This is a model to show how the energy moves on the right hand side of the body in a negative circle.
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A common mistake is that after you have taken up the slack and are in and have an action on O, you then let go to attack somewhere else. Once you are on, and your attack is there, don’t retreat or change anything, just continue to apply that action, and then ad another element (most commonly a rotational action) – don’t push him here, and then let go to jerk him there. If your energy is going into O at point A, don’t stop and start putting energy in at point B, instead keep point A going and ad energy at point B. This avoids telegraphing your intention to O. When the first action remains smooth and you ad, your intention is hard to discern and he will be surprised by the addition of the new energy. Once you have two going, ad a third and so on.
What are the Three Pans of Taiji?
- Upper Pan: Shoulders and Head section.
- Shoulders down and Kua above.
- Below the Kua.
Originally written by: Chen Zhonghua and Ian Macrae
Based on Ian Macrae’s
Notes from the April 12th & 13th, 2008,
Workshop at Thornhill Hall, Maple Ridge Read more
This photo graph is designed to deal with knee problems in training.
In order to avoid injuries, the most important thing to avoid is the knee pushing outward away from the body, as illustrated in the picture above: the yellow dot cannot move towards the blue line. The blue line is an imagined wall that the knee cannot push against.
- Question: What about the principle of the knee going up and down?
The knee must act like a ball, it aims up and down but it does not physically move up and down at all. The aiming of the knee, one up and the other down, is called “intent” for the knee. - Question: What about the concept of the knee not exceeding the foot?
In general, that principle is a correct one. But as a matter of principle, it is more important to ensure that the kua pushes down towards the knee and the knee pushes towards the foot (floor). This principle ensures that the knee does not have a horizontal orientation, thus does not move sideways outside of the foot.
The following youtube clip shows the actions of the rear knee.
Lian : 炼
Taijiquan as self defense can be ruthless and lethal. The fighting method of Taijiquan is called Zhan Shou (Cut Hand). Read more
Main Points: Read more
Originally written by: Zhang Zhaoping
On the chapter on Taijiquan being agile and connected, Zhang Zhaoping quoted Zheng Manqing as saying that it is like “Swimming on land.” -Zhang Zhaoping. On Taijiquan. p. 25. Grandmaster Feng Zhiqiang said taijiquan is like “Swimming in the air.” -Chen Zhonghua
Originally written by: Zhang Zhaoping “Internal skill” is achieved within slow actions. “Effective result” must be enhanced in slow training. -Zhang Zhaoping. On Taijiquan. p. 23.
“Why do we require that the eyes follow the index finger? I.E. wherever the index finger goes, the eyes go. Simply put, this is the nurturing of the heart. -Zhang Zhaoping, On Taijiquan. p. 20.
“Zhogn Ding, to put it simply, is the placement of the center of gravity. It is also the kungfu of Sinking the Qi to the Dantian. This placement of the center of gravity of the Dantian, is eternally not easy. It is not gain or lost at an instant.”
-Liu Xiheng. On Taijiquan. p. 17.
“Center of gravity is the Zhong Ding of Taijiquan” -Zheng Manqing, On Taijiquan. p. 17.
Yang Chengpu said, “When dealing with an opponent, there are only two possible outcomes: win or lose”. -On Taijiquan p. 15.
“One mother gives birth to nine children. The nine children have nine different hearts”
p. 187, On Taijiquan; Lun Taijiquan, by Zhang Zhaoping and Du Feihu
Comments:
This quote was used in this book to reinforce the commonly held idea that “the outer appearances or forms can change but not the principles behind them”.
In my opinion based on learning and teaching experience, this is neither right nor wrong. This is irrelevant! This is irrelevant because it is not the job of persons living to talk about the separation of physical appearance and principles behind them. That job is better left to the “immortals” who can live long enough to reach that level. Normal humans (like us) have no part of that idealistic degree of competence.
As to the meaning of the direct quote above, if the nine children do not resemble in appearance neither their father nor their mother, a DNA test is required to find out the REAL reason behind that!
Tian Qiu Xin used to recite the following verses:
Since the beginning movement the spiral rises, and the force comes from the feet.
One after the other it passes through all joints, therefore all the body being a unity.
The belly is like the sea, and the form like the tide. When changing the movement, folding comes from the waist.
Although forwards and backwards the level changes, you must keep stability. Upwards and downwards go through each other, and then the force reaches the extremes.
Thanks to John Vanko for submitting this quotation.
At the 2008 Hunyuan World Seminiars in GA, USA, I spent several hours one night after the evening class to work with several disciples on taiji fighting.
I will not go into details of what we did, as there is no way to explain it with simple words. We didn’t make any videos of the session either. What I want to discuss here is some of the comments from students. These comments or questions are as a result of the fact that what we did did not APPEAR to be taiji.
- It’s almost the same as praying mantis.
- It’s the same as karate.
- Is taiji this fast?
- Master Chen, you kick is so fast we cannot even respond to it.
As a matter of fact, real taiji IS a martial art. It does not resemble that taiji that we see practiced and taught today. What we normally see is the training set or method of taijiquan. Here is a video clip of a simple teaching session with some applications.
Here is another youtube video that has some elementary fighting techniques.
Here is a brief summary of the notes I made in Hunyuan World. I hope I was able to have some understanding from Master Chen´s teachings in the seminar. I am open to any corrections on these notes. Read more
Originally written by: Tim Duehring
Chen Cake
Chen Cake is a variation on the children’s game of Patty Cake. Here is how we play it.
The participants will stand facing each other with their arms outstretched in front of them. The wrists will be bent and the fingers pointed at the ceiling. They will adjust the distance between them until the backs of their hands are in line. From this position they will proceed to slap their palms together trying to upset the balance of their opponent.
They are not allowed to move their feet except to avoid falling over.
This exercise will result in a better sense of timing, balance, recognition of the opponent’s structure, and a good flow of blood to the hands.
These are notes from a recent trip to Edmonton learning from Master Chen Zhonghua. Question based off torso movements I was shown
To recap:
My understanding of the “2 points” motion within the torso. Read more
This is a detailed list of the classification of moves of the Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method forms of Yilu and Cannon Fist. Hong Junsheng’s Taijiquan Practical Method Movement Classifications: Read more
2007-10-01
Smith, Jay
Yilu – The knees are more locked in properly now. His stance is much more stable.
Elbow Sticks to the Ribs
“Elbow Sticks to the Ribs” is a principle that is shared by all martial arts, not only Taijiquan. It’s a pity that most martial artists only pay lip service to this age-old aphorism. This is indeed a secret training method to higher levels of martial attainment.
Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method regards this aphorism as a major principle to follow.
Wuwei
Wuwei is “none doing”. It is a concept that sometimes in life the action required is “not to do anything”. This is very different from don’t do anything in a normal sense. This concept is stressed very heavily in the Daoist philosophy because the Daoists perceive a reality that has both action and non action together.
This is not a Chinese concept alone. For example, in English we say “No news is good news”. We also say that if the opponent does not say no, that can be construed as acquiescence.
Daoists believe that Wuwei should be at least half of our actions. This is a very difficult task to achieve.
So the objective is to “lengthen”, to expand (not collapse) from our central balance point. We create a line, which intersects our center, from two longer points. For example, a line might be drawn from a shoulder point near the neck, to connect with a point on the bicep above the elbow. This opens the shoulder, while letting it rotate into the center of our structure, instead of “popping” up or out (which would collapse the point).
Taiji Push Hands is always about the state of mind, body, structure, angle, space, timing, etc. It is not an emphasis on responding to the opponent. It is always about adjusting my structure, to sustain my center and stability of the structure. It involves rotating joints, to reorganize my inner body relationships, creating appropriate angles, to occupy the optimal space for my center balance to be sustained, while my opponent’s space and center is taken away.
The famed Zheng Banqiao (one of the Seven Poets of the Bamboo Forest) wrote:
It’s difficult to have a clear mind
It’s not easy to be confused
It’s even harder to transform from clarity to the state of confusion.
He wrote this at an era of no hope for the people. Indeed in his time, the learned would be able to live in peace if only they could voluntarily go into a state of drunkenness or confusion. The relevancy of this point in terms of our pursuit of Taijiquan is that there is a time for clarity and there is a time for confusion.
This reminds me of what Hong told me and many of his students:
Those who are smart cannot learn this art
Because they think they can understand it
Those who are mentally retarded cannot learn it
Because they CANNOT understand it
Only those who have the mental capacity to understand
But fail to see the point
Will one day get it
Through persistant
