It looks like I'm a little late to this discussion. It seems to me that "de-concentration" is most akin to the Zen concept of non-attachment. Being able to pay attention requires that we not become attached to specific thoughts; when we attach to specific thoughts, our attention becomes distracted and our ability to perceive becomes clouded. At least that's how I interpreted the de-concentration idea.

For me it is slightly wider than being attached to thoughts only, as I see it, we can get attached (concentrate) on any object, and then it get's changed itslef or in our perception. A small example - if we concentrate on our breathing, it changes in some way or the other. If we manage to "de-concentrate" and simply observe our breathing, it is not changed, we simply witness it. And it looks like this thing is universal to every aspect we can concentrate/deconcentrate on.

But physics has taught us that even the act of mere observation changes the thing which we observe, a la, the cat in the box phenomenon.

Well, it looks like it is especially true for the "concentration" mode.

P.S. BTW, I just noticed you have Concentration in signature. Thus, this discussion relates you directly :). What if we all agree that "de-concentration" is important as well :)

I've recently noticed that if my attention drifts during training, my focus on the opposite's upper center point of mass gets rather fuzzy, and my movements become inexact and ineffective. However, once I am able to refocus on the upper center point of mass, the movements again become exact and effective almost instantaneously. These movements and corrections are so slight that a person closely observing us wouldn't even be able to see them - but the perceived physical difference is enormous. So pay attention to your attention. :)

Peter

I have almost 7 years in Yang Tai Chi Chuan and some months in ILC depending on how you look at it.

A related question to this thread - do you still practice your previous martial art to some degree, or have you made a "clean break" in favor of I Liq Chuan? I ask because although I started with other arts, I find that I am becoming more and more focused on ILC training methods.

That being said, it's a difficult process to drop everything and start again from scratch after devoting so much time to and effort on previous training methods.

Peter

I dropped my previous Chen taiji training and only do ILC now. The process of breaking took over a year and a half. In the end, I'm glad I made a clean break. There are only so many hours in a day to practice, and my brain would probably become confused trying to integrate information from two systems at the same time. Plus, Sifu has a well thought out curriculum. Seeing a clear path of progression (as well as noticing significant personal improvements under Sifu's guidance) solidified my decision to switch to exclusively to ILC .

I do occasionally try doing bits and pieces of the previous forms I learned just for fun. After a few years of ILC training, I find that I analyze form movements in ILC terms, so my LaoJia YiLu feels completely different now. I keep thinking things like "no wonder this move never felt right before, I wasn't clear enough on my absorb-project, open-close, etc."

:D

Very True. Something I have been back and forth on. :mad: