth, use the nose for breathing, imagine how the breast is filled with QI. After some quite long time you will feel the single refined QI roll into a ball, QI concentrates in the chest like a pulsating pearl ball. Wait until the ball increases and fill the whole chest. In that case the refined QI reaches the surface of the breast and begins to inspissate. From here QI moves very slowly to both hands and from the hands reaches finger tips.

Then, take a box filled with beans and make thrusts with fingers. Both hands move in turn, one hand raises, the second one lowers, number of repeated movements in the exercise depends upon...

<  A full description of the training procedure is available in the book: Training Methods of 72 Arts of Shaolin >

...As mentioned before, the exercise should be done before getting into bed and at dawn. After its acquirement it is necessary to learn the technique of point impact DIAN XUE SHU, and after it you will be able to use your mastery in practice more effectively. After practicing the exercise during one year it will be possible to learn the technique of point impact, and it will be the second level of mastery. Training and strengthening fingers is a base, it is impossible to reach full success in learning the point technique DIAN XUE SHU without it.

...A wooden box for that exercise should be made of unabi tree or elm, its area should be two square CHIs (about 50 x 50 cm), its height may be about one CHI (0.33 cm). The box is filled with soybeans, then common rice, then yellow sand (or yellow clay). When you acquire steady skills, you can proceed to iron filings and gradually increase the duration of training session to the time needed for burning off an aromatic stick. After that your fingers will become as hard as iron and you will be able to make a hole in a chest or tear stomach muscles. It is strictly obligatory to wash your hands with heated medical solution after finishing the exercise with iron filings to eliminate swelling and damages in such a way, it is necessary to pay a great deal of attention to it.