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

Tom Kostusiak and Jim Roach taught Classical Tai Chi to a 4th-grade class, and one of the children wrote: “They taught us Tai Chi, but Mr. Roach said it was good cause we won't fly kick out the window like 1 kid did for him”

Let me explain what I said about why Tai Chi does not do "...fly kicks...": It is also a "...fly kick..." lesson on the pros and cons of Momentum Force. You might also understand how difficult it was subconsciously for Grandmaster Young to give up "external" to learn Tai Chi. A young boy in my 1984 Tae Kwon-Do class once attempted a flying side kick at a heavy bag, missed the bag, and went through the plate glass window at "Scrubs", what was then a Tae Kwon-Do school– "Kwan"

I explained to the children in the 4th-grade class that I once belonged to a Tae Kwon-Do school. It was under the instruction of Grand Master C.S. Kim, and It was located in the 1980s on Niagara Falls Blvd in Tonawanda, NY. It is now a "Scrubs and Beyond" store.

I was a "Red Belt" about to be promoted to Black Belt. I also did Wu's Style Tai Chi in Toronto. When I became a "disciple" of Grandmaster Wu, he said, "...I did not care then, but now you are a teacher, so I care that you do that..." so I gave up Tae Kwon Do. However, I had great difficulty physically giving it up when I sparred in Wu's Style of Tai Chi. Grandmaster Eddie Wu would come out of his office and chide me, saying, "...that's not Tai Chi..." if I mistakenly did a high kick. I gave it up before receiving my Black Belt, and C.S. Kim was unhappy. Chuck Gorino, who owns Gorino Tae Kwon Do in Buffalo, was my classmate then.

I was teaching a line of kids how to do a flying side kick. The Heavy Bag was close to the big plate glass window in the "Scrubs" store. I told one of the kids to "take it easy" because you have to take a running start, then "...fly kick...".

He missed the bag with his foot and crashed through the window onto the sidewalk. Several people were exiting the Drugstore next door, frightened, and lurched back into the parking lot. An unperturbed Grandmaster Kim came out of his office at the noise and said, "Mr. Roach, you clean that up!" The boy only had a small scratch on his foot.

A Classical Tai Chi lesson on the pros and cons of Momentum Force" from Uncovering the Treasure by Stephen Hwa:

"Most other martial arts emphasize offensive movements

and utilize considerable momentum force.

When one is on the ball of his foot, it is easier to push

off, rush the opponent, and build momentum in the

movement. When one depends on momentum in his

strike force, he doesn't have to connect well

with the ground. After all, a flying heavy object in the

air could knock a person down. However, for delivering internal force, "fajin," a solid connection to

the ground is very important."

All reactions:

2Tom Kostusiak and Rashid Oso

Connect arm movements with Torso movements

 Connect arm to core

The key to learning this is to learn from the outside of the body to get to the inside. Master Hwa uses the expression "Outside/In." So, how do you learn to connect your arm movement to your core? My experience with "outside/in" involved going back over the internal discipline I knew 20 years ago so that I could teach it. Master Hwa's workshops at BSU were enlightening because they gave me a better handle on "outside/in."

Don't think you can narrow it down by doing/picturing an anatomical textbook or anatomical terms of the core in your mind. I frequently teach senior citizens; many need help moving from the core. They do not feel much sensation there.

Please don't try to force anything in your core; you will only use your arm. Let one arm hang down and notice the feeling of stretch in your shoulder. Keep feeling that stretch in the shoulder and extend your arm forward, as Master Hwa does in this video. Now notice the effect this has on your core and keep repeating, repeating. You won't get this from trying to move from the core.

Think "outside/in" and look for those sensations in the core, doing this any chance. Look to do it walking, sitting, even when you lie down. Establish "outside/in" feelings; once you have that, you can begin feeling in touch with the core. Only then do you start trying to move the arm from the core. For instance, you feel the sensation in the shoulder, perhaps the back and abdomen as the arm stretches out, so try to pull the arm back using only those muscles.

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".

Is it internal or not?

 

 

 IS IT INTERNAL OR NOT VIDEO LINK

 

 

 

My question to a Tai Chi instructor in 1977: "Can you show me an "internal" movement? He said: I'm doing it, but you can't see "internal movement."

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.

Tai Chi with a "McDonald's" Mentality

 

Hello,

I am a new student in tai chi, as of June of last year. I studied Karate, and then, due to an auto accident, I decided to begin the journey of tai chi. I could not do the Karate. I had back surgery, and tai chi has helped to strengthen my back. I know it is a long journey, but I would appreciate any advice you would give me.

Thank you in advance for your response. I was a school teacher for 25 years, and during that time, I taught Shotokan Karate for several years. After the accident, it took me the best part of a year to gain mobility; then, I started tai chi by finding a class that someone offered for the back. I took it and found it very helpful.

I found Master Hwa's home page, Classical Tai Chi, on the Internet and was drawn to it immediately. It offers the most in-depth opportunity yet. I watched his videos on the page to take a look and found it excellent.

I am still learning the background of tai chi and still have a long way to go. But I want to find the most credible avenue as I begin this journey. I am 56 years old and want to make this decision I plan to follow for the rest of my life. I read on his website that you are a certified teacher and a senior student. I see you were the first accredited teacher. Can you offer some advice and encouragement? It is not easy, but I want to do this.

Roland

Hi Roland!

A big problem with learning Tai Chi is approaching it with a frantic "I want it now" mentality. I'll tell you the same thing I tell my Tai Chi students. Any decision you make as to whether you continue Tai Chi needs one year. You have found an excellent teacher in Master Stephen Hwa, who teaches Classical Tai Chi.

What is relevant is giving yourself enough time to experience Classical Tai Chi adequately in some depth. There is great depth in Master Hwa's many videos on YouTube. Access them from his website, all 50+ videos. I also recommend his Teachable website, and that address is on his Classical Tai Chi page.

On the other hand, a year is short in terms of a lifetime, and you would have needed to make a GREAT time commitment. There is something good about having a good video where you can watch a movement ten times. I know of no teachers who would repeat something that much in class.

Many Americans approach Tai Chi with a "McDonald's" Mentality. Those students expect Tai Chi to be cheap, fast, and enjoyable, just like a cheeseburger from McDonald's. They want it to be affordable, easily accessible, and pleasing to their taste. Unfortunately, this mindset doesn't always align with the principles and goals of Tai Chi, which require patience, dedication, and a commitment to learning and improving over time.

Deciding to stay or go based on less than one year may be doing yourself a disservice. Since you would have needed more time to make an educated decision, you will not be doing yourself any favors by quitting after three months.

I see people every semester in the schools where I taught Tai Chi who I never see again after eight weeks. No matter what I say, they undoubtedly feel that they know enough about it to warrant their decision. Thinking this is a shabby way to treat oneself, taking Tai Chi differs from going out and buying anything. "Well, I don't like this after one month, so I'll return it." Tai Chi better meet or exceed my expectations. This thinking is "frenetic"!

As a teacher, I'm sure you understand teaching students who come to class in a "tizzy," as it were. As the famous Tai Chi author Robert W. Smith said, "I grew tired of teaching Tai Chi and simply retired; I found Americans simply too frenetic to teach." Don't fulfill what sounds like a self-fulfilling prophecy about being too frantic to learn.

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

Hi Master Hwa: ɪɴ your book, "ᴜɴᴄᴏᴠᴇʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴇᴀꜱᴜʀᴇ", ᴘ. 121 ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴜꜱᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛᴇʀᴍꜱ ʟɪᴋᴇ "ᴍᴀᴊᴏʀ ꜰᴏᴜɴᴅᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ʙʟᴏᴄᴋꜱ", ᴀɴᴅ "ʙᴀꜱɪᴄ ʙᴜɪʟᴅɪɴɢ ʙʟᴏᴄᴋꜱ" ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʙᴜɪʟᴅɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴏɢɪᴄᴀʟ ꜱᴛʀᴜᴄᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛᴀɪ ᴄʜɪ. ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴀ ʟᴏᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ꜰᴇᴇʟ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇ "ʙᴀᴄᴋʙᴏɴᴇ" ᴏꜰ ʀᴇᴀꜱᴏɴɪɴɢ ᴀꜱ ᴀ ᴍᴇᴛʜᴏᴅ ᴏꜰ ᴄᴏᴍᴘɪʟɪɴɢ ꜰᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟ ᴇᴠɪᴅᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛᴀɪ ᴄʜɪ ᴠꜱ. ʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟɪᴢɪɴɢ ᴀꜱ ᴀ ᴍᴇᴛʜᴏᴅ ᴏꜰ ᴄᴏᴍᴘɪʟɪɴɢ ᴍᴇʀᴇ ᴇxᴘʟᴀɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱ.

ꜰᴏʀ ɪɴꜱᴛᴀɴᴄᴇ, ɪ ꜰɪɴᴅ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇ ʙᴜᴛ ꜱᴛɪʟʟ ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴅᴏ ᴛʜᴇ 24 ꜰᴏʀᴍ ᴛᴀɪ ᴄʜɪ ᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇʏ ꜱᴛɪʟʟ ᴅᴏ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ꜱᴛʏʟᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛᴀɪ ᴄʜɪ ᴏʀ (ɪɴꜱᴇʀᴛ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴍᴀʀᴛɪᴀʟ ᴀʀᴛ). ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ɢɪᴠᴇ ᴍᴇ ʀᴇᴀꜱᴏɴꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜɪꜱ, ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴅᴏɢɢᴇᴅʟʏ ꜱᴛᴀᴛᴇ ɪᴛ. ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ ᴘʀᴇꜱᴇɴᴛ ʀᴇᴀꜱᴏɴɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀ ᴡʜʏ ɪᴛ ɪꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴛʀᴀɪɴɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀ ᴄʟᴀꜱꜱɪᴄᴀʟ ᴛᴀɪ ᴄʜɪ, ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴅᴏɢɢᴇᴅʟʏ ʀᴇꜱᴛᴀᴛᴇ..." ɪ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴅᴏɪɴɢ 24 ꜰᴏʀᴍ ᴛᴀɪ ᴄʜɪ, ʏᴀɴɢ ꜱᴛʏʟᴇ, ᴇᴛᴄ...". ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɪꜰ ɪ ꜱᴀʏ, ᴀ ᴍᴀᴊᴏʀ ʀᴇᴀꜱᴏɴ ꜰᴏʀ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴅᴏ ɪɴ ᴄʟᴀꜱꜱɪᴄᴀʟ ᴛᴀɪ ᴄʜɪ, ᴀ "ꜰᴏᴜɴᴅᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ʙʟᴏᴄᴋ" ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇꜰɪɴɪᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ ɪɴᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ ᴍᴏᴠᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ɪɴ ʙʀɪᴇꜰ ᴇxɪꜱᴛꜱ ᴀꜱ ᴀ ʏɪɴ/ʏᴀɴɢ ᴊᴜɴᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴏʀꜱᴏ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴏʀꜱᴏ.

ᴊɪm

ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀ ʜᴡᴀ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇ

ᴊɪᴍ: ᴍʏ ᴛᴇᴀᴄʜᴇʀ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴀɪɴᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴀʀɢᴜᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪᴍ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ꜱʜᴏʀᴛ 24 ᴠꜱ. 108 ʟᴏɴɢ ꜰᴏʀᴍꜱ. ʙᴜᴛ, ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɴᴛʀᴀᴛᴇ ᴏɴ ᴀʀɢᴜɪɴɢ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ɪɴᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏʀʀᴇᴄᴛ ʙᴏᴅʏ ꜱᴛʀᴜᴄᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴏʀ ᴘᴏꜱᴛᴜʀᴇ. ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇꜱᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ, ᴏɴᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ᴇᴀꜱɪʟʏ ᴅᴇᴍᴏɴꜱᴛʀᴀᴛᴇ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪꜱ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ. ɪᴛ ɪꜱ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴅɪꜰꜰɪᴄᴜʟᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴀʀɢᴜᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏɴᴠɪɴᴄᴇ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴡʜᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ʟᴏɴɢ ɪꜱ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ꜱʜᴏʀᴛ.

ꜱᴛᴇᴘʜᴇɴ