Wuji

2012-01-03T07:58:00.000-08:00

极太兌艮

Taijiquan

2012-01-02T08:30:00.000-08:00

Taijiquan is the an art of motion made martial.

It is beyond method or technique because it understands their origination and differentiation.

From wholeness comes division, even in all motion.

From division comes separation.

To join and follow can be to lead.

Understanding without thought,

Through focusing the attention.

Flowing where two become one.

To arrive before departing.

Uniting to undo,

Stillness and motion become one.

Calmness pervades all.

2011-12-26T07:08:00.000-08:00

Nothing in the world
is as soft and yielding as water.
Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible,
nothing can surpass it.

The soft overcomes the hard;
the gentle overcomes the rigid.
Everyone knows this is true,
but few can put it into practice.

This quote captures the essence of taiji softness.
Only hardness can shatter, only firmness can be broken.

Yang Chen-Fu said: "One must distinguish the pure from the motley. Many practice taiji nowadays but it is not the real taiji. The real has a different taste, and is easily distinguished. With real taiji, your arm is like iron wrapped with cotton. It is soft and yet feels heavy to someone trying to support it. You can feel this in push-hands practice. When you touch an opponent, your hands are soft and light but he cannot get rid of them. When you attack, it is like a bullet penetrating cleanly and sharply (gan cui), yet without using any force. When he is pushed ten feet away, he feels a little movement, but no strength and no pain. In touching him, you don't grab him. Instead you lightly adhere to him so that he can't escape. Soon his two arms become so sore he can't stand it. This is real taiji. If you use force, you may move him. But it will not be clean and sharp. If he tries to use force to hold or control you, it is like trying to catch the wind or shadows. Everywhere is EMPTY. It can be likened to walking on gourds on the water. You cannot get to where the substantial is. Put simply, the real taiji is marvelous."

2011-12-02T22:19:00.000-08:00

I was very much inspired in reading this material:

http://0801.nccdn.net/1_5/008/335/23d/LiYaxuansExplanatoryNotesonTaiChiPushHands.pdf

Some excellent quotes are as follows:

When students begin learning push hands, they are usually afraid to relax completely, for fear that their partner or opponents will take advantage of their softness to suddenly launch a strong attack. What these beginners haven’t yet understood is that if you can give yourself up entirely to relaxation, an amazing power of ‘sensitive emptiness’ naturally emerges that allows you to easily handle anything that comes up. This continues to evolve until it reaches an extreme degree light relaxed power so that your offense becomes unstoppable and your defense is also an attack. Any position you assume is superior to the opponent and you come to totally dominate whoever you work with without any problem at all...

You should approach push hands with a light and alert spirit. Though you may have some combative skills don’t use them against him. Though you may have some techniques, don’t use those either. You must use your spirit to neutralize and counter. to make him feel he’s chasing the wind and grasping at shadows, as though he has nowhere solid to stand, as though there’s nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, let him defeat himself with his own actions, then he’ll be easily overcome. If you try to use techniques to block or counter his motions and attacks, he’ll be able to forestall your application of whole-body energy and all your efforts will be clumsy and futile.

Pay attention to this...

When you first touch hands in ordinary practice, you need to use a very light touch to feel him out, to follow along with him, responding and adapting to all his changes. You mustn’t pose even the slightest resistance...

You body is completely soft and pliable, appearing to be boneless. No matter how your partner comes at you, you seem to be
able to absorb or redirect everything, extending and retracting at will, using invisible changes to neutralize him...

Before you actually make physical contact, assume an attitude of emptiness. With that established you can very lightly touch your partner’s hand. Once you have touched him, you must not move of your own volition. Think of this phase strictly as a means of training your sensitivity and awareness. Then you use your superior emptiness, awareness, perception, and sensitivity to engage your spirit in order to neutralize even his slightest intent towards movement against you, following and adhering without gaps or resistance...

I've found this commentary to be among the best i have ever read.

two as one

2011-08-23T18:09:00.000-07:00

to stick
to follow
to lead
to flow

can the elbow strike the forearm?

no, because though distinct the elbow and the forearm are one
and though it cannot strike
what control the elbow has over the forearm!

the elbow is the root
to the trunk of the forearm

if you become the root of another
though distinct you will be one
follow and lead

Taijiquan is like this

if the forearm is severed from the elbow
the two disconnected
this is a disadvantage

if you are separated
from the opposing force
you are like an elbow
without a forearm

separation
unity
these things are not to be taken lightly

2011-02-16T08:15:00.000-08:00

a single perfected motion
is more profound
than ten thousand motions
performed well

a single well placed step
is more secure
than ten thousand steps
eagerly made

neither rushing
nor hesitating
the steady way
is sure and true

2010-12-22T08:27:00.000-08:00

a drop of water forms
by a joining of lesser parts
and so they become one
a single flowing whole

the synergy of all events
is little different

a song is formed
by a joining of lesser parts
and so they become one
a single flowing whole

the synergy of all events
is little different

a life is formed
by a joining of lesser parts
and so they become one
a single flowing whole

the synergy of all events
is little different

now is not formed
by a joining of lesser parts
it has always been one
a still and single whole

now is not an event
it is a little different

2010-09-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

as a wheel
as a mill stone
as a spinning rope
as a top
as a whirlpool

roll over
grind down
twist apart
bounce away
draw in

2010-09-17T06:25:00.000-07:00

In the lore of vedic culture stance training plays key roles in the attainment of powers and gifts from the gods. In a nutshell the actor maintains a stance as long as possible.

This is much like taiji, where in some traditions holding the postures for a long duration is a vital part of training.

A combination of postures has proven very useful to me including from the 108 Karanas of Lord Shiva, various postures and positions from Capoeira, various postures and stretches of Yoga, and of course postures from taijiquan.

As for the spirit, it is not distinct from the body in regard to development and perhaps there are changes that do occur, which should not be spoken of, because to speak of something that others have not experienced does no good for anyone. Expectations should be eliminated or the spirit will not develop properly.

In this way mental posture plays a role in this training as well. A person should remain in focus and not wander with their body, or their mind. Instead they should link the two and focus on their whole being, let thought and posture be as one wordless thing.

concise set introduction

2010-08-11T08:51:00.000-07:00

taiji set names, called the concise set:

Heaven and Earth unite
Moon and Sun sweep sky
Wind brings Thunder
River rides the Mountain
Heaven holds all things
A storm of out the Earth

The pattern is as such, the first four moves are based upon 8 principals, the next two use those same principals, but in new combination, an example of how the principals are put into effect. In addition to this, the concise set has application and weapons aspects and different variations to allow focus on different ways of expressing the movements and methods.

The whole thing is 6 breaths, however it is a mirror form, meaning it is not done once, but twice at least, once on each side, and it cycles so it can be done for an indefinite period of time.

Each of the 6 parts has two parts, which create 12 motions used for training the skills of the set, each of the 6 parts also has specific footwork.

The set is also done slow and fast, slow it takes as long as it takes, fast it takes a few seconds at most. The fast cannot be learned without the slow though.

The concise set is something I made for myself, to allow me to focus on the skills I want.
It does not replace or conflict with any other form or method or systematic patterning, but goes with them well and is based on effective material, so it combines well with any martial art. It is a great way for a hard stylist to get an introduction to the taiji principals and methods, largely because it is concise and easily demonstrated with clear principals.

2010-06-03T08:10:00.000-07:00

A fool trusts skill he can see
the wise trust skill they can feel

the appearances of things is not the internal way

the crouching cat is superficial
it is external

the internal is as a cat which does not crouch
and yet pounces
..............................
It can be funny how much emphasis is placed on the superficial,
by those who claim to practice the internal.

Parable of Master & Talents (of the students)

2010-05-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

A great martial artist went to travel the world and before he left he recorded and demonstrated all he knew for his three pupils.

As he departed he instructed his students:
"practice and study these things until my return"

And so the teacher traveled a great many years, until finally he returned.
He then summoned his students and began to test them.

His first student had not only great skill, having studied the teachings for years he had created a great many innovations upon their foundation.

His second student also had great skill, for he had innovated several subtle distinctions pertaining to the teachings.

His third student also had great skill and presented the teachings of his master perfectly.

The teacher then spoke to his students:

"My first pupil, having studied and practiced the teachings I gave you so many years ago you have taken them and built upon them, not only understanding them, but making them your own. I name you as my successor, for your skill has exceeded my own as is the hope of every good teacher for his students."

And saying this he struck at his first student,
who easily moved out of the way.

"My second pupil, having practiced and studied what I have taught you, you have mastered it well and explored many subtleties upon your own, there is no more I can teach you, I confer to you the title of master instructor. Your skill has come to match my own."

And saying this he struck at his second student,
who neutralized the attack without difficulty.

"My third pupil, though having mastered all I have shown you, not one innovation have you made, not one realization have you employed beyond my teachings."

And saying this he struck at his third student,
who then died instantly.

two short tales

2010-04-12T16:20:00.000-07:00

A man sought to learn to play a flute he was given by his greatest friend, he bought a book which showed him where to put his fingers and how to blow through the flute and so he did it a few times and found he was not very good at it, and so he threw his book and flute away.

Another man happened upon the book and flute. He picked them up and read of how to learn to play the flute, and practicing every day he became a great master of the instrument.

_____

A man found a teacher, who taught him all he needed to know, but he doubted the teachings and moved on.
He met another teacher, who again taught him all he needed to know, but he did not practice the teachings and so he moved on.
He met another teacher, who one again taught him all he needed to know, and then made the man practice it by sitting there with him while he did it.
The man exclaimed, "At last I have found the right teaching"
And the teacher doubting the man, moved on.

take your time

2010-04-08T07:32:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when we are eager to practice or play we build and reinforce bad habits because we do not take enough time to learn what we are trying to do step by step.

Often people who 'get it' don't, because they do. They accept their ability to imitate and understand a move as having learned a move, method or technique, nothing could be further from the truth.

At a class I was at not long ago a highly skilled guest instructor stopped the physical lessons for a few moments and related to us that sometimes very simple moves can take years of practice to get right. He related that just because you were able to do something in class when a teacher shows it to you, doesn't mean you can do it well.

The move has to become part of you, so why be hasty? Why rush into things with sloppy methods and bad habits? People who brag about how they can do difficult things can seldom do simple things right for some reason.

Once you begin to practice, you get better at what you practice, if you practice mistakes and bad habits, they won't go away over time, you will just get better at doing things the sloppy way. That is nothing to be proud of.

Take your time, practice everything step by step and go slow enough to get it right.
This method takes patience, but good things come to those who wait.

That guy who rushes into things and thinks he is so good because he can do advanced moves while he is a beginner, that guy who seems to "get it" quickly, he isn't who you want to be. You aren't meant to "get it" you are meant to practice it, then you will get it over time, and what you will get is Kung-fu.

(from wikipedia)
In its original meaning, kung fu can refer to any skill. Gōngfu (功夫) is a compound of two words, combining 功 (gōng) meaning "achievement" or "merit", and 夫 (fū) which translates into "man", so that a literal rendering would be "human achievement". Its connotation is that of an accomplishment arrived at by great effort.

2010-03-20T07:37:00.000-07:00

This is actually a post of mine for a discussion forum, but I thought I might share it with you.

Taijiquan, it comes in so many flavors and colors.

How much of this is the superficial? How much of this is the internal?

Luchan displayed different forms than Chen style, though my understanding is that he was above average intelligence. However, and more to my point, the forms of lines of transmission that come from students of his, differ in each and every case to some degree or another. Thus we have today several so called "styles" that can be traced back to Yang Luchan through his sons or students.

It occurs to me that the expressiveness of the form work centers around the postures as a theme and that the forms as we know them in orthodoxy are questionable as to their veracity regarding historical authenticity and accuracy, particularly if personalizing and individually manifesting the form or techniques is an authentic transmission.

It seems that standardized forms are for group classes, allowing the class to have a line dance approach to form work, allowing potentially thousands to participate at once, although class sizes tend to be smaller.

But another method seems to be teacher to student transmissions that are of a one on one nature and are not made in a one size fits all manner. It seems that sometimes this type of one on one transmission took place and forms were altered or even created for a single student, who later teaches that form as a by the numbers piece to a large group of people. This approach is still difficult, so the form was modeled to be challenging enough to allow progressive benefits but easy enough to learn to do without years of special conditioning.

With the one on one approach, years of special conditioning is rather typical. However with the group approach this is not practical to do in the same detail and so a one size fits all approach becomes more ideal.
This group approach is public, ergo the very fitting title of public form.

However I was told that every time I lift my leg and step a certain way in the public form, that it hides or has or holds a kick, and I was also told that there are other simplified reduced moves in the public form. When I do a form and insert these kicks and motions in a more complete manner, two things stand out immediately, the first is that conditioning is required, the second is that each move needs to be down perfectly or it won't flow properly, thus the moves must be learned not as a sequence, but as postures.

Finding someone capable or willing to study in the one on one and step by step manner should be very difficult. The type of student who does well in the class may not do well one on one, and the type of person who does well one on one might not do well in a class.

I believe that this teaching issue has as much as anything to do with why there are millions of people who practice, but what seems like less than one hundred masters alive today.

Conveyor belt approaches lead to a uniform product that has the right shape but lacks the fine craftsmanship of a custom piece.

Custom work alone produces works of art.
It is as true for the sword, as it is for the martial artist.

Basics

2010-03-19T05:20:00.000-07:00

I've been making a formal review of the basics by watching how they are done by the advanced players of various martial arts, including Taijiquan and Capoeira, which are two parts of the martial art I practice.

I have found some interesting things.
Masters have the basics down perfect, but basically nobody else does. I don't mean master as a formal title, but to note that often senior students are better at their advanced moves than their basics, this is highly unfortunate.

Many newer students can do some advanced moves, but they don't feel at home with the basics. Essentially the simple basic moves should be second nature, they should be effortless and reflexive.

Many students do not perfect their basic moves before moving on to advanced moves. To them the basics are too boring or simple to be worth it.

Let me share with you however that the most advanced moves in martial arts are all basic moves, what makes them advanced is the skill they are employed with.

Lets face it, you aren't going to learn the basics by working on the hard stuff. But honestly, the hard stuff comes with much less effort if the basics are mastered, and I mean mastered; first.

Don't do things with a sloppy feeling, thinking you will get better, often you will only build a bad habit that will not fix itself. If you approach the systems with patience and work on the basics and get them down, the rewards will speak for themselves.

The idea is that the basic moves are a foundation. The better your foundation, the better everything that is built on it is. The more time and work you put into this foundation, the stronger your structure is going to be in the end. However if you skip the foundation and work on the upper stories, then one day you will have to go back down to the basement and fix your foundation, because a strong game in Push Hands (San Shou) or in the Roda comes from having your basics down strong.

I am not even going to go into all that Ginga and Grasp sparrows 'tale' teach, needless to say all of the advanced skills flow from the conditioning of the basic foundations of Capoeira and Taijiquan. Still I am a beginner, so don't take my word for it, go ask your teacher. But if you like friendly contests without animosity, then please come and test your skill and provide me with a lesson.

Friendly Challenges are welcome from players with the same number of years of experience as I. I am a 3 year taijiquan student and a couple of months into Capoeira training.

I am also going to suggest that the skill of a person can be measured by how they perform the basics, and not just the advanced material. If you can't do the basics, then no amount of working harder moves is going to allow you to reach mastery of self or the art you practice.

Inheritance

2010-03-03T08:38:00.000-08:00

My inheritance is found
between Heaven and Earth.

My Taijiquan is not Chinese.
My Capoeira is not Brazilian.
My Natya Yoga is not Indian.
I am not a nationalist,

To be an artist, one makes art
This cannot be done if it is not your own

I am not a traditionalist
I am not preserving culture
I am not concerned with historical accuracy.

I am a child of a new world
That old worlds become
as borders dissolve

A child of Slave and Master
of mixed caste and class

I am a crossroad
I am continents joined
I am a planet united

The identity of mankind
either frail through division
or perfected through unity

the choice is clear enough

It has been said that masters are few
yet systems are common
Systems are but the creation of masters
yet seldom are masters the creation of systems

for the true master innovates
forming themselves anew from the ways of the old
as much new as old
if they try to let the system make them, they fail
mastery is not had by a conveyor belt
no one method works for all people
to obtain mastery one must master self,
self is but identity

The students all try to imitate each other imitating the masters.
The masters imitate none.
the truth of things is clear enough
many people expect the system to do the work for them
but mastery of a system does not result in self mastery
this is the inevitable result for those who do not make the art their own
Skill is not the same as mastery

perfect imitation is still not the same as doing
how many people fail for not having known this?

The student is like a hungry man,
a technique is like a fish
one can give him the fish
and so one can give him the technique
but he will hunger after another
and depend upon being fed
but what of teaching the student to fish?
Teach him the origin of technique
and he will learn to feed himself
this is the difference of mastery
the master does not master technique
it is the source of technique that must be mastered
the source is not a system or a method
look inside yourself to find it

Why does a student practice?
Why does a master practice?

I am already who I am.
I am not learning to become Brazilian
I am not learning to become Chinese.
I am not a nationalist

I take the art and make it my own
Slowly
bit by bit,
day by day

I do not pretend to improve the art
only myself
Slowly,
bit by bit,
day by day.

2010-02-22T08:55:00.000-08:00

Capoeira is rather unique among martial arts, for it is not an art born of war or battle, but rather has its roots in survival in the face of oppression.

It is a martial art for the Slave, not for the warrior.

The warrior has a choice, the Slave has none.
The warrior lives free, the Slave is bonded to society.
The warrior goes where he chooses, the Slave must obtain permits and papers.
The warrior trains all day and works on the battlefield.
The Slave works for most of their waking day and is thus given no time to train.
The warrior is the law, the Slave must obey the law or be punished.
A warrior lives and dies by battle for that is their work.
A Slave lives and dies by work for that is their battle.
A warrior fights for a code, for glory.
A Slave fights to endure, to live, to exist.
A warrior wears his weapons proudly.
A Slave must protect themselves with whatever they can.
A warrior boasts of his power and skill.
A Slave must conceal his skills.
A warrior fights for the love of fighting.
A Slave fights to prevent violence from taking their life.
A warrior seeks battle by being prepared for it.
A Slave seeks to avoid battle by being prepared for it

The warrior is used to keep Slaves in Slavery.
Slaves are used to keep warriors fed and clothed.

Warriors: Capoeira is not for you.
It is only dancing, it is not fit for battle.
It keeps the Slaves fit, it lets them smile.
Warriors are not dancers.
Warriors are not slaves.

And I am no warrior.

2010-02-22T08:51:00.001-08:00

What do they say?
They say "here I am"
They say "there you are"
They say "look at me"
They say "look at you"

But if the tree does not respond to the wind
then the tree breaks
it is as if the wind says
"how are you"
and the tree says nothing
because it is broken
but the tree that sways responds
saying:
"I am fine, thanks for asking"

The devil was the wind
and the slaves had to sway
The devil angry, that he could not break them said
"your motion is too free"
and the slaves replied
"how can that be? we are only dancing"

Oh ginga, only dancing
only dancing so they say
while the wind would break their spirits
if their spirits did not sway

My spirit keeps swaying
even when the body stops
and the world says to me
"your mind is too free"
And I respond
"it is only dancing"

It is only dancing.
And the music never stops.

2010-02-13T22:06:00.000-08:00

2010-01-09T09:18:00.000-08:00

The four:

Voidness and fullness
Softness and hardness
Building up and tearing down
Filling and emptying.

There is none but these,
these are the essence of action
and so are the essence of neutralization

These four are also:

000-111
010-101
001-110
100-011

As that each is a pair we style them as eight
but they are no more eight than they are one
one that is composed to two parts, null and void

These eight energies have a source undifferentiated
it is styled: the Mother of Yin and Yang
But as undifferentiated-ness itself, what name can it bear?
It is all things and so it great
It is without limit and so is ultimate
and so it is styled: Taiji
It is the way of all things
And so it is styled: Tao

2010-01-06T17:03:00.000-08:00

My taiji is not like all others that bear the same name.
Many use the terms and the name, but are far from what I know as taijiquan.
My taijiquan is not mine, but I make it my own through my use and introspection.

Taiji consists of eight fundamental energies, however mine has ten energies.
I will share my present formulation of the eight energies of taijiquan. Please forgive that it is not the same as the one you may know and love. It contains elements of classical taijiquan, but also contains older elements and aspects. You will note that after the first foundational energy, that each section consists of pairs of energies, each with aspects, attributes, martial technique and a poetic expression pertaining to the nature of the energy and the Bagua. One of the attributions you will note is a Guardian of the 8 directions that comes from Vedic works. I dedicate this to the Lord who may by known only by nature:

Ashttamoorti: the 8 faced
Sookshamatanu: subtle bodied
Satvika: soft natured
Paramatma: the ultimate
Jagadvyapi: pervades the universe
Sthanu: immovable
Shashvata: eternal
Sahastrapati: having a thousand forms
Ananta: infinite

10 energies of taiji

The first energy is not counted, because of what it is; it is Wuji.
And so it starts us off with the number Zero. If our eight energies are the eight directions of the compass circle, then the first energy, the energy of Zero is the undifferentiated point at the center of the circle.

0 original stillness, undifferentiated as the beginning
Lord Vishnu as undifferentiated foundation or a source without origin or end.
Tao.

All of the basic 10 exist as paired energies, being reciprocal and part of each other, each set consists of two energies that exist as unified dualities.

Set A, the wave itself, unified duality of the void and full:
------

1 Wave swells
Mortality, the front of a wave that is like a balloon filled with energy, full.
Yama, lord of the afterlife death, what lives will die. South. Growth.

The martial technique is to ward off, to use the floating part of the wave.

The tree swells slowly up towards heaven.

2 Wave fades
Immortality, the return or fall of the wave to neutrality, void
Kubara, lord of shadows, immortal void. North. Decay.

The martial technique is to roll back, to use the falling part of the wave.

The tree falls and returns to the earth.

Set B, Fluid and Solid, unified duality of wave properties.
These are the aspects of physicality, mass and energy.
------

3 wave fluidity
the nature of fluidity, which is a wave transmitting or traveling through, like two magnets coming together (+ to -) or reverse.
Varuna, Lord of fluid nature. West. Softness

The martial technique is to transmit into and through using a wave, using the wave like a fluid interaction.

The wave ripples through the water, pressing along.

4 wave solidity
the nature of solidity, which is a wave arriving and impacting, like two magnets pushing apart, (- to -) or (+ to +)
Indra, Wielder of solidity: Vajra his weapon is the name of diamond. East. Hardness

The martial technique is use the wave like a solid pushing (meeting resistance) into the object. Using the wave like an object interaction.

Fire arises where energy meets resistance.

Set C, Assembly and dis-assembly, the duality of gathering and disbursing.
These are the aspects of resonance (misunderstood as creation)
and dissonance (misunderstood as destruction) .
------

5 wave converging
The addition of energies into a larger unity which changes the direction of the original wave
Vayu, Lord of wind. Northwest. Creation,

The martial technique is to add to a wave using another one, to pluck it like wind moving a falling leaf, controlling it.

The wind sweeps the clouds along.

6 wave disbursing
The separation of energies into divided parts, like a wave breaking into smaller parts though dissonant properties in it
Angi, lord of fire, fire disburses what it consumes. Southeast, Destruction.

The martial technique is to use the wave to break apart a wave or object, breaking, splitting, snapping, tearing twisting.

The lightning shatters the tree as the thunder roars.

Set D, Absorbing and releasing, duality of reception and emission,
These are the aspects of absorption of energy and release of energy.
------

7 wave containing, enveloping
A wave overtaking and capturing another wave by following it so that the original wave is led along by adding to it.
Soma, Moon, the moon receives the energy of the sun and reflects it as it's own, Northeast. Reflection (not deflection)

The martial technique is to use the wave to follow another wave and thus lead it by following it, enveloping it, using it as ones own energy.

The valley forms as the earth absorbs it, a lake forms.

8 wave releasing
a wave is released out of and into
Surya, the Sun, releases energy constantly. Southwest, Emission.

The martial technique is to release a wave, letting it separate from you, but not disbursing or breaking apart but rather issuing/launching.

The mountain arises, released by the earth.

Set E, Duality of consciousness as undifferentiated with thought as differentiated.
These are the aspects of mind being and functioning.
-----

9 attained stillness, undifferentiated at the end
Vishnu as both foundation and return, Lord of return to undifferentiated-ness. Down. Inside part of circle. Taiji. Perception/consciousness (undivided)

The martial technique is be of neutral mind, not with intent of ones own, this allows the use of the main 8 energies.

10 reciprocity, application and manifestation as system
Brahma, Lord of focused consciousness, breath and word, the comprehension and use of information. Up... realization of. (outside part of circle) (recognition/correlation)

The martial technique is to be of an alert mind, recognizing the energy of the other through keen focus, being acutely aware of the other person.

Make of it what you will.

Power

2010-01-05T08:25:00.000-08:00

How many martial artists seek nothing more than power over others?

How many seek power over themselves?

How many who have power over others, have no power over themselves?

And yet who, having power over themselves, lacks power over others?

Many people sell their art on the idea of what you can do to others with it. They measure success in martial arts upon the ability of a person to have power over others, typically in a physical sense, but sometimes more than that. For many martial arts teachers the main concern is conflict.

But I am here to share that the person who has power over others, and none over himself, is weak.
The person who has power over himself, who has no power over others, is strong.

The weak look for ways to learn to defeat others.
The strong look for ways to learn to defeat themselves.

A bit of the autobiographical

2010-01-04T08:56:00.000-08:00

I went for a walk one cold winter morning. I had been at my friend Todds house drinking and playing cards. I was very hung over and chose to go for a walk with Todd's brother Tony, we were going to the coffee shop just about a mile from Todds house.

I had been interested in martial arts for much of my life. What few drawings I had from my childhood were mostly the Hollywood ninja, black clad chunky figures with ridiculous looking approximations of knives and knunchukka, topped off with an obligatory Rambo headband. At one point when I was six or seven my mother took me to a few classes of some martial art I did not understand at all. The teacher told us about killing people in bar fights and made us do a lot of push-ups. He spoke about pressure points around the head and using yelling outbreaths to increase power. I was disturbed by the class, as enthusiastic as I was about the Hollywood ninja, for some reason my drawings just had them, no corpses or disfigurement, no maimed opponents lying in a crumpled ruined heaps. I suppose I did not want to defeat or kill, I just wanted to be good at something, that something being martial arts. I didn't go to that class I mentioned more than a couple of times, the focus it had was clearly not the focus I had. The hard work I did not mind, I loved it, but the mentality of the teacher, his eagerness about violence, was something I could not stand.

I did not have another class in martial arts for years, instead I practiced the basics I had been shown and read every book I could get my growing hands on, that pertained to the subject. In no time at all the basics of karate were things I could refer to, even demonstrate poorly. In addition to this as a child I moved often, living in numerous houses in a handful of states and going to a handful of schools, all before the age of 12. Looking back I have moved dozens of times in my life, largely with my parents when I was young. I have a syndrome called Aspergers, though I did not know this when I was young. It amounts to mental functional difference, essentially a mild form of autism that is marked by increased social difficulties. In the various schools and churches and homes I lived in, I certainly had difficulties. I had no problem attacking a bully, but often this would result in myself getting beaten. Other times I attacked and hurt other children who were attacking or insulting me. I fought hundreds of times as a child.

At some point I embraced the religion of my parents, seeking to find solace in Christianity. Try as I did to believe in Jesus, I could not. I stayed up late into the night praying over and over and found nothing. I pretended to believe, thinking that if I did this I would eventually know it to be true. My behavior however did not improve and I fought numerous times, typically being attacked by a specific bully in my Church group. He would run up behind me and hit his heavy books into my head when I was waiting for the bus, and once he pulled some sort of gun on me and I insulted him for needing it and he left. At some point I took a few week course in kempo karate, learning only the basic kicks, blocks, punches, combining them all with footwork and then two basic katas. At this point I was about 13. I had a younger brother and we did not often get along either, so we fought many times, but seldom with the violence and hate that was so common on playgrounds in the fours states I lived in as a child. I am no stranger to violence. Even my father lost his temper with me and stuck me and threw me across the room by my arm. I have an old shoulder injury that I forget how it occurred, but it was likely that he threw me across the room when I was 6 or 7 because I was verbally antagonizing him. He never kicked the shit out of me, but he had no problem using violence and verbal threats against me either. Little did I know his temper was my inheritance.

However it all changed when I was at the Salt Lake City public library when I was about 12. I found several books by Hatsumei, being exposed for the first time to ninjutsu that was not of Hollywood. I found his works illuminating and spiritual, of a nature that combined the will to live and protect ones self from harm with a will to promote peace and personal attainment of a type that is not about power over others. I realized that nature was my religion, my source, and my purpose. This was also at a time when the incoherent aspects of my parents religion were becoming very hard to ignore. I began to look at many religions, via a book bought for me by my parents, and found that buddhism and taoism were more coherent for me than the other religions I had access too. In addition I studied the occult and mythology, examining the claims of every belief system I could find. I found that what Hatsumei had touched upon, our oneness with nature and zen, was the most coherent thing I could find. Little did I know I had found Tao, which never hides.

Conflicts grew more severe as I grew up, not just mine but those around me. Teenagers are remarkably violent creatures, especially religious teenagers and I was right in the middle of a christian community. Everything was about violence, the religion was about a war between good and evil, the TV was about violence, the news was about violence. Violence occurred in church, in school, in books, in scriptures, in our imaginations, everywhere. This was how god solved his problems, he sent death or people to deal it. This is how the good guy in the movie saved the world, through violence. It is even how Jesus threw money exchangers out of the temple. Violence was inescapable, I was frequently involved in it, and I hated it.

At some point this peaked, I got into a verbal altercation with another person, in a church. I had been jumping rope, using a denim jacket, in a church hallway and our youth leader came over to tell me to stop, backed up with his entourage of friends. he told me I could not do that in a church, but to do it in the "cultural hall" which is basketball court that is at the heart of every LDS church. I asked him if that meant the cultural hall was not part of the church, to which he replied that I was being a smart ass. Several of the people behind him started telling him to kick my ass. I chose to leave. I had been at the church to earn a wood carving boyscout merit badge. My friend and I walked out the back door of the church and began talking. The guy who had been the primary one egging on the youth leader to beat me up was my next door neighbor. My friend said someone should stab him, I told him that to do such a thing was so ugly that you would never want to do it, that no person deserved that. Our conversation took us from the back door of the church and around the church through the parking lot and out to the front. As we came around to the front, another boy, one I did not know well, came up to me arms raised and yelling at me that he was going to kick my ass. Apparently when I left, the other boys went into the cultural hall where he was and were saying that someone should beat me up for being a smart ass. And apparently he rose to the call. When he approached me I felt threatened, he was yelling and his body told me he wanted to fight.

I took the wood carving pocketknife out of my pocket. I opened the blade and kept walking away trying to leave, he would not let me leave. I turned around and hit him hard in the stomach with the knife blade in my hand. I was not thinking, only acting. I withdrew the blade faster than I had sent it, nobody had seen what had happened. I screamed loudly to call 911. The guy muttered that I stabbed him and fell over in the gutter. I waved the knife in front of myself to protect me from the same group which had called him to fight me. When adults showed up I shattered the knife on the ground in frustration and rage at myself. I knew I had done great wrong and felt very angry at myself for not avoiding it.

I went with some adults, letting the police know where I would be, to my parents house to tell them what I had done. I was shortly handcuffed and taken to the police station where I was interrogated until about 2 am, the interrogation was only me and the police, I was underage, and it took 6 hours at least. I was then taken to the youth lock up facility in the county. I did not sleep and made the decision that if the person I had stabbed died, then I would take my own life. I realized then what a fool I had been in regards to religion, that pretending that it was true so that I would then condition myself to believe did not work for me the way it did for others. I no longer cared what church policy was, it became obsolete. What I said I believed did not matter anymore, only honesty did. In all honesty I had likely killed another living human being and I could not live with that, praying for forgiveness became a joke.

The surgery that saved his life took more than 12 hours. I was told the knife hit at least 3 major organs, each one of which was a fatal cut, and nicked an artery. I was not eating or sleeping. I was getting out of the ordinary visits from some man who was a member of our church, I don't know who he was, but he asked if there was anything he could get me, and I asked for paper to do origami with. I have enjoyed folding paper since I found a book on it from the library when I was 6 or so. Eventually it was this man who let me know that the other boy was in serious yet stable condition. After many days I got out and into the court system. The police charged me with attempted murder, the boy would not testify against me. Charges were dropped to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, but no witnesses would speak and the church paid for my attorney who flew in from out of state for my case. He reminded the judge of the oath of office, and then filed for a plea in abeyance with a period of house arrest.

And yet it is winter Tony and I are walking to get coffee, and I am hungover. At this point it is over ten years after the stabbing event. I had begun to trust myself with weapons and had been doing stance work with wooden swords and began to study Michuan swordsmanship, but had reached a problem. You see: I had no taiji experience. As I studied Michuan sword I realized that the system was coherent and based on the 8 energies of taiji. Problem was I had no understanding of these energies. So I was aware that the next step that I needed was to find a taiji teacher, but one I could afford and believe me that is a big deal for those who are in poverty. I had essentially given up on finding a good teacher and had not thought about it for some time when I found myself walking on a cold winter morning past a downtown courthouse with a nice courtyard like area in front of it. In a kind of greenishblue coat a man was moving slowly. It scarcely caught my attention but Tony, who had studied taiji with a man in the Portland area, insisted that we go over and watch this man.

So we ambled over, myself still very much hungover, dizzy and slightly intoxicated from drinking during the previous night. The man promptly stopped what he was doing and asked if we were there for the Taiji class. Evidently he was part of a free weekend class that had been going on for many years in the area. While not a master the man had done taiji for about 30 years and did it to maintain his health. My friend worked on the form with him, but I sat down and watched. I explained that I was too hungover to participate that day, but that I was interested and I would return the next weekend. And I did, over and over for about a year. I also started doing push hands after a while too. I was struck by the relationship of taiji to the tao. It was as if the taodejing was written for this system. More than that I had an introduction to the energies, at first they felt very strange and then at some point they started making perfect sense. The taiji classics made sense too, given the transmissions I received from my teacher. And above all he abhorred violence, as do I. This art was one that was deadly and yet could be gentle, it had total control and was about total control. It was overcoming motion through stillness and not fighting the way of things. It was brilliant and perfect and I could use it for what I wanted, health or martial art or both.

Since I have begun training in taijiquan about three years ago, I have developed skills that I was not aware of existing. This includes thinking skills, and physical skills. I have much to learn, and so much to practice. But have found the martial path that I love, one of tao, of a lack of differentiation. This lack of differentiation is the mental skill I did not know existed, it is also a physical skill I did not know existed.

I have had exposure to other arts since then. I currently practice Taijiquan via a special form (my own revised version of Yang style 13 postures, this will be demonstrated soon enough) and push hands. I also practice capoeira but have only weeks of experience in that. I have also had some basic training in Wing Chun, oriented around the first form and the footwork. My own martial arts style is highly personal but based entirely upon the energies of taijiquan.

The line of transmission(sic): (verified with documents and photographs proving it)
Yang Lu Chan--Yang Jiann Hau--Yang Ching Fu--Chan Wei Ming--Leung King Yu （Father) -- Alwin Leung-- Art Barret-- Josh Young
But I am no teacher or master.
Just a guy who likes taiji, and who detests violence because I know it all too well.

However should I list all my teachers then the list is rather long.
I accept the universe as my training hall, and all within it as invaluable resources.

Michuan demo (faster than normal)

2009-12-07T14:17:00.000-08:00

2009-11-27T08:11:00.000-08:00

Effigy

My entry for contest at http://www.martialdevelopment.com

Poor is the pupil who does not surpass his master.-Leonardo da Vinci

Poor is the master whose pupils do not surpass him. One devoted student is worth ten thousand halfhearted students. A student no more accepts a teacher than a teacher accepts a pupil.

In the Mahabharata there is much that relates to martial arts. In one particular instance a man sought a renown teacher of archery who was a vassal of the royal family. The would be pupil was essentially turned down by the teacher who having many wealthy pupils had no need or even time for other students.

So the would be pupil built an image of the teacher, a mere effigy and trained by it with devotion. His skill surpassed that of even the best student of the teacher who had denied him instruction. Truly it was his dedication to practice, and not his allegiance to a teacher or an effigy that resulted in his great skill. His actual loyalty to the instructor whom he had made an effigy of was his undoing for when the foremost pupil Arjuna, of the great teacher Drona, who was under the impression he was the greatest archer in the land, learned of the skill of the would be pupil; he confronted the man and asked who his teacher was.

The man replied that his teacher was Drona, the same as the teacher of Arjuna. Arjuna went and confronted Drona and Drona went to the would be pupil to ask for his payment for instruction as was his right as a teacher. For this payment Drona had the man, who had become the best through practice before the statue; sever his tendons in his arm rendering him incapable of using a bow. Thus Arjuna became the best archer.

This story illustrates the relationship of practice to skill, and of the nature of loyalty being both a benefit and a weakness.

In these modern times we often hear people say that they know but a fraction of what their teacher knew. And yet knowledge is nothing compared to practice. It was said by early Yang family Taiji players that if the first four energies alone were mastered, then a persons skill would be tremendous. And yet how many teachers teach their students endless material? Far too many, because now martial arts is not about practice, it has become about information and instruction.

It is said that the student gets the instructor they deserve, when it is said that Poor is the pupil who does not surpass his master consider not only the instructor the student gets, but the student the instructor gets. To be blunt students who lack devotion never become masters and the amount of people called master far exceeds the number of those who have mastered even the basic techniques of their myriad respective arts.

A teacher is something you learn from. A dojo is a place you practice. The universe is both. Do we hope to surpass the very skill of nature? Let people suffer their loyalties. Let their scope narrow to depend upon information and not practice. Ultimately we are but our own instructors and our own pupils and cannot learn or be taught anything by another. Shall we hope to surpass ourselves? Indeed to surpass ones self is to refine ones being to improve in skill and method, something arrived at by practice over time and no other way. In this age, thanks to the internet, the amount of formerly inaccessible information is more than adequate to facilitate all a person needs to practice and develop the skills of their choosing. Perhaps all we really need for a teacher; is an effigy after all.

2009-11-27T08:07:00.001-08:00

Wang Yongquan
Student of Yang Jianhou, Yang Shaohou and Yang Chenfu
Showing us Yang Family postures

2009-11-27T07:54:00.000-08:00

Taiji applications of Grasp Sparrows Tail, Yang style.
This is Andrew Chung who has recieved transmissions of the lines of Cheng fu, Shao-hou and Ban Hou, making this rather definitively Yang Family style taijiquan.

Note that the applications lack the impacts seen with tree training, this is for saftey.

2009-11-21T07:11:00.000-08:00

This is tree training from the line transmitted by Yang Ban-Hou in his home town.

2009-11-20T12:28:00.000-08:00

When an forward momentum is encountered the course it takes can be altered by slight pressure at specific angles, this creates a new axis point for the movement and if the angle and pressure is applied constantly this results in spiraling of the momentum via the control of a slighter secondary force.

With a forward momentum the angles that work are those that do not oppose the momentum, the first angle that becomes effective is at 45 degrees to the line of the momentum. This pressure to the momentum if maintained at a 45 degree or so, to the primary momentum, causes an arc or a spiral to form.

Perpendicular to the path of momentum is a potential field in the shape of the movement that will control the movement via secondary and slight forces to the initial force or momentum, this field starts and ends at the 45 degree line running through the center of the momentum. This allows variable angles to be used within the field in a successive manner while still in the ideal area and at the ideal angles for controlling the initial momentum and mass. The two successive pressures should be at about 90 degrees to each other, but neither more acute to the center axis of the initial momentum than 45 degrees. This results in an S shaped movement to form, instead of the arc or spiral caused by one pressure alone.

These angles and fields can be used with every energy of taiji.
Knowledge of them is of use only to those who practice.

2009-11-19T10:03:00.001-08:00

Infinite knowledge is worthless without application.
No truth has any meaning without practice.
No answer will suffice without purpose.
Without context truth is just a word, a concept and nothing more.

Delusion or clarity, what is there but action?
Regardless of intent, what is there but motion?
The momentum of things is all that is.
It will never cease it's flow, why offer resistance?

To maintain position a trout moves no more or less, than the current itself.
And so by staying in the same spot, endless river rushes past it.
To resist is to be pulled along by the current.
To yield to the current the fish ripples with the waves, becoming as one with the river.

And while the trout maintains it's position because it too flows
stick and stone are swept along mercilessly by the force of the current
their rigidity helpless upon the water.

What truth helps the fish thrive?
No truth will, for truth is nothing without context, without motion.
without context truth is just a concept, a word and nothing more
the momentum of things is all there is,
why offer resistance?

Even the hardest wave has softness in it.
Touch the water and it yields, slap the water and it yields, and yet its force is apparent.
Water contains the hardness of stone within the softness of fog.
What truth does it maintain to abide in this way?
It is because it is without intention of its own that it is this way.
it is strong because it is soft and yielding
while weakness is resistance,

A firm branch can be broken, one that flexes cannot be broken.
In every case there is momentum as a wave
when the wave hits rigidity it is absorbed, when it hits softness it is propagated.
The rigid tree breaks before the storm, while the supple tree dances in the wind.
One dies and the other thrives.

The tree that lives: moves no more than the wind moves it.
The tree that dies resists until it is broken.
A rigid tree may endure many storms
indeed it may appear to be strong and mighty
but before a wall of water, no mighty tree can stand.

In context strength is often weakness, and weakness often strength.
Even water holds its own weight without tiring.
A tree can stand for a thousand years without aching.
Are we not as bodies of water?
Are our bones not as the trees?
Therefore our own weight should not burden us
but neither should we fight it,
we do not fight gravity to stand, we employ it.

To employ gravity one must find ones center.
Only by flowing like water and by standing like a tree,
can our center be clarified.
To know this is worthless, truth is nothing without context.

practice alone is true,
without practice:
truth is just a word.

Teachers

2009-09-08T09:08:00.000-07:00

I am going to address the topic of tradition and teachers with an analogy, see if you can figure out what I am saying.

Anyone who has played a guitar knows that the basic design of a guitar is the same, despite variation as well.
Imagine then that you have a version of the instrument, your own version of course. And you learn to play it, and play it well.

In learning to play this instrument you draw from many sources. You do not learn from just one person, or learn just one style, but instead become skilled through trial and error and experimentation.

Now imagine that you want to play the instrument for some people and they stop you before you do so and ask you: "who taught you?" You reply that you are self taught but that you picked up a little here and a little there. Then suddenly they dismiss you entirely and won't even give you a chance, they won't even listen to what you can play because you did not learn from someone that they consider authentic.

After some time you come up with a solution. The next time you get asked who your teacher was you reply that he was an unknown man who was a student of a well known master. Suddenly people are willing to listen to you play and when they do they like what they hear. Now your ability to play has not changed, your skill has always been a reflection of your hard work and insight as well as dedication. But what has changed is that now people give you a chance, whereas before they did not.

Now lets say that there is no record of your teacher, so nobody can prove they did not exist, you see you cannot prove what does not exist, to not exist. The universe is funny like that. But some individuals take notice of this and start to question your ability to play, because they cannot find proof your teacher existed.
They assert that what you play is not really music, because you cannot prove you were taught by someone they can find a record for. And worse, since what you play is unique to a degree, they assert that it cannot be music because it is a bit different here and there. Lets say you favor a different scale than many others do, and so people say that you are not playing music because your scale is a little bit different.

In my last article I wrote about the test of a martial art and the test of a martial artist. While I condemned some tests and testers as being ignorant, I need to assert something. The test of a martial art has nothing to do with teachers or lineages. It has nothing to do with names or terms or forms. None of that matters. Like with music the test of skill is found in listening, not questioning. Questions are good, but cannot replace attention and an open mind.

Now consider that in my analogy the main character lied about his teacher, just to be considered fairly. Think about that, what is less ethical, lying about a teacher or failing to give someone a chance because they do not fit your idea of what something should be for it to be effective and authentic. To me if anything a person who has developed their own skill through questioning convention and by trial and error is far more authentic than someone who inherits a system or is the great grandson of some famous person. To me, to dismiss a person or their skill and artistic abilities because they do not have the connections that we associate with skill is far worse than lying about a teacher to be considered in a fair light.

Skill and effectiveness in martial arts has nothing to do with lineage. Often people in lineages reply upon the name of their teacher far more than their own skill. Often they take things for granted, failing to question what they are told and then have no personal understanding, instead they just repeat what they have been told. Think about this, who is more dishonest? A man who lied about his teacher so as to be given fair consideration for his hard work and effort, or a man who repeats what he was told, passing along as if it was personal knowledge, having never questioned it. To me the latter man, who merely regurgitates teachings, is far less honest than the man who, in order to be able to demonstrate his personal understanding must misrepresent himself. One of these men has walked the martial path and must test himself and his art constantly to prove himself, the other is far from the martial path and must repeat the names of his teacher and their claims constantly to prove themselves. One man believes that the test is in the art and skill, the other believes that the test is in the names.

These two types are those who will listen to the musician who drawing from many sources is self taught, and those who will not because the person is not a student or family member of a famous person.

Of these two types, which are you?
Think about it.

2009-09-08T05:48:00.000-07:00

I am surprised how many people are convinced by false tests of a martial art.

I was told recently that a martial art "sucked" because when someone asked another person to kick very hard on a pad, the person holding the pad moved the pad and let the kick hit their head, and found the kick wanting in power. I note first that the power delivery of a kick to the head is something few arts lack, but does require training in delivering strong kicks to the head. It certainly is not a test of an art. More interesting perhaps is how the test of power was implied. The person holding the pad seemed to think that a powerful kick continues through the target, which is not always true and is a gross oversimplification. A precise kick would be powerful, but to catch it 2 inches past the target it would not have the same power. But more interesting is the concept of following through or as I like to call it: driving. This style of having power is purely external, it is how people tend to hit a heavy bag. It has a 2 main phases, contact/impact and pushing. However some styles of hitting have different phases, these are contact, and transmission. Notice that impact is absent from contact and there is no push phase, rather a wave transmission phase. The two types of energy have a sort of exclusivity and one cannot be seen easily and does not work on a pad, nor does it work at any point after the targeted area because of the very nature of the blow. If anything hearing about this pad "test" makes me think the person holding the pad was and perhaps is still; ignorant when it comes to how to test a martial art. It is no wonder they are the Carlos Castaneda of martial arts.

One of the main points here though is how people believe that a test of a martial art is a test of a single persons ability to hit something. While this is obviously flawed, many people buy into it. Worse still is the mentality found all over the internet. People perpetuate the downright ignorant view that a sporting contest between two people of different martial arts is a test of the two martial arts. This simply put is stupid, a fight is not a test of a martial system, it is a test of a person and a test of skill. Any martial art has people who are better or worse. Just because you beat one person in a given martial art does not mean you can defeat the martial art, to think so is both arrogant and rather stupid.

I am acutally shocked how common martial art dismissals take place based on ignorant anecdotes. People will say that they know someone: who knows someone in system X, and they think the person in system X sucks, so they conclude system X sucks. This is actually common, despite how ignorant it is. A lot of this is that people sell their own art and basically talk down all others, you can tell when it is pure ignorance when they dismiss all martial arts that are not their own. This is as common as it is stupid, one of the most common forms being gross oversimplifications such as "I can beat a grappler because I know anti-grappling moves" or "Anybody who can't beat a grappler does not know how to fight" All systems seem to have someone stupid enough to do this too, no one system is guilty of this while others are not. These people are ignorant of the simple fact that a test of a martial art is not the same as a contest between two people. Beware those ignorant people who insist that nothing can hold a candle to their system, especially those who dismiss other systems because they claim to know people in other systems who they think are not skilled because they don't share the same opinions. There is always someone bigger, faster stronger and better, even outside of martial artists. No person, and no system is invulnerable and those who claim that their system is superior to others are ignorant, there are no superior or inferior martial arts systems and mistakes occur in all systems. The signs of martial arts ignorance are certainty and a lack of humility. A wise martial artist never claims to know they can beat any system, because they know that is not how things work.

I know that martial artists have to sell their art, after all when you pay a man hundreds of dollars to work with him for a day or two you want him to represent the best. However it is common for this type of situation to be like a naked emperor, you are led to believe that you are wise for paying the money, not because that is true, but because your being convinced has far more to do with what is happening than your being skilled. This works best if you can be persuaded that other martial arts are inferior to the one you are paying for. This is unfortunately as common as it is ignorant and foolish.

One thing wise martial artists seem to know is that the test of a martial art is in reality a life long test, not a fight or a contest, but the actual life of the martial artists once they have undertaken that path. It is deeply personal and has nothing to do with how hard someone hits or their application theory. It is an ongoing thing as well, the true test never ends and those who boast of their skill or dismiss other martial arts are already failing it.

2009-08-18T13:17:00.001-07:00

2009-08-18T12:54:00.001-07:00

2009-08-18T09:41:00.001-07:00

2009-08-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

The water hammer effect, wherein the kinetic wave of the momentum of an object continues on when the mass of the object is stopped suddenly and the result is an increase in the frequency of the energy is a useful but evasive martial method.

But what about using water hammer methods regarding the momentum of the duifang?
You see with training one can learn to cycle impact energy up into higher frequencies, but it is also possible to cycle your duifangs energy up from their own momentum and prevent it from exiting their body, thus inducing the water hammer effect from their movement but in a manner that works against them.

The trick is perhaps found in the method where you stop their momentum but allow no energy to be transmitted into you. I call this a trick because it is tricky.

I was hitting an object the other day that was giving me instant feedback in the form of audio sound waves. I found that when I surged forward and relaxed on contact, I barely felt the contact at all, however this light touch aspect had the most profound result in terms of the sound it produced. The trick of the method was to relax, to have no tension whatsoever in the striking arm, otherwise the wave of energy I was sending bounced back into me. I found that when I relaxed as I struck that I would make contact and then a split second after contact the wave of momentum would transmit, the most curious aspect of this was the delay between contact and the wave. If I tried to hurry the slap/palm technique then the result was not the same, if I tried to use force then the result was not the same.

The required relaxation is like water, you must splash and relax like water. Your hands must wave forward like water, if they use their own energy the result is not the same. I could actually see the surge of energy after contact, when my arms were relaxed it went quickly through me and into the object a moment after contact.
When I merely struck the object and my hand was not relaxed there were two major possible effects I noted.
The first was that the energy of the strike bounced my hand out and much less energy was transmitted and when it did it was not penetrating energy. The second was when I pressed my hand as I struck, instead of the force resulting in my hand bouncing back, or the energy transmitting, the energy dissipated in my hand itself, bouncing back into it but being trapped by the pressure, and it hurt. The object in question was a large hollow steel pillar after all.

So the funny part about this is how counter intuitive it is that the softest of contact, even on a violent forward surge, allowed the greatest transmission of force. And there was a transmission delay of the order of fractions of a second after impact. I am a fan of circular movement and conservation of momentum for sure, but now I recognize the place of the pause in a form during specific strikes, such as single whip. This pause is actually part of the strike itself.

This is key to understanding how to use the method on the momentum of an attack, by relaxing as you check the momentum of the duifang the energy of their attack dissipates into them. The greater the momentum of their attack, the greater the amount of force is that the duifang ends up absorbing. This force or wave of momentum is qi, a form of energy. In essence you use the duifangs qi against them. Not by bouncing, or deflecting but by sealing thier momentum before it arrives, and oddly the amount of force required for this is low. Sort of like using a few ounces to stop thousands of lbs, and certainly not in a manner of force acting on force, but at the same time the effect is not the same as deflecting the path of a strong strike with sideways pressure.

The secret, because it is counter-intuitive, is in the softness. The softer you become in striking, the harder the force becomes that is transmitted. It might sound strange, or perhaps easy, but either way it requires practice, and not on a heavy bag or another person. The reason a steel object is nice is that it resonates with the force of the blow and if you cycle the energy up you will hear the result almost instantly. If you hit a heavy bag this way you will not realize what is happening, and if you play around carelessly with this and another person someone could get hurt. This phenomena does not require an explosive jing to be powerful, the faster you move for it the more challenging it is to relax properly. However the result can be peculiar, I even did knuckle based punch strikes on the pillar and found that although the technique was much harder this way than it was for a palm strike, hitting my knuckles on the steel with proper relaxation did not hurt them, which is odd, because normally I do not hit anything hard with any hard part of my body. This is of course because of the nature of the wave, there was no momentum pressing on the knuckles in the strike, instead there was a wave going right through them. Needless to say this is not how most people strike and this type of energy play is all but unknown in taiji today, let alone martial arts.

The neat part about this is perhaps the relationship of the forward momentum to the wave issued. The momentum need not be of an explosive nature for the wave to be of an explosive nature. However the movement must be whole body, thus uniting the qi of the body into one jing. Otherwise in order to get power one is going to have to use muscular force and doing so prohibits this effect.

True softness results in hardness.

2009-08-17T09:50:00.000-07:00

The 8 energies.

If you observe a wave moving forward you will note different properties of different areas of the wave.
The leading bulge of the wave is full of energy at the peak, this is as Peng, while adjacent to this is the void area where the pit of the wave is found, this is as Lu. These two basic energies are present, as void and full energies, in all motion possible. The other 6 energies all combine them, however they can all be complexed and are not exclusive to each other.

Press, which is like the simple machine press and not like pressing on something with just pressure, is much like being squished by the leading edge of a wave. If you put your elbow against a wall with your forearm horizontal so that you can place it against the wall, then place your other hand on the wall between your forearm and the wall. You can now use your forearm as a lever that will press upon the hand touching the wall. This is as press, however in application the leading lever aspect is often yin while it is driven by yang energies. In depiction press is as far as the trigrams, yang cloaked in yin. While the next move, often called push, is yin cloaked in yang.

Push is like the wave itself, not squishing with leverage, but surging forward with both yin and yang energy. Indeed while Peng energy wards off, and Lu energy rolls back, and Press energy squeezes, push energy pushes, but can be done at different energy levels and push merely describes the dynamic, not the application. Indeed for all of the energies the names are not applications but descriptions of energies manifestation.

Pluck is another wave property where instead of the previous effects the wave is used to achieve a pulling type energy, which is not a pull per say, at high rates of speed the result is a violent jarring.

Split or rend/tear is where the wave is used to push things apart with forces that divide. To understand this imagine a wooden box being filled with water so fast it breaks apart. A single surge can be used to move an object in two directions at once, resulting in a rending or splitting effect. While all of these moves can be illustrated with a single hand, in application the split energies are best demonstrated with two hands for the impressive results are easier to comprehend.

Elbow, is not the use of the elbow per say, it is more like transmitting with the bend of the wave where peng meets lu or Yin meets yang. In the body this happens to be the elbow, however if one employs this energy with a weapon then the elbow is not employed while the nature of the energy is conserved and is the same.

Shoulder is one of the bluntest forces, though it is very yin it has a yang foundation. It is like a transmission of the wave itself, in an example a stick placed on a rope, that gets launched off of the rope when a sharp wave pops it us, this is like shoulder.

The nature of the energies is profound, no move can be made lacking them. If one understands them then one can meet them with exactitude and neutralize/avoid them to the point of maintaining the upper hand and combat initative. One can learn the techniques by the same name, and practice them until the cows come home, but that does not equate to comprehension of the 8 energies, which has as much to do with reading these energies in your opponent as it does with employing them yourself.

all of the energies can be done in any direction of the sphere, taiji is whole body so this is not a matter of hand or foot work but is instead bodywork. All of the energies can also be done at different rates of speed. The fastest of which is explosive energy or speed, termed Fa-Jing, but even slow has it's place in taijiquan.

There is a reason that the bagua is employed to teach taijiquan. The symbolism facilitates greater comprehension of the transmissions due to its aptitude. Moreover taijiquan is Taoist in principal. It is the system of the mother of yin and yang, this mother is taiji. Taiji only comes from wuji, which is undifferntiated and so can respond to anything as it lacks intention of its own. As is said in the Tao-De-Jing

Harmony is only in following the Way.

The Way is without form or quality,
But expresses all forms and qualities;
The Way is hidden and implicate,
But expresses all of nature;
The Way is unchanging,
But expresses all motion.

Beneath sensation and memory
The Way is the source of all the world.
How can I understand the source of the world?
By accepting.
..................

The Way has no true shape,
And therefore none can control it.
If a ruler could control the Way
All things would follow
In harmony with his desire,
And sweet rain would fall,
Effortlessly slaking every thirst.

The Way is shaped by use,
But then the shape is lost.
Do not hold fast to shapes
But let sensation flow into the world
As a river courses down to the sea.
....................

Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water,
Yet nothing can better overcome the hard and strong,
For they can neither control nor do away with it.

The soft overcomes the hard,
The yielding overcomes the strong;
Every person knows this,
But no one can practice it.

Who attends to the people would control the land and grain;
Who attends to the state would control the whole world;
Truth is easily hidden by rhetoric...

Indeed truth is hidden by rhetoric and a martial arts classic can be hidden in a work that seems to be merely a collection of rhetoric. However it is said by some that LaoTze, the author of this work, was a practioner of the ancestral art of Taijiquan. Hidden in his work are potent keys to understanding this martial art, and presented in a way that if the work falls into the hands of the uninitiated they will not comprehend it, but can still employ it as a work pertaining to ethics and action. However the double meaning of the work is profound and deliberate. The art it pertains to is not an art of violence, nor an art incapable of violence. It is concerned with self mastery and harmony, this way includes a martial path for to sustain health and allow self preservation, however if you practice a martial art in the open you attract challenges, to attract challenges involves risk, only a fool takes unneeded risks of violence. What is the point of learning to protect and defend the self if the result is increased risk? To practice the art in the open violates the very principals upon which it is founded. Thus it is hidden.

LaoTze went west, there he is said to have taught a young prince. The young prince founded teachings which included temple martial arts. His 28th successor in the line of transmission went east, this man was known to practice martial arts. He went to a temple in Shaolin, his name was Tao-mo aka Bodhidharma. The martial arts were still with the teachings then, however over time a man named Hui Neng came to the temple, the head patricarch of the temple found him worthy of the transmissions of the principals, for he alone understood at the time, however the transmission of the martial art did not take place. From that time the teachings spread widely without the martial art, but were found so relative to martial art that transmissions coming from Hui Neng were applied to martial arts thought even centuries later.

However a record of the martial art exists, in the form of statues and temple dance having martial meanings. The martial is hidden in the dances for the same reason that the martial teachings of the Tao-de-jing are concealed with rhetorical content and a form of code that is common to Chinese martial arts. The postures of the statues are 108 in number and form the basis of martial art and dance in the region where LaoTze is said to have ventured after leaving China. However the limitations of nationalism and borders has resulted in a veil obscuring the reality of the transmissions, every region claims them to be the original creation of the region and yet they are found all over. Even in the polynesian islands, where there martial dances with postures like those of the 108 statues and of taijiquan were said to have been taught to the people by a God of war whom visited from another culture.

When Arjuna recived the transmission of the martial arts from Indra, he was also taught dance at the same time. The dance is the gong of the art. Over time much has been lost, however much is still preserved for those meant to recieve the transmissions. It is not for convincing others that I share this information.

Neutralization

2009-08-17T09:27:00.000-07:00

The neutralization of attacks is a primary concern with taijiquan.

How though is one to neutralize extreme yang type energies?
The answer is of course in balance, extreme yang is defeated by extreme yin.
Yang is full and yin is void.

Consider a car speeding towards you as an example of extreme yang.
What is the ideal technique?

The answer is: empty space.

If we consider the teaching of the 13 postures also we know that there are preferred directions.
When extreme yang moves forward the reciprocal answer is moving right with extreme yin, this creates empty space and positions one out of the way.

You see, it is not possible to rollback a car. Nor are all human attacks able to be neutralized.

Some attacks can be very powerful and very fast. There are two ways to deal with them, the first is anticipation of the attack and preemptive defensive attack. This is the defense using offense principal. The second method of dealing with a powerful fast attack is to move out of the way into a position that has the advantage. If someone moves forward you move right, they have to turn left or move left to deal with someone having moved right. These position aspects of the 13 postures are almost like the game: paper, rock, scissors. Except we must keep in mind that some of the outcomes are dealt with not by a reciprocal energy, but by a lack of one, at least in the case of extreme yang nature attacks.

If two opponents or opposing energies (duifangs) face each other their interaction can be described by position/motion and energy. The system allowing this comprehension is the 13 postures. It allows those who practice it to be able to respond to the movement of the duifang in a way that can seem by some to be magical or based on some mystical energy, but the truth is that it is simple physics and cleverness that form the basis of the system. How it is used can vary, once comprehended the person who masters taijiquan can manifest the art in myriad ways including lethal, or non lethal. Taijiquan is neither a deadly martial art nor is it a non-deadly martial art, rather it is comprehension of the physics of violence in a physical manner that transcends the limitations of strength, speed and technique. This is not something that can be learned quickly.

There is a saying, in some taijiquan transmissions, that 3 years of kung-fu beats 10 years of taijiquan. This is because the skill set of taijiquan cannot be gained without much work and effort. However a practical skill set for fighting can be gained in 3 years using various strategies and techniques. For this reason many schools appear to supplement the taiji training with practices resembling Wing Chun or White Crane, focusing on attack and self defense skills while slowly building the real taiji skill set.

If someone learns what taiji is, they cannot use it. If they try to do it, they will only fail. Taiji is not done, rather it is like water, it has no intent of its own. It is undifferentiated and so can respond to anything, whereas having an intention is to have a distraction.

2009-08-16T14:03:00.000-07:00

The meaning of the 13 postures:
There are 5 positions or movements, forward, backward, left, right and center.
there are 8 energies, they are ward off, roll back, press, push, pluck, split, elbow, shoulder.

Together these are the 13 postures.
In their use the entire body acts as a single unit, this is key to comprehending their meaning.

The 5 position/directions have classically been given in terms of the 5 elements. The elements can be thought of as cycles and relationships. When we take these elemental attributes then functional relationships between the 5 positions become apparent.

Forward beats/controls backwards
Left beats/controls right
backwards beats/controls center
right beats/controls forward
center beats/controls left

However this in not in terms of footwork, for no part of the body moves independently. Rather these are the keys to neutralization. This pertains to all motion, not mere footwork. The hands, which do not act separately from the body in taijiquan move, or do not, they can never move in a way, or not move in a way, that cannot be thought of in terms of the 5 directions. For example one can employ Peng energy moving forward, back, to the right, or to the left, or hold it without movement.

For example according to these principals Peng (or expansion/pressure) forward is neutralized by Lu (or void/contraction) right.

The 8 energies can be divided into two main sets, the Yang set and the Yin set. I show there here with binary equivalents of the trigrams where yang is 1 and yin is 0.

The yang moves are:
Peng 111
Pluck 110
Elbow 011
press 010

While the Yin moves are:
Lu 000
Split 100
shoulder 001
push 101

It can be seen that only Peng and Lu are totally Yin or Yang.

The idea here is the functional relationships as can be seen by the column view:

111
110
011
010
101
001
100
000

This view allows one to see how the energies encompass a spectrum that together is complete.

And another way to represent the trigrams:
111 110 011 010
000 100 001 101
Here we can see the correlate values of the trigrams as pairs.

This is used in concert with the 5 position/directions.
for example the compliment of press is push. However that provides no information about position and movement relationships, that is to say it lacks direction. However by incorporating the 5 position/directions then we see that press forward is neutralized by push right. Push forward can be neutralized by press right and so on. There is actually no intention involved, only relationships of energy and position, the 5 positions and the 8 energies. This means that the theory, despite being sound, is worthless without practice. Merely knowing does nothing.

Implicitly there is no directionality to the 8 energies. Peng can be done in any direction, so can Lu, so can all of the energies, which are not techniques, but are found in all techniques. Moreover no move can be made which cannot be described by the 13 postures, thus they constitute a complete system that pertains to matching and meeting movement with reciprocal energies. Since this is essentially the relationship between yin and yang, and the art encompasses both at once in terms of comprehension, the art is the system of the mother of yin and yang. The mother of yin and yang is termed Taiji, while the system is termed quan. However the name of taijiquan has been mistranslated to no end as a literal claim that the art is the supreme ultimate fighting system. This betrays a lack of understanding of why it is Taijiquan, a name which has nothing to do with claims of it being the ultimate combat system.

as is said in the classics, up/down, left/right, it is all the same.
In this way the 5 position directions are not strictly those pertaining to a horizontal circle, there is no dictation about this rather the position/directions pertain to the relationship of movements and energies. For example when the opponent moves right, this is on your left, thus left beats/controls right.

The dynamic relationship of positions and energies that is the 13 postures can be understood only through the realization of the 13 postures with the other keys, which are found in the treatise of Chang Sang-feng. The translation I am drawing from was made by Yang Jwing-Ming.

Once in motion, every part of the body is light and agile and must be threaded together.

Qi should be full and stimulated, Shen (Spirit) should be retained internally.

No part should be defective, no part should be deficient or excessive, no part should be disconnected.

The root is at the feet, (Jin is) generated from the legs, controlled by the waist and expressed by the fingers. From the feet to the legs to the waist must be integrated, and one unified Qi. When moving forward or backward, you can catch the opportunity and gain the superior position.

If you fail to catch the opportunity and gain the superior position, your mind is scattered and your body is disordered. To solve this problem, you must look to the waist and legs.

Up and down, forward and backward, left and right, it's all the same. All of this is done with the Yi (Mind), not externally.

If there is a top, there is a bottom; if there is a front, there is a back; if there is a left, there is a right. If Yi (mind) wants to go upward, this implies considering downward. (This means) if (you) want to lift and defeat an opponent, you must first consider his root. When the opponent's root is broken, he will inevitably be defeated quickly and certainly.

Substantial and insubstantial must be clearly distinguished. Every part (of the body) has a substantial and insubstantial aspect. The entire body and all the joints should be threaded together without the slightest break.

There are many people using the name Taijiquan, however of people practicing taijiquan there are very few.
It is not a form, rather it is the martial system of the mother of yin and yang. It comes from wuji, a lack of intention or posture, for only from wuji is taiji possible. Very few people who practice taiji forms comprehend taiji, or even why it is called taijiquan. Some will surely never get it. Others will never be willing to put the work into the art that is required and instead choose to employ the superficial choreography of taijiquan to facilitate violence, never realizing that they have only the image of the art. Many confuse effectiveness with authenticity, or even confuse authenticity of taiji with form transmissions, never realizing that authenticity of taiji has nothing to do with forms or deadly results, it has to do with the principals of the art itself which make it taijiquan, if it lacks the principals then it is not taiji, no matter what.

2009-08-16T08:24:00.000-07:00

There is an Indian word: Maha
It means great, or ultimate.
If one translates it into Chinese then one
would not be mistaken to employ the term Taiji.
Maha is supreme, it is ultimate.

The Maha mantra is the ultimate mantra.
The Maharishi is the ultimate rishi.

The bagua is 8 fold.
The dharma is 8 fold.
Laozi left China and went to India.
There it is said by some that he taught a young prince.
The teachings involved can be found in the Hua Hu Ching.

press

2009-08-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

I have read that the move jie is not press but translates as squeeze.
However let us consider that a press is a machine which squeezes.
The move is not unlike a lever crushing something near the fulcrum.
Much like a grape in a book being squished.

Press is an appropriate translation if it is understood, but it is not if it is misunderstood.

No pushes?

2009-08-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

Some schools teach that taijiquan lacks pushes!
Others teach very little but pushes.

What is the place of the push in taijiquan?

In the case of Yang style taijiquan a push is the safest way to issue energy into a training partner. Pushes are also very common in actual fights, but no actual fight relies upon pushes in general.

Some schools teach pushing as a way to lead into other moves, the force of the push can also be directed at the ground. This is much like judo and aikijutsu, the throws that are common are rarely fatal and yet if the direction and angle of the throw are changed a little then the person thrown literally breaks on the ground or is severely disabled. In training the emphasis is on safety, this is true also for taiji. However the same moves that are safe bounces in the training can be used as exceedingly dangerous attacks. Moreover there are multiple methods for striking a downed opponent in taiji.

So what is the place of pushes in taiji? Certainly not as a primary technique, but there is definitely a place for them.

To even get to the point where a push is possible however many things need to happen. If the idea is that the duifang attacks and then gets pushed then disaster will occur when the duifang is of such skill that his attack cannot be neutralized. My teachers teacher gave a demonstration of applications once where he stated that if you always wait for an opponents attack then you will die, that sometimes in order to defend the self one must attack the attacker before he can complete his or her attack. Otherwise it will be to late to act.

So when it is said that there are no pushes in taijiquan, this is both true and not true. Taijiquan is not pushing, though in training it occurs a great deal, this is for a reason and not because pushing is the goal. The goal is to listen/stick/adhere/follow and to employ those skills, which can only be gained by practice, to create and utilize openings in your duifangs attacks and movements. However the difference between training situations and actual violent encounters should be considered. To seek to push is to have an intention all ones own, a person with intent cannot employ stick/adhere/listen/follow because they are preoccupied with thier intention of pushing.

So in a way there are no pushes in taijiquan, just like there are no applications. However this means that there is no set mental posture or by the numbers application, rather the possibilities are nearly limitless. The idea of no applications does not mean that taiji lacks applications, just that to have an application in mind means that there is no taiji, no relationship of yang and yin in regard to the moment. For taiji to be taiji it must encompass yang and yin, it must be undifferentiated and in the now, otherwise it is a pale imitation of the art regardless of how effective it is.

Whip

2009-08-15T07:23:00.000-07:00

If you have watched a whip being cracked you know how softness relates to speed.
A whip can only crack because it is flexible and soft, and in many cases tapered, this allows the force of the wave to be focused into a smaller and smaller area, resulting in an increase in frequency and speed of the wave form, the end result of course being that the movement of the whip itself exceeds the speed of sound.

With the water hammer phenomena the pulse of energy is propagated through the medium, rather than the medium moving with the pulse. With the whip the pulse is propagated by the medium moving with the wave. Both involve fluid dynamics, the whip acts in a fluid manner, so does the water. However while the whip moves with the wave, in the water hammer the motion of the wave does not involve the motion of the medium as a wave, the resulting difference being that the waterhammer pulse propagates at a much higher frequency than the whip is capable of entailing.

The power and velocity of the whip relates to how soft it is. If it is too soft it is hard to actuate, but if it is too stiff it will not be effective.

Many martial arts emphasis whip like movement involving a snap like recoil. This allows the move to have whip like impact. While this is effective, it is not the same as the water hammer effect where the pulse of energy is propagated internally in the medium while in the whip the medium itself moves with the propagation of energy.

With the whip the maximum force comes from the junction between the extension and the withdrawal phase, however the water hammer effect does not entail a withdrawal phase, it entails what looks to the eye to be a type of pause, in which the energy of momentum becomes concentrated and transmitted at a higher frequency than the initial movement. In a whip motion there is a visible withdrawal aspect, thus there is no pause for the energy to transmit, this has to do with the whip method entailing impact as it transmits force and the water hammer entailing established contact prior to transmission of force. Even if the whip is done in contact the effect will not be that of the water hammer effect because the dynamics involved are different.

Both the whip and the water hammer require a type of softness to work, however one employs stillness and the other does not. The water hammer uses stillness to change the surge of energy into a higher frequency, while the whip does not. Instead the frequency of the surge of the whip is increased by the taper of the whip which concentrates the motion into a tighter area, similar to the water hammer in principal but still worlds apart in manifestation.

The water hammer

2009-08-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

When a column of water is moving and the flow is shut off abruptly then the force of motion of the water continues in the form of a kinetic wave. This wave travels quickly, faster than the speed of sound. The result of this is that pipes can make loud noises and if the pressure of the wave exceeds their capacity then they burst, sometimes with fatal effect.
Water Hammer
The human body is mostly water.
If you surge forward and stop suddenly you can observe the kinetic wave continue.

This results in a wave of pressure and force. The momentum of the body can be transferred into this wave, which will not travel through tense muscle, so the body must be relaxed and fluid.

One of the key parts to this type of force is the shutting off of the valve. The time it takes to shut off the valve is a major factor in the amount of force that the wave contains. This type of force cannot be a function of muscular strength, which utilizes totally different methods of actuation in terms of kinetic impact.

Internal martial arts utilize this water hammer principal. This occurs by making the body unified as a whole, the rules of the harmonies relates to this, the body arrives together, the upper matching the lower, the left and right sides reciprocal. The rooting provides a brace that ensures the force is propagated and not dissipated. The pressure of movement is converted into a force totally different than movement itself.
To slap a heavy bag with the water hammer type energy does not result in the bag swinging like it has been punched, but the bag, and everything supporting it will shake with impact. The noise of impact is also much louder than with blunt impact type strikes.

If you hit a street light pole with this energy the pole will vibrate and move and your hand will not feel more than a slap sensation. Do it wrong and your hand will feel like it just hit non-moving steel and you may become injured, The key is the change of momentum into a wave of force that propagates at a much higher frequency than the initial momentum. This requires relaxation and proper technique, one does not merely hit things with a heavy hand, rather the method is subtle and involves shutting off the gate of momentum, while relaxed, thus allowing the wave of force to continue.

To the untrained eye the use of this force will not be detected.
On heavy bags the blow will seem weaker, because the force is propagated at such a high speed the bag quivers but does not swing as it does when hit or kicked using external energy. However the force does not move the bag so much as travel through the bag. In terms of martial use consider the skull, to impact the skull with a heavy external blow moves the entire skull, the same with the body. The power of impact becomes transferred into the momentum of the object. However if one uses the water hammer type energy the energy of impact does not move the skull, but goes into it. This can result in greater damage than rote impact physics, in ballistic terms the shockwaves are called hydrodynamic shock and this is an aspect of the water hammer effect.

If you train in water itself you can test the principal by slapping water with various methods, instead of displacing the water you want to send a pulse or wave through it. This is the same as with people and if you can direct the force then you can literally target internal organs. Instead of wasting time compressing the ribs, you can send energy right through them. While an external blow leaves a bruise on impact, because force is being absorbed that way, the internal blow leaves little if any mark, often just a fading red mark, because instead of the force being dissipated by impact it continues through.

The physical dynamics of this method are counter intuitive, rather than driving through the target, as is often the case with impact methods, one stops at contact, letting the force itself continue, not the weapon or limb involved. If the impacting body is rigid then it will absorb the force of the wave and the wave will be poorly propagated. Instead it must be as water, only the fluid softness of water will allow such energy to be propagated and transmitted.

2009-08-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

2009-08-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

fast and slow

2009-08-05T10:03:00.000-07:00

There are many different versions of taiji form origination tales.

I found one recently that was compelling.
http://www.chipellis.com/Writings/Fa%20Jing%20in%20Taijiquan.pdf

Tung Ying Chien and Yang Chen Fu collaborated on a "fast set" which was unfinished at
the time of Yang's death. Later Tung finished it. It is now taught by his grandsons Tung
Kai Ying and Dong Zeng Chen.

It has been claimed by some that Cheng-Fu invented the slow form. However here is a claim worthy of consideration that indicates that the fast form of Cheng-fu was his creation and the slow form was the transmission he recieved.

It is well known that Cheng-fu altered postures but how he altered pace is controversial subject.
Some claim that he took a fast form and slowed it down. This I do not believe, while it is true that many transmissions from Yang family members include fast forms in some cases: slow forms are also well conserved.

The credible source above indicates that among the alterations Cheng-fu was making to the from included an increase in pace, rather than a decrease in pace. Some claim that the fast pace is authentic and that the slow is not, however there are at least 3 accounts of where the Slow yang form came from.
They are as follows:
1 The slow form was invented by Cheng-fu who took a fast form and slowed it down.

2 The slow form was a secret Chen village form that was transmitted to Yang Luchan
2a the slow form is a modified version of a "slow" Chen village form that was split by Luchan into two forms, the Public and the Michuan, the slow long yang form being the Public version.

3 The slow form was transmitted to Luchan by Taoists after he sought the art that influenced Chen village, this version says that he was dissatisfied with Chen style and kept searching for the arts that it drew from and that he found them in the form of the same sect that the Chens had learned from. In other words this version says that Chen style is a combination of Taoist martial art and Shaolin, and that Luchan learned the Chen material and sought out the Taoist martial art which was transmitted to him by a disciple of Chang Sang Feng or even by CSF himself.

I think the least credible version is the first.

Ji

2009-07-25T20:39:00.000-07:00

I had read several times that press, or ji, is like those little steel ball desk toys where the end balls bounce eachother through all the other balls in between.
And on many levels I understood how the energy of one arm went through the other.
But what I did not realize is how far this transmission of energy from one limb, through another, can actually go.

For some time I have been practicing issuing force into objects of various textures, tones and flexibility. I found that there is a trick to sending energy into things, almost a frequency of strike that determines how the energy will go into, or bounce out of the object.

So recently I found that sharp energies, of the type that will ring steel like a bell, can be transmitted through a limb in a manner like press. Only the proper frequency will work, and there has to be something to transmit into after the limb that conducts. It is not the type of thing one can practice in the air, nor can slow forces capture it, it is truly something else to see.

Normally I can make a hand rail of steel wobble by striking it, but by striking it through one limb, I found that I could issue more force into it than by striking it with one hand alone. This is not the type of thing a heavy bag works well for and I am at a loss for word based explanation of how to learn this.

Whatever the case, the energy of press is amazing, almost incomprehensible even.

Open gates

2009-07-16T06:02:00.000-07:00

I have heard it said that every time someone strikes they have a vulnerability. I did not realize how true this was until the other day when I was doing push hands in the park. Every time my partner or I had an open door or gate we would remind each other with a friendly thump. But it got to the point that nearly every time there was an opening we got hit. Being jabbed in the side over and over is an educational experience.

It soon became clear that there was only one viable defense against many of the strikes, when the opponent moves to strike in the open door, you also move and arrive first. The best defense is often a good offense and this method was the only consistent way to avoid getting hit at specific points in the game. While aggressive techniques are often downplayed in taiji, when used properly they really command the situation and maintain initiative. To get caught up in defending began to result in failure over and over, instead the only viable defense for me was to quit responding to attacks by way of defense and respond with offense. The only way to do this was to stop being passive, instead of reacting I had to act like a cat, I got ready to pounce and instead of merely acting on my own I waited for the opening of the attack to present itself.

Every attack has a weak spot, a vulnerability, an open gate. This is yin and yang in a way, if the duifang hits high you hit low, if they hit left you hit right. I understand now why it is said that my opponent moves first and I arrive first, this is part of the brilliance of taijiquan, and without this understanding there is little that can be done against a skilled player. At least this has been my experience.

Quote

2009-07-09T13:33:00.000-07:00

It is said that to reach the depth of wushu, one has to learn widely. Only the devoted one will master the arts. The man, who has acquired very wide knowledge, spent regular time in wushu practice and training in the mornings and evenings, is able to achieve the peak of wushu in mind and body

8

2009-06-29T07:03:00.000-07:00

0 Wuji
1 Taiji
2 Yang |
3 Yin :

The energies of taijiquan are comprehensive developments of void and full, joining and dividing. To every yang motion there is a yin side, to every yin motion there is a yang side. The energies are not opposites but correlates that are inextricable like two sides of the same coin.

In any motion or transfer of energy there is a wave dynamic, the pressure of the wave is followed by the void of the wave, this pressure and void are inseparable. The pressure is yang to the void being yin, these two forces are present in all motion and transfer of energy. In taiji these concepts are often terms Peng and Lu, being explained as warding off and rolling back respectively. If you tie a rope to a doorknob or a tree and pull it out a bit and flick it you will see the wave travel through it, the pressure of the wave is expansion, this is Peng, however on the other side of the wave is the part where the rope falls back correlating to the pit pf the wave, this is Lu. This is the basic premise of taijiquans mechanics, it is amazingly simple and yet subtly profound in its realization.

Heaven/Yang
|||
|:|
||:
:||
|::
::|
:|:
:::
Earth/Yin

Initially then there are two basic energies, Peng | and Lu:, Yang and Yin respectively. However in combination you then have 2 more energies, |:| and :|:, that is Yang with yin and Yin with yang. These correlate to the energies of Ghee and An and one uses expansion energy in a retraction energy move and one uses retraction energy in an expansion energy move. This type of relationship is very simple yet allows profound employment in articulation and manipulations concerning force and movement. These also have correlates with weapons where the body posture changes slightly to allow the weapon to do what the hands did before as an extension of the whole body. Indeed the methods of taiji are whole body and the body must be united into a single functional unit that is neither too loose nor too tight. It a way it must be like a rope, a rope is woven tightly, this makes it strong in a way that allows it to be loose, despite being woven tightly a rope is relaxed, this allows it to dissipate tension.

Taiji also consists of uniting and dividing in a way that alters the very center of gravity of things, several martial arts employ such methods including Aikido and Judo. By joining with mass of another object in a gentle way we can alter both the center of gravity of that object and the path it will take in relation to the momentm of the object. In taiji we use the void and full energies to accomplish this, however taiji is not limited to this type of application and redirecting energy is only one facet of the martial science that is Taijiquan.

Martial science verses Martial art

2009-06-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

The term of martial art is something I realized I want to move away from. First of all I am not a martial artist and second of all it is not the art that I am interested in, nor do I appreciate it.

Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning "knowledge") refers to any systematic knowledge-base or prescriptive practice that is capable of resulting in a prediction or predictable type of outcome. In this sense, science may refer to a highly skilled technique or practice

Indeed it is the science of taijiquan that interests me, not the art. This is because there is a science to playing taiji that relates to a predictable outcome. In a martial venture what could be more desirable?

Now that martial arts are known as arts, they have become frivolous, often empty of martial content and full of superficial flash and stylized movements. People concerned with being martial artists are more concerned with how they look doing something, or how a move looks than they are concerned with a personal achievement. Art is not always superficial, but it often is, and more than that when we do enjoy art seldom is it the enjoyment of something that is an exact imitation of another thing, rather we enjoy the uniqueness and the personal experience involved. And yet how many martial artists are just going through motions? How many of them are performance artists concerned with impressing others with the appearance of their skill? How many of them are trying to do the moves by the numbers in the way they are expected to?

Those of you familiar with the histories, do you think that Yang Luchan was concerned with the image of taijiquan? I would say absolutely not, that he was concerned with the science of it and that the man was for all intents and purposes not a martial artist but was rather a martial scientist.

I have chosen to move away from martial arts in a conceptual sense and focus on martial science. After all I am not concerned with performing or impressing, I am concerned with the refinement of skill and personal development in a way that the concept of martial art fails to entail. Much of the content of this blog will endeavor to work towards this understanding, which is beyond images and opinions and comes down to very simple terms. These terms are testability and falsification and indeed if these terms do not apply then how can there be a science or even a consistent approach?

Lets face it, art is hit or miss. A science is far more exact and leads to clear understandings and new questions. Science most of all self corrects and assumes nothing, knowing full well all knowledge is relative and subject to change. An art is a matter of opinion, however opinion is worthless in science as is any preconception which hinders the ability to observe as objectively as possible and that is what this also comes down to, martial objectivity, something most martial artists know nothing about. When was the last time you met a martial artist with an open mind about other styles? Instead they all have opinions that they try to apply to every person doing a style. People from one style often claim that they can defeat another style and yet any contest is an event independent of the continuity and integrity of any specific style. A contest is never between styles, only between people and most of all between self and self.

What is the point of martial science? Partly to dispel martial ignorance found in things like unrealistic claims and expectations. This at least is a primary goal here now, to dispel martial myths perpetuated by martial artists by recognizing that objectivity is the only mental tool that allows clarity. Abandon preconception and prejudicial opinion and begin observing. Cleverness has no place in martial science either, or like martial artists we will end up just outwitting ourselves.

Chen Style Guan-dao form

2009-06-24T13:56:00.000-07:00

2009-06-23T16:23:00.000-07:00

Exhibition of the forms that inspire me or provoke thought is a primary goal of this blog.
It is for those who read movement and practice taiji without preconception, not for impressing those who are stuck in their ways or convincing stylists to switch or insult forms.

13 spear Yang

2009-06-23T16:22:00.001-07:00

I love this, very energetic but still flowing.

Yang style pole form

2009-06-23T16:10:00.001-07:00

I found this to be a lovely demonstration.

Applications

2009-06-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

This style is that of Chen Man-Ching.
The applications are very curious.

Personal experience

2009-06-23T08:08:00.001-07:00

I was turned on to the idea of writing more from the perspective of personal experience by an article at Martial Development a blog I enjoy reading.

As a taiji enthusiast I focus on work other than forms. I do lots of moves from forms, but don't endorse any single form or even hold the opinion that forms are ideal for practice of taiji.

In preparation for a series of articles on Taiji people who I find inspiring I was able to speak with one of my favorite taiji enthusiasts, Scott M Rodell of the GRTC. In our conversation he espoused a view that one of the keys to success is to learn a move, typically from a form, practice it slow and then learn to speed it up and use it with proper force and then to work on the timing of it. It seems to me this is the most practical way to develop real skill. In my experience a focus on this type of training can be very hard when you are focused on doing a form. Rejecting a form outright would be naive, however the real content in the form would appear to be the blocks or bricks it is made of so to speak, these are those techniques that can be practiced and learned properly.

My own practice consists of taking pieces of form and working on them. I focus primarily upon grasp the sparrows tail, this set of movement is hands down my favorite sequence in the form. Much of my practice of form stuff consists of stuff from the form put together in a different way. For example yesterday I was having fun with snake creeps down moving directly into a low shoulder. This is not in the form as a sequence, but all of the involved moves are in the form and in my experience every move in the form can lead to another move.
Which leads me to my observations about the energies of the form.

In my experience the yang public form is remarkably simple and straightforward in it's energies. The primary form I draw from was passed down through Chen Wei-ming to reach me. My teacher of the moves of this form, and the man who gave me my first initiation into how taiji feels is Art Barret. I won't tell you he is some super duper master who can shoot chi bolts from his finger, rather he is just a human being who has been practicing various aspects of taijiquan for about 30 years now. I have found working with him to be inspiring.

As I was mentioning, I find the moves of taiji to be remarkable straightforward, however they require a great deal of practice. Understanding them is not enough, but it is important to be able to get the most out of practice. In my experience practicing these energies in various combinations is what the form is all about, and this is something we can realize to the extent that we can create our own spontaneous forms from the basic building blocks we have mastered through diligent practice. I have noted that students of the old Yangs often differ in the forms they practice. I hope this has been illustrated well in this Blog, to me it is clear that that the Yangs were not concerned with choreography so much as skill.

I was told recently by one skilled taijiquan enthusiast and instructor that practice matters more than transmission to a large degree. To paraphrase what he said; if you are more concerned with the minor details of how your instructor told you to do a move 30 years ago, than you are with practical application practice like push hands and 2 man drills, then your skill is going to suffer. In this we can examine the old adage of relaxation and realize that it can apply just as much to the mind as to the body in taijiquan.

I've learned to read forms of various arts and see past the details to the real content. The exact position of the feet and hands, when the hand turns over etc, these things are trivial compared to the real content. This is why teachers often move in a way that students don't, the students often see the goal as to learn to imitate the moves in an exact manner, however the goal seems to be more about learning the energies behind the moves than learning any orthodox technique. Because of this I find it to be a very shallow and often meaningless thing to critisize the appearance of a form and I know that the eye cannot pick up the real content of taijiquan.

It is my opinion that there are many good forms out there for taiji. Short or long, 2 man or 1, open hand or weapons, easy or hard, they are all excellent if you approach them right and they are all capable of becoming an obstacle to skill if you approach them wrong. I would endeavor to emphasize that learning the choreography is secondary to learning the energies. In many cases people fail to learn the energies but they learn the choreography quite well, however then they practice the moves incorrectly because they do not understand. That is because the energies lead to understanding of the form, but I believe the form does not lead to understanding of the energies. This is because as was mentioned earlier, the way to skill is through practicing the moves in a progressive way, speeding them up and working with them at real timing, this is done one energy and move at a time. It is not done through the form, I think teachers who focus on forms above other types of practice should be rejected by all of those who want to develop taiji skill.

The other day I was practicing single whip on a tree and a man asked me what belt I was working towards.
It occurred to me how alien his assumption may be to my way of thinking, after all I am not in a school, I have no formal teacher, and I do not desire a rank, rather I seek to obtain skill that I can recognize. Why would I require a formal setting or even seek one out then? I was not trying to achieve a belt, but my goal was to strike the tree properly, there was no scheme or plan related to this and each blow was another goal in this series. I see the entire world as my training place and class is always in session. I use this to practice endlessly, and what I practice is not a form, but the energies of the form. Taiji then becomes a way of life, and not just in a physical sense, but in a mental sense, and that is my personal experience.

Alternative logo

2009-06-09T09:30:00.000-07:00

This is another logo that has the built in symbolism of wuji, to taiji of yin and yang and the bagua. Just playing around with the logo in the previous post.

Taiji bagua logo

2009-06-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

I designed a taiji logo from an old taiji symbol and the trigrams to create an original logo for the taijiquan club that my friend and I have been developing. It serves to capture the essence I feel is important as a symbol and likewise serves to distance our group from the more conventional taiji and the common two fishes symbol. Here the trigrams sets can be seen as complimentary pairs of a dual and harmonious nature, as opposed to being opposites of a conflicting nature. The idea being that yin and yang are not separate properties that oppose, but are rather a relationship between reciprocal energies that are inextricably linked.

2009-05-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

This upbeat, albeit French song bearing clip is almost 10 minutes of a workshop by Wang Yen-Nien, pupil of Zhang Qin-Lin. Wang Yen-Nien was behind many of the Michuan transmissions and thanks to him and those who sought him out and worked with him the Michuan taijiquan tradition will endure.

The michuan tradition apparently originates with Yang Luchan who in the employment of the Manchu Rulers of the late Qing chose to keep some of his teaching secret from his employers and thus creates and passed along to his sons a secret style of taijiquan, while he created another form for his employers which in modified version is the Yang long form that passed through Cheng-fu, who it would appear never received the Michuan teachings from his father.
Instead his father chose to impart their knowledge to pupil of Cheng-fu whom he approved of greatly, this mans name was Zhang Qin-lin and he won an 0pen fighting tournament in which life was lost, using taijiquan. He retired as a taoist and Wang Yen-Nien met him when Yen-Nien was still a child.

Taiji master TT Liang

2009-05-30T12:42:00.000-07:00

Michuan Taijiquan 1st section

2009-05-30T12:39:00.000-07:00

This is the 1st section of the Michuan taijiquan form by a man who was a student of Wang Yen-Nien for over 50 years:

Kunlun Jian

2009-05-30T12:36:00.000-07:00

By the ineffable Albert Efimov, A jian form said to be from the Yang Jia Michuan tajiquan tradition.

Sun Jian form

2009-05-30T12:33:00.001-07:00

This form is the Sun Style taiji version of bagua jian being done by Sun Jianyun.

Sun Style Taijiquan

2009-05-30T12:25:00.000-07:00

This is sun style by Wang Yanji.
It incorporates Wu Hao taijiquan with xing-yi and bagua and was put together by Sun Lutang.

Wu hao Taijiquan

2009-05-30T12:21:00.000-07:00

This is Wu Hao style taijiquan.
It comes from a man who was a student of Yang Luchan who also went to learn at Chen Village at one point.
It is this type of taiji that was adapted by Sun Lutang into his Sun style Taijiquan.

Small frame

2009-05-30T12:18:00.001-07:00

This Yang form is small frame. This elderly gentleman is a student of one of Yang Ban Hou's pupils:

Large low frame form

2009-05-30T12:13:00.000-07:00

Wu Tunan is said to have mentioned that the Yangs made him do a very low form under a table.
Yang Luchan was known to be able to apply taiji to below the knee.
The form below is associated with Yang Ban Hou and is very much consistent with the claims above:

Sim Pooh Ho

2009-05-30T12:10:00.001-07:00

Here is a student of Wu Tunan doing a taiji form. This one appears to be a version of Yang style coming from Shao Hou, said to be like that of Ban Hou.

Form=Dance

2009-05-30T09:35:00.000-07:00

If you translated the term form into another language, it could easily be conveyed as a dance.
This is because form and dance are both typically choreographed sequence.

What is the difference between learning a taijiform and learning to dance?
Who said there is a difference, they are the same.

In the old method of learning taiji, the body was trained and techniques were learned sequentially. This resulted in the skill so renown of taiji generations past.

The modern method of teaching is now to learn to dance, to learn a form and then try to use the form as a tool to learn the moves, this approach is nearly the exact opposite to the traditional method. This is because the dance of the original forms was too difficult to learn up front, and because the forms did not form the basis of traditional training. Form based training leaves out so many important things it is not worth the time to list them all, needless to say that learning to practice a dance and learning to practice a form are the same and should not be confused with learning to practice a martial art.

Forms are a type of practice and are designed to refine skills over time, however the skills they refine are introduced one at a time. The traditional methods involve getting the skills and methods down one at a time, when this aspect of training is complete the skills can be strung together in the form properly without error. In many modern and non-traditional schools there is the idea that you learn taijiquan by learning a form, this is not only false, it results in very poor skill levels compared to the traditional method. The problem is that form corrections do not work, breaking a habit is next to impossible, the only solution is to begin training all over again and with a proper method.

Doing things the wrong way over and over, contrary to popular belief, does not lead to learning the right way to do it, rather it is teaching the body to do them wrong. The idea that you practice a form and learn new ways to do the same moves over time is a very poor idea. This is not how the art was mastered in the past, but it is how many people ruin their ability to master the art in modern times. Part of this is because the skills that are found in the forms of taiji are not those that can be seen, they are essentially unseen forces that the student must have introduction to first, before form training begins.

A more traditional approach to learning taijiquan from the form is to take the very first move and learn it by doing it properly many thousands of times. This cannot be done from a book or a video because it requires a transmission that can only be felt, the explanations of what is going on are worthless to the eye, only knowing how they feel will allow the proper approach. This is the only way to unlock a form, because the transmission is the key. Once the first move is learned properly, and this cannot be determined by the student, only then is the student ready to move on to the next part of the form.

When taiji began to be taught to the public instead of just soldiers and martial artists, the method of teaching had to be changed drastically. Cheng-fu found that many people demanded to learn the form up front, however this cannot be done with the proper form, so he simplified it and made it easier. His refinements eventually took into consideration his massive stature, later postures of his taking into account his very large belly which got in the way of some of the more traditional movements. Despite these alteration the form was still too difficult, at one point a friend and student of his modified the form to make it even shorter and more easy, so as to enable the soldiers who were learning the form during the several weeks of training they had at the University where Cheng-fu and others were teaching, to be able to learn the form more easily. The name of the man who came up with the condensed form for the fast paced conveyor-belt setting of the University was Chen Man-Ching, a rather well known enthusiast of taiji.

Now the condensed form of Chen Man-Ching is among the most widely practiced forms, particularly for the conditioning effects it has upon the body. It is a healthy form, however it is not traditional to learn taiji through learning a form and thus the students of Chen Man-Ching that are the most renown, like William CC Chen and TT Liang, sought out and added much more to their own practice and transmissions than was passed to them by Man-Ching himself. Thus many years later many schools are found that employ the condensed form of Man-Ching while still training in a manner closer to the traditional methods than the modern form based training. However there are also groups which employ his form as the foundation of their understanding and do not employ more traditional practices. Also there are those who think that they can learn taiji from books containing forms, among these are Man-Chings own work, however without the transmission of an authentic line the unseen forces of taijiquan cannot be appreciated.

It is my belief that the 108 karanas were the original martial art posture. The training method in which they were mastered in very close to that of traditional posture training in martial arts. There are also many other similarities. What seems apparent to me is that the 108 karanas contain versions of all of the taiji postures and more and that having reviewed this for a few years now it is also apparent that taijiquan appears to be a refined version of a reduced set of karana postures. The karana postures were used for both dance and martial art. One of the frequent notions of Hindu art containing these postures is that they show dancing, even though such dancing frequently involved weapons and the Hindu classics clearly relate dancing to the martial arts. However many so called experts on India from the west have repeatedly failed to note this connection between dance and martial arts.

Many of the previous posts here illustrate martial dances that appear to have spread out across Asia from India over the last 3000 years. They almost all involve variations of the same posture and slow movement for training and fast movement for application. In many cases the costume of the dancer is based on ancient armor and in many cultures there is a connection between warrior and dance, Japan is a good example of this and the influence of vedic tradition in Japan is also rather apparent.

Over time I have come to see that many dances are more martial than are realized, and many martial forms are more dance like than realized. In the end form equals dance and dance is just form and skill does not come from knowing the choreography, it comes from mastering the moves themselves.

Wu Tunan

2009-05-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

This mans taiji is very nice. He was a student of Yang Shao Hou.
Note his precision when he is moving fast.
I believe that in at least one of these videos he is over 100 years old.
For a long time the Yang Family denied his authenticity, however records clearly show that he is indeed authentic and the Yang Family now acknowledges that he is the real deal.

Unseen forces

2009-05-29T21:14:00.000-07:00

The slow movement found in taijiquan can be hard to understand from an outsider point of view. It is natural to want to speed the motion up, and it is true that this is done in application, however to speed up the motions can also create terrible misunderstanding about the nature of the use of force and energy in taijiquan.

Taiji is all about the conservation and utilization of momentum, to be able to do this a comprehensive understanding of the nature of force must be had. For example expansion has retraction on the other side of it, this is because there are complimentary pairs which are thought of in terms of Yin and Yang. However do not let this mislead you, there are no things that are yin, or yang, because these terms illustrate a relationship between these two qualities, thus they do not exist independently of each other. Some people may tell you that slow movement is yin and fast is yang, however this not the case because yin and yang are not properties, they are a relationship.

In the use of energy and force there is essentially a kinetic wave involved. In taijiquan this kinetic wave is generated, manipulated and transmitted in a way unique to the art. The methods involved are not such as can be conveyed by any text or image or information. While they involve a profound understanding of force and superb use of body mechanics, this understanding and use cannot be seen or explained. No eye can pick up this comprehension of force.

Involved in this methodology is a form of conservation of momentum that plays a pivotal role in the movements found in the various taijiforms. The aspect of flowing requires this conservation of the kinetic wave and this skill can be quite hard to see. When the movement is slow and continuous the momentum of the techniques flows from one to the next, however when we speed them up improperly something happens that changes this effect and can lead to trouble. When we move quickly our ability to conserve the momentum becomes challenged and we must use extra force and tension to hold back our movements. You can feel this if you punch the air as loose as you can in front of you, but with speed. When your strike reaches the end of the travel the force of it becomes absorbed by the body, it simply cannot push enough air to be able to issue or transmit the force of the wave fully into the air, nor can it simply be controlled and the momentum conserved the way a slow movement easily allows.

The problem with this fast motion in the air is that it trains the body to do the wrong thing. This does not mean there is not a proper way to do the taiji moves fast and conserve the momentum, however the vast majority of fast movements seen in modern schools do not display proper technique in this regard. It may never even become apparent that the movements being practiced do not transmit force, because they still impact with force, however there is a very large difference between kinetic impact and the transmission of a kinetic wave. Kinetic impact for example can be trained for with a heavy bag, this is not the case with the kinetic wave. When you transmit force properly none of it is retained, this requires a type of relaxation that cannot be had with uncontrolled sneeze like movements whose kinetic wave is absorbed by the body. Performing the moves this way looks very impressive to others, however it trains the body to reflexively absorb a great deal of the force of strikes this is both inefficient and contrary to the principals of taijiquan.

By practicing slowly the foundational skills are learned properly, the body learns what to do. By speeding up the movement, particularly for beginners, we can create more problems than we can solve. It can be very hard to beginners to be able to conserve the momentum of their motion in fast forms and this can lead to problems understanding the techniques. This is because faster motion requires more effort and tension.

One common taiji myth is that you can get better at something without practicing it. This myth knows no limit but a common version is that by practicing one so called harder motion, then a simpler motion is learned, even though the simple version is not being practiced. However the body shall always defy such logic and it will simply learn what it does. You cannot learn to transmit a wave of kinetic force by any method other than practicing to do it. This does mean that one will learn to speed things up, and that one must learn real speed timing for the moves, however this should not be done until the slow movements can be done properly, and it cannot be done by practicing the wrong moves fast.

There is the idea that if you practice a form incorrectly that this is ok and then you can get corrections later. This is not true, you will only build bad habits and correcting a habit is much, much harder than learning a technique. Likewise there is the idea that practicing a form will allow you to learn taijiquan, this is also not true. By practicing a form we learn to do a form, doing a form is not practicing taijiquan, it is only practicing a taijiquan form. The form is not enough, and worse the image of the form is far, far too little. The real forces and skills of taijiquan are unseen forces, they cannot be learned through imitating the motion of others. They cannot be learned from a book or video, they require transmission and practice of many aspects of their refinement.

2009-05-16T16:35:00.000-07:00

Vajra

2009-05-16T10:35:00.000-07:00

Have you ever tried to grasp the sparrows tale?

The names of form sequences often seem peculiar, sometimes people don't like them, many ignore them, redefine them, or throw them away.

Why do so many martial arts bear similar named sequence patterns? Why give a move the name, monkey steals peach? Why not call it man attacks genitals? What is the reason? To be secret? As a disguise?

Perhaps, just maybe, the descriptive names of the moves pertain to a little bit more than secrecy, but lets not count that out. What can we find in the funny little names and poetic descriptions that are not found in straightforward descriptions of the same movement?

The answer, as obvious as it is sublte is: attitude. Consider the monkey stealing a peach, monkeys evoke concepts of deftness, agility and cunning, maybe even an unpredictable playfulness, the attitude behind the name monkey steals peach speaks volumes, while to say man attacks genitals has no attitude, it has no flavor to it, in short it has no soul.

And what does a soul need?
That's right, Salvation!

Why?

Because the soul of martial arts is not immortal. This vital soul, this attitude is none other than what allows the expression of martial arts as a manifestation of the persona of the artist, without this personal expression there is no art. If there is no art, there is no martial art as that the flavor, the very soul is absent. The flavor of your expression is unique, the soul of your art is a facet of your own.

There is a difference between grasping the sparrows tale and performing grasp the sparrows tail after all, one is art, the other is dead movement, just empty choreography even if it is martial and deadly it is not art. The test of a martial art is not found in the martial it is found in the art, this subtlety goes all but unnoticed in these modern days. Art is about the very nature of the human experience, it can lead to enlightenment and it connects with the passion of individual. The martial is just violence, it is harming others, it has no soul, no attitude, no flavor but that of blood and the thirst for it. Without the martial, the art is nothing, but without the art the martial is but a road to the grave.

For the art to endure, you must endure.
The stake of the very soul of your martial art rest in your capable hands in every move you make.

Indeed: Have you ever tried to grasp the sparrows tale?

More egyptian martial dance

2009-04-04T17:39:00.001-07:00

Tahtib

2009-04-04T17:34:00.000-07:00

Here is another musical martial dance tradition, this time from Egypt.

Sword dance from Java

2009-03-09T09:03:00.000-07:00

This is another fine example of traditional dance sequence containing martial elements.

2009-03-08T09:50:00.000-07:00

Here is another art rich in choreographed sequence from India, this is Silambam:

2009-03-07T16:29:00.000-08:00

Nearly all traditional dances from predominantly Buddhist areas conserve these same elements. One of the other conserved elements relating to the dance are mudras, hand symbols used for martial, spiritual and physical purposes. Likewise conserved are elements of costume and association of the dances with temples and royal courts. Many of the dance costumes still involve armor! Frequently they involve weapons as well. One might examine the symbols of buddhism, they tend to be the Dharma wheel which is the vedic chakra weapon which also contains 8 parts, much like bagua having 8 trigrams. Another symbol is the sword of Buddha, this one takes a bit of logical contortion to consider it as non-martial. Another symbol is the vajra, the thunderbolt of Indra. Later I will be pointing out the conservation of the Vajra symbol in global culture for now however I'd like to focus on the martial, spiritual and symbolic aspects of traditional dance in India and Asia.

In contrast with this are Polynesian war dances which contain martial elements yet are constructed differently, as well as contemporary or modern dance which lacks martial elements.

2009-03-07T16:20:00.000-08:00

Here is a Laotian dance with several taiji like elements and seemingly related to Indian dance and spiritual traditions:
Part 1

Note the weight changes and how the arm motions are powered by the waist and body. Some of the motions look similar to silk reeling exercises of Taijiquan.

Part 2

Note the Yin/Yang like symbolic balance of the arms in many of these dances.

2009-03-07T16:04:00.000-08:00

Burmese dance Mudras are very interesting, please compare the hand postures and gestures of the following links with those of the statue of buddha and Taiji-quan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUemZjq9FPo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iUGpxBT4Zs

2009-03-07T15:47:00.000-08:00

As Hindu and Buddhist religions came to influence Asiatic culture the martial arts aspects were also shared, included in this is the role of dance and martial art. Many cultures in Asia have dances today that appear to relate to this era.
Here is a Sword Dance from Thailand:

it is easy to see how a dance serves the same purpose as form and kata, while remaining often more formal and incorporating elements of timing and expression in a way that Kata and form cannot easily encompass.
Here is another martial dance from Thailand used in Muay Thai:

It has many common elements with Indian dancing as do many Thai dances. Some Thai dances even depict Shiva with masks and Bharata, the sage who wrote the Indian classic on performance art which states that the dances are as martial as they are entertaining, and spiritual as well. Note how the postures of the fighters in the video above are somewhat reminicent of the Dancing Shiva, Lord Nataraja.

Rama who weilds the axe

2009-03-07T13:00:00.000-08:00

The founder of Kalari is a man named Parashurama. he was a Shiva devotee who is said to have been trained in martial arts by Shiva himself. Shiva is God of rhythm, timing, martial arts and music among other things.

It is said Parashurama founded many temples (of Shiva) and founded the martial art as a means for allowing the devotees at the temples to be able to defend themselves as well as to be able to maintain their health.
It is said he also made or commissioned statues, statues which bear postures as a means of preserving specific instructions.

Parashurama is said to be alive today, being an immortal Avatar (the sixth) of Vishnu. The Mahabharata tells that in a certain location he appears twice a month and can be consulted by those who seek him. He is said to be the one who will instruct Kalki in martial arts in the Kali yuga.

More Kalari part 2

2009-03-07T12:54:00.000-08:00

Some practitioners of taijiquan may note numerous similarities in the concepts, practices, movement technology and teaching methods of kalari to their own art. What may not be obvious is that the symbolism and terminology are also highly analogous. Kalari draws from the 108 postures that are also at the root of the Natya dance. Legend has it that when Arjuna was trained in celestial weapons by Indra himself, he was also trained in dance. This is like being taught applications and a form to practice and refine the jings or energies.

One may also note that kalari has meridian based vital point striking nearly identical to the Chinese daoist systems.

More Kalari

2009-03-07T12:24:00.000-08:00

Note in the intro the postures and motions. These are quite like very fast taijiquan.

Tandava of Shiva

2009-03-07T12:15:00.000-08:00

Like many Indian dances this one is built around martial motion and postures.
Like martial arts the dances are used as systemic ways to develop the mind, body and spirit.

They also tell a story, teaching the dancer to use posture to affect a viewer, it is said that when one is ready observing the dance can lead to enlightenment.

Silat

2009-03-07T12:09:00.000-08:00

Bridging the gap between dance and martial practice.

fa-jin of bear and lion

2009-03-07T11:42:00.001-08:00

Wang Jie/ Wang Chieh

2009-03-07T11:35:00.001-08:00

2009-03-07T11:31:00.001-08:00

2009-03-07T08:29:00.000-08:00

He who holds the great symbol,
will attract all things to him.
They flock to him and receive no harm,
for in him they find peace, security and happiness.

Music and dainty dishes can only make a passing guest pause.
But the words of Tao possess lasting effects,
though they are mild and flavorless,
though they appeal neither to the eye nor to the ear.

Self defense

2009-03-06T07:11:00.001-08:00

In martial art there is a lot of talk about self defense.
Who does the average person need defense from?
The answer might surprise you, they need defense from themselves.
It's true we are the biggest threat we face, from our habits, to our thoughts no greater threat to ourselves exists than us.

Go to a public place full of people and look around. What is the average person in danger from?
What we eat, what we do and how we do it, what we think and why all pose greater threats to us in a day to day setting than any imaginary mugger or bad guy.

When people think self defense they often imagine situations where a gun will help them. Will a gun protect you from heart disease from eating fast food? Will it protect you from lack of exercise?
Martial arts can help you learn to defend yourself from your own worst enemy, yourself!

It is true that martial techniques can be used to fight, even to fight to protect your life, but there is more to martial self defense than violence. With a martial art you learn discipline and develop self control. While learning to protect yourself from those who would harm you, you discover the real threat to your health and security comes from within. It is true that there are people who want to harm others, but these people are bigger threats to themselves, just like you are!

The next time you hear or read someone talking about self defense and martial arts consider whether the person is able to defend themselves against having a sour attitude or being easily offended. Consider if the art teaches defense against poor judgment and aggressive personality. I'll tell you the truth, harming others, even in self defense is easy, that side of self defense is not a challenge compared to real honest self defense: defense against yourself.

Jian

2009-03-05T10:40:00.001-08:00

Wuji

2009-03-05T09:39:00.000-08:00

Wuji and taiji are inseparable, yet the 13 postures are seldom called wujiquan while often called taijiquan. Wu is void while tai is full, like two sides of one coin one cannot be without the other.
This blog is to encompass this unity and provide expression of the less well known aspects of non-western Martial Arts.

As far as my own practice, I would rather this be called Wujiquan than Taijiquan, the latter tends to be very poorly translated in the west while the former still conveys the subtle aspects that are at the core of Taoist philosophy and martial arts related to such philosophy.

I also wish to demonstrate the relationship of Taoist and Buddhist martial arts and spiritual traditions with the Vedic traditions. I also seek to illustrate that these and other traditions are an important part of our global heritage and not restricted in their relevance to any particular skin color, family line or caste, religious affiliation or global region.