News
News and other exciting events happening in the Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method system in the world.
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I was having a discussion with my disciple brother Brennan Toh about what I have been working on with my long term students Gerry and Emily, with specific attention to Lie , one of the 8 techniques of Taiji. At the North American Practical Method Training Camp last year Brennan was taking me down with this same technique, except his upper/lower body separation was crazily effective….he took out significant space from below without his top moving (his top continued to match my upper body). This lead to him suggesting the following drill: Read more
You are looking at the aftermath of the Hong Kong workshop. Apparently, Master sent Wu (the guy fixing the wall) flying into the wall I hope the action is captured in the video:
 20th Anniversary of Ottawa-Gatineau Workshops |
Each year, Master Chen have tirelessly come to Ottawa to share his special insight in the art of Taijiquan. This year makes the Twentieth Anniversary of those annual workshops. Disciples Rachelle B.and James T. organized a series of workshops, special events and produced a commemorative T-shirts for each participants inorder to honor this special occasion. Participants from Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City joined in our celebration. Over the weekend, there was a special seminar on Silk-Reeling, a review of the concept of Internal and External and many other facets in the training of the Practical Method of Chen Style Taijiquan. |
Over the past weekend at the Hong Kong workshop, Master Chen’s move on KT trigged the fall detection feature on the Apple Watch Series 4:
https://www.popsci.com/apple-watch-fall-detection
The incredible thing was that KT hasn’t fallen. He merely was knocked away from Master Chen. Obviously, this blow has enough acceleration and gyration on KT and in turn the Apple Watch asked if KT needs medical attention.
Will we see the day that we can use the watch replacing the needs for mats?
Any engineers here can shed some light on the physics?
I was privileged to spend a couple of days with Master and Master Sun. Here are my notes:
The opponent completes the circuit. When you are about to fall, that is when your power transfers. This goes back to an explanation where Master propped up two cards leaning on each other. Master said that his previous videos showing this technique received a lot of flack since it looked like he was stumbling.
The shoulder has to rotate while the Kua moves up. What is outside is outside. Inside is inside. Hand coming in is the result of failing to achieve this.
Elbow in is the only focus. Any other focus causes power to go to other parts.
Only up and down. No sideways. I have been leaning during Walk Obliquely. Read more
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13
-No move, only rotate
-Rotation –> power
-Friction (feet) eventually on the opponent
-Action and Attachment
-Movement without movement
-move –> you become dead (like a top spinning, then starting to wobble, then falling over)
-Stretch –> life Read more
Day one
Moving Steps positive circle instructions
Do not involve torso, Do not lean
Torso and elbow are locked, isolate torso from hand and foot, Stretch is a must.
Use front of the torso to catch the opponent at 45 to front
And use rear Kua and elbow to throw the opponent
Elbow coming and Kua going out must be like a pair of scissors
If the elbow is on Kua it’s locked and if it’s not connected there is no bite.
Initially, do not worry about power, only direction.
Train your body to become a pair of scissors.
CHEN STYLE TAIJIQUAN PRACTICAL METHOD TESTIMONIAL
JAN GOULD and ROSS McLACHLAN, October 2018, Phoenix
During a discussion on the English speaking Wechat group for PM a very interesting question was pointed out by Pawel Muller from Vienna.
As set by Ping Wei from Phoenix on the chat, the question was noted as what comes to the mind of a PM student, when Master Chen speaks about power.
Alexandra Hasenfratz from BC Canada answered that it’s the ability to move or take down someone or something.
Paul Carlson from Fort Collins as well as Rainer Kummerfeldt from Luebeck, added the concept of power in physics.
From the 9th to 11th of September 2018, Master Chen and Mister Wang Xin, a big regional liqour manufacturer, took us to Chenjiagou (Chen village), the birthplace if Chen Style Taijiquan!
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| Instructors: | Master Chen Zhonghua, Instructor Chen Xu, Instructor Ling Zili |
| Date: | Dec 15-16, 2018 |
| Time: | 9:00am to 5:30pm |
| 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. |
| Suggested preparation for first-timers, get yourself familiar with the following: | |
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| For more information and registration, please contact: Brian Chung practicalmethodau@gmail.com +61 423 035 857 |
After returning from Tai An, unfortunately I caught a cold, so I stayed home a couple of days to sleep it off…
eventually, some good ol’ chinese noodle soup did the trick 😉
So I could enjoy the Rizhao sunrise again…
Master Zhonghua Chen and the Rizhao Chen Zhonghua Taiji Academy team are participating in the Chen Village Push Hands Competition. Master Chen was invited as a guest.
Master Chen Zhonghua and students at Chen Village Competition 2018
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Master Chen Zhonghua’s 28th Daqingshan Seminar on Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method and Hunyuan Taiji was held from August 11th to 17th, 2018.
Over two hundred students participated at this event. They came from Indonesia, Portugal, and all over China. The youngest participant was 6 years old and oldest was 80 years of age.
28th Daqingshan Seminar. Master Chen Zhonghua teaches a concept each morning during the early morning session at the Taiji Square on Daqinshan.
28th Daqinshan Seminar Group Photo with Pang Chaoli
28th Daqingshan Seminar Group photo with Ling Ziming
Master Chen’s disciple Ping Wei will again conduct Irvine 1-day workshop. This time Ping will share with us his new understanding on “not-moving” and his lesson plan for his community college teaching. He will also revisit Foundations, more details on First 13 moves and beyond. First timers, beginners are all welcome.
Registration for the workshop is required for all newcomers; the deadline is 9/14/2018. Since Winston will be out of the country next few weeks, Al Yu will be the contact person for this workshop and Winston will still be back in time for the workshop.
In the interim, please direct all inquires to Al Yu at (cell) 949-331-2735, or via email: mralyu@yahoo.com.
- Introduction of Emcee
Todd Elihu
I am Todd Elihu, 20th generation disciple of Chen Style Taijiquan under Master Chen Zhonghua. I am very happy to be here at the 2018 North American Practical Method Training Camp and to have the opportunity to learn from Master Chen, as well as practice and exchange with my disciple-brothers who are present and the other participants of the camp this year. I am very grateful to my brothers Levi Sowers and John Upshaw for organizing these camps and all the hard work that they have put into making such a special event. Read more
Here’s a story on my experience. Email me if you’d like a chat.
My blog post. Comment, like, share then give me feed back.
https://medium.com/@gawainsiu/one-easy-step-to-thrive-within-the-survive-9a6e90ebc005
What’s the best part of my day?
Being with my little girl and her classmates at an all day excursion to Whiteman Park. Kangaroos, native australian birds, bush land, native trees and plants, wild flowers, bugs, big orange ants that bite, native bees (I was stung on my neck), spiders (a couple of kids were bitten), snakes (lucky nobody met one in person)…….the list goes on and on.
What’s the worst part of my day?
Being powerless to her help when she was bitten and scratched by bugs and then when her eyes were swollen and itchy from the pollen on the air (it’s spring).
What have I learnt about myself?
That I love detail.
In my practice, detail is very important. I might even go as far as saying critical.
Imagine walking through a forest without a map or having any idea where you want to go. Lost right?
Well practicing my Yilu is exactly the same. Without the detail of principles, theories and methods I can pretty much do anything.
It’s just like as if I was to drive off in my car without a map or destination in mind. Just meandering around, burning fuel.
Detail such as:
Don’t move
In with elbow no hand, out with hand no elbow
Rotate
Fix the point
Keep the centre
Yin Yang separation (splitting)
Eat bitter
and many many more.
My current personal challenge is to test the theory of 10,000.
My master, Chen Zhonghua said to me that my body will change after 10,000 Yilus. Apart from stipulating 20 Yilus daily, he didn’t recommend whether I would benefit from this theory if I was to spread out my practice over 10 years or whether it had to be done consecutively.
So I made it mean consecutively.
It takes me approximately 1 hour to complete 10 Yilus.
I’m in week 37, so after completing this week I’ll have 6300 Yilus to complete.
So what’s your journey?
Can you apply the rule of 10,000 to your craft or discipline?
Reach out and let me know.
On target, 20 Yilus today.
Thanks for sharing.
Talk to me on: gawain.siu@gingmo.com.au
Checkout other blog posts on my Medium: https://medium.com/@gawainsiu
Hereby some collected Practical Method logos from schools all over the world. If you have one logo and you don’t find it in this rough collection, got a better version or otherwise, please post it in the comments section or send it to me via wechat or by email vincent.denhengst@gmail.com and I will repost it later on. This collection is gathered in order to research the possibility of an international standard logo, as instigated by some elder taiji brothers of mine in the English Wechat group.
Read more
Please Comment on what you see and how we should apply it in Yilu practice
http://practicalmethod.com/2016/05/phil-c-private-lesson-online-video-trailer/
You can also see a few pictures here.
In Chen style Taijiquan Practical Method the power is delivered to the opponent through the principle of non-movement. As “Don’t move” is one of the fundamental instructions in the system in order to separate the completion of a form in layers of a circle, the body has to be trained in the same way, meaning with set restrictions.
In the following video Master Chen is demonstrating the method of training the yin-yang reversal in the body, in order for the power to be directed to the hand without being caught in the inside of the body.
Richard Johnson is now teaching in the Decatur-Huntsville area in Alabama. For more information, you may reach him at
Decatur-Huntsville, AL – Chen Taijiquan Academy – Classes and private instruction by appointment only
My name is Ramona. I started practicing Practical Method Tai Chi with Ping Wei approximately one year ago at Paradise Valley Community College. I have always liked martial arts and was curious about Tai Chi. The promise of strength, balance, and brain power intrigued me so I decided to give it a try. After all, what can I lose? After a year of steady practice I have improved, or so my teacher tells me, and he should know. After all he has been practicing for many years.
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Background
In 2001, I started studying Kung Fu. My teacher also taught Chen Style Taijiquan from Chen Quanzhong. Watching my teacher perform Taiji at one of our demonstrations, I thought it was fantastic. I read “Chen Style: The Source of Taijiquan” by Davidine Sim and David Gaffney and thought I should really switch to Taiji, but I chose to continue down the path of Kung Fu since I had already started it. Read more
Personal Information
I was born in Austin, Minnesota USA in February of 1968. I moved to the neighboring state of Iowa as a child. My early experiences in life set me on my path in martial arts and a career of helping struggling children. I was a homeless orphan at the age of 15. I was fortunate enough to have been taken under the wing of someone who taught me kung fu every morning with no fees…it taught me many life lessons besides the martial aspects; such as commitment to others, commitment to the art, self-discipline, and an overall respect and awe for being a part of something that had a bountiful history, honorable tradition, and rich with culture.
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The 6th Daqingshan International Competition
Daqingshan Mountain from the Pagoda
The start of my stay in China coincided with the 6th International Daqingshan Competition (April 28th to 30th this year), a yearly gathering that Master Chen started to promote both Taijiquan forms (a series of choreographed movements particular to each Family style) and also to provide a stage for a large scale Push Hands (a means of practicing Taiji techniques whilst trying to unbalance your opponent) tournament.
Yesterday I had the luck to assist Master Chen and Pavel Codi in filming a corrections video in Prague. Apart from the valuable corrections received as an observer, later also had the opportunity to touch, see and feel exactly what Master Chen was describing before. Read more
For long time student, please notice how Master Chen uses practical method principle in this routine
I’m writing this at about 30,000 feet on the plane from Munich, Germany to Toulouse, France. Master Chen Zhonghua is sitting next to me, it’s late evening and we are both tired from traveling shortly after noon.
On the last flight, from Danzig, Poland to Munich Master Chen gave me another lesson about rotation.
Some of those ideas I had already heard on a flight almost two years ago, but what Master Chen taught me a few hours ago goes much, much further, of course. Some questions were answered, especially regarding applying the theory on the body.
The application cannot be written down, really. It must be demonstrated and felt. Trying do write it down will never do justice to the physical experience felt in person. Read more
This day in history.
Tomek, Pawel, Marila, Kurstin and myself took the afternoon off to visit Gdansk again. This is our annual hike in Poland. Read more
