The next full time course will be held in Edmonton between Sep 20 – Dec 20, 2010.
Attending Full Time course allow student to progress quickly by being immersed in Tai Ji training without other distractions. Students who can’t attend for three months may join the class for a shorter period.
It’s nice to have some visitors from the Wulian County and the Rizhao City to come visit us. Here are some photos they took. We had a morning session together and then had breakfast on Daqingshan. After breakfast we gathered around the Yulange Hotel lobby and did some taiji again. Thanks to Steven Chan, Michael Winkler and Kham Serk for showing them what push hands energy and power are like. Some of these people (9 in total) grow up with me so this is a friendly visit.
I had to curtail my Xiamen trip because I got a slight case of sun stroke. The culprit was that those were the hottest days; and that in typical Chinese fashion, the electricity department decided to shut down the power in the middle of the nights for some sort of repair; the neighbours were too loud to catch up on some sleep during the day (it was still too hot anyway); and that we had too many passengers for an 9 hour ride.
This gave me the chance to visit Dr. Choi here in Taipo. I have passed by Dr. Choi’s clinic many times, Read more
At lunch Master Chen compared learning Taiji to boiling water: The requirement for boiling water is 100 degrees, even if the water is 99 degrees it is still not boiling. From one perspective the water might as well still be cold because it is still not boiling; 99 degrees might as well be 1 degree. In reality 99 degrees is only 1 degree away from boiling while 1 degree is still 99 degrees away from boiling. Read more
Master Chen said there are many things he can’t do which would give the impression that he is not very flexible. But, he insists, his joints are round and smooth which means he can maneuver them freely. Maneuverability is favored over looseness. If you are not stiff, you have no power. If your joints are not round you have no maneuverability.
My first experience with Chenstyle Taijiquan Practical Method: A complete new understanding of some main principles
Hello, I’m Michael from Berlin, Germany and after being on Daqingshan Mountain for 12 days I’d like to share my first experiences with the Hong Style Taijiquan. Here at the Full-Time training I met Master Chen Zhonghua for the first time in person.
After about 7 years of practice in Chen style Taijiquan Read more
The last day started with an in depth Foundation review and exercise followed by a few Silk Reeling exercises to get warmed up. Yilu ,of course, was next on the list with a review of the first 13 moves with repeats and corrections. We now proceeded with Broadsword – a review for most and learning it from scratch for a few individuals. We managed a review of the opening moves and about one third of the form before Read more
Today after hard work this morning, 9 participants working with Master Allan Belsheim have completed a lengthy Silk Reeling warm up followed by a few Foundation moves, Yilu with some corrections (one was individually correcting from the last single whip to the end of the form) and an introduction to Chen straight sword
Even though the best way to learn is to attend workshops, viewing videos will help students review certain technique or see workshops conducted in other cities. Read more
I have started to be more conscious of remaining totally upright during Yilu. At the fulltime session we do far more Yilu per day than I would normally do at home and I get quite tired. I’ve noticed that as I become more tired I find my self looking at the ground as a result of slouching. When I am bent over like this my mass leans in the direction of movement and stepping begins to have a lunging quality to it. Read more
At another level, when the hand goes in and out on a line it is considered no movement. If the line does not go sideways the opponent cannot detect action.
Students started to feel pain and ache. My right knee was in slight pain yesterday, but it was better this morning. I think I was twisting it too much. I will maintain higher posture and be conscious of it till it gets stronger.
I am learning a lot the past week, and had done more yilus in a week here than in five months since I started.
Visitors to us today came from Wulian He Style Taijiquan, Wulian Chen Style Taijiquan and Yiyuan Hunyuan Taiji quan. Steven Chan took the challenges and represented the Daqingshan Center well.
When we learn the form we must copy what we see. This is not wrong. Form means to get from here to there. What’s wrong is how we get there, the way we do it. The form must look the same but the action must be exactly the opposite of what you would come up with on your own.
Neutralizing is taking up the space before your opponent can and adding slightly more. I’m not sure, but maybe is the same as when Master says that there is one line with two sides to it: you follow the opponents line back and then step in on the same line.