Notes for Sydney Workshop Feb 12-16, 2020 by Brian Chung

by Brian Chung on 2020/02/17

2020.02.12 悉尼笔记锺百豪 (英文) Sydney Notes by Brian Chung (English)

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Breakfast
  1. Taiji is about Power.
  2. Therefore we must acknowledge that we do not have it. There are many methods to produce the result of power.
  3. Size and speed.
  4. (1a) Length (1b) area (1c) volume (2) how fast you rotate.
  5. There is no weight without gravity. Gravity affects everything equally, therefor you take it away.
  6. Story about listening to a sound podcast. There is no such thing as sound without eardrums.
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Morning Session
Attendees: Master Chen, Brian C, Paul J, Rory T
Action Example. (1) Stick your upper arm onto a flat whiteboard. The upper arm can open. The action cannot deviate from the board. (2) The board can move as one piece and (3) rotate as one piece. The action does not change.
Example of going over. (1) Fix one dot and stretch to the two ends. (2) Then again in a second dimension.
Push Hands Exercise.
  1. Foot in, chest backwards.
  2. Stretch the top. (Front hand, rear elbow)
  3. Lock as one piece. Fall from the bottom.
  4. Add one. Stretch while continuing to lock.
We worked on a very large negative circle move here that I successfully did with Rory. I need to work on this.
Falling Exercise.
  1. Establish 3 dots. Do not move the three dots.
  2. Fall down.
  3. We must fall so that our opponent does. At that point, add one. Turning over of the joint.
Rotation Exercise.
  1. Do not touch your opponent.
  2. Only rotate. It must be very light.
Switching Exercise.
  1. Use the front kua.
  2. Use the middle.
  3. Use the rear kua.
  4. Pretend to do (1), then switch to (3) on the touch
Switch to the bottom Exercise.
  1. Chest hit.
  2. Switch to the kua / foot.
  3. Keep holding the top until you are holding him up.
  4. Let go.
Train until there is no fear of falling down.
If there is no contact, there is no suppression of power.
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Afternoon Session
Attendees: Master Chen, Brian C, Paul J, Rory T. Later on, John S, Paul P.
We had Thai for lunch.
  1. In a 90 minute class there must only be 20 mins instruction. The rest is for training. Do not teach like it is a workshop.
  2. Elbow. Walking back from lunch Master said my elbow looks ok. But after touching it was not. Master demonstrated the elbow going into the hand. There is a trajectory. Too loose and it is off. Too tight and it is stuck.
  3. Cloud Hands. The shoulder cannot move.
  4. Open the Elbow Exercise. I worked on this with Master while he was sitting down. The elbow aims in the plane of the triangle. Lock two ends and move the middle.
  5. Increasing the size of the move. The front kua turns all the way towards the back. Master worked on this with me.
  6. Master added one with his chin. Today I saw for the first time the action of the stretch was the same as other parts of the body.
  7. The chin and side of the head were used as two separate contact points.
  8. To break. Master demonstrated to break the shoulder using two dots lining up. He then showed to break the waist (integrity). It caused me to jump.
  9. True separation of Yin and Yang must create something. It creates Taiji. This Taiji must be the identical as Master Chen / Hong / Chen Fake. This is why it is called a lineage.
  10. Indicator: Your hair must stand on end. Story about Cai Shengye pushing in the dark with Master Chen.
  11. Three sticks rotating becomes five dots.
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2020.02.13 悉尼笔记锺百豪 (英文) Sydney Notes by Brian Chung (English)
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Morning Session
  1. Indirect Power / Connection.
  2. This IS that.
  3. To clear. The action of once piece must be totally clear of another piece.
  1. Place your arm out palm up.
  2. Parter touches your wrist and presses it straight down.
  3. On (2) activate your middle. I touched Master’s dantian and buttocks. We must bypass the shoulder.
  4. This is a method of training to be on to the touch. In this case the connection is that your dantian must be in your hand.
Master adjusted my elbow action (opening the elbow). It was slightly off.
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Lunch
  1. You cannot be lazy.
  2. Arm wrestling. Finger, elbow, rear shoulder. Lock into a triangle and turn.
  3. When is your limit?
  4. Will you pass the test?
  5. A real fight is not a just a challenge. It is life and death. People think it is about skill. It is about sheer will. There cannot be any hesitation.
  6. Story about Han Rui and Chen Xu training one move repeatedly.
  7. Story about the workshop fight with the MMA fighter.
  8. Story about Wang Kai’s improvement.
  9. Whatever happens, he cannot take you down. He can beat you up, break your bones, but never defeat you.
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Afternoon Session
Stretch Against Tripping Exercise
  1. Place your front knee against partners front knee.
  2. Partner pushes your knee backwards.
  3. Do not move the knee.
  4. Stretch from your front foot to rear shoulder.
  5. Master demonstrated this while I held onto his calf. My knee is moving forwards. I have to eliminate this action. The knee can never go forwards.
  6. This exercise can also be done behind the leg.
Aiming Exercise
  1. Aim at Shan Zhong point.
  2. There are three dots. Top middle. Middle middle. Lower middle.
 Form Correction
  1. Flash the Back Initial Closing. My left chest is stuck. It is too much like a board. It has to turn over.
  2. Six Sealing Four Closing. The elbow is a size 5 ball / kua is a size 35 ball. They are always connected. The dot behind my thigh and my back is not open. The action on my kua is not large enough. Master demonstrated a huge rotation while maintaining the stretch as I held his thigh and calf.
  3. Cloud hands. The aim of the front shoulder and front kua is on the line. It only moves forwards. The elbows can pull the opponent. The arms can brush the opponent off.
  4. High Pat on Horse. Do not move the R kua, only rotate. The R elbow goes around from underneath.
  5. Rub Right Foot, Rub Left Foot. The kicking foot ankle must be extended straight.
  6. Kick with Right Heel, Kick with Left Heel. Master said to complete 30 repetitions on each side continuously to train the balance and integrity.
  7. Turning Flowers Out of the Bottom of the Sea. The chest must face the other side, the turn comes from the waist.
  8. Change Palm Three Times. My chest was stuck. The left arm and chest must extend all the way.
  9. Step Back Double Shake Feet. The left chest has to turn over to the other side. This is the same concept as turning over in the positive circle.
  10. Reverse Coiling Forearm. My shoulders are a little stuck. They must become zero.

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2020.02.14 悉尼笔记锺百豪 (英文) Sydney Notes by Brian Chung (English)
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Privates – Morning Session
Form Correction List: Kim Ly, Peter Lee, Kenny Ly
  1. Once something goes to its extreme, it has to go over.
  2. Master demonstrated After Punch Covering Hand. The R elbow, R Kua and lower back cannot get smaller. It expands.
  3. Establish a fight. Adding one with a single finger.
Find the middle Exercise.
  1. Partner pushes your forearm lightly.
  2. Do not go sideways. Aim at the middle.
  3. Move the bottom in.
  4. Variation of this exercise with change in height. Master showed a version with rotation. My rotation did not have a squeeze. I lost the Zhuo from the top to the bottom of the forearm.
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Lunch at Thai restaurant.
  1. Sitting down at lunch, I pushed Master’s chest. (1) Separate chest and head. The chest went in, the head did not. (2) Split the action from chest to head to the front kua
  2. The key concepts must be used as standards. Rotation. Extension. Not moving. This is how you answer questions.
  3. Revolution has displacement. Rotation does not.
  4. Master showed me the range of the shoulder. There is a curvature for the elbow that does not cause the shoulder to raise. I need to work on this.
  5. True learning comes out of practice. Not learning, just do.
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Privates – Afternoon Session
Form Correction List: Vanessa Cooper, Jeffrey Tran
  1. Taiji is switching from stick to rope without hesitation. Else it will crash. There is a demarcation on the elbow here.
  2. Taiji is 50/50. Only 50/50 can reverse itself.
  3. 51/49 is that difference that is so small it cannot be measured.
  4. Hold a posture for 10 minutes. Until the middle is all stretched out and everything drops to the dantian.
  5. When you match the two ends, you will feel it on the middle of your forehead. I experienced this. Chin backwards, chest down, stretch the head up.
  6. Master pointed his rear finger to match the front finger. It was very sharp.
  7. Guan is the physical gate (dot).
  8. Qiao is that which you put in space (dot).
Push hands exercise.
  1. Get in with your leg behind your partner.
  2. Elbows in.
  3. Lock the top. Only move the leg. The rear shoulder and kua cannot move.
  4. Seal the space straight down.
Train this move for three months.
Positive Circle move. Close the space with Negative Circle straight downwards.
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2020.02.15 悉尼笔记锺百豪 (英文) Sydney Notes by Brian Chung (English) 
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Breakfast
  1. Life is a disaster. Positively. Negatively.
  2. Story about getting out of China in time.
  3. One With the Dao.
  4. All the things I do right are when I am not doing things right.
  5. Story about Taiji lecture with five Alberta officials.
  6. I don’t see things. I always see connections.
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Workshop Day One – Morning Session
  1. Isolate the Kua Exercise
  2. When you do the correct moves, you will feel totally different.
  3. Taiji Dance #1
  4. Chuyige. Something has to come out.
  5. When something comes out, we say he has it.
  6. To stretch. To fan out. To spread. To grind.
  7. The foot is faster than the hand.
  8. 1-2-3-4 Exercise. The rhythm is such that 4 must be completed in one go.
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Lunch at Thai restaurant.
  1. I held Masters wrist and gripped it strong. The power went over (and through) to the finger.
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Workshop Day One – Afternoon Session
  1. Tripping Training Exercise (1) Push the chest, heel in. (2) Use the inner side of the foot to hook. Use the hand to touch. (3) Action: Use the middle. It compresses like a piston. When you know how hard it is, you will train.
  2. Not on not off. Example: a pair of scissors.
  3. Push Hands Move – Two Separate Ways to Train (1) Give you the position and work on the action. (2) Get into the position and stop.

Push Hands Teaching Lesson
Action: Scissors
Concept: To Add One / Establish Five Dots
Theory: Rotation
Exercise:
  1. [Start] Get in position with your thigh touching behind your partner’s front thigh.
  2. [Preparations] Take the space out by adding at least three independent points of contact. [Adjustments] Elbows in, shoulder down, front kua up, chest down, head up.
  3. [Action]. Lock the top. Only move the leg. The rear shoulder and rear kua cannot move. Seal the space straight down with your waist.
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Dinner
  1. I asked Master if you measure push hands in number of hours trained. He said it is also number of people you push with.

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2020.02.16 悉尼笔记锺百豪 (英文) Sydney Notes by Brian Chung (English)
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Breakfast
  1. Master showered, brushed his teeth, got changed in 2 minutes.
  2. Life is about just right.
  3. Indicator of Scared and not Scared. You can see the chest expand or contract. Back off, or come in.
  4. Procedure to make notes. (1) Make notes. (2) Summarise the general theme (3) Therefore, I think Master Chen is trying to teach X. Once you can guess correctly, then you are learning.
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Workshop Day Two – Morning Session
  1. 18 Set of Basic Foundations
  2. Master held my shoulder blade and chest in negative circle. I have to flatten out my angel wings.
  3. What’s done cannot be undone.
  4. I held Masters front and rear kua while Rory blocked it. He turned over and switched to the rear.
  5. Inside and Outside
  6. Five Points Outside Struggle – Wu Dian Wai Zheng
  7. Five dots exercise. Each additional dot must be in a different dimension.
  8. Moving Step Positive Circle.
  9. Our questions must come from Master’s Content. It cannot from from ourselves.
  10. Concave Circle. Only one dot touches.
  11. Real Taiji fighting is to bounce off. Two balls.
  12. Elbow In Exercise. Dot on elbow. Dot on torso. These two must touch.
  13. Master said the aim of the front hand must be in the range between the opponents eyes and sternum.
  14. Two round glasses. Too late it will break. Too early nothing.
  15. Jade Girl Jump. (1) R elbow in. (2) L punch. (3) Jump and tear it. (4) Adjust elbows. Turn from the kua. The elbow must be proportional.
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Lunch at Luxe
  1. Master had a tuna sandwich and a iced cappuccino.
  2. Look at the environment. Look at the people. If the conditions are met, do it. Ignore anything else.
  3. Three conditions must be met for something to happen. Example of being messaged to invited to teach (1) Douyin 10m video (2) Workshop Fight (3) Something else.
  4. The reason why your schools are not expanding is that there are no stories.
  5. Story about The Fight. If I solved the problem peacefully, the 29 workshop people here would leave.
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Workshop Day Two – Afternoon Session
  1. Top is top. Bottom is bottom. Front is front. Back is back. Outside is outside. Inside is inside. The centre/middle does not move.
  2. You would rather move forward one millimetre than retreat one foot.
  3. Never switch positions while you are fighting.
  4. Secret of the punch being one inch longer. Story about Nicholas Fung’s landlord.
  5. Only your feet are on the floor. To generate power, you must go down.
  6. Earth is heavier than air.
  7. The path of living is towards death. This is getting up.
  8. 3 levels of floor. Feet. Chest. Anywhere.
  9. Chopping board. Elbow in, the chest is a board. The crash has to injure him.
  10. I had Tom in a hold. The shoulders cannot raise. Wrap around. Turn the waist. Squeeze down. The left leg had to close in. This is a grinder.
  11. Foot crawling exercise. The waist must be in control.

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

Tinh Thai February 17, 2020 at 1:01 pm

Thank you so much for sharing, Brian. There is so much to take in.

“Master showered, brushed his teeth, got changed in 2 minutes.” – It’s all about procedure. Procedure is important. That’s what I also remember Master Chen said about this particular story. I think Master Chen is saying that having a procedure is important to be efficient.

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Tinh Thai February 19, 2020 at 1:16 pm

Here is a clip where Master Chen says “follow the procedure” while performing partner application drills. http://practicalmethod.com/2014/04/applications-partner-training-online-video-trailer/

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