A GREAT LINK TO ALL OF MASTER HWA'S VIDEOS
"WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE, NOT WHAT ITS NAME IS!"
(It is important to remember that we work from the "outside-in," not from the "inside-out," to learn Classical Tai Chi. I spent 20 years learning large Frame Wu's Style from the Great-grandson of the Wu's style founder in the 80s and '90s. I struggled with "quarter body movement" when I started Classical Tai Chi in 2003. Then I took Master Hwa's advice and WATCHED the videos 3 to 5 times each before attempting anything. I just watched and did not move. It is now 20 years after the initial 20 years, and as Ms. Eva Hwa (Koepsell) said, "...Jim, you got it...")
Anatomical terminology is a form of scientific terminology used by health professionals, anatomists, and zoologists. Over the years, I have heard terms like “Scapula, transversus abdominis, internal oblique muscle, etc.” used by students up to and including Master Stephen Hwas Teachable course.
Hearing students use anatomical terms when learning Classical Tai Chi can be frustrating. However, for our purposes, it is unnecessary to get too anatomically technical here, as understanding these elements in the body requires not medical but experiential knowledge.
As I said, my student, and now "Sifu "Jason Bulger, invited me to demonstrate classical tai chi to his anatomy teacher. Jason is now an Occupational Therapist! I taught the Professor to turn at the waist, not the hips, a rudimentary upper-quarter body move, and not mention any anatomical terminology.
You may refer to almost any anatomical text on the subject. While it is certainly helpful to see the differences, it is more critical that we FEEL the natural design of the body and act based on what we feel. This is why Master Stephen Hwa has over 60 YouTube videos on HOW TO SEE IT TO DO IT, subsequently FEEL WHAT YOU SEE IN THE VIDEO, and not how to use its correct anatomical terminology to learn.
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