Discovery in Classical Tai Chi

I know that Master Hwa has consistently examined his own movements and tries unceasingly to come up with better ways of teaching.  Additionally, he maintains the desire to share his own discoveries with his students.  There are of course some students who develop what they learn from the teachings naturally by just practicing. I believe he is right in thinking that his desire to shorten the learning curve might be viewed with a disapproving eye by old masters.  After all, they believed in diligent practice and self-discovery. Master Hwa is well aware of this concern and relates it to Mencius story about a farmer who was impatient watching his seedlings grow so slowly that he went to the field and pulled the seedlings up to help their growth.

My understanding of the story is that the pulling up to see the results resulted in the plants dying. Intuitively I think that Mencius wanted to illustrate that successful cultivation of personal virtue was a long term process.  It is a satirical thought indeed that anyone can be impatient for success yet act to destroy the very conditions upon which success depends, or hastens growth yet hopes for success. 

Here is one discovery that I have made:  The desire for success is a self imposed obstacle to success. As a Westerner, I think I have self imposed things standing in my way that make living Tai Chi very difficult.  I know that I am not immune to the many feelings wherein one needs success and needs it in a hurry - in things other than Tai Chi as well.  So the question of what Tai Chi can mean to me particularly in light of these self imposed roadblocks is ever more important. 

 Although Master Hwa feels the need to shorten the learning curve, I don't think he should ever regret it.  I hope I am not being too bold when I say that Tai Chi has had a difficult time in the West. For one thing the ground that he planted Tai Chi "seedlings" in is as I say,  in the West.  One might also say that it is needed very much in the West, but the ground is not the most fertile considering the obstacles, albeit self-imposed . If anything I think his efforts to shorten the curve were necessitated by forces that may well be difficult to control as I state above.  

I have encountered no other Tai Chi learning  as he teaches where students are taught to zero in on the correct sensation of a movement.  I have found that this is truly the best tool for achieving self-improvement.  One learns to sense the gradual discoveries of their own body which have been "under ground" for perhaps their entire life - how can this be called "pulling up"?  The health implications of this are incredible for the sensing of gradual discoveries is a direct pointer to how well the nervous system becomes both healthy and well "tuned".  One doesn't have to look for results, one can feel them.

In the domain of sensing movement and feeling the results I have included a link to a Youtube video wherein Master Hwa talks of one of these many discoveries.  I have included the link here: Discovery in Classical Tai Chi and the transposition of his workshop here:

Master Hwa: "You know sometimes, as I recently wrote in the book about discoveries. And it is still continuously discovered. For example, we talk about rotating this arm, your arm is up a little bit?  OK. Before I kind of said, now, because you rotate up, elbow is down.  So now you can go down like this. But really that rotation, HAS LOTS MORE MEANING TO IT.  

So you understand because you are nodding your head right?  You know, you try with one hand, you can see. So, one hand you rotate, ok, you rotate then you start moving again.  MORE.  You see this move, starting with this rotation.  This is a very powerful move. Right? Starting with this rotation. Once you start to move this...  So again, I just, just ...Ohhh, these old masters, they really think about everything. This is a very powerful move...for blocking, and later on, you can feel the power.  Right...very good, right, exactly. Right and also later on, when we talk about push hands, there is other uses for this move too.

You, know, so early on, I just followed my teacher, turning but. Now I really understand, why, so important but.  Two hands is actually  more difficult, so your both hands come down. You know most of the Tai Chi forms when they do this, they pull the arms back like this. It is NOT, we really do THIS.  It is more difficult than one hand...both sides actually. 

Student: "At that point, it is a feeling in the back?"

Master Hwa:  "Yeah, the back, my back goes down. That's how the back goes down. It's easy to illustrate it using one hand but two hands is a more difficult situation. Yes the SHOULDER SINKS. "

"Now two hands can also be used for blocking, Or, when someone comes underneath you, you strike him on the back with the elbows. The shoulder goes down."

"The Dao of Taijiquan"

"Hello. My name is Bayne Lucero. I would so much be honoured to be able to study Tai Chi Chuan under Sifu Roach. I have a good friend that is a student of Chinese internal martial arts. When I called him about having an interest & advice, told him about Classical Tai Chi of Buffalo & Master Hwa, he became very excited. Saying the best book he ever read was "The Dao of Taijiquan". He also said that his teacher was a great fan of Master Hwa. Seems the endorsements are there for me. Hearing all this from my friend, his opinion I value very much, I am very, very, very excited. My phone # is. Thank you"

Hi Master Hwa,

"I am also bcc to my students about this message, which I find opens many opportunities for interesting glimpses into Tai Chi history as well as our own lineage.  It also provides opportunity to explain what we do albeit by comparison, nevertheless I found it interesting to write.  Perhaps this man will digest this and come to study after all."

Jim Roach

"Jim: I know the confusion. Actually, I regret not meeting him. He is one of the few tai chi practitioner who is truly searching for the truth. Sometime, he told his students " what I taught you last month, forget about it, it is not correct. lets do this way."

Stephen Hwa

Hi Bayne,

I'm under the impresssion from speaking to Master Stephen Hwa, that  Master (see this link as well as others which are in blue font) Stephen Hwa 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 World Tai Chi Day event while watching a demo of "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 this link of a distant ancestor Hua Tuo who may be the first ancient Chinese surgeon.  

Stephen Hwa mentions the "Dao of Taijiquan" published 1989 in his own book "Uncovering the Treasure" published 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" 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.

Although Jou also makes mention of Wu Jianquan style Tai Chi in his book, he states that he studied Yang and Chen styles for the most part as the following videos attest to.

 Here is a link to a video of "Jou" and here is a link to a video of "Hwa" and you can get a better idea of what we do vs. what Jou taught.  As a matter of fact, Master Hwa has taught Classical Tai Chi to participants at "Jou's" Tai Chi Farm on occasion.  He makes reference to that in "Uncovering the Treasure" where he describes a "Western Boxer's" unsuccessful and painful attempt to "take a punch" from Hwa (one inch punch popularized by Bruce Lee) without using a pad. Stephen "Hwa's" teacher at this link was Yang Wabu (Young Wabu) who later worked as a Dr. of Osteopathy after working in import/export in Hong Kong but who was highly proficient in numerous martial arts including Bagua Zhang.  He was a known master of Pekkwar Monkey Boxing when he met and learned Taiji from  this link of the renowned martial artist Wu Chien Chuan who along with his father had both worked as bodyguards to the emperor of China.  Early on, Wu had learned the Yang Style from the members of the Yang Family themselves but as described in Wikipedia, Wu later shortened the stances and altered the "frame" in other ways.  

Although I studied with Wu's great grandson Eddie Wu (see this link to picture of my discipleship ceremony on web page), pictures being "worth a thousand words",  for many years, even his frame is somewhat larger than the frame size we use in Classical Taiji.  In addition,(since I studied with both Wu and Hwa) I am the only student of Hwa's that can personally attest to the fact that Wu does not teach internal discipline, however we do. Briefly, the Wu form I learned from Eddie turns from the hips, the form I learned from Hwa turns from the waist, for another thing it is much much smaller.   As a former disciple of Wu, with great respect for the family, I can however attest to the fact that the "internal discipline" of Classical Taiji is really a return to the roots of Taiji before the styles began to change.  When Yang Wabu learned from Wu Chien Chuan, he was learning from the 2nd generation.  Yang Wabu used to teach classes for Wu Kung i (son of Wu Chien Chuan) when Wu was not there.  Yang Wabu's daughter Sonia tells me that she was in Wu Kung i's classes, (but her father was not Kung i's student since he studied with Kung i's father Chien Chuan, Yang was Wu's colleague and not his student) and she used to fight with the men.  She tells me that she was 11 years old and Eddie Wu was only 6 years old and she used to tell Eddie to stop pestering her as little boy's like to do.

Having learned from Chien Chuan himself, Yang's approach was very meticulous as was he himself.  My own opinion is that Gongyi (who says as much in the Qi magazine article) was very interested in attracting as many people as possible.  Therefore, for one thing,  Wu Kung i  did not teach the square form or tight circled round form of his father but instead taught a "rounded square form".  That is the form that I learned from his grandson Eddie Wu in Toronto.  It is quite different from the smaller frame, (in my opinion) highly articulated square form, and compact and tight compact form that I now teach in Classical Taiji.  However, Classical Taiji is still a "Wu's" style, just that as I say...it is a return to the "roots".

You will just need to view my "contact us" page on my website once again and make a decision on which location you wish to study at.  All the information is there, just contact me if you have any further questions or if you wish to begin study and when. If you study at the "Y", you can give the check for $65 to me and I will forward it to the "Y", if you study at the Elmwood location, it is a different situation for the 8 weeks.  Remember, see these links,  I only teach "silk reeling" and "basic walking"  in the beginner classes at both locations. The intermediate/advanced classes are by invitation only.  Please be aware, you need to email me first, due to the small amount of room at the Elmwood location, I cannot accept "walk ins".

James Roach

Hi Bayne,

I am texting this to you for the following: Re. Tai chi. I sent an email to you but it was returned to me, perhaps it went to your spam folder?  I'd like to use your letter in a blog if you have no objections and I won't use your name if you wish.

Sifu Roach,

I have no objections to using anything, my name, whatever.  I am just very excited to start.  I have not been able to sleep.  My friend is so excited too. Please contact soon, I would like to sleep soon.

Hi Bayne,

I cannot call because I am painting the interior of the house. Come to the "Y" tomorrow night, tell the front desk you are visiting.

Sifu Roach,

Thank you so much for your quick response.  Looking forward to it.  When I told my friend you teach the silk reeling and walking, which I am unfamiliar, he said it sounds like the real deal.  I mentioned Master Hwa.  After telling of Master Hwa, he was about to lose it!.  Thanks again.

The "Tai Chi Classics" have some glaring mistakes

Video excerpted from "Tao of Martial Applications DVD series Volume III"

Recently a question arose in the Yahoo Email Group of Classical Tai Chi regarding the statement:  "Every movement 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 has 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 has written the following response on October 6, 2011 to the question and challenge, 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 dramatic. 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.