Enough Pain to Quit

 

                                                     

Square Form

an instruction video

 

Welcome!

 

Subject: 

 Why the Square Form Practice is the Ultimate Shield Against Knee Pain (Chondromalacia Patellae, which is what I suffered and was diagnosed with after doing “other tai chi” for only 1 1/2 years, in, ahem, 19_ _.)

Hi everyone,

Ever wonder why Classical Tai Chi Square Form is so meticulous, distinct, and block-like? It isn't just an educational blueprint—it is a highly scientific shield for your joints, specifically designed to prevent chondromalacia of the patella (runner's knee).

Chondromalacia of the patella, as a Sports Medicine M.D. told me, is caused by the kneecap tracking out of alignment, grinding against the cartilage, softening it, and creating pain. Pain enough to want to quit all Tai Chi. This usually happens due to two errors: knee buckling (inward twisting) and over-extension.

Quite honestly, Master Stephen Hwa is the only teacher out of 5 over the “other tai chi” first 25 years to now in the second 23 to give empathy and explicit attention to how, why, and what my stance is doing. Sadly informative, but he visited me and visited the “other”.  In a conversation, he confirmed what I had painfully learned. No one corrected beginners when it was obvious their derrières were sticking out all over the place. A setup for knee injury!

Here is exactly how the Square Form fixes this:

No Simultaneous Twisting and Loading:

In the Square Form, we never turn the hips while transitioning weight across a bent knee. Weight shifts and rotations are strictly separated. The knee stays safely locked in its "hinge" plane.

Flawless Tracking:

Because every step has a clear beginning, middle, and end, we can consciously verify that the kneecap's center is pointing precisely toward the toes. This balanced tracking stops cartilage wear dead in its tracks.

Offloading Joint Pressure to the Core:

By cultivating internal discipline and using quarter-body mechanics, we learn to move from our core and hips rather than relying on our knees as brakes or levers.

Let's keep paying close attention to the stillness, that “pause” between  transitions this week. It is exactly where your knees are being protected and rebuilt!

Happy training,

Jim

Better with Fingers

INDEX FINGER TOUCHES WALL AS YOU WALK

Is Classical Tai Chi walking the best example of a starting point for neuromuscular re-education?

Classical Tai Chi walking is an excellent foundational example for neuromuscular re-education. It directly trains the central nervous system to abandon habitual, momentum-driven movements in favor of deliberate, hip-driven weight shifts that connect the limbs to the core abdominal and back muscles.

Core Neuromuscular Principles in Classical Tai Chi

• Core-Driven Movement: Instead of using the leg muscles to push the body forward—which can cause tension and spinal misalignment—the technique uses the abdominal and lower back muscles to pull the body forward as the legs step gently.
• Weight Independence: It teaches the central nervous system to keep the body weight settled on the back leg until the front foot is flat on the ground. Only then is the weight smoothly transferred.
• Proprioception and Balance: By moving extremely slowly, you train your brain to continuously monitor your body's position in space. This improves single-leg stability and spatial awareness.
• Muscle tension and Joint Health: This pulling mechanism stops muscles and joints from jamming together. It promotes myofascial decompression, making it highly effective for relieving nerve pain (such as sciatica) caused by poor daily walking habits.

Is it the Best Starting Point?

It is one of the most effective examples, but whether it is the "best" depends on your baseline mobility.

• The Pros: The style emphasizes the torso's internal principles rather than the limbs alone. This ensures that the entire kinetic chain—from the feet up to the spine—is engaged.
• The Caveats: Yes, the training relies on internal discipline, but some beginners and those recovering from injury may find it challenging.

Practitioner Perspectives

Practitioners note that this method involves delaying weight transfer until the foot is fully grounded and using the core to pull the body forward. This approach has been shown to relieve chronic issues such as sciatica by opening tissue, much like a bowstring is drawn.

Anyone recovering from injury may find classical tai chi walking challenging. For these individuals, a simpler, slightly higher-stance approach with a finger on a wall for support is recommended.

The finger is not a crutch.

Using a wall for support is an excellent way to modify Classical Tai Chi walking, especially when recovering from an injury or building foundational stability. Rather than a crutch, a single fingertip serves as a proprioceptive anchor—sending subtle feedback to your brain that helps your nervous system feel secure and maintain balance.

How to Practice with Wall Support

• Keep it High: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, keeping your knees slightly bent but higher (more upright) than in a classical low stance.
• Rule: Place only the pad of one finger against the wall. Do not lean your weight into the arm or press heavily.
• Prioritize Mechanics: With your stability anchor in place, you can safely focus on slow, deliberate weight transfers (shifting from empty to full feet).
• Heel-to-Toe: Step forward gently, placing the heel down first before rolling the foot flat.

Additional ways to use the index finger on the wall for walking 

In Classical Tai Chi, the index finger serves as a critical feedback tool to connect the upper and lower body. When walking along a wall, use the index finger to check alignment, transmit internal power to the extremities, and cultivate a continuous internal pathway.

Additional ways to utilize your index finger on the wall include:

• Serratus Anterior Activation: Serratus anterior activation targets the "boxer's muscle" to stabilize the scapula, improve overhead mobility, and prevent shoulder impingement. Press your index finger lightly into the wall while keeping your shoulder relaxed. Focus on separating your shoulder blades and rib cage, creating an opening in the back to establish a structural connection between your arm and your core.
• Testing Structural Integrity: Instead of pushing off the wall for momentum, press the index finger to verify that your force travels all the way down into your legs. If your elbow or shoulder is tense, the connection breaks. Use your finger to ensure your weight is properly sunk and guided by the waist.
• Finger-Wall Pivoting: With the index finger touching the wall, practice turning your waist. The finger provides a stationary focal point, forcing your internal energy to rotate naturally through the fascia and connective tissue, rather than muscling the turn.
• Sensing the Jing (Internal Energy): Lightly trace a line (horizontal or vertical) with the index finger to coordinate your step. This movement trains you to move the entire body as a single unit—with the movement originating from your core and expressed through your fingers, without independent arm movement.

Square Form Voices & Names

Classical Tai Chi Square Form

https://www.classicaltaichi.com/PDF/squareform.pdf

That is a link to names of Classical Tai Chi movements and includes what one student called “…a bemusing number of static written instructions…”.  

The instructions are for Square Form.  A student named Joe Milne compiled the names but realized a voice-over was difficult. So in my own best British voice (I’m kidding) I compiled a British voice-over for the moves, thus giving step by step instructions.

VOICE INSTRUCTIONS SQUARE FORM

 

The list and voice-over are quite lengthy but I hope this helps some albeit with such detail. Oh right,  Master Hwa kidded me and said “…I did not know you were British Jim…”!

“…….if you want to learn internal you have to start the very strict discipline in that square form…..”

Yes Sir! The words “very strict discipline” that define Square Form as a Stepping Stone of groundwork for internal work. Precise, “segmented movements” (to quote Master Hwa) and train the brain to decouple isolated body parts and deliberately sequence movements.

Even that word “precision” is eschewed by many.  Teaching the brain to separate movement from stillness (Yin/Yang)is not a consideration. Yes, “focusing tools” force intense, inward-directed attention.

A student asked: “Why would anyone eschew precision in the square form? The purpose of the square form is to learn the moves precisely so we don’t lose the essence when doing the round form. What would be the use of learning it any way but precisely?”

 

My answer: It really makes one wonder doesn't it? I completely agree with your perspective on that. A lengthy thought would be student’s culture and daily routines are too rushed, aggressive, and obsessed with immediate results.  A succinct thought might be “I ALREADY KNOW HOW TO WALK”. That was yelled to my student Jason during his 1st teaching class after becoming certified. Yelled as the student rushed out of the gymnasium.

Conforming to Classics

Sweep the Leg 

Questions arose in Classical Tai Chi regarding the statement:  "Everymovement in Tai Chi Form has to have 2 complementary sides of the body, a moving part Yang and a stationary part Yin. When the yin-yang junction is located in the torso of the body, it is an internal move.  When it is outside of the torso, it is an external move." This statement as we have said before was the most important statement made by Wu Chien Chuan to his student Young Wabu. You can find this statement on p. 2 of the book "Uncovering the Treasure" by Stephen Hwa Ph.D. and it is available at Amazon.

The statement was challenged by someone who asked: "Can someone please explain to me how this conforms to the classics of "when moving, there is no place that does not move". "When still, there is no place that is not still".  He continued by saying "The statement about 2 complementary sides, moving Yang and stationary Yin sounds like a broken posture as how a force can pass through the body, if it is not working together as a unit, moving as one".

Master Stephen Hwa wrote the following response to the question, the video above provides an illustration  of his major points about holding the body still while executing a movement that sweeps the leg of the opponent. The video very graphically shows how the movement only works if the nonmoving side of the body is held very still.  Further information about the "Sweeping Movement" is contained in the topic  "The Concept of Yin (nonmoving) and Yang (moving)" on pp. 50 - 51, "Uncovering the Treasure" by Stephen Hwa, Ph.D.

Tai Chi Classics

These Classics started became known in the 1930-40s when book about Tai Chi started to be published in China. These writings reported in those books are a collection of short works attributed to different authors from Chang San-Feng to anonymous authors. Even though their authorship cannot be verified, they are considered to be the holy writ on Tai Chi. They do contain some insights and principles of Tai Chi; but also some glaring mistakes.

How is that possible that both good and bad could be contained in one work. My suspicion is that there is more than one person involved in the writing as we see now. One of my ancestors in the fifteen century wrote a collection of short poems. We have the original hand written manuscript which we published three years ago. During research, we discovered that these poems have been published six times over the years. Many of the published poems are identical to the manuscript; but some have been altered – the later version has more alteration than the earlier version. Apparently, these publishers exercised their poetic license trying to add what they thought a better wording. This kind of alteration is very common in old writings in China and also in the west, such as the bible. The church has devoted inordinate effort to select an acceptable version of the bible.

Two major mistakes in the Classics are: "when one part moves everything moves" and "The jin should be generated from the legs". The later was discussed in Forum 11.

During our last work shop in Buffalo, I warned everyone that you would be challenged by "when one part moves everything moves" when you talk about Classical Tai Chi in public Tai Chi gathering. So you better be prepared. First of all, any martial art move depends upon rooting, there will be a nonmoving part of the body attached to the ground to provide the rooting. Only external martial art which uses push off to generate momentum to attack can qualify "everything moves". In addition, some of these rooted moves, the requirement of nonmoving is very dramatici. During one of the Jou Tsung Hwa Birthday Celebration Gathering ( David Brown was there), I demonstrate this point by asking audience to do a leg sweeping move by standing on one foot and sweep the other leg and move their body with it just slightly. I heard many "ouch" sound from the audience. Then they do the same move while keeping the side of the body above the standing foot still. There was no pain in the knee and delivered a much more powerful sweep. 

I think you all need to keep this demonstration in your pocket. Because, you will need it in the future.

Stephen Hwa, Ph.D.

A “Welcome”

 

One might say this is a legendary piece of lore from the Classical Tai Chi community! 

I am Jim Roach, a teacher of Classical Tai Chi, and I wrote a "Welcome to the Classical Tai Chi Blog" post for this blog in 2008. The contrast between the polite title and the intense demonstration picture perfectly captures the community's blend of internal discipline and lighthearted martial arts camaraderie.

Why the Post is Iconic

• The Setup: I meant the Blog post to ease people into and encourage them to take up Classical Tai Chi. Anyone reading would be encouraged to learn internal discipline. 
• The Reality: The media explaining the martial application shows  the seemingly tgentle, soft-spoken Master Stephen Hwa applying subtle internal power to instantly unbalance and push Sifu Tom Kostusiak straight to the ground.
• The Humor: The absolute mismatch between a warm, cozy "Welcome" header and a video of a martial arts master dropping his student makes it an enduring inside joke among practitioners on forums and the official Classical Tai Chi Facebook Page. 

There is a technique and technicality behind the post. 

It was meant to be humorous, funny on its surface; a video clip actually does show a core tenet of Master Hwa's teachings:

Internal Core Power: The movement originates entirely from the abdominal and back muscles (the core), bypassing obvious shoulder or arm force. 

Small Circle Application:

 Căi Pull, yank, jerk, pluck an opponent off balance 

This Wu-style derivative uses micro-movements to redirect an opponent's momentum before they even realize they are off-balance. 

The "Bounce": Tom's dramatic fall isn't theatrical "compliance"—it is the physical result of mistiming or underestimating Master Hwa's internal alignment, which leaves the defender with nowhere to go but down.

Key Concepts in Classical Tai Chi Methodology

• The Small Circle Wu Style: Classical Tai Chi focuses heavily on the traditional Wu Style, specifically the "Small Circle" form. This variation emphasizes internal discipline, micro-movements, and deep joint protection—especially for the knees. 
• Square vs. Round Forms: I would highlight Master Hwa's teachings here regarding the strict progression from the "Square" form to the "Round" form. Anyone just starting uses the rigid, frame-by-frame Square form to learn precise structural alignment before graduating to the fluid, continuous Round form. 
• Internal Torso Energy: One will not be moving purely with the arms and legs. The classical tai chi method requires all motion through the core and torso. This structural requirement builds significant strength in the spine and lower back.

Xièxiè Hwa Shifu & Shimu

 

My teacher, Master Stephen Hwa, and his wife, Eva Koepsell (Eva M. Hwa), have dedicated decades of admirable work to preserving, deconstructing, and standardizing the internal art of Classical Wu-Style Small Circle Tai Chi. Practitioners widely celebrate Master Hwa for his deep generosity, structured teaching methodology, and exceptional devotion to keeping an ancient lineage alive so it is not lost to time. 

Together, their collective and individual contributions have vastly enhanced the modern practice and accessibility of Classical Tai Chi: 

Systematizing and Demystifying the Art

• Applying Scientific Analysis: Utilizing his professional background with a PhD in Engineering, Master Hwa stripped away the overly mystified, ethereal language often used in martial arts. He replaced it with logical, physiological explanations that non-experts can comprehend.
• The "Square Form" Blueprint: He has actively advanced the Classical Tai Chi Square Form for beginners. This rigid, precise training style breaks movements down step-by-step to prevent shortcuts, acting as a crucial foundation for the fluid "Round Form". The Square Form as a “Blueprint” is a treasure for the ages and helps preserve the integrity of Classical Tai Chi Forms. 
• Deconstructing Internal Discipline: He provided exhaustive instructional materials detailing how true Tai Chi power originates entirely from the body's core (the abdomen and spine), rather than from isolated muscle groups like the shoulders and arms. 

Authoring Core Literature and Curricula

• "Uncovering the Treasure": Master Hwa authored the seminal book, Uncovering the Treasure: Classical Tai Chi's Path to Internal Energy & Health, summarizing 50+ years of personal discovery and Wu-style lineage teachings. 
• Digital Video Instruction: He produced an expansive library of meticulously designed online courses and instructional DVDs on platforms such as CLASSICALTAICHI.COM, PAYHIP.COM, and YouTube, breaking down complex forms for home practitioners.
• Accessible Health Exercises: Recognizing that not everyone can learn 108 complex movements, he created simplified, shorter routines focused specifically on back pain, lower-body stamina, and overall vitality. 

Operational and Community Support

• Behind-the-Scenes Infrastructure: While Master Hwa serves as the Master Instructor, his wife, Eva, has provided decades of vital administrative support, co-ownership, and operational management to keep Classical Tai Chi running smoothly as an organization. 
• Fostering a Global Community: Through their joint endeavors, they established global outreach structures—including traveling to offer free workshops and creating dedicated communication groups—to ensure students worldwide can receive direct guidance and exchange experiences.

Ms. Eva Koepsell is widely recognized as a dedicated practitioner, advocate, and educator for Classical Tai Chi. 

Through her decades of community service, she has been a central pillar in preserving and spreading the knowledge of Classical Small Circle Tai Chi. Her efforts have bridged the technical expertise of Master Hwa with a global community of students through several key avenues: 

Community Contributions

Forum Moderation & Guidance: In the Classical Tai Chi Forum and the Yahoo Email Group, she directed new and long-time practitioners to educational resources and explained fundamental principles. To say “actively engaged” would be an understatement for 師母 (Mandarin: “Shīmǔ Eva Koepsell”), Master Hwa’s wife. 

• Email Group Coordination: Managing and sustaining long-running communication networks, the Classical Tai Chi Yahoo Email Group that connects practitioners worldwide.
• Written Articles & Commentary: Producing insightful written content and educational commentaries that analyze the mechanics, physiological safety, and health benefits of internal martial arts. I will always be grateful for her published article in Tai Chi Magazine, “Learning the Internal Dynamics of Tai Chi.”