YiluCount2019

Read more

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.

1577642856942
Read more

Instructor: Kelvin Ho Length: 23 min Language: English Year: 2019 Difficulty: 1/5 At: Toronto

This video covers:
Twisting the Towel
Fetch Water
Positive Circle
Negative Circle

Angelo Gee's Foundation Correction
Access is keyed to your user account. You need to be logged in to buy access.
Please register or log in.

AngeloGeePositiveCircleCorrection

Practical Method Phoenix, Ping Wei

Regular classes on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings, from 7:30 to 8:30am at Roadrunner Park.

Foundations, Yilu, Erlu, and sword.

Call (602-373-3457) or email (peace_defender2003@yahoo.com) for details.

 

ChenStyleTaijiPracticalMethodBannerWithRedLogo

 

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!

Read more

Day 1

  • Double negative has to be more vertical – open below, closes up top.
  • Buttocks cannot protrude.  Kua is not open enough.  It will hurt.

Read more


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:

  1. Twisting the TowelDon’t move the hand, and only use the foot the squeeze out the hand.
  2. Fetch Water – Don’t move anything, only focus on opening the kua
  3. 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.
  4. Positive CircleIn with elbow, turn with waist, out with hand. No other body part should be moving except the specific leader.
  5. Negative CircleIn with elbow, drop the hand on the outside, out with hand.

Read more

Sydney Chen Zhonghua Taiji Academy

Sydney Chen Zhonghua Taiji Academy 澳洲悉尼陈中华太极馆

Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method 陈式太极拳实用拳法

Master Chen Zhonghua has been coming to Sydney, Australia to conduct annual workshops since 2012.

Brian Chung, & Ling Zili, Master Chen Zhonghua’s disciples, are the instructors for the Sydney Chen Zhonghua Taiji Academy.

Classes and Practice Sessions:
Read more

Instructors: Master Chen Zhonghua
Date: Feb 15-16, 2020
Time: 8:30am to 11:30am2:00pm to 5:00pm
Location: DJKJ Kung Fu Academy
34 Rosebery Avenue, Rosebery NSW 2018
Topics: Theory, Foundations, form (Yilu), applications and push hands
Fee: $380 for 2 days, $220 for 1 day.
Register: http://bit.ly/PM2020Sydney
Suggested preparation for first-timers, get yourself familiar with the following:
  1. Positive and Negative Circles: Two Circles of Taiji
  2. Yilu First 13 Moves: Chen Style Yilu 13 Moves
For further information, contact:
Brian Chung
practicalmethodau@gmail.com
+61 423 035 857

Read more

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
Read more

ChenStyleTaijiPracticalMethodBannerWithRedLogo

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。

Read more

We are pleased to have Master Chen Zhonghua back for the 4th annual training camp.  Once again, the taijiquan training, lodging and dining will be at one location with one cost at the same location as last 3 years.  This will be an intensive workshop focused Theory, Foundations, Yilu, Push Hands and Broadsword.  Disciples will take part in the instructions.
Read more

Intent i

by Kelvin Ho on 2019/11/20

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

Guitar String 1

by Rick Pietila on 2019/10/12

Master Chen showing Rick Pietila how to align the rear elbow with the front hand

Master Chen showing Rick Pietila how to align the rear elbow with the front hand

Recently at a 2019 Toronto CA workshop hosted by Kevin Ho, Master Chen Zhonghua demonstrated and taught the participants a training drill that requires the starting position to have the rear heel off the floor and both hands in a double push position, chest high. While going over this drill and teaching to the finer more precise details, he offered that we students feel his back leg starting positions with our hands. One hand was to be placed on the ankle while the other on the inside thigh to feel the active tendons and muscles. He suggested that students pull or rake across these two areas to gain a better understanding of the physical requirements for the drill.  When I took my turn, pulling across these areas, something registered with me to the feeling of the amount of tension in the leg as well as what precisely for this move was being used to generate such great power, and speed.
Read more

PicsArt_09-27-07.59.00

Practical Method Popsockets for your smartphones are $12 plus shipping. As many of you are aware I teach a group of kids, which several have attended Iowa workshops taught by Master Chen. I was able to work out a fundraising deal with the company so 50% of all the sales will be applied towards tuition for my kid students that have financial need. So an awesome item + good price + great cause = excellent purchase!

For orders email me midwestpracticalmethodtaiji@gmail.com or message me on Facebook.

Thanks,

John Upshaw

  1. Gears on either side of spine move in opposite direction

The gears twist on either side of the spine and your intention along with where you are looking can send power in any direction you want. You can also add better control by also changing the percentage of each lever. with straight spine hold with front left kua use right hand across. them Opening kua to right

Power comes from restrictions, stretch to point of rotation, Movement is muscle., no movement is a lever
Read more

20190907_101805a

When practicing yilu:

  1. Put myself inside a fixed sized box.
  2. Pull against the sides of the box coming into dantian.
  3. Push against the sides of the box going out of dantian.

Read more

Participants of the Vienna Workshop with Master Chen Zhonghua in 2019
So we were doing lots and lots of six sealings four closings exercises at the end of the Vienna Workshop. I was leading the group and counting. Then, at #476 something in my hip cracked open. A rush of pure energy run through my body and I felt like a conductor between heaven and earth, and then … Read more

20190909_Group1

Read more

Instructor: Master Chen Zhonghua
Date: Mar 7-10, 2020

I was asked to write a post about my overall experience with Practical Method up to this point, so I’ll try my best to put those experiences into words. My first live experience with Practical Method was during the Toronto seminar with Master Chen Zhonghua in March of 2019. Since then I’ve had the opportunity to train on and off with both Kelvin Ho and Hugo Cascoduro (depending on my work schedule), with most of this post addressing the live push hands and applications portion of the training.

Read more

Probably the biggest thing had to do with the learning process: The questions that arise in my mind are usually off topic and I think their purpose is to distract me from paying full attention to what Master Chen is teaching at the moment.  By asking them out loud I’m distracting everyone else too.  My mind doesn’t want to give up control.
Read more

Comments on 2019 North American Practical Method training camp

From my perspective, this year’s training camp was outstanding! I came with the thought that I had progressed a lot but after a short time I realized (as usual) I have so much to learn. I am basically a very beginner but I can see that each time I attend a function with Master Chen I can get a little better grasp of what he is teaching.
Read more

hdImg_f0eb2c8b669676d4dae7424db8eee3da1580959373067I am an interpreter from Inner Mongolia, I continued to learn practical method for third time during the month of July .I felt honored to learn with Shabar from New York and Mike from France.
Read more

Notes from Day 1, Phoenix Practical Method Workshop
These are pretty rough, just short statements.

Every movement needs to have intent and some reference. When we do taiji we need intent. Taiji is governed by yin yang.

We need to see what is really there. Usually we think we see but that is not what is really there.
Read more


Read more

I moved out of Vienna and I‘ve been thinking how I could offer Practical Method classes here in Lower Austria. In Vienna I started a group from scratch, together with Fabian. But with three kids now and a full time job I simply have no resources to start a group this way. “There must be a better method” I thought. And, as is often the case at the country side, my neighbor helped me out.
Read more

basic_1For more than a year now, Sven Gusowski from Practical Method-Berlin visits us each monday at our office at Freie Universität Berlin (FU Berlin) to do fifteen minutes of basic foundations exercises. We basically do variations of the positive circle and learn movements that can be easily repeated at home or anywhere.
Read more

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.

20190605_201551
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.

Read more

Location: 5222-86 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Phone: 780-413-0454
Read more

TorontoWorkshopOct2018 Read more

Spencer Jones is teaching in Chicago https://www.practicalmethodchicago.com

You can also see a few pictures here.

While I was still living in Hong Kong, I have started with 300 a day.  John Upshaw and I have been exchanging and we decided 3 months ago to increase it to 600 a day – 3oo per leg, and log our sets on Facebook.  We promised to do this until July 24.  This is when Master Chen will visit Iowa for their workshop.  Since then, the likes of Kelvin Ho, Tinh Thai, and Winston Wang have joined.  Even my student Simon Yau has jumped in on the action!  Every day, I look forward to my brothers giving me the thumbs up next to my “done”.
Read more