Chen Zhonghua Taiji Academy Phone: 780-413-0454
Chen Taiji Practical Method and Hunyuan Taiji practical_method@outlook.com
Comments and reviews of Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method, workshops and Master Chen Zhonghua.
2018 China Sports and Tourism Exposition Award of Excellence for A Sport Event
Awarded to:
Shandong Daqingshan International Taiji Competition
China National Sport Commission Sport and Cultural Development Center
December 2018
2018中国体育旅游博览会体育旅游精品赛事
山东大青山国际太极拳大赛
国际体育总局体育文化发展中心
2018年12月
For the second consecutive year the North American Practical Method Training Camp was held at Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This seventy acre retreat, located in a mainly residential section of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, provided a relaxed and private location for training. While the center is an outreach ministry of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration it is an informal center with an emphasis on ecology and the many varieties of spirituality. It is easy to mistake the sisters for the volunteers working in the garden or helping maintain the grounds. One of the sisters, who is 80 years old and teaches Tai Chi Chih, a form of Qigong, can often be seen driving a tractor on the grounds. She took a break from her work to watch a group of us practice the First 13. Another sister told me she was happy to see our large, primarily, but not entirely, male group stay at their center, because we provided a different type of energy than is usually found there. My point in mentioning this is to suggest that the folks at Prairiewoods appeared to have enjoyed us being there
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.
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).
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.
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.
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
On a Tuesday morning in Shanghai, I woke up only expecting to learn and practice some basic Tai Chi, so I went to EF Headquarter not knowing the marvels after the lesson. This was my second time taking Tai Chi at EF Wellness Center where the master is Nicholas who is the 70th Indoor Disciple of Master Chen Zhonghua.
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Note at 0:42 how Master Chen do the 47. Part the Wild Horse’s Mane on Both Sides (Yie Ma Fen Zong) move
You can also see a few pictures here.
Master Chen Zhonghua gave a two-day workshop in Beijing at the Zizhen Taiji Academy from June 17-18 immediately after his European tour. He arrived at 6 am at the Beijing International Airport from Brussels and directly went to the workshop that started at 9 am. Read more
The 4th Poland Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method Workshop was held from May 28-30, 2018 in Gdynia. It was hosted by Tomek Raganowicz of Poland. Pawel Muller of Austria came to assist me in video-taping, etc. The workshop was attended by 21 people from Poland, Austria, Germany, and Lithuania. Read more
15 years back…
In 2003 I moved to Berlin and started practising Taijiquan when meeting Veit Voigt who taught Wu Style Taijiquan, which he learned from Master Ma Jiangbao. In 2005 I changed to Chen Style Taijiquan, as I had been introduced to Juergen Herkt, who taught the ‘Lao Jia Yi Lu’ by Master Chen Xiaowang. Juergen Herkt died in 2009. Then, I was by myself for one year without someone guiding my training.
In 2010 my attention was brought to Michael Winkler. At that time he was just about to change his training entirely to Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method as taught by Master Chen Zhonghua. Throughout the years, Michael Winkler had been able to host Master Chen Zhonghua in Berlin once a year for workshops and private trainings which I joined, and I also took part in a summer camp in Italy with Master Chen Zhonghua in 2012.
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more photos on facebook
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.1783023181716986&type=3
Address for September workshop: 33735 Essendene Ave Abbotsford BC at the Two Dragons Tai Chi Academy (Abbotsford Downtown)
For the people coming from the Vancouver area, take the Freeway over the Port Mann. No more tolls.
You can also see a few pictures here.
The first European Practical Method meeting took place in Vienna in late winter 2017. On 17. – 19. February, people from Göttingen, Berlin and Vienna convened in this wonderful city to practice and exchange experiences.
On Saturday and Sunday, we dedicated a lot of time to practice the Yilu. Also, we worked on basic foundations and put special emphasis on progressions in partner work. Special thanks to Rick, who instructed us in these progressions in the most precise and knowledgeable way.
Altogether, it was a great meeting. I am sure that everyone had her or his very personal insights and “aha!”-moments. I myself, being relatively new to Taiji, surely learned a mountain of things. It has been really motivating to see other people with more experience practicing Taiji.
Many of us already knew each other, having met before on workshops or at Daqingshan, now having the chance to catch up on what happen since then. But many also could get to know each other for the first time. Being able to practice with many enthusiastic and committed people made the days in Vienna an invaluable experience.
Many thanks to Carlotta, Pawel, Fabian and Rick, who made the meeting possible. Thanks to your commitment, it has been a wonderful and enriching weekend. Hope to see all of you again and many more on the next meeting, which will probably be hosted in Berlin in 2018.
Best wishes, Jann
Like one drink sets an alcoholic back after 50 years of abstaining – so it is if we add a move (like move the hand)
Bigger from the kua
If you need to move the knee, fix the hip. If you need to move the hip, fix the knee.
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Two ends fixed, move the middle
Dinner at Mike’s (Disciple #3) in Abbotsford with Zhang YanPing who moved to Abbotsford from Jinan.
Three new student attended, so Master Chen went over foundation and application of Yilu first move.
Fetch water application is getting in for a strike with shoulder, that’s the purpose of moving the arm down.
After many corrections, I am starting to understand that power should not come from the shoulder, but treat shoulder as a pivot
At the moment Master Chen is giving the 21th Practical Method Seminar on Daqinshan. More then 80 peoples are participating and there are both advanced (beneath them many disciples) and beginners.
I want to give you a brief insight of this event.
Notes by Brian Chung on day 1 of the workshop with Master Chen Zhonghua and Chen Xu.
Notes 2016-12-10 Sydney Workshop Day 1
1. Practical Method consists of Gongfa (jibengong), Quanfa (yilu, erlu, jian, dao, waxwood pole), Yongfa (tui shou, san shou).
2. We start with only the physical. In the end, there is nothing physical.
3. 3 things we don’t work with. Breathing, Fingers, Eating. We were born with these abilities.
4. The middle must come out.
5. Did you see the middle? Did you see the red?
Disciples Rachelle B., James T. and Daniel M. once again organized a great Practical Method seminar in Ottawa. Participants from Ottawa, Toronto, Quebec City, Montreal and Petawawa gathered to train in the ancient act of Taijiquan under the personal attention of Master Joseph Chen. James have already posted a summary of this event. Over the course of three days, we covered all aspects of the Practical Method including theory, philosophy and history as well as the Foundations, forms and applications. The following are my personal observations.
We did a lot 13 Yilu repetition with counting. The idea is to be clear in each step of each move. Master Chen mentioned once student learn the choreography, it is helpful to break down each move to understand it better, then latter perform it together again.
This sequence of breaking and putting it back should be repeated several times as student progresses in practice.
More photos below Read more
Saturday:
1. Gear box / Bite: Don’t add extra moves. With twisting of towel you need to grind elbows on ribs. Everything is proportional and nothing is loose or it will break at higher speeds (like an engine). In this way, nothing leaks out.
2. A rock cannot have a relationship with itself; it needs to split and then one part can move around in relation to the other.
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Maple Ridge Workshop With Chen Zhonghua October15/16, 2016
It was windy and raining in Maple Ridge last weekend, but in our cozy hall, Master Chen was telling us once again what he has been telling us for sixteen years: elbow in, hand out, move one thing at a time, observe your opponent, where his energy is located, see his lines.
Taiji enthusiasts in Houston, Texas were treated to an unexpected treat, a visit from Master Joseph Chen due to a flight layover. Master Chen’s disciple in Houston, Jeff Clevenger, arranged for a get-together with Master Chen which included breakfast, a training session at a local park followed by lunch at a good BBQ restaurant, before Master Chen had to fly out in the early afternoon. Although it was short notice and during the work week, five participants showed up to meet and train with Master Chen.Master Chen’s Practical Method workshop and private lessons in Phoenix, Arizona, October 1-4, 2016. Read more
Students from Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, Germany, India, US
