So we were doing lots and lots of six sealings four closings exercises at the end of the Vienna Workshop. I was leading the group and counting. Then, at #476 something in my hip cracked open. A rush of pure energy run through my body and I felt like a conductor between heaven and earth, and then … Read more
A few of the Disciples of Sydney ,Australia came together to represent the Chen Style Practical Method to do a Demo at the yearly event host by the Tai Chi Association of Australia to celebrate the Tai Chi Cultural 2019 Moon Festival at the Redfern Townhall on the 15 Sept 2019, Sunday,starting from 9.00AM to Read more
Today we took part in the International Huo Yuan Jia Memorial Martial Arts Club Championship in Bernau, Berlin Read more
First I had to not push the opponent and just find the wall with my back. When it wasn’t working so well it was because I was too far from the wall. It got a little bit better, but I was hitting the wall too straight so my stretch wasn’t as long as it could have been. Once that was fixed by lowering more to hit the wall, my fingers were not angled correctly towards the opponent and extending past the demarcation line. Once all those things were corrected, I was able to push better. Read more
Positive circle steps. There are two steps and one modification. They are in, turn and out. Read more
The surface of all the joints is equal to the size of the body. The body has three dimensions: side to side, front to back, and top to bottom. If the body has a volume of 100 units, it is made up of joints whose surface is also equal to 100 when fully utilized. A rotation without movement will translate all 100 units of the body’s power.
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Taiji is a “scientific” way of moving your body that the ancient Chinese believed was good for the body and good for fighting. Taiji is the art of yin and yang. Chinese culture was founded on this fundamental understanding of opposites. It’s not about right and wrong. It is about adapting to nature. Taiji is an exercise designed to make the body last longer. Read more
Power comes from restriction.
—Chen Zhonghua at the Sept. 2019 Toronto Workshop. Read more
| Instructor: | Master Chen Zhonghua |
| Date: | Mar 7-10, 2020 |
Foot Hand Separation Exercise 2019.09.09 in Toronto, Canada.
With 6 sealing 4 closing, the forward fingers poke forward and the rear elbow pulls backward, and there is a straight line from the front finger to the rear elbow that stretches.
My practice is to take 3 random points and line them up.
Presenter: Chen Zhonghua Length: 10 min. In: English Year: 2019 Difficulty:1/5
2019.09.08 pm Read more
I was asked to write a post about my overall experience with Practical Method up to this point, so I’ll try my best to put those experiences into words. My first live experience with Practical Method was during the Toronto seminar with Master Chen Zhonghua in March of 2019. Since then I’ve had the opportunity to train on and off with both Kelvin Ho and Hugo Cascoduro (depending on my work schedule), with most of this post addressing the live push hands and applications portion of the training.
In taiji we are always anticipating strikes. We curve to avoid strikes, but too much curve means a loss of power.
The problem with taiji is we have too much theory and not enough physical practice. The problem with other martial arts is too much physical practice and not enough theory. Great martial artists are great thinkers.
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For as long as I can remember my mother has been telling me that I have two crooked little fingers just like she has. It is nothing serious, if you look carefully, you may notice a little hump. As a young girl my mother had tried to make her little fingers straight by squashing them between the lid of her school desk. Somewhere along the line she must have come to peace with her crooked little fingers because she seems kind of proud that I inherited this quality from her.
Tile hand: my crooked little finger
Last week, I joined the 3rd European Meetup in Toulouse to experience Chen style Taijiquan Practical Method for the first time in my life. The experience was mindblowing.
I initially discovered Practical Method a month ago via Youtube videos and I was impressed by the “scientificness” of the explanations regarding how to train our bodies to achieve Taiji movements. I have been practicing Chen style Taiji for roughly two years, but I never had the opportunity to get some in-depth understanding of the mechanics at stake in terms of physics (lines, rotations, revolution, levers etc.). So, after a little week of learning the choregraphy (13 moves) et trying to do the circles, I was on my way to Toulouse for my first immersion in Practical Method Taiji.
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Presenter: Chen Zhonghua Length: 10 min. In: English Year: 2019 Difficulty:1/5
Presenter: Chen Zhonghua Length: 10 min. In: English Year: 2019 Difficulty:1/5
Presenter: Chen Zhonghua Length: 10 min. In: English Year: 2019 Difficulty:1/5
Presenter: Pavel Codl Length: 0 mins Difficulty: 3/5 Language: English
Year: 2019 Location: Edmonton, Canada
Please keep this video confidential. The person in the video was a national wrestling champion and is currently president of a famous government sport school. He does not wish this video to be made public.
Please watch as discuss what you see and what you think.
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Presenter: Pavel Codl Length: 0 mins Difficulty: 3/5 Language: English
Year: 2019 Location: Edmonton, Canada
As you can see this guy came to the workshop to make trouble. He pretended to be a student and used the instructional occasion to issue a surprise attack. This clip showed the reaction time and way of reaction. What happened after that is not shown. It became a real fight and for legal reasons, the rest is not shown.
Please watch as discuss what you see and what you think.
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During a meal at the latest Iowa training camp, I was speaking to Mater Chen about an event that happened a couple years ago at a workshop in Phoenix. That chat prompted me to retell the anecdote now.
Master Chen was demonstrating a Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method counter-attack from a right strike/right foot forward. I asked him how he would counter a right cross strike (with the left foot forward). As I would find out later, he wasn’t familiar with the term “right cross” so he simply asked me to execute one at him.
With my left fist protecting my chin, I began to throw the right. Before I was able to issue the punch, Master Chen was inches away from me, the fingers of his left hand grabbing my throat and his right hand had my left in a joint lock. I was tapping-out, as the pain from the joint lock was debilitating.
I did not telegraph the strike, did not blink and did it at full speed. I could not understand how a moment of time was seemingly lost – between me initiating and him arriving. It wasn’t just speed: I’ve sparred with professional fighters and know even very fast movements can be tracked with the eye.
Having thought about this event many times since, a video with Master Chen discussing “indirect movements” caught my attention. He said Practical Method indirect movements cannot be easily detected by an opponent. It’s all in the training: do not move.
Presenter: Chen Zhonghua Length: 10 min. In: English Year: 2019 Difficulty:1/5
Presenter: Chen Zhonghua Length: 10 min. In: English Year: 2018 Difficulty:1/5
Presenter: Chen Zhonghua Length: 10 min. In: English Year: 2018 Difficulty:1/5
Presenter: Chen Zhonghua Length: 10 min. In: English Year: 2018 Difficulty:1/5
Presenter: Chen Zhonghua Length: 10 min. In: English Year: 2019 Difficulty:1/5
Presenter: Chen Zhonghua Length: 10 min. In: English Year: 2019 Difficulty:1/5
Presenter: Chen Zhonghua Length: 10 min. In: English Year: 2019 Difficulty:1/5
Last week we concluded another great workshop/training camp in Iowa with Master Chen. There was a good turnout with around 50 attendees. The vibes were good and the lessons were clear and concise.
Presenter: Chen Zhonghua Length: 10 min. In: English Year: 2019 Difficulty:1/5
Probably the biggest thing had to do with the learning process: The questions that arise in my mind are usually off topic and I think their purpose is to distract me from paying full attention to what Master Chen is teaching at the moment. By asking them out loud I’m distracting everyone else too. My mind doesn’t want to give up control.
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