Chen Style Taijiquan and Hunyuan Taiji email: practicalmethod@qq.com

Daqinghan on 2017-01-27 / 28

We had the honor to spend the last days together with Master Chen Zhonghua and a small group of other dedicated students. Chinese New Year, people also call it “The Spring Festival”,  is the most important Chinese festival. Usually people spend it with the closest members of their families. But as our Masters family is Canadian we had the great opportunity to be together with him for this special day. Read more

I have two notes about today’s exercise:

1. I have new understanding about the three foundations. The following sample assumes right hand is front hand.
   • All of them are in different forms, but the requirements are same in terms of how to apply rules and principles.
   • The final result is also same: front arm and hand are squeezed and drilling out.
   • Common rules to remember:
     • Lock both knees
     • Lock hand, shoulder and kua on the back side
     • Head up to keep body up straight
     • Do not twist wrist
     • Ensure the whole body acts as one entity , and every part is connected and supporting each other. This is so called 整劲.
   • Apply two major triangles:
     • Triangle one: left hand, right hand and front kua. Bring front kua into the line connecting two hands.
     • Triangle two: left hand, right hand and front shoulder. Two actions are involved in order to bring front shoulder into the line connecting two hands: a) Sink the shoulder; b)bring front elbow towards body center line(vertical). This action will typically leads to drilling effect (顺缠).
2. Yilu correction by Kelvin Ho

• Turning during “Turn to double lotus” and “Turn left to pound mortar”
  • Form a rod from shoulder to kua to heel on the turning side
  • Turn front foot
  • Turn front kua. This can be easily forgotten
  • Head up to keep body up straight
• Dragon on the ground
  • First step: move weight to left, keep body up straight (I was leaning toward) when close two arms
  • Second step: apply fetch water to open arms

In today’s class Kelvin Ho has provided feedback. The following are what I remembered:

1. Detailed steps for turning body during “Buddha’s warrior attendant pounds the mortar”:
   • before turn the body to left, fix every part of the body
   • Stretch head upward
   • turn left foot to left 45 degree, align left knee with left foot
   • form a rod on left side of the body: maintain the left leg position by pushing knee backward and pushing kua forward. This will ensure the rod is very stable
   • move weight to, and keep weight on left heel
   • bring right elbow to front right
   • bring right foot to front. The body is turned around the rod formed. This is why forming the rod strong and stable is very important. This rod appears in many other Yilu forms.
   • complete rest of the form
   • Read more

More photos at https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1369581736406273&id=203838656313926

Hello everybody,

It’s the first time now that I am on Daqingshan in January, and I have to say that it is really enjoyable. Read more

After the 2-days Hong Kong Chen style Taiji practical method workshop held on 17&18 Dec, I joined the regular foundation Sunday class. Starting from my 1st day training, I learned the importance of the kua opening. When doing twist-towel or fetch water foundation, by opening the Kua, power can be transferred from the foot (ground) to the hand. Read more

Today I realised, why I like (our) Taiji that much. We had class (Patrick, John and me), Chén Xù was teaching. He showed us twisting the towel. Push the left foot and then don`t move (one point on the right side of the body), push the right foot, don`t move (one point on the left side of the body). This is the same principle Chen Laoshi explained in this video . When I heard Chén Xù`s explanation, I thought, that this is so illogical. Because, if you lock the right side and turn the left, and then lock the left side – there where you are – and turn the right, in the end you are moving forward. Although I saw Chén Xù doing it, believing his explanation, my mind said: How??? That`s not logical.

Just for joking I asked him about my worries and he said, don`t care about it!

This for me is the challenge and attraction. I always loved maths but practical method is more complicate! It seems to be so logical and scientific, but then very often, for me it makes no sense at all 🙂

History and Development of the Midwest Group

Master Chen Zhonghua’s first workshops in Iowa were in 2007 and 2008, hosted by John Brown. In the summer of 2009 I organized the first Midwest Practical Method gathering, along with Tim and Levi, in the Northeast Iowa area, which was led by Tim Duehring. The group met periodically throughout the year for several years. Tim move to China to work for Master Chen, which Levi Sowers then led our gatherings. Several of our group members became disciples of Master Chen Zhonghua, which initially, Tim was the only one. The Midwest disciples, in chronological order, include: Levi Sower, John Upshaw, Erwin Ramthun, Jeff Clevenger and Christopher Dusek.

Levi Sowers and I have organized 3 Midwest Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method Workshops that was taught by Master Chen. These workshops occurred in October of 2013, September of 2015 and July of 2016. We have organized the first North American Practical Method Training Camp that will be led by Master Chen this coming July.

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