Thursday, April 23, 2020

An 按 and it syncs with Newton's 3rd law



AN 按 (push downward) Jin! And to paraphrase my own teacher Master Stephen Hwa who said:  "Sir Isaac Newton can't be wrong", so what happens here in a different presentation? In a previous video from Youtube and also published on Facebook, Master Hwa talked about "Fajin 1 and 2" and in 1 he compares "ordinary force" and "fajin". In one of the videos, he has a student kicking at him and uses "TSAI" to pull with fajin. His backward "reaction force" is nullified, but then he is pulled forward with the "reaction force". The movement "AN" shown here is really a downward push movement of long duration and "stays" with the opponent (yours truly) longer. This is unlike many other fajin push movements that push opponents away and this "stays with". It is very useful in sparring exercises. This particular use of the "An" move is found in the Tai Chi form right after "cross hands" where you do half body turn, step 180, and "diagonal brush knee". The important point here is the initial force is fajin and this has an external followup move. The fajin has a "tenses and relaxes" action but no "return path. With no path for a return (reaction) force, then Master Hwa's body is not being affected. In other words his arms and body do not remain tense, the "tension" is very brief. The followup is external and shows a reaction force as Master Hwa's steps are pulled to the direction of where the opponent moves.



Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Classical Tai Chi and its link to "The Bee King of China"




"The Torso Method" (aka Internal Discipline)

There are some perennial but interesting mistakes made about Classical Tai Chi and other Tai Chi.  By the same token, my own teacher "Hua Jiping" (Stephen Hwa "Uncovering the Treasure") is confused with the author (The Tao of Taijiquan, Jou Tsung Hwa) This is because of a  Western penchant for not understanding how Chinese surnames are placed.

Actually, his name is Hua Jiping and written so in a book about his father Hua Yizhi "The Bee King of China".  From Amazon.com:  "Hua Yizhi (1893-1956) was a pioneer in Chinese modern agricultural development, the father of Chinese scientific Apiculture, and a dedicated educator, providing modern education to his home town. He was a renowned industrialist and a philanthropist of the Wuxi region" 

In an email to me from Master Hwa: "Jim: I know the confusion between "Jou" and "Hwa". Actually, I regret not meeting him. He is one of the few tai chi practitioners who is truly searching for the truth. Sometimes, he told his students " what I taught you last month, forget about it, it is not correct. let's do this way."
Stephen Hwa

I'm under the impression from speaking to Master Stephen Hwa, that he gets the question "are you related to Jou Tsung Hwa" quite a bit. He patiently explains that his surname is Hwa and therefore no relation to Jou (surname Jou). Actually, at a Rochester, NY World Tai Chi Day event (2005) while watching a demo of Hua Tuo's "5 animal frolics", Master Stephen Hwa told me that his family surname Hwa in original Chinese spelling is Hua. He also tells me that the family is related to a distant ancestor Hua Tuo who may be the first ancient Chinese surgeon.
Stephen Hwa mentions the "Dao of Taijiquan" published in 1989 in his own book "Uncovering the Treasure" published in 2010 and speaks of a couple of Jou's statements. In his book Hwa, (Stephen Hwa) makes reference to Jou, Tsung Hwa's statement that the "Torso Method" "The Torso Method" (aka Internal Discipline) he mentions in "The Tao of Taijiquan, p. A31" is none other than the "Internal Discipline" explained in loving detail in "Uncovering the Treasure, p. 1 and 2, that he teaches in Classical Taijiquan.

He said all Tai Chi is not "natural"!

 Master Stephen Hwa “half body turning” at Fausts USA Karate, while Karate class stretches. Master Hwa taught Classical Tai Chi at Fausts.  ...