Knowledge

Today in class, Master Chen commented that there was new flow, clarity, and sharpness in my form. He said this day was a small milestone for me, and he wanted me to document it. He asked: Did I feel something different? Read more

Kelvin corrected my Upper Cloudy Hands starting from previous pose, Single Whip.

Corrections of my Single Whip pose: arms must extend further on either side, and hands are about shoulder height; elbows facing down; left palm facing down; sit the wrist; tips of thumb and middle finger of right hand touching, so right hand resembles the beak of a bird; sit the wrist. Hands must be tile hands (curved roof tiles on traditional Chinese building), fingers stretched tight outwards. Read more

The Taijiquan Practical Method instructor team in Berlin, Germany, organised an online workshop on 6 December 2020, marking their 10th anniversary. The workshop took place under the lead of the head instructor, Sven Gusowski, in cooperation with the instructors Carlotta Viviani, Kerstin Kummle and Lutz Liese. The workshop focused on basic Taiji Principles and their application in the foundational exercises and the Yilu Form. Read more

Dear All,

we’d like to announce the 2nd Online Workshop in German language, taking place on 28 Feb 2021, 2pm – 5pm GMT +1.
Please spread the word to everyone who might be interested. We will cover basics as well as some details, so it will suit beginners as well as advanced students.
The admission is free 🙂 Thanks a lot, c u soon!

Please sign up here: https://practicalmethod.de/kontakt/

Best,

Sven & the Berlin Taiji PM Team

My impressions of the Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method Online Workshop

Germany, 06.12.2020

The Taijiquan Practical Method Group in Berlin, Germany, organised an online workshop on 6 December 2020, marking their 10 years anniversary. The workshop took place under the lead of the head coach, Sven Carl Gusowski, in cooperation with the instructors Carlotta Viviani, Kerstin Kummle and Lutz Liese. The workshop focussed on basic Taiji Principles and their application in the foundational exercises and the Yilu Form. Read more

If you ever wonder how lessons are taught in Practical Method Online Classes, here is an opportunity to experience for free from Feb 22 to 25, 2021.  People at different levels are participating in these classes.

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Hong was used to say his Taiji is like a garden. Everybody is welcome to come, have a look and take what he or she wants to take. If you cut a flower, it might last a week. If you can take the seeds, maybe in some years you’ll have your own garden.

Always teach everything, always present things in the same way. If someone understands, it has nothing to do with you. If somebody does not understand, don’t feel guilty: there’s nothing wrong with you and nothing wrong with him/her.

We practiced an empty handed exercise, standing on one leg:

1. one foot stretches backward
2. arms from the armpit stretch forward
3. body goes down (going down is regarded as not moving)

• Train only arm-foot coordination first
• Cave chest in
• Hand and foot do not link to the torso
• Make the moves small. The risk of linking the torso either to the foot or hand increases with large moves
• Once the arm-foot coordination is trained and none of them are linking to the torso, we can add the drop of the body. Add it small
• Torso has a free fall
• Dropping of the body: to drop we have to create space. Holding a book between two hands, if you create space between the hands and the book, the book is going to fall
•  Three independent actions: a three way split. Our problem is we always link into one move
• Analogy: Master Chen can see John and Kelvin on his computer, but they are independent/unrelated to each other
• The separation of the directions not linking, not merging into each other is what Master Chen describes as “Moves must be clear”
• The middle (torso in this case) cannot take sides, it must be independent, like a judge. The judge only applies the principle of the law, he/she does not take sides for neither of the two parts
• The power of hand and foot is totally dependent on how strong (not moving) the centre is
• As a training method we can rock shoulders and legs. They must be independent from the body
• If the middle is not involved, every move is correct
• When the middle is not involved, the hand becomes very powerful. The problem is we always want to move the middle. You realize you need at least 4 people holding you for this move to be useable
• There is always one move in the Form which clearly  demonstrates the concept we are talking about. In this case it is the first move of White Crane (right after Turn Left to BWAPM) in the 13s. But we must be able to find it in every move of the Form
• The move we practiced is the “easy part” and it is already very difficult to apply. The reversed part: don’t move the hands, move the body. This is even more difficult because there is no way to fix the hands while doing Push Hands. The hands are interacting with the opponent. It’s a sensitivity issue: you have to create a split of a second when your hands are not moving and you can move the body
• Taiji is about balance. Balance in the ancient word means scale. Hong uses the concept of Leaver to achieve balance. When you find the pivot, you’re balanced
• 100% not possible does not means it does not happen. It is like you buying a lottery ticket. The probability of winning is so low, you cannot even calculate it. So it is impossible for you to win. But it does not mean it doesn’t happen. We must understand this!