Content of Classes:
- Fundamentals of Chen Taiji Practical Method
- First Form (Yilu)
- Push-Hands
Classes Starting January 22, 2013
(Join at any time)
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Jean-Philippe Ranger
Here is a short video that we filmed in my class last night. In the gym where I teach, we found an exercise device that can illustrate the importance of the alternating fixed point in the Practical Method. The explanation is not as precise as I would have wanted, but we filmed this on the spur of the moment.
Content of Classes:
- Fundamentals of Chen Taiji Practical Method
- First Form (Yilu)
- Push-Hands
Classes Starting September 17, 2012 (Join at any time)
Mondays & Wednesdays, 6-7 pm Read more
Filmed by Michael Winkler
Our classes will be moving outside this summer.
We will be meeting at Queen Square Park (Mondays and Wednesdays from 4-5 pm).
Classes go from May 14 to August 29 and are open to all levels.
Price: $45
**This is a short piece I wrote in the mid-90s about a way to define martial arts ** The martial arts are systems of combat developed for the purpose of either offense, defense or mass combat. However, these arts also have many goals beyond combative ones. There are countless reasons to decide to study the martial arts.
In the last few months, I have been trying to follow the rule of “elbow in, hand out”. In my practice and teaching I have observed something that needs further verification, but that seems correct. “Elbow in” means: initiate the arm rotation from the upper arm. Conversely, “hand out” means: initiate the arm rotation from the hand. There are a few possible explanations for this. First, I will say a few words about the “elbow in” part of rule, then I will suggest an explanation of the “hand out” part of the rule. Read more
[Post in Progress] I have observed that the rotation in the arm can never be on the central axis of the limb. It must continually switch between the ulna and the radius. Read more
Being able to “stack the joints” is an important skill in Practical Method. It means not only that all joints have to be aligned to be able to receive the oncoming force, it also means that they have to react in sequence.
When I first started taiji training with my teacher Kee Hong, he would always say: if you want power, you have to sink your weight. In fact, I would observe his center of gravity sink whenever someone pushed him. I would also feel his push getting “under me” whenever I pushed on him.
O’Keefe Centre
St. Thomas University
Fredericton, NB
In my experience, it is a common problem for taiji beginners to feel strain in the knee because the rules of Taijiquan say we should “rotate our hips”. When the kua (the technical term for the hip area) is not open enough, the knees tend to overcompensate and end up rotating. But the knees can only bend and unbend, they aren’t meant to rotate, so when they rotate, it leads to injury. Read more
Taiji is supposed to be about relaxation. If that is the case, why is there such a heavy emphasis on low stances in Chen style? Doesn’t that contradict the requirement for relaxation?
Hunyuan World 2004 gave participants access to an enormous wealth of essential knowledge on taijiquan. One of these gems of information relates to peng, a topic of great interest to camp participants. As an example of the teaching available at Hunyuan World events, I share Master Chen Zhonghua’s response to students’ questions on peng, which also led to more general comments on his interpretation of taiji. Read more
In taiji like in other practices, we tend to want to take in all the material at once. This is impossible as the requirements of taiji are extremely difficult to put into practice. The problem is that if we focus on too many things at once it become too difficult to negotiate all the rules.
It is actually better to work on one rule or one lesson at a time, until it is ingrained. When the body assimilates the rule, it is time to add a further one.
