In wushu practice, the importance of powerful eyesight can never be overemphasized. The reason is very simple: you can never hit a target effectively without seeing it clearly.
When you are in for a fight, you must keep your eyes on your opponent, either directly or by split vision, in order to know how close he has come to you and what tactics he intends to use. A great fighter is said to have sharp eyes that are able to detect the slightest stir anywhere about him.
A pair of well-trained eyes are just as important in a demonstration, whether armed or unarmed. They help to bring out the spirit of an exercise, contributing to the integration of inner strength and physical movements and the coordination of the eyes, the hands, the feet and the body.
There are many ways to train your eyes for improving wushu performance.
Here’s a simple set of exercise to be done in the standing position, with your head held still all the time:
- Keep your eyes wide open and stare hard at an object in the distance as if you were trying to “pierce” it with your eyesight.
- With eyes wide open, move the eyeballs slowly to the extreme left and let them stay there for a while before moving them to the extreme right. Repeat the whole process several times.
- Lift the eyeballs slowly to the uppermost limit and let them stay there for a while before dropping them down to the lowermost limit. Repeat this several times.
- Roll the eyeballs in a large circle, first clockwise and then counterclockwise.
Points for attention:
- Do the exercise in a quiet place, preferably in the woods. Do not face the sun directly.
- Hold your head erect and do not turn it when you move your eyeballs. Place your tongue on the hard palate and pull in your chin.
- Take a little rest or massage your eyes gently after each movement.
By Wang Dian – Translated by Cen Yuefang
From Martial Arts of China Vol. 1, No. 7 , Page 318
Courtesy of Shaolin Brand
