Liu Yaokun started on Feb 2, 2020, and learned move 5 to 15 and most of the foundations over weekly video-conferencing sessions.
News
News and other exciting events happening in the Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method system in the world.
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Hi everyone! I’m Susanna Chwang, a Toronto disciple of Master Chen. I have been training Practical Method Taiji for 8 years. The first annual Toronto Practical Method Tournament (affiliated with the Toronto District School Board Intramural Sports Program) was held on December 19, 2019. Children of all ages and every grade participated, some as young as 4 years old!
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Yilu completed since last video: 200
Areas of focus in the last month:
- Keeping the front kua up
- Straightening the hips to pull the shoulder over the kua
- Opening the kua by connecting directly to the foot and bypassing the knee
Areas to work on next:
- Sinking shoulder into kua
- Keeping hands on the line
- Do not retreat with torso during elbow in
Training Log for Prior Month
In the previous section I covered The 4 Essential Taijiquan Techniques, which included Peng, Lu, Ji & An. I left that lesson on here for review and quick reference. In this finial section, part 3, I will cover The 4 Corner/Auxiliary Techniques, which include Cai, Lie, Zhou & Kao. It is located after section 2. Subsequent information from Master Chen’s writing will also be included in the descriptions. For those that are interested, I will moderate a Zoom discussion about all 3 sections this coming Sunday July 5th at 8 am CST. If you want to attend and can’t, please message me and we can set up a private Zoom session.
I have recently started re-reading Chen Style Taijiquan Practical method Vol. One: Theory by Hong Junsheng Shi Gong as translated by Chen Zhonghua Shifu. Not cover to cover…just browsing/scannng through while locking on to some points.
As I was doing this I noticed that I was enjoying the book more than in the past.I think one of the reasons is that as one matures in any special skill/art…understanding at a new level is achieved. And so clarity is pleasant.Of course this is an endless path. Otherwise it might not be worth the time & effort needed to aquire the higher levels.
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Since January 2017, I have been teaching Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method at Paradise Valley Community College (Phoenix, Arizona) every Monday and Wednesday as a one credit class. I started just one class per semester (Spring and Fall) plus summer session. From January 2019 on, my Tai Chi class was split into two classes. One for total beginners, the other for returning students. More important, I developed a core group of Tai Chi students we meet outside of college and consistently meet every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings (one hour) at Roadrunner Park. So, this core group of 10 students would practice at least 5 time a week. Some I know practice every day. Read more
For this Online Video Class, I will be examining the contents in a segmented manner. In this classic video, Master Chen descriptively teaches the 8 Techniques in Taijiquan. In this 1st segment of the online video class, I will cover the Basic Energies in Taiji Applications. In the 2nd segment I will cover The 4 Essential Taijiquan Techniques, which include Peng, Lu, Ji & An. In the last segment I will cover The 4 Corner/Auxiliary Taijiquan Techniques, which include Cai, Lie, Zhou & Kao.
This video is definitely worth taking the time to thoroughly investigate and gain an understanding of the techniques of Taijiquan. I will moderate a Zoom group session during the last segment for those that purchased the video as a means of solidifying the material taught by Master Chen.
In this short online instructional video, Master Chen teaches many essential elements that are necessary when applying Ji to an opponent and several principles inherit to Practical Method. Ji, squeezing, is a passive action that has “water like qualities”. Ji, like water “takes up all the space in all directions”.
Over the past year, I’ve worked on a number of exercises with a focus on the knees and kua. Here are a few examples and results I’ve noticed:
- Ensure the bottom is represented during the movement
- Step 2 here: How to engage the waist
- What it looks like: When your upper body moves, there is expansion in the bottom. Typically both knees expanding outwards.
- Result: Body becomes more even, action is created from the waist (and lower) rather than entirely from the top.
In Adjust the Middle Online video, Master Zhonghua Chen teaches how to strengthen one’s own structure and how to break your opponent’s structure and take their power away.
Early on in the video Master Chen utilizes a rubber cord to demonstrate how the 2 ends are connected by pulling in the middle. He emphasizes that the outside of the 2 ends are the outside and what is between the 2 outside points is considered inside. In the video he demonstrated this on the rubber cord and then on a student.
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We hereby solemnly declare, our school is in no way or shape related to the Ma Baoguo who was KOed in 40 seconds today (May 17, 2020).
Chen Style Xinyi Hunyuan Taijiquan (Abbreviated as Hunyuan Taiji 陈式心意混元太极拳,简称混元太极拳) was founded by the late Grandmaster Feng Zhiqiang, with its aim as a health exercise for human health. It is an excellent cultural heritage. To date, it has a history of close to one hundred years.
Ma Baoguo has violated our trademark ™ name to call his style Hunyuan Xingyi Taiji Gate (浑元形意太极门) and has repeatedly tarnished our reputation. My grandfather’s disciples have on many occasions launched lawsuit against him. Further, the Hunyuan Taiji Wushu Development Center and the Hunyuan Taiji Professional Committee under the Beijing Martial Arts Association reserve the right to take legal actions against those social media which continue to associate us with such frauds.
Gao Yuan
郑重声明，今天被40秒KO的马保国和本门无关！陈式心意混元太极拳简称混元太极拳，由一代宗师冯志强先生所创办，致力于造福百姓健康，为优秀的非物质文化遗产。发展至今，已经近百年历史。马保国是山寨碰瓷我心意混元，起名为浑元形意太极门，屡次败坏我们混元太极门派盛名，曾多次被我外公的弟子起诉。另如再有自媒体不注重事实，妄自菲薄。混元太极武术文化发展中心，北京武协混元太极拳专业委员会将保留追究其法律责任的权利。
高原
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
Click on the picture above to go to the video. Please leave comments in the reply video section.
The important components: 1. Having 2 lines, 2. Having separation 3. Resolve through rotation (one line is the catch or lock and the rotation provides the other action for the other line). Click on the gif
In this short video, Master Chen teaches key concepts and principles that are necessary in push hands and in the development of our taiji skills. After watching the video you will gain and understanding of what it means to “match” an opponent’s power. Additionally, you will have a clear understanding of how “adding” beyond the contact point requires yin yang separation, which is an inherent principle to Practical Method Taijiquan.
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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/.
(I originally posted this on Facebook, but was asked to also post here, so here goes. Readers shouldn’t take any of this seriously, I am a total beginner in Practical Method)
I listened to the Tai Chi Day podcast interview of Master Chen, and two things struck me.
First, I find it very fascinating that Hong Junsheng’s ‘feel’ (sorry I don’t know the right technical term) is very different from master Chen’s.
Master Chen said he had 3 distinct sources of skills (1 from his specific physique, 1 from Hunyuan, 1 from ‘Hong style’) so what we feel when we get instruction is very different from master Chen is often a composite ( at least that is what I understood, I could be wrong) so for example we feel that master Chen has a strong grip – I’ve felt it, like talons of steel, – this apparently comes from his work with the Hunyuan system- , whereas Master Hong Junshen didn’t ‘grip’ and had a completely ’empty’ feel, so when you fell down you’d think it was something wrong you did, and not something he did. I find the idea of each master developing a personal ‘feel’ very intriguing. Read more
The “Dimension: 5 Points” online video builds upon the understanding and skills that were covered in the Step Up To Ji, Move Into Empty Space and Warping Energy 2 Online videos and classes. It allows Practical Method Taijiquan practitioners the opportunity to expand on ones’ understanding of how to use multiple dimensions to immobilize an opponent much like a spiderweb does to ensnare a moth helpless.
Thus far, the videos I have selected as curriculum have been focused on the functional aspects of using ones own bio-mechanical structure and the structure of the opponent to “take up space” for the gaining of strategic positioning and for martial purposes. The video “Step up to Ji” gave a basic procedure of how to make contact while matching power and move in other body parts that adhere to the Practical Method’s principle of separated and sequential movements. In the following video, “Move into Empty Space”, several lessons were taught by Master Chen in various ways to take up the opponents space and demonstrated a few examples of applications, such as going down and adding a dimension.
In this video, Master Chen teaches additional methods of taking up space by “whatever happens, you fill in the gaps”. It is taking out space, working with space, playing with timing, and/or playing with structure. The information from the previous video online classes come into play. Significant additions are made in this video that further advances ones’ repertoire on how to use ones’ structure and the intentional use of working with space as a means of building martial skills and abilities.
Move into Empty Space
Various Methods
In this video viewers get to witness Master Chen teaching various methods of how to take up empty space along with a variety of applications. This complex video requires viewers to segment each movement in a number of lessons given. In addition, with the direct examples demonstrated, key principles inherit to practical method are embedded throughout the video.
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Remember My Masters Hong Junsheng and Feng Zhiqiang 2020.04.04.
It’s CHINESE Qingming (Memorial Day) in China today. Thinking of my two masters: Hong Junsheng and Feng Zhiqiang.
- Grandmaster Feng Zhiqiang
Chen Zhonghua with Grandmaster Hong Junsheng
Chen Zhonghua with Grandmaster Feng Zhiqiang
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!
Master Chen Zhonghua always amazes me, whether it is at the next workshop (there is always something new and amazing) or looking back — such as in this video captured during a workshop in Ottawa ten years ago… an easy, seemingly simple, and clean bounce:
What do you see in the video?
John Upshaw: Everything is on a line. He added the right leg to the line…left arm to right leg…
Lou Sacharske: Watch his right shoulder, as he adds the right leg, there is zero deviation to telegraph the execution.
James Tam: I believe the rotation axis is the one joining Shifu’s left shoulder and front foot. And, the stick (effective energy pathway) is from his back foot to Steve’s upper back.
I started learning practical method on 2005. I had a lesson once a week from one of Master Chen’s disciples. At that time I practiced maybe once per week.
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Dear fellows,
I also want to announce it here, especially as our Taijiquan is a very central part of our life, that we are up to create a new community within the international township of Auroville, South India.
This should become a self-sustainable project, including training facilities, farming and all sort of arts, music, handcrafts etc. But more than that we want to Read more
Move the Middle (fix the two end and move the middle). Fixed the thigh contact; fix the hand elbow contact; use the kua movement to complete the action.
The last day of the 2020 March Zhonghua Chen Toronto Practical Method Workshop. By Chen Zhonghua and David Dahms.
This is that (concept)
i.e. brush the knees
Step 1
Remove slack
Step 2
Train to lock angle so that
1) hand is shoulder
2) hand is kua
3) hand is foot
Translation is 1:1
Distance and angle cannot change
Distance is in perception, if opponent has no perception there you can cut through distance
Moving steps
Tower crane mounted on truck
Truck can move, tower cannot
Train to be uncomfortable on the line instead of comfortable off the line
Parterner drill
let someone push you till you are about to fall and regain balance, repeat
Train to feed
On the touch get the full, no slack
Old man catching fish – muddy move vs clear move
Rope and stick – are yon and yang, if opponent is stick become rope
Loose the energy through joint
You always use the one behind to use the one forward.
To move your hand you must use your elbow.
To move you outside of elbow, you must use inside of Shoulder.
To move your shoulder you must use your kua.
Tou can only move inside tube – hand is inside tube and can only extend
Touxh point on hand acts as lever and on contact in with elbow move flips the hand like Bird tap
Grind/spear – out with hand is grind
3 way split – hand is stretched from elbow, elbow is stretched towards shoulder and center is aiming from dantian to create vector force
Empty the bag – a heavy bag half filled, you lift and turn full side from one hand to empty it on other side hand
–I missed a good deal today, especially right after lunch, but these are the notes I took–
Foundation practice and Yilu are to warm up the body. The body must be separated into Yin and Yang, structure and action. The body has to completely lock up with the exception of one piece. Then an action has to move that one piece. The action has to be outside the body, but it’s also in the body. It’s like a hand with a powerful grip on a screwdriver. The hand is not part of the screwdriver, but it is part of the screwdriver. All the action comes from the hand, none from the screwdriver. But they move as one.
We have to learn to get a hold on a line. Ignore the arm or whatever it is and just get a hold on the line. A hold requires being on both sides of the line. Scissors are designed to get a hold, to get on both sides, of something as thin as paper.
The power used to throw a cotton ball at someone is the same as the power used to throw a stone at someone. The difference is the cotton ball absorbs that power on impact, while the stone transfers that power to the person it hits on impact.
To deal with a solid object, use a stick. To deal with an object that’s not solid, use a bow and arrow. These two structures can be seen all throughout the world. They are fundamental.
The highest level of fighting is when someone adds the third dot to a line and finishes the opponent’s move for them. Taiji is unclear in a way that is clear. The three dots are totally independent and unrelated to each other, but they must happen at the same time. It is as though a professor is teaching a large class, and everyone is listening and paying attention at the same time, but they are listening and paying attention independent from each other. Our movements are completely separate from each other, but the opponent feels one move. A qun (large mythical bird) and a gnat cannot understand each other, the qun lives for millions of years, the gnat from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. And yet, their stories are the same: birth, growth, sex, reproduction, decay, death. They cannot relate, but it’s exactly the same. Taiji is everything put together by one thing: time
Tiger’s back and Bear’s waist (doesn’t have)
Stretch removes indentation and protrusion.
Movements create indentation and protrusion .
Exercise 1
Shoulder as reference and chest goes back or chest is reference and shoulders come forward
(Hands in forward)
Exercise 2
Tear the center of chest (i.e.single whip)
_____
Humanity point(center of the chest in front) and Vitality point (lower back) (ani.al instinct),
Harmony of both is unification of both.
Horizontal relationship and vertical relationship and their controlling mechanism is dot.
Dantian is hub but there’s no crossing (I.e. overpass on road in city)
Positive energy is seen, negative energy can not be seen. They are always pair but only positive is sensed by observer and negative is felt by opponent.
Drills
1) Create a space/hole put opponent in there
2) Bait/blunt/blurred vs. focused/sharp/crisp move
1) sequence of learning- learn Form (overall structure), stretch (no fight), and how to stretch
2) step in on moving positive circle. Elbow comes in, leg goes out in same direction no deviation
3) bypass/ turning over – there is no direct connection of 2 body parts as if there is you can not connect to ground , can not bypass,
4) How to stretch ,
Remain on track,
When you can bypass you create stretch ,
Adjacent body parts have to give a way in order to stretch
5) real learning is not about something big or important, it’s about looking at something sitting in corner so small that nobody is looking at it
6) taiji is yin yang ,
And for every yin yang ,
Create another yin yang to match
Create ,
2 set of bypass ,
That’s called yin is rooted in yang and yang is rooted in yin
7) stretch , no retreat in move, horizontal to vertical,
8) every body part move 1mm makes 10mm. It’s difficult to move 1 part 10 mm
9) pair exercise , equal vs over. Difference is Only one notch. To go over the Key is rest of body doesn’t move.
10) you need to know when you are over the other side, don’t use power unless you are already on the other side
11) change the dot without touching the dot – switching
The intro, instructions and outro are in Polish, but you can turn on English subtitles.
I am curious about usefulness of this video for PM students around the world – if you think it is helpful enter your city name in the comment (on YouTube).
Enjoy the practice!
Dear Tai Chi – enthusiasts and those interested!
Please use this link to register: www.practicalmethod.at/vienna-2020
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This year, with Master Chen Zhonghua’s 9th Berlin workshop, we’re celebrating 10 years of the Practical Method in Germany. Anyone who’s interested in participating in this anniversary workshop, please click here for further information and sign up:
http://www.practicalmethod.de/angebote/anmeldung-czh-in-berlin/
Looking forward! 🙂
