Classical Tai Chi in The Google Age

 

 Learning Internal Discipline 

A video

 

How to Learn Internal Discipline 

 A video

In the Google age of instant information and rapid, conspicuous consumption, Classical Tai Chi, with its “Internal Discipline”, draws attention to the value of becoming genuinely competent by assimilating internal movement and concepts rather than rushing through the learning process. Many practitioners note that mastering tai chi requires more than just watching videos.

 

The deeper aspects of Classical Tai Chi—such as internal energy, mindful movement, and the integration of mind and body—are developed over years of consistent practice and can often be learned through digital instruction, which can provide corrections and explanations that in-person instruction cannot.

 

This slow, deliberate approach aligns with Classical Tai Chi’s roots in Taoist philosophy, which encourages self-reflection and patience. Although apps and online tutorials are available, the important caveat is that practice itself is not easily mastered through quick, superficial learning.

 

Many students new to the art believe that the true essence of tai chi lies in its outward form. Classical Tai Chi is rooted in cultivating internal discipline, a process that takes time to mature. The world is used to immediate results; Classical Tai Chi stands as a reminder that meaningful progress often comes from patience, presence, and sustained effort.

 

A practice like Classical Tai Chi is indeed wise, as it emphasizes deep understanding over superficial learning. Hwa, a student of Grand Master Young Wabu, who was a direct disciple of the legendary Wu Chien Chuan, teaches a form rooted in the principles of Internal Discipline, which involves using internal movements and internal power to direct and empower external movements.

 

This approach is considered essential for achieving the actual health benefits and martial arts applications of Tai Chi. Many practitioners find that the depth of Master Hwa’s instruction, which includes detailed explanations of the torso’s role in movement and the integration of internal energy, is rare and highly valuable. Students have good reports about the comprehensive nature of his online video courses:

 

https://classical-tai-chi.teachable.com/ 

 

and the book, Uncovering the Treasure, 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Uncovering-Treasure-Classical-Internal-Energy/dp/1449917895/ref=sr_1_1

 

The reports are that the book and online course provide a complete and systematic methodology that eliminates guesswork and offers a clear path to mastery.

 

The focus on internal discipline, such as the "Torso Method," helps practitioners connect their movements to their core, leading to a more holistic and effective practice. The Torso Method is a very complex approach. Given the complexity and depth of this approach, taking time to learn and internalize these principles is crucial for long-term progress and genuine understanding.

 

Uncovering the Treasure: Classical Tai Chi's Path to Internal Energy & Health

This foundational book by Dr. Stephen Hwa distills decades of research into a coherent and practical guide. It introduces the "Torso Method"—the core concept that internal movement must lead external form. Readers praise its clarity, especially when compared to the vague or mystical language commonly found in other Tai Chi literature.

 

The book doesn’t just describe movements; it explains why they work, making it ideal for analytical minds and long-time practitioners disillusioned with incomplete teachings.

 

 

Classical Tai Chi Practice Stands Out in the Google Age of Immediate Understanding

 

While YouTube tutorials and quick online guides offer convenience, they often miss the subtle, internal mechanics that define authentic Tai Chi. Master Hwa’s teaching fills this gap by:

• Demystification of internal energy through the biomechanics of Round Form
• Prioritizing precision over aesthetics through Square Form
• Building health and martial power through correct structure and movement
• Preserving a lineage from Wu Chien Chuan via Grand Master Young Wabu  

 

As students noted:

J. R., New York 

The longer I'm with Tai Chi, the more I'm impressed by a teacher's ability/desire to explain things to students rather than the variety of forms they teach. What Stephen Hwa teaches online and by book is the best explanation I've come across in 30 years of practicing and teaching Tai Chi, and I've told him that. I should add that it is now my 50th year of practicing and teaching. I have been with Master Hwa since 2003.  He has instituted an online "Teachable Course"  which is excellent.  It has the use of 2 cameras in many of the lessons which is a real plus.  https://classical-tai-chi.teachable.com/  The prices are really great in an era where in-person instruction often takes private lessons and many $$$.

 

T. M., Virginia

I am shocked that I can learn from your DVD so readily. I was apprehensive about learning from a DVD, since my previous lessons with a teacher in a class had not gone very smoothly. Your teaching is so thorough and orderly. DVD's capabilities of play in slow motion repetitively at will and from different angles are more suitable for learning than classroom learning.

 

T. C., Washington

The key element, for me, is the "Internal Discipline" which Dr. Hwa presents so clearly. In my experience of trying out different taijiquan styles and teachers, this information and guidance on "internal discipline" is scarce. If you study Wu style with him, you're very fortunate. I had no idea that a direct student of Wu Jianquan's was lived and taught here in the U.S. I first read about Young Wabu in an article that appeared  in "Qi" magazine.

Application Hand Strums the Lute 手揮琵琶

Hand Strums the Lute 手揮琵琶

Excerpt from: The Treatise on Tai Chi Chi Chuan
Attributed to Wang Tsung-yueh

"If the opponent raises up, I seem taller;
if he sinks down, then I seem lower;
advancing, he finds the distance seems incredibly long;
retreating, the distance seems exasperatingly short."

• This treatise is considered the most important document of all in The Tai Chi Classics. One caveat to keep in mind about the Classics is discretion in reading it:
• “…the classics are considered the holy writ of Tai Chi but they also hold some glaring errors…”  Master Stephen Hwa
• It provides practical explanations for the physics and mechanics of movements connecting the art to concepts of anatomy and physics.

This application is demonstrated by Master Stephen Hwa here: Hand Strums the Lute

This describes the dynamic internal energy for the application:
This "hand strums the lute" occurs in the Classical Tai Chi form a number of times (3) that precede and intersperse the repetitious movement “Parting Horses Mane”.

The internal discipline of the movement itself comes from the core with the arms being largely immobile.  The lifting of the opponent comes from what might be called a lifting movement of the core at the waist.  An analogy might be described as opening the lid of a trunk with all the energy at the hinge. The body "opens" from a low to a high position wherein the student is inclining slightly back. 

One sees this type of vertical core movement "opening" in the opening “preparation” movement, the first movement of the form albeit without inclining.

Master Hwa:  "In the Jou Tsung Hwa's gathering I picked a guy to come at me.  He came at me, I sat back and threw him. Everybody (laughter) and I picked a big guy, so he came at me. So you see, let me do it slowly like in the form. It is really this move that is before "parting". This is a movement to handle people who come over the top at you and you do this.

Student: (laughter) that was hard for me to either lower myself or fall over.

Master Hwa;  You notice when a bigger person comes at me, I do not raise my hands.  My hands are still down here, I just lean the body back. With my arms down here they are very strong, IF I RAISE THEM THEN I CANNOT 

 LIFT HIM.

Student: All I felt was the integrity of your form, I did not feel any pressure.

Master Hwa:  Right. When I did it at the Jou Tsung Hwa festival, a guy that I threw, said "you do it very smoothly".  You do not feel any kind of forced movement. Very natural, I think.  This is why we never lift our hand over our head in the form or otherwise. If someone comes over the top I do this.  This looks like the hand is over the head but it is not.

 Master Stephen Hwa, "It would help if you remembered that sometimes the appearance of reality is an illusion. My students in class often told me that they thought I was moving a certain way and tried to do the same. Later, they found out their observation was incorrect. That was why I incorporated different views in my video so you could see my moves from different angles to reduce the risk of a wrong impression. Using a fresh eye to review the lesson video could uncover any misinterpretation of my My students in class often told me that they thought I was moving a certain way and tried to do the same. Later, they found out their observation was incorrect. That was why I incorporated different views in my video so you could see my moves from different angles to reduce the risk of a wrong impression. Using a fresh eye to review the lesson video could uncover any misinterpretation of my movements. 

“In search of the truth”

Round and Square: a Classical Tai Chi video

Block Printing and Cursive related to Classical Tai Chi:  a video

My own teacher, Stephen Hwa, Ph.D., did seminars for Jou Tsung-Hwa's students and he told me in an email that Jou Tsung-Hwa was “…someone who was in search of the truth in Tai Chi, and I would like to meet him…”. Master Jou was the author of The Tao of Tai-Chi Chuan.  He used the analogy of a film to explain the movement of Tai Chi. He stated that when viewed as individual, static poses, the movements make no sense. The proper motion and meaning are only perceived when the "frames" are put together and performed fluidly as a continuous sequence. The "Film" analogy teaches several core concepts of Tai Chi practice that can aptly be applied to Classical Tai Chi. 

In the numerous styles, there is really only one that has a “round” form and a “square” (fang) form. The Wu Style, with all its own derivatives, often surprises people with the direct opposite requirement between Square and Round.

The direct opposite requirement is not unique, however:

I am echoing Master Hwa as I relate my own experience. Just think how one learns the art of calligraphy. My own teacher echoes this in the video link. My own experience had me learning Chinese Calligraphy, how to write in print form (brush and ink, of course). Then I studied a smidgen of cursive calligraphy. The differences between these two writing forms are analogous to the differences between those two Tai Chi Forms.

Square Form is analogous to the block printing of (pinyin) Kai Style, or what is called “Kai Shu”. The round form is analogous to Tsao Style or "Tsao Shu/Cao Shu" or the cursive script.

In Square Form, as in calligraphy, movements occur along relatively straight lines between points (the start and end points of inflection). The Round Form, with its curves, has the curves passing through those points. The Square Form is like a template for the Round Form. As you see, the curves go through the points where the lines meet.

Again, merely echoing my teacher, who was a Ph.D. engineer and scientist at Xerox Corporation.  Like the Calculus of Mathematics; however, I would point out that the Round Form is like the calculus, which integrates a tiny segment of a curved motion as a straight line to form the curved motion. A Square Form is like taking one of the small straight lines and expanding it into a straight movement. The way of the universe uses principles that govern everything that appears unrelated.

To reiterate, it is in Jou Tsung Hwa’s book, The Tao of Tai Chi, where he states that movement is like individual frames in a movie. Taken separately or even 2 or 3, it makes no sense, and one sees no motion. Only when one puts all the frames together do we have the illusion of motion. In Classical Tai Chi Square Form, we see movement that indeed looks like individual frames in a film. When put together in the Round Form, we see motion. 

Regarding the square form and perhaps to the critics: Although the primary purpose is to teach students to delineate what moves and what does not in "Yin and Yang", there are many, many individual “points”, “stops”, “pauses”, etc. As it was said, “changes of direction occur at those points”. It would seem, then, that, much like the individual frames in a film, many frames produce a fine product that gives us the illusion of motion.

The more “points” are present in something, such as a square form, the more capacity there is for those points to join and produce a round form. If I only have 2 or 3 points, it would be hard to see the round if I join them with straight lines. If I put 10 points in that same situation and join them, one begins to see the round very clearly. Much as in the eight straight lines joining and changing direction in the I Ching diagram *ABOVE*, and one can draw a circle around those 8 points where the lines join. It would seem as well that lines joining thusly form angles at the joints. Ideally, one would think a good place to mount an attack would be at those angles, or what are “tangents,” as well.

The points where one changes direction are referred to as "Dingdian" or fixed points; they are actually inflection points. Those starting and ending points define the curved movement in the round form. Of course, nothing ever begins or ends in Tai Chi — like ocean waves, breathing — each has its own peak and trough.

When I was learning calligraphy, I appreciated the stop-and-go of Kai Shu's strokes. It allowed me to reflect on the stroke I just did and to prepare for the next movement. The Square Form of Tai Chi will enable us to gather energy, align the joints, and gather strength at the “points”. I can prepare for the next move by gathering my energy. The pause is why the moves in the Square seem abrupt. Although it looks "robotic" in its abruptness, it is not robotic enough. Based on this, I would say that Tai Chi is not only very analogous to calligraphy, but also very scientific. In light of the Calculus, one can appreciate the mathematics as well.

Thanks

James Roach

p.s. Read about calligraphy and art at the link below.  They were both outstanding artists, calligraphers, and Tai Chi teachers. They both learned from Grandmaster Young Wabu, who taught Stephen Hwa, Ph.D., who is my teacher and a Master instructor.

Rendering Nature: Paintings by Chow Chian-chiu and Chow Leung Chen-ying