**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.
Knowledge : Articles
This section contains serious articles on all aspects of taijiquan.
有道是“学拳容易改拳难”，与其学错了再改，不如一上手就学对的。练太极，尤其是在初期，要把自己的非太极动作改掉，改就是提高。 Read more
When the body becomes accustomed to moving through the forms in a connected way, the structure of the body will naturally begin to tighten up. As a result, the over exaggerated stretching movements previously used to open up and recondition the body should be adjusted and made smaller and tighter. Read more
Standing atop a mountain in China’s Shandong province, Tai Chi master SENSEI SANDEEP DESAI finds himself.
When my trip to Daqingshan, a mountain in the Shandong province of China came through, I was delirious with joy. It not only gave me an opportunity to further my development in the art but also fulfilled my ultimate fantasy to dissolve into T’ai Chi while experiencing the fresh chi of the mountain. I was seized by an overwhelming urge to realise my full potential while soaking in tranquility and serenity. Read more
It is a fact that most modern people, especially westerners living in urbanized areas, are not as physically active as they once were. As society becomes more dependent on machines and electric tools to do the physical labour once done manually, the bodies of modern men seem to be changing accordingly. Read more
Eventually, higher level students of Taijiquan come realize that the power produced in practice should never be produced by the muscles. But if it isn’t produced in the muscles, where does the incredible strength, flexibility and speed of the great masters come from? I believe this question can be answered by understanding the amazing system of tendons and ligaments which connects the muscular and skeletal structures. Although many people like to believe that “qi”
The Master once said, “Everybody in the world uses momentum-based movement, therefore we do not. Taiji involves ‘contained spiral force’ that generates momentum on something external to oneself.”
It seems to me that most people are not aware of the spiraling that should occur throughout the body while doing Taijiquan. Even though most people must have seen the ancient diagrams of a body coiled in lines representing the spiraling paths of the silk reeling energy (chansijin) characteristic of Chen style Taijiquan, very few people seem to be able to explain or even understand what this principle actually is. Obviously, it is not only important to know how to create spiraling throughout the body, but also to understand why spiraling and the unique energy it creates is so important to the art.
John Brown’s article Rotation: Approaching the impossible with the Practical Method was published by Kung Fu and Tai Chi Magazine in the Feb. 2012 issue. Here is a preview in jpg form. To read the entire article please purchase the magazine directly at www.kungfumagazine.com. John Brown has dozens of years of experience with Chen Style Taijiquan. Currently he studies Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method from Master Chen Zhonghua. In 2007, he spent three months in the summer on Daqingshan Mountain Resort for Taiji at the full time taiji program hosted by Chen Zhonghua. This article is the result of his reflections during that period of learning.
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