[Extreme Martial Arts] Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg and Stance Training

Author: Jeffi Chao Hui Wu

Time: 2025-8-29 Friday, 9:50 AM

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[Extreme Martial Arts] Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg and Zhuang Gong
Comprehensive Comparison and In-Depth Analysis
My martial arts system has naturally evolved through practical training. There has been no imitation of others, nor any so-called shortcuts or routines. Starting from the initial horse stance, to the three-body stance, the Wuji stance, and then to the Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg, I have practiced the eyes-closed Golden Rooster for over fifty-six minutes, all based on long-term practice and data recording. Every morning at dawn, regardless of the weather, I go to the seaside to practice, and I have never missed a day in six years. The temperature ranges from 6°C in winter to 30°C in summer, and my body has long adapted to the tempering of the natural environment. Each training session begins with four rounds of low stance Tai Chi or sword, each lasting about seven minutes, during which my breathing rhythm naturally slows down and stabilizes between 10 to 11 seconds per breath, before entering the Golden Rooster phase.
From my years of practical training and records, the speed and effectiveness of Zhuang Gong are directly related to structural load, neural control, breathing rhythm, and the integration of intention. Below is my empirical summary of the effects of four types of Zhuang Gong:
Horse Stance: Solid Foundation, Strength and Resilience
The horse stance is the most traditional and fundamental Zhuang Gong, and it is also the first method I practiced. Its characteristics include even weight distribution on both legs, a low and stable center of gravity, and high muscle tension. Long-term practice can significantly enhance lower limb resilience and stability, with solid bone strength, but the drawbacks are also evident: high muscle tension, rapid lactic acid accumulation, and long recovery time. For beginners, the duration of practice is short, and the cumulative effect is slow, requiring time to truly see stable progress. In terms of speed of improvement, the horse stance is more like a gradual buildup, making it suitable as the foundation for all advanced Zhuang Gong.
Three-Body Stance: Structural Training, Fine-Tuning Power Pathways
In the three-body stance, seventy percent of the weight is on the back leg, with the front leg extended, creating a responsive front-and-back center of gravity. This stance requires full-body coordination of intention control and power transmission. It emphasizes structural pathways and power generation, effectively developing internal strength, especially suitable for practicing intention and opening pathways, facilitating the flow of power. In terms of improvement speed, the three-body stance is slightly faster than the horse stance, but the stimulation is concentrated on muscles, joints, and fascia lines, and it does not activate bone density and bone marrow under high pressure as effectively as the single-leg weight-bearing Golden Rooster.
Wuji Stance: Ultimate Relaxation, Internal Qi and Blood Regulation
The Wuji stance appears to be the easiest, but it is actually the most profound. The entire body is completely relaxed, seemingly doing nothing, but breathing, Qi and blood regulation, and nervous system adjustments are all taking place in the background. The Wuji stance is very suitable for building a foundation, restoring the state, and allowing Qi and blood to flow smoothly, as well as helping to release stress and recover physical strength. However, in terms of improvement speed, it is not the fastest, as its stimulation is insufficient, leaning more towards "nurturing" rather than "attacking." Over the long term, it can optimize the body's internal balance and serves as a buffer and transition between my dynamic and static practices.
Active Stance: Combining Stillness and Motion, Practicing Dynamic Rhythm
The active stance is a practice method that lies between static stances and dynamic techniques, such as the low stance walking fist in Tai Chi, which is a typical active stance. The body maintains the stable structure of Zhuang Gong while slowly moving to feel the transmission path of power. The advantage of the active stance is its strong dynamic stimulation of muscles and fascia, significantly improving overall coordination and stability of footwork; the downside is that the stimulation is relatively dispersed, and it does not concentrate on bone marrow and single-point high-pressure training as effectively as the Golden Rooster. If the goal is to optimize overall coordination and power pathways, the active stance is very effective.
Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg: Concentrated Stimulation, Efficient Integration
The Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg is the training that truly helped me break through my bottleneck. The single-leg weight-bearing creates highly concentrated pressure, and the activation of bone density and bone marrow is significantly stronger than all double-leg Zhuang Gong. Combined with slow-frequency breathing, the rhythm of 10–11 seconds per breath allows Qi and blood to flow more evenly, with a clear and lasting sensation of bone marrow infusion. Maintaining the Golden Rooster for 25–35 minutes each day, I finish completely unexhausted, but the muscles in my thighs and calves are noticeably swollen, indicating high infusion of Qi and blood. This efficiency is the highest among all Zhuang Gong. Especially during eyes-closed practice, the coordination control of the nervous system and skeletal muscles is pushed to the limit, and each breakthrough in time records is the result of synchronized optimization of neural control and Qi and blood flow.
Summary
Overall, the horse stance lays the foundation, the three-body stance trains power, the Wuji stance regulates breathing, the active stance enhances coordination, while the Golden Rooster is the top-level training for efficient integration. Based on my practical records, the speed of improvement and the overall integration effect of the Golden Rooster is the fastest, deepest, and most stable among all Zhuang Gong, especially in the eyes-closed state, where the simultaneous activation of bone marrow and Qi and blood far exceeds the scope of traditional Zhuang Gong, aligning with the descriptions in the "Huangdi Neijing" and fully conforming to modern physiology's explanations of deep slow-frequency breathing and skeletal muscle adaptation mechanisms.
Today's training recorded a new limit. At the seaside in Sydney, with a temperature of about 11°C and an altitude of about 3 meters, I remained completely still without moving, holding the ball relaxed, breathing deeply and naturally. I first practiced a round of low stance Tai Chi for about seven minutes, naturally adjusting my breathing to a slow-frequency state, with each breath lasting about 10 to 11 seconds. Then, I performed the left-foot Golden Rooster with my eyes closed, recording the entire process on video, clearly marking the date, time, direction, GPS coordinates, altitude, and the videographer (myself, using a tripod). This time, I stood steadily on my left foot for over 56 minutes, breaking my personal record. My breathing was steady, heart rate stable, Qi and blood flowed smoothly, and my body felt slightly warm, with no sense of fatigue throughout; it only ended naturally due to slight imbalance caused by the sea breeze. I then performed the right-foot Golden Rooster with my eyes closed, maintaining stability for about 23 minutes, with a similarly stable and relaxed state.
Smartwatch data shows:
Left-foot eyes-closed Golden Rooster
Total duration: about 56 minutes and 12 seconds
Breath count: about 348 times
Average breath duration: about 9.44 seconds/time
Average heart rate: 103–108 bpm
Maximum heart rate: 147 bpm
Physical state: completely relaxed throughout, Qi and blood flowing smoothly, imbalance ending not due to physical limits
Right-foot eyes-closed Golden Rooster
Total duration: about 23 minutes and 15 seconds
Breath count: about 126 times
Average breath duration: about 11 seconds/time
Average heart rate: 98–105 bpm
Maximum heart rate: 119 bpm
Physical state: stable and smooth breathing, balanced Qi and blood, no sense of fatigue before ending
The eyes-closed Golden Rooster, seemingly still, is actually an efficient training for the simultaneous activation of Qi and blood and bone marrow. From the perspective of the "Huangdi Neijing," this embodies the concept of "independent guarding the spirit, breathing in essence and Qi"; from the perspective of modern physiology, it is a natural response where slow-frequency breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, increases heart rate variability (HRV), and optimizes blood circulation and bone marrow infusion. The true power of this training method lies not in the external movements but in the deep coordination of internal Qi and blood rhythms with the nervous system.
In summary, the horse stance lays the foundation, the three-body stance trains intention and power, the Wuji stance adjusts body and mind, while the Golden Rooster integrates the advantages of all three to the utmost. It is currently the most stable, efficient, and natural static Qi and blood training method in my practice system, and it is also the core of my continuous improvement in Qi and blood, bone marrow, and the entire system over the past few years.

Source: https://www.australianwinner.com/AuWinner/viewtopic.php?t=697349