Locations : Toronto

For information on Toronto Workshops and Classes, please click here.

Learning Yilu…15,000 times and counting 7

by Kelvin Ho on 2015/10/17

Kelvin Ho Fist Drape Over Body

When I first studied practical method in Nov. 2009, there were a few things that made a long lasting impression. They were:

In with elbow no hand, out with hand no elbow.
Don’t move
Yilu, which is made up of only positive and negative circles.

Many beginners including myself usually ask the following questions:

How did you (Master Chen) know to do that?
How can I not move?
What can I do that myself?
How do I train that?

Kelvin Ho Yilu in Toronto on Oct. 17, 2015 i

by Kelvin Ho on 2015/10/17

Notes for Practical Method Toronto Workshop Oct. 1-3, 2015 3

by Kelvin Ho on 2015/10/09

KelvinHoBlockTouchingCoat

We had 19 people attending the Toronto workshop this time. 5 of them were first timers. We started off with Master Chen talking about the positive circle, and continuously focusing on its various aspects.

Here are my notes:

Only move your foot forward towards the opponent, everything else does not go towards the opponent. Read more

Kewei Sun Yilu (Partial) in Toronto on Sep. 19, 2015 i

by Kelvin Ho on 2015/09/19

Kewei Sun has started learning Practical Method since May 23, 2015.
Read more

Notes for Practical Method Iowa Workshop 2015 5

by Kelvin Ho on 2015/09/19

I attended the Practical Method Iowa Workshop 2015. Officially, the workshop was on Sep 12-13, 2015. I spent a total of 6 days there from Sep 10-15, 2015. It was the best workshop I had ever attended. We had a lot of dedicated Practical Method people there. Thanks to Levi and Christina who let a number of us stay at their place the whole time, and gave us the opportunity to immerse in taiji with Master Chen Zhonghua. Thanks to Levi and John for taking care and arranging food, as well as driving us around. We woke up early at 4:20 am to start doing yilus before breakfast, and we often pushed hands till 10:30 pm at night. It was just wonderful being around my taiji brothers.

The following are the notes I took:

Day 1
– Keeping the back straight at all times
– Always have an aim at the centre, every movement should result back to the centre (don’t deviate from it)
– Keep the movement small, otherwise it is wasteful, and there won’t be any left.
-Separation: When the hands have power, move in the waist. Have power in the waist, the hands can become free. Nudge in bit by bit.
Read more

Kelvin Ho Yilu in Toronto on Aug. 23, 2015 4

by Kelvin Ho on 2015/08/23

Laipeng Rong Yilu in Toronto on Aug. 23, 2015 i

by Kelvin Ho on 2015/08/23

Basic Negative Circle Application in Toronto on July 4, 2015 i

by Kelvin Ho on 2015/07/09

Push Hands Practice in Toronto on July 4, 2015 i

by Kelvin Ho on 2015/07/08

Circles Practice in Toronto on July 4, 2015 i

by Kelvin Ho on 2015/07/08

Push Hands Practice in Toronto on June 28, 2015 i

by Kelvin Ho on 2015/06/29

Bruce Robinson Yilu in Toronto on June 28, 2015 i

by Kelvin Ho on 2015/06/28

Fixed Point and Lever 3

by Kelvin Ho on 2015/06/24

This following diagram explains what is demonstrated in the video:
Read more

Bruce Robinson Yilu (First 21 Moves) in Toronto on May 10, 2015 i

by Kelvin Ho on 2015/05/10

Bruce started learning Practical Method on Jan 5, 2015.

20 Yilu Challenge – Success! 6

by Kelvin Ho on 2015/05/08

Master Chen Zhonghua gave a challenge to perform 20 yilus a day from end of Nov 2014 to May 8, 2015, which amounted to 3200+ yilus in total. Congratulations to Aaron Bartholomew, Charlie Wishon and Kelvin Ho, who have successfully completed the challenge. Patrick Dickson has also completed 80% of the days despite of his injury and surgery. Thanks to all who have participated in the challenge. It has been great fun.

Kelvin Ho visited Practical Method Group in New Hampshire i

by Kelvin Ho on 2015/05/01

From left to right: Chuck, Kelvin, Peggy Simone, Ted Sparr, Dave Cedarholm, Claire Gauthier, Rita, Ben Low, Dianne Ramey

I visited the Practical Method group in New Hampshire in the evening on April 28, 2015. Dianne Ramey organized the gathering. It was great meeting everyone. We had a lot of fun. We covered basic requirements for positive circle, negative circle, fetch water, and six sealing four closing. We also emphasized the need to have one part not moving in each action of the form. Thanks to everyone for coming out.

Get In Hand Out Drill i

by Kelvin Ho on 2015/03/30

1) Shovel out the front heel
2) Land the front toes and knee together
3) Extend the hands out

Note: Don’t push the opponent in step 1 and 2.

Ernie Aleong Yilu in Toronto on Mar. 29, 2015 i

by Kelvin Ho on 2015/03/29

Kelvin Ho Yilu in Toronto on Mar. 29, 2015 i

by Kelvin Ho on 2015/03/29

Toronto Workshop Oct. 1-3, 2015 i

by Kelvin Ho on 2015/03/08

Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method Toronto

Kelvin Ho Yilu in Toronto on Jan. 5, 2015 i

by Kelvin Ho on 2015/01/08

Toronto Practice on Dec. 14, 2014 1

by Kelvin Ho on 2014/12/15

1) Foundations and 5 Yilus
2) 2-Person Drill: Find the dot on the opponent, add one to break the dot
3) 2-Person Drill: Step in to get closer to the opponent without him knowing (no change in pressure on the contact point)
4) 1-Person Drill: Similar to 3), but use the column or corner wall as the opponent. Push with one hand against the column, step to the side of the column without changing the pressure on the hand.

Video on Adding One:

Read more

New Practical Method class at Oriental Centre, Toronto i

by Kelvin Ho on 2014/11/16

Practical Method in Toronto is expanding as Steve Man, Master Chen’s Disciple, introduced Practical Method to the Toronto Oriental Centre Taiji Group. In the opening weekend, the 20 new students learned positive circle and the first move of yilu, and there was a lot of excitement as they were exposed to the Steve’s detailed step-by-step instructions.

For more information, please visit http://taijinuts.wordpress.com/ or contact Steve Man at taijinuts@gmail.com.

More pictures can be found here.

Toronto Sep 2014 Workshop Video 3

by Kelvin Ho on 2014/10/19

Toronto Workshop Jan. 15-18, 2015 i

by Kelvin Ho on 2014/10/01

Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method Toronto

Toronto Sep 2014 Workshop Photos i

by Kelvin Ho on 2014/09/30

Steve Man was accepted by Master Chen Zhonghua as his 140th disciple on Sep 28, 2014.

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Visiting Toronto Centre Island i

by Kelvin Ho on 2014/09/29

Chen Zhonghua In Toronto

Practical Method’s “The Eight Methods of Taijiquan” Seminar i

by Kelvin Ho on 2014/09/18

Guest Speaker:	Master Chen Zhonghua
Topic:	The Eight Methods of Taijiquan
Date:	Wednesday, Sep. 24, 2014
Time:	8:15 pm to 9:45 pm
Place:	German Mills Public School 61 Simonston Blvd., Thornhill, Ontario L3T 4R5
Fee:	Free

Thank you for the overwhelming response, this seminar is now FULL.

Photos of this event can be viewed on Facebook.

Due to limited space, pre-registration is required with:
Kelvin Ho
kelvin.ho@practicalmethod.ca
416-903-3751

Practical Method Yilu in Iowa i

by Kelvin Ho on 2014/08/24

Step Back to Double Shake Feet (step-by-step) i

by Kelvin Ho on 2014/07/20

In today’s Practical Method practice in Toronto, we focused on Step Back to Double Shake Feet, and broke it down to 9 steps as seen in this video:

Here are some points to remember:

Right hand does positive circle, while left hand does negative circle as one steps backwards.
Don’t let the right elbow come out first, and the right hand leads the stretch.
The left hand stretches to the back, and the left elbow pulls the hand over the left shoulder to bring it to the front.
Just before the jump, convert the horizontal force to vertical force. Line up the left kua on top of the left heel, like you are sitting on it. The left kua, left knee, and left heel form a triangle. There is an invisible line between the left kua and left heel, and it is the rod/stick.