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We continue on the exercise with one knee up and one knee down from last week.
The torso is like a cylinder that goes down in a free-fall fashion. We can hold up the cylinder, and yet we can’t push down the cylinder. The cylinder is pulled down by gravity, something is outside of our body.
Six Sealing Four Closing
Turning around without turning around. This is referring to moving the elbow, while the hand and shoulder are not moving.
Moving the hand will tie a knot in the body. Thinking of how to reel in with the spool to bring in the hose, and how to get the hose out by holding the end and pulling it out.
All important moves are difficult. Read more
Buddha’s Warriot Attendant Pound Mortar
Block Touching Coat
Main Exercise
We did a very basic move from Six Sealings four Closings: The out with hand Part:
Preset: Shoulder and Hand lock (better: being locked by partner or other outside restraints)
Action: Elbow moves into the Line of Shoulder — Hand (lead by the other hand pushing the elbow)
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We are focusing on a simple movement from Six Sealing Four Closing.
Separation of Yin and Yang
Going Over – We focus on this concept in several moves today.
Flash the back
Correction on my form
We do our form in a low stance to train gong. When we use it, we don’t go so low, because it is not agile enough.
Movements need to be big and long.
The kuas need to be just a bit higher than the knees. Read more
Negative Circle
Rotation is when there is movement without displacement.
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Master Chen Zhonghua’s online lesson on Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method on Oct. 20, 2020. Today’s lesson is on foundations. Master Chen Zhonghua corrected many students on typical errors while Kelvin Ho is leading the training.
Presenter: Chen Zhonghua Length: 67 min. In: English Year: 2020 Difficulty:2/5 At:Edmonton Chen Zhonghua Taiji Academy
Our movements must have a horizontal one and a vertical one intersecting/interacting at the same time.
Three parallel planes
The integrity of each plane must be maintained. There is a vertical rod that goes through the middle to connect all three planes to fix them in a particular way, but yet they are free to move any other way. Each plane is like a trampoline. This is how we convert opponent’s incoming kinetic energy into potential energy stored in the trampoline, and eventually back to kinetic energy aimed at the opponent. You can also lock any of the planes, and move a different one to create a vertical stretch. With these 3 planes, you can create a lot of variations and configurations.
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Whatever it is that you know, the truth is not like that. Whatever you don’t realize, accidentally it is the correct thing.
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Positive Circle
Master Chen Zhonghua started with a story about the history of China and Chen Style Taijiquan. Before the first Qin emperor defeated 6 other kings and united China, there was the period of Spring and Autumn 春秋 (which has nothing to do with the two seasons). Back then, there were 800 states, each had their own cultures, and they all flourished. Today, there are different levels of governments in China: Federal, Provincial, and County. The Chinese government wanted to get rid of the county level government, but they couldn’t done. Each county turned out to map back to the old states. The Chinese government had full election for village officials, but there are large families at the county levels, with full election, these large families will gain control at the county level goverments. These families managed to get around the one-child policy themselves.
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Today, shifu emphasized on how to learn. The first thing about learning is to listen to instructions and then to copy. Some people tried to copy without listening to the full instructions, and that won’t be a success copy either.
To copy, it’s to do everything exactly the same by definition.
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Master Chen started today’s class with a story and a method people used to remember things precisely.
The story was about how the Secretary was corrected by an old person on the details of an event. The Secretary referred his speech to a document. However, it turned out that the document was incorrect, and the audio recording had the truth as pointed out by the old person. In today’s society, we rely on a lot of documents instead of trying to remember things in our heads. If the documents were actually recorded in correctly, we would have the facts incorrect.
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Chinese Class
Master Chen Zhonghua introduced Wild Horse Parts Its Mane as a foundation exercise. If space is available, we can do it as a line drill.
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We started with the various foundations. Master Chen Zhonghua mentioned that we must be able to copy the external shape first, e.g. he must be able to recognize which foundation we were attempting to do. If we were doing the yilu, others must recognize that we were doing a Chen Style Yilu, and then a Practical Method Yilu.
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Today we completed a set of Foundations led by Kelvin Ho. Master Chen provided instructions on Double Negative Circle (symmetric, and alternating) as well as Turning Flowers and Playing with Sleeves from Erlu.
– We have to ignore the details and do the Taiji we want to do. To copy without any technical things. Then add the details.
– When we add the details, we tend to forget the overall thing.
– This is the same as forgetting where we are in the form when instructing. We need to be more fluent with the whole thing.
Exercise 1
Open the kua to cause a horizontal rotation. Lock the top by using one hand to the hold the wrist on the other side. Stretch the fingers. Where the middle finger is pointing at changes as the rotation caused by the kua happens.
Open the right kua to turn left.
Open the left kua to turn right.
Don’t let the left knee point down when opening the left kua.
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We started with double positive circle.
We used a rubber cord to tie to elbow to the waist, so that the elbow does not move by itself.
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Due to Covid-19, cities are locked down and travel is restricted. Practical Method workshops by Master Chen Zhonghua have been cancelled sihce Mar 2020. When there are new problems, there are new solutions. Master Chen Zhonghua is now offering Zoom online classes, which fill a large part of the gap when workshops are not possible. In fact, I would say that we get to interact with and learn from him more often than ever. Read more
Today, Master Chen corrected the following students’ partial yilu:
Single Whip
Master Chen used the foot shovelling out in single whip as an example to talk about the concept of using a stick to pry open something. We shove the stick into a crack, then the front end of the stick cannot move anymore and stays in the same place. We can then make the crack bigger by prying with the stick. The key is that the one of the stick is not moving. As we pry, we may meet resistence, we can add a longitudinal rotation as we pry, it will allow the stick to go over the resistence. Regarding the single whip, we want to make sure that the toes do not point up as we shovel so that we can apply the longitudinal rotation on the entire left leg. As we shovel the left foot, the weight must stay on the right foot. As we shift over to half horse stance, the longitudinal rotation on the left leg occurs at the same time. Read more
Master Chen demonstrated the foundation exercise Moving-Step Shake the pole, which is the positive and negative circle. He held a real pole to begin with to show the idea behind the foundation exercise. He locked his fron hand, which was holding the pole as a pivot. The rear hand moved the pole. Read more
Master and Kelvin Ho provided instructions and corrections on Six Sealing Four Closing today.
Six Sealing Four Closing – Kelvin Ho
– Hand does not move. Dantian initiates the action. Kua lines up with elbow. Rotate the dantian to push the kua out.
– To connect the rear leg through the kua to the front arm. We don’t want the upper body there.
– Create a line from the front arm to the rear foot.
倒手 Dao Shou
Master and Kelvin Ho explained, demonstrated and gave examples of Dao Shou.
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Master and Kelvin Ho provided instructions and corrections on the double negative circle. (1) Fist draping over body (2) Double push down.
Master gave a physical example: hold a stick to cross a door that is 3 feet wide and 6 feet tall.
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Master Chen and Kelvin Ho provided instructions and corrections on the following Negative Circle procedure.
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Do you have a New Year resolution to become healthier in 2020? Taiji may be your answer. On Dec. 29, 2019 at 10 am, you will have a chance to experience what taiji is like and what health benefits it may bring you at the Chen Style Taiji Experience Class to be held at Channels of Wellness Centre. Come try it out for free!
