Kelvin Ho
Every correct move is going to be dangerous. We don’t want to go there, that’s why taiji is so difficult.
Video guidance is now available. Please leave comments and questions at: http://practicalmethod.com/2018/09/iowa-2018-5-online-video-trailer/.
In this video, Master Chen demonstrated how to destroy the opponent’s integrity on contact, and how to aim at the opponent centre.
Video guidance is now available. Please leave your comments and questions at http://practicalmethod.com/2018/08/iowa-2018-4-online-video-trailer/.
In this video, Master Chen demonstrated how to engage with Levi the Bull, who had tremendous amount of power. Master Chen went in without letting Levi detecting and powering up, and didn’t execute the final action until the setup was complete.
Video guidance is now available. Please leave comments and questions at: http://practicalmethod.com/2018/08/iowa-2018-3-online-video-trailer/.
In this video, Master Chen talked about the Taiji trinity: Principle, Concept and Technique. He demonstrated using Six Sealing Four Closing how a technique reflected the concept. In theory, to separate, you must cut something into two halves, how can we still separate yin and yang without pulling our limbs out?
Vidoe guidance is now available. Please leave your comments and questions at http://practicalmethod.com/2018/08/iowa-2018-2-online-video-trailer/.
In this video, Master Chen Zhonghua showed clearly how he made the student feel the power at the student’s chest on the initial contact, then Master Chen switched to a different spot on the student’s body. He used the stick to illustrate that he moved something that the opponent couldn’t see.
Video guidance is now available. Please leave comments and questions at http://practicalmethod.com/2015/03/stretch-in-push-hand-online-video-trailer/.
Master Chen showed clearly how he made the student feel the power at the student’s chest on the initial contact, then Master Chen switched to a different spot on the student’s body. He used the stick to illustrate that he moved something that the opponent couldn’t see.
Please leave comments and questions at the comment section of http://practicalmethod.com/2015/03/stretch-in-push-hand-online-video-trailer/.
I have been a computer engineer for 24 years and work with 1 and 0s for a living. For a simple light switch, it typically has only two states, and is either on or off. By putting a lot of these switches together, a digital computer was born. Each pair of on and off, represented as 1 and 0 using high voltage and low voltage in a computer, forms a basic unit called a bit. Eight bits make one byte. For the english language, each alphabet or symbol can be represented by such a byte. It is unimaginable how the on and off states of many such switches can be turned into a device, such as a smartphone, tablet, or desktop/notebook computer, that does so many amazing things for us.
In Practical Method, in-with-elbow and out-with-hand are our 1 and 0. Read more
Master Chen gave specific corrections to each student at the workshop for one specific move, which is called “sink the waist to press elbow” (煞腰压肘 sha yao ya zhou). Each student exhibited both common and individual mistakes that were corrected by Master Chen. This video provides a large amount of focused material for us to learn to send power to our hands.
See you online at 10 am on Saturday, May 16, 2020 at http://practicalmethod.com/2015/03/power-to-hand-training-online-video-trailer/.
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In this video, Master Chen demonstrated how dantian would rotate itself, and it would handle incoming force. This video was so important to me that I wrote two articles which main idea came from this video years later without realizing that until now. |
Intent: http://practicalmethod.com/2019/11/intent/
Clarity: http://practicalmethod.com/2018/11/clarity/
See you online at 10 am on Saturday, May 9, 2020 at http://practicalmethod.com/2014/11/dantian-and-pivoting-online-video-trailer/.
We have heard so much about the non-moving dot, and why we need to have it. Do you know how to use it? In this video, Master Chen demonstrated numerous examples on how the opponent fell out by going around the dot.
See you online at 10 am ET on Saturday, May 2, 2020 at http://practicalmethod.com/2014/12/go-around-the-centre-online-video-trailer/.
In this video, Master Chen showed us the concept of stretching through the joints, what it took to stretch from end to end in the body, what the impact was by adding a point in space. He introduced the concept of double helix, and what it could do to the opponent. He integrated all of these into our form practice.
See you at 10 am ET on Saturday, April 25, 2020 at http://practicalmethod.com/2015/01/joints-as-anchor-points-online-video-trailer/.
In this week’s third episode of our Positive Circle series, Master Chen covers how we create splitting of energy in the three counts of a positive circle, and how switching we learned last week is used to change direction.
See you at 10 am ET on Saturday, April 18, 2020 at http://practicalmethod.com/2014/02/changing-direction-in-positive-circle-online-video-trailer/.
In this video, Master Chen covered the 3 main axes in the body, and how we could switch among them without tossing in the positive circle, and the analogy of a lever with different pivots. We discussed about the shoulder last week at Shoulder Movements in Positive Circle, we will continue this week regarding switching with the lower half of the body.
See you at 10 am ET on Saturday, April 11, 2020 at http://practicalmethod.com/2014/06/switching-in-the-positive-circle-online-video-trailer/
In this video, Master Chen showed us how to prevent an opponent’s incoming force from penetrating into ourselves with the 3rd count of the positive circle. It is a invaluable aspect of the positive circle.
We will have an online class based on this video using the comment section of this video at 10 am Eastern Time on Saturday, April 4, 2020. Come join us!
Energy path is the pathway that energy travels on. There are both a physical path and a virtual path for a given setup. For any three points in the body, they can form a triangle (unless they all fall into one straight line). For this discussion, let’s use right hand, left kua and left foot as the three points. As similarly discussed in this previous article, while the right hand and left kua form one physical (solid) line, and the left kua and left foot form another physical (solid) line, the right hand and left foot form a virtual (invisible) line. While the actual energy travels along the two physical lines, it can be viewed as if it travels on the virtual line.
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A number of Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners and patients attended Practical Method experience class on Dec. 20, 2019, and some of them tried taiji for the very first time. Among the participants, there was Rachel Yi, who started studying Practical Method in 2016 in China. She is now attending university in Canada, and is continuing to study PM under my taiji brother Si Chan in Winnipeg. We covered some foundation exercises, the first 13 moves of yilu, and some demonstration of applications.
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Do you have a New Year resolution to become healthier in 2020? Taiji may be your answer. On Dec. 29, 2019 at 10 am, you will have a chance to experience what taiji is like and what health benefits it may bring you at the Chen Style Taiji Experience Class to be held at Channels of Wellness Centre. Come try it out for free!
Push Hands Only Version
Full Version
On Dec. 8, 2019, a Practical Method Taiji Push Hands Workshop was held in Toronto. We had 10 participants, and 4 of them were new to Practical Method. Bert Desjardins drove 4.5 hours from Windsor to Toronto to attended this workshop. We also had the pleasure of having Master Liu Xuwei, who teaches Chen Style Taijiquan Small Frame, in attendance. We covered foundations:
- Twisting the Towel – Don’t move the hand, and only use the foot the squeeze out the hand.
- Fetch Water – Don’t move anything, only focus on opening the kua
- Six Sealing Four Closing – Lock the front hand and rear shoulder, push the front shoulder into the line formed by the front hand and rear shoulder.
- Positive Circle – In with elbow, turn with waist, out with hand. No other body part should be moving except the specific leader.
- Negative Circle – In with elbow, drop the hand on the outside, out with hand.
I was invited along with a number of taiji teachers in Toronto to perform at the 2019 Fountain of Youth Qi Event on Nov. 23, 2019. Each teacher first performed a routine of his choice on stage. In the 2nd part of the event, each teacher demonstrated Cloud Hands, Single Whip and White Crane (Goose) Spread Its Wings of his style. Over generations of transmission, there are many variants of these moves. Many thanks to Sharon Liu, Founder of Fountain of Youth Qi for the invitation and organization of such event.
Official Page: http://www.dyysg123.com/206593211320581365232424739178236373103426371.html
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Push hands is an exercise that examines your understanding of the Taiji principle: Separation of Yin and Yang. While form training transforms your body, push hands provides an opportunity for you to apply your Taiji knowledge and skill. It has also become a popular sporting event both in China and abroad. This workshop is suitable for beginners as well as people at different levels of their training. If you have never tried it before, this is a great opportunity for you to do it in a friendly and safe environment.
推手是一种让人检查对太极原理（分阴阳）理解的练习。 套路训练可以改变人的身体结构，而推手则提供了运用太极拳知识和技能的机会。 它已成为国内外流行的体育赛事。 这训练班适合推手初学者及不同程度培训的太极爱好者。 如果您以前从未尝试过推手，那么这是个让你在友好与安全的环境中初次尝试的绝佳机会。
Today, there was a discussion among some of the North American disciples on intent. What is it? What does it mean?
The discussion allowed me to solidfy a couple of things.
In 2019 Iowa Camp, shifu mentioned:
Spencer’s notes:
The camp’s lessons this time were pervaded by the idea of “intention”. Intention in PM is what we call “to lead”. For example, in the positive circle, the elbow in is the “lead” Intention has no meaning in itself, but it changes everything. I am starting to realize this is one of the reasons Master Chen’s form looks so much different than mine and I can never figure out why. Your eyes can only see movement. The act of leading translates to intention, and when intention is used, the action is different. In with elbow, turn at waist, out with hand… You have to be clear about those intentions. Say them aloud! When the intention is clear, you produce a very thin line. From one large thing, you pull out one dot. This is the concept of silk reeling. Read more
When practicing yilu:
- Put myself inside a fixed sized box.
- Pull against the sides of the box coming into dantian.
- Push against the sides of the box going out of dantian.
| Instructor: | Master Chen Zhonghua |
| Date: | Mar 7-10, 2020 |
Push Hands was demonstrated at 2019 Canadian Cultural and Martial Arts Festival
Yilu Performance at 2019 Canadian Cultural and Martial Arts Festival
Kelvin Ho performed Taiji sword at 2019 Canadian Cultural and Martial Arts Festival on June 8, 2019.
I am teaching Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method at Martial Arts Club @ York University. This is an introductory course, which will cover a taste of foundations, form, application drills and push hands.
Class Info:
Date: Wednesdays, June 5-26, 2019
Time: 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Location: Room 202 of Vanier College (#56 on the map)
If you are interested, please contact Huy Huynh at huynh.h@live.com.
This week, I found myself able to drill the opponent down causing him to eventually fall vertically to the ground. Read more
