ɪ ᴅɪᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴘᴏꜱᴛ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴏᴜᴛ ᴛᴀᴇ ᴋᴡᴏɴ ᴅᴏ, ɪ ᴘᴏꜱᴛᴇᴅ ɪᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇᴍᴏɴꜱᴛʀᴀᴛᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪꜰꜰᴇʀᴇɴᴄᴇ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ "ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛᴜᴍ ꜰᴏʀᴄᴇ" ᴀɴᴅ "ɪɴᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ ꜰᴏʀᴄᴇ" ɪɴ ᴄʟᴀꜱꜱɪᴄᴀʟ ᴛᴀɪ ᴄʜɪ
Classical Tai Chi Blog
Blogging about Classical Tai Chi in California
Thursday, April 18, 2024
Internal Force is not Momentum Force
ɪ ᴅɪᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴘᴏꜱᴛ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴏᴜᴛ ᴛᴀᴇ ᴋᴡᴏɴ ᴅᴏ, ɪ ᴘᴏꜱᴛᴇᴅ ɪᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇᴍᴏɴꜱᴛʀᴀᴛᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪꜰꜰᴇʀᴇɴᴄᴇ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ "ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛᴜᴍ ꜰᴏʀᴄᴇ" ᴀɴᴅ "ɪɴᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ ꜰᴏʀᴄᴇ" ɪɴ ᴄʟᴀꜱꜱɪᴄᴀʟ ᴛᴀɪ ᴄʜɪ
Monday, April 8, 2024
Connect arm movements with Torso movements
Tuesday, February 13, 2024
Glib
https://youtu.be/Prtux8S7ITw?si=wQMe4UE
I wonder why is there so much glibness in an advanced democracy? I have met so many people who treat even something like this so simplistically! Is it simply your perception that turning from the hips is the way to do it? Watching the befuddled faces seems to echo that. A simple experiment of turning above the pelvis and then below the pelvis, as shown, would test the veracity of whether one feels something or feels nothing.
Isn't it also medical evidence that the pelvis/hips are significant joints in the body? Isn't it also a mechanical fact that “fulcrum” capability differs depending on distance factors? Accepting that evidence, isn't it logical reasoning that tells us the hips cannot turn by themselves but need to be powered by something else?
Because your feet are so close together in this case, the hips turn by first turning the waist, which then turns the hips....the reverse order cannot work. In the case of taking a more extensive, sometimes much larger step size, isn't it then the pushing down of the feet generating power into the legs that turn the hips?
Glib does indeed win superficially. If I had to guess, it is just more accessible for people to eschew logic and as well to be simplistic, aka glib in some explanation, and say, "The hips generate all movement".
Thursday, February 8, 2024
Is it internal or not?
How do you know you are doing "internal"? Well, you CAN see "internal" movement on Master Hwa since he does not wear one of those Tai Chi uniforms so big it makes a tentmaker envious. So, if you can see it on Master Hwa, but some teachers say you can't catch it on them, others, or yourself, how do you know? Why not ask why you can't see it instead of "believing" a teacher? Then, ask what can I do to "get it"?
In Classical Tai Chi, you know that you are doing "internal" by self-examination (seeing) where the movement originates in your body's torso. You know whether anyone is doing "internal" by examining (seeing) their movements. You can observe these things in your body, but as you progress, you can feel (tactile) whether the movement originates inside or outside the torso.
Master Wu Chien Chuan passed this on. Every move has to have yin and yang (not moving and moving) parts of the body, and those are either in the torso (internal), or they are not (external). The moving and not moving parts form a "junction" called a Yin/Yang pair. One part of the "pair" moves, and the other does not.
Much Tai Chi says it is "internal," but ask yourself the following question when you see it: Is the movement originating in the torso or an extremity outside the torso, such as arms, legs, etc.? You also have to reckon with the fact that any "extremity" is the furthest point or limit of something and that internal is situated on the inside.
Sunday, January 21, 2024
Tai Chi with a "McDonald's" Mentality
Hello,
Tuesday, January 9, 2024
Long better than Short & Vice Versa?
Long better than Short & Vice Versa?
This is also known as Rationalizations vs. Reasoning for doing Internal
ᴛᴏ: ꜱᴛᴇᴘʜᴇɴ ʜᴡᴀ, ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ: ʀᴇᴀꜱᴏɴɪɴɢ ᴠꜱ. ʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟɪᴢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ɪɴ ᴄʟᴀꜱꜱɪᴄᴀʟ ᴛᴀɪ ᴄʜɪ
Thursday, December 28, 2023
"Ting Jin" during Sparring
Instead of pushing back at the opponent's attack, the best known defensive strategy of Tai Chi is to follow and stick to the opponents' move, neutralize or drain off its power and then counterattack. In order to be able to follow and stick to the opponent, one has to be relaxed, sensitive and quick on the feet, matching the opponents move with ease and anticipation. That is one reason that the Compact Form optimizes body posture to achieve lightness and nimbleness through parallel feet, compact movements, and avoidance of
"double heavy".
Tai Chi applications emphasize stickiness or adherence to the opponent. This is useful only because this complements the fajin move perfectly. The characteristics of Fajin are:
• Delivery of Fajin is most effective when already
in contact with the opponent such as sticking to
the opponent.
• Delivery of fajin is most effective when the
hand in contact with the opponent is sufficiently
relaxed to allow "listening" or "ting jin"- the
objective of sticking to the opponent.
• Fajin has the ability to go from relaxation to
full power instantly.
When one sticks to the opponent and detects a weakness in opponent's move, one can suddenly counter attack with fajin without telegraphing the intent. If the capability of fajin is not available, even when one detects weakness in the opponent, one will not be able to take full advantage of those fleeting opportunities.
Monday, December 18, 2023
The 分开腿 Fēnkāi tuǐ "Parting Leg"
分开腿 Fēnkāi tuǐ "Parting Leg" 分开腿 Fēnkāi tuǐ "Parting Leg"
Posture 34, 36 - Parting Leg movements R & L, as Master Hwa says, "...begin the kicking section of both Round and Square Forms..." As Jim Roach says: The kick at this part of the movement becomes a front kick and is something someone would use on you even when sparring. Sparring tends to end quickly when one is kicked in the groin, even cautiously. ...there is the intent of projecting power from the core flowing down the relaxed leg all the way to the toe as if the leg is a whip..." In this part of the movement, the Arms cross at the wrists as the hands form hollow fists, the left palm facing down and the right palm facing up allowing you to STICK to somones arms as they grab your arms. In the crossed position your forearms can clasp an opponent's arms as you fold yours at the elbow. One might say your arms act in a scissor-like movement folding at the elbow. ■ Even though the kick is not a full power kick (more of a kicking motion), there is the intent of projecting power from the core flowing down the relaxed leg all the way to the toe as if the leg is a whip. The toe is slightly stretched forward and the stretch is maintained during the sweep ■ Right upper body opens 45 degrees to the right ■ Right upper body closes to the left 45 degrees as the right palm rotates clockwise to face left ■ Upper body continues to turn left 45 degrees as the right knee lowers to allow the right hand to pass under the left hand ■ Arms cross at the wrists as the hands form hollow fists, the left palm facing down and the right palm facing up ■ Right heel lifts off the ground ■ Right foot moves forward and then kicks ■ Right leg swipes to the right 90 degrees as both arms unfold to the sides and move to a low position
Thursday, December 7, 2023
Placing the Yin/Yang junction correctly
Neuromuscular control, placing the Yin/Yang junction correctly a more in-depth look.
Friday, December 1, 2023
Classical Wu Style Tai Chi "Quarter Body Folding Movement"
Classical Tai Chi Workshop from July 2011, Buffalo, NY. Master Stephen Hwa of Classical Tai
Chi (Wu Tai Chi, Wu Style Tai Chi Taiji). Master Hwa discusses Silk Reeling "Quarter Body
Folding Movement".
Excerpted and some editing from "Uncovering the Treasure, Classical Tai Chi's Path to Health & Energy" by Stephen Hwa:
Please go to this link: Classical Wu Style Tai Chi "Quarter Body Folding Movement"
The folding move involves only one side of the body; but in this case, it is not the entire side (including the legs which are shown in the photo above) (including the legs which are shown in the photo above) which would be known as "hand follows foot, elbow follows knee", so please do not confuse this with that movement
This is just the upper quadrant of the body moving/folding as a unit. It is a QUARTER-BODY move. In the case shown in the video, the right side of the body is folding or unfolding by keeping the left side of the body stationary. The stationary part provides support, and some of the power for the move but the lower 2 quadrants (legs) provide grounding. The Right side of the body is yang, and the left side of the body is yin. The Yin-Yang junction is at the spine. One can visualize that the spine is a hinge, so each side of the torso, down through the buttocks is like a door that folds or unfolds using that hinge. If the leg was involved in the movement, it would be a HALF-BODY move.
Even though only a quarter of the body is moving it is still an important example of how to make a move but still keep a portion (in this case 3/4 of the body). It is also of importance as an example of how to make a move but keep a significant portion of the body alignment intact. Whether half-body or quarter-body, whether the leg moves with it or not it can only be achieved when the turning power comes from the waist and the entire back's muscles.
If this is done correctly and tailor-made, one will achieve a continuous energy flow in the body. It is a "neigong" exercise. It is tailor-made to be a "silk reeling exercise" which might be defined as a continuous symmetrical simple internal movement or movements. By doing this, one will be able to learn gradually how to move with internal discipline and enjoy the sensation of internal energy circulation. This exercise emphasizes the stimulation of muscles, tendons, and blood flow along the spine and the back. Those who practice this regularly experience a sense of rejuvenation and improved well-being. If one has spare moments during the day, particularly if the exercise can be carried out in a casual and relaxed mood, there will be more chances for the subconscious to play a part. The ultimate objective is to learn internal movements like this in more or less a piecemeal fashion and then integrate them into the Form play.