The body must separate into two. For example in the opening move, part of the body faces forward and part of it rotates 45 degrees
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I’m extremely pleased at what I’ve taken away from the camp. I have a lot to work on between now and the next Master Chen Zhonghua workshop, for instance:
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Pretend to fight to find the end points. Once locked, move-in the middle point.
(Alignment) Rear fingers look for the front elbow. The rear kua looks for the rear elbow.
Observe Brennan leg movement in this video, an important part of form practice is to train the bottom half.
Review and summary of V. workshop of Master Chen in Prague 2018.
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.
Someone asked a question in the Youtube comment of Master Chen video.
This is what I wrote back:
A: Taijiquan is structural power, from long time practice, you can find out the most efficient way to generate this power from joints relationship
Q: But how did the first founder of Taichi knew in the first place that if he started an unconventional ways with long practices he would achieved something?
how would you answer this question?
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
During push hands practice, Master Chen Zhonghua often says, “Get out of the way”. The result is that the opponent falls right into a hole (to the ground). I had a recent understanding of this phrase. Whose way that I need to get out of? It’s opponent’s path to the ground, and I am right in the middle blocking it. In theory, if I can remove myself from that path, the opponent will happily (or not so happily) reach his/her destination (the ground).
In more practical terms, I need to lure the opponent into using me for support without him realizing it, I then put a lid above/behind him. Without losing the lid, I get out of the way to remove my support for him. With no further pushing, he will fall right into where my support was originally. A differential is created at that time. A related article on differential: Opening the trap door from below.
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Presenter: Chen Zhonghua Length: 9 min. In: English Year: 2016 Difficulty:1/5
Importance of Head in Taijiquan
In the Ottawa Mar 24-25, 2018 workshop, Master Chen Zhonghua re-emphasized the importance of creating a differential. He mentioned that steam would always rise up through an opening in a pot, and water would always run down a fall. These are examples of having a differential. We don’t force the steam up or push the water down. It is the property of steam or water given the situation. As long as the particular situation happens, the steam or water will simply behave that way. Steam and water are examples of a differential in position. There are also timing differential, power differential, length differential, movement differential, etc.
Master Chen’s comments:
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2018 Hunyuan Taiji Day and 3rd Daqingshan Annual Year-End Push Hands Competition is held at the Rizhao Chen Zhonghua Taiji Academy on Dec. 31, 2017
2018 Hunyuan Taiji Day and 3rd Daqingshan Annual Year-End Push Hands Competition is held at the Rizhao Chen Zhonghua Taiji Academy on Dec. 31, 2017.
Here are some photos: 
2017.12.17 Sydney Workshop Day Two Notes by Brian Chung
- Coordination never occurs until there is something independent.
- Moving Step Positive Circle. The middle is independent. It cannot get involved.
- A move must be clear, don’t drag anything into it.
- Example of a mechanical typewriter – two keys cannot jam together.
- Example of a deer. Feet move, the body does not.
- Moving Step Exercises. (1) Positive Circle. (2) Grand Red Fist (Da Hong Quan) (3) Single Leg Grand Red Fist (Da Hong Quan)
- Shift Space. Master Chen demonstrated this on me. He covered four squares.
- To Issue. When you are issuing power, your opponent must bounce out on his own.
- Three Coin demonstration. Line up three coins on a table. (1) Rear Foot (2) You (3) Opponent. #2 does not move. When #1 hits #2, #3 is bounced out.
- Not moving water (Bu Liu Shui).
- All movements must be stable. Then add layers.
- Form Individual Move Exercises (1) Whip Wrapping Around the Body. (2) Jade Girl Works at Shuttles (3) Wild Horse Parts Its Mane
- There is no right or wrong. There is only the Dao.
- Just observe what’s going on and go with it.
- Only ideas are left, physical things we don’t care. (Chinese vs Western culture)
- The art must be at the centre. We are just a small part of it. When you place yourself at the centre, you will make changes.
- Always ask yourself: What was it that I was taught the first day?
- The teacher’s job is to sequence things.
- It has to be his doing, otherwise it’s not Taiji.
- If your method is the same, you can mirror.
- Analogy of a locked door (two rods) / open door (one rod).
- The one you don’t know what happened, that’s the right one.
- It cannot move. If it moves it cannot connect.
- Train your body to outmanoeuvre them, not pick on their vulnerability.
- When it rotates, time does not exist. Weight does not exist. Power does not exist.
- Master Chen said your form is not bad. You just need to fight a lot. Otherwise the form is just imagination.
2017.12.16 Sydney Workshop Day One Notes by Brian Chung
- The two buttocks and tailbone splits into a tripod. It will take sixty years to train. Do not believe you can do it.
- Alignment is everything goes through a bottleneck.
- When the Horizontal and Vertical dot meets, it becomes a three dimensional force field.
- Peng Energy.
- From nothing, to form. Once the energy is there, we do not need the form.
- Gong Fa. Quan Fa. Tui Shou (push hand). San Shou (free, loose). Duan Shou (broken).
- Foundations. Twisting the Towel. Fetch Water. Six Sealing Four Closing. Positive Circle. Negative Circle.
- Seven Inch Knife.
- Master corrected my Six Sealing Four Closing. He adjusted the orientation of my front kua and the direction of the front hand. He then emphasised the front kua / front shoulder rod.
- Master corrected my large Six Sealing Four Closing. The rear hand must be bigger.
- Your door can never be open.
- Master Chen demonstrated using a spear. The front hand is always pointing at your opponent.
- Double Positive Circle.
- Double Negative Circle.
- Movement must come from the line. The line cannot be part of the move.
- Twilight is at 12:00 and 6:00. Find these two dots and amplify them.
- Full. Cannot add, cannot take away.
- Essence, Qi, Spirit.
- We are doing a series of mechanical movements.
- Perceived power. It does not exist. But it does.
Exercises: Moving Step
- Stepping side to side. The left foot, dantian, and right foot are three dots. Lock two dots, and move one.
- Horse stance.
- Lock dantian and R foot. Suck L foot in.
- Shovel out.
- Double Negative stepping out on a straight line.
- Double push down.
- Adjust front foot.
- Elbow in while turning 180 degrees.
- Shovel Out with hands on knees.
- Press on your rear knee, shovel out at 45 degrees.
- Shift to the middle.
- Press on your front knee, suck the rear leg in.
- So small there is nothing inside of it. So large there is nothing outside of it.
- Upper Dantian is also called the Ancestry Cavity. Zu Qiao. Middle Dantian is at the solar plexus. Lower Dantian is three fingers below the navel, three inches in.
- What is real cannot be named.
- Behind is ability, in front is function.
- If we have a question, write it down, then ask it after we are training. While we are training we must focus.
- Push hands about (1) how quickly you adapt to your opponent (2) how fast you make a decision.
- Experience cannot be replaced by theory.
- Entice into Emptiness.
- Story about Master Watermelon Peel.
- Story about Grandmaster Hong and moving the rock.
- Energy Training Exercise (Da Li Gong).
Your Next Step After A Workshop
HONG KONG CHEN STYLE TAIJI PRACTICAL METHOD 香港陳式太極實用拳法·WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2017
I watched master’s videos; it was the one where he demonstrated with Master Michael Calandra to be exact that got me curious. I thought, gosh, there is something very different here. He bounced and dropped people with what seemed to be minimal effort. I sent Master Chen an email asking if I could have a look at his next workshop and he gladly invited me. After driving about forty-five minutes to Langley, I sat and watched, and sure enough, it was the same as what I saw in the videos. The only remaining thing to do is to have a try. I walked up and asked Master Chen if I could push him (in hindsight, that was pretty stupid – the right kind of stupid for learning Practical Method). Read more
I have fascia problems that limit and sometimes interfere with certain movements originating from a car accident and then being pushed on my tailbone 15 years ago. In October, my physio-therapist told me that my hips are opening and to continue with whatever exercises I was doing. I simply said that I am doing a Tai chi form that emphasizes stretching. She indicated that the stretching was breaking up the fascia. Read more
We have always been told by Master Chen not to push, not to move the hand. If that is the case, what can we do?
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Thank you for Rachelle Bergeron and James Tam for organizing the Ottawa workshop and their hospitality. It was always great fun to attend the Ottawa workshop. A lot of important aspects of Practical Method was shown and covered by Master Chen Zhonghua.
What is Practical Method about?
Practical Method was based on a fight system from long time again. It is an exercise we do to pass along the tradition.
What is a Practical Method stretch?
It is something with a moving and non-moving part.
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