Ji Squeeze mpg

Ji Squeeze mpg
Ji is fajin with a longer power delivery than either Peng or Tsai. Why Tai Chi uses “follow the opponent” and how this is done with the proper footwork is explained. This video link, like several others, is on my private Youtube studio. channel. Its intent is not to compete with Master Hwa but to share my thoughts and experiences with his videos. It will not compete since it is private and is shown in this private group. I observe that Master Hwa is "following the opponent" by allowing his arm to be stretched. By doing that, he engages his core muscles and the source of his internal strength. In addition, Tom has his arm "crimped" against his side. This makes the issuance of "long-duration fajin" fairly straightforward, with little to no resistance from Tom. It behooves you to sit back and turn from the core when practicing push hands. Or else, thus losing the capability to neutralize "Ji." If one cannot neutralize in cooperative push hands, there is little skill to bring to "Ji" as an application. I suggest for everyone to practice pulling forward and sitting back, "pushing hands" with imaginary opponents as a separate exercise, and do it dozens of times in a row.
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-He8VVVBZqQ

Square Form end cloud hands mpg

Square Form end cloud hands mpg

This is a slow-motion video snip of the Classical Tai Chi Square Form. There is no sound. What is important are the many hand movements, the turning of the feet, and the timing of them all. If one learns Cloud hands then this section will undoubtedly be of concern because of its complexity and timing.
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_shXC7kC5cA

Learning and evaluating students for Internal Discipline of Small Circle Tai Chi mp4

Learning and evaluating students for Internal Discipline of Small Circle Tai Chi mp4

Learning and evaluating students: With the https://ift.tt/2OfwbtJ Master Hwa has made a Gem for learning. I cannot say enough and rightly so because as he says, "...it is streamlined to facilitate student learning..." I only tell a little of my own experience here as I have gone on to digest what he passes on through "Teachable" and use it for my own classes. My experience has been: There is an adage that only those who pay the most $$$ for Tai Chi lessons will stick around. I have found in many ways, this only works if the $$$ also comes with a good student. Above all, In the relationship between teacher and student, the ball is ultimately in the student’s court. No one can teach you if you’re not willing to be a student. The corollary is true as well: A motivated student can learn from even a mediocre teacher. And when a real student meets a real teacher—that’s when the student’s world changes...I have been motivated to learn. That happened to me when I met Master Stephen Hwa. Years ago when I was teaching Wu's Style large frame at my own studio, my calligraphy teacher told me there was a Tai Chi teacher at the Chinese club who was called the "General" because of his strict teaching and call for dedication. Well, I had approached him years before that, in my early 30's and although he was strict, he was fair. My own teacher from "T" Tai Chi came with me to approach him to learn Chen Style, we had both grown disenchanted with "T" style. He told me that he would teach me but he would not teach my own teacher...why? Well, as Master Hwa says at about 17:15, teachers not only taught but they EVALUATED students attitude to see if they not only can learn, have talent, show promise but above all have a good attitude. I still do much the same, it is ingrained when I teach. I don't tell students I can't teach them but their "attitude" does do the "weeding out" process itself. My hopes in a non-pandemic future lean toward making it much more of a discipline that keeps students interest. Master Hwa talks about "...students complain because they think the teacher holds back...". My experience has also been that students complain about everything under the sun and I will leave it at that. The story from the calligraphy teacher was that the teacher told prospective students the charge for the class was $100 but if they stayed the course he would give it back to them...I like that quite a bit. However, much like Master Stephen Hwa, that teacher never charged me one thin dime...I learned a lot and above all am still continuing to learn and how to teach...I like that even more.
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGO77LzDRps

Lower foot Lower quarter body

Lower foot Lower quarter body

Think you have the video right from just one view?...think again... "Grasshopper". You can send me your own video OF YOURSELF doing this and I will be happy to critique it...you need to view it several times initially and read these instructions: Stepping, walking, shifting weight are all dependent on the lower body and it is not easy. My own teacher Master Stephen Hwa says "...it is difficult...". The physical internal discipline of the core for the lower body is not readily recognizable for many just starting out and even for many, they think they "...got it..." and they do not. Most think that simply putting the toe down slowly is "internal" but it is not and it has to be powered by the core...not the leg. Per his instructions from 2007 and the DVD, you will note at .20, (20 seconds) into the video you will see a "crimp" appear in Master Hwa's shirt. This is indicative not only of the foot lowering the toe BUT ALSO MEANS THE PELVIS HAS PUSHED BOTH SLIGHTLY FORWARD AND DOWN TO LOWER THE FOOT. THE MOTION IS REALLY THE BEGINNING OF WHAT THE FOOT AND LEG WOULD DO IF THE PRACTITIONER TURNED 90 DEGREES "HALF-BODY", ETC. EXCEPT IN THIS CASE THE ENERGY JUST PLACES THE FOOT DOWN FORWARD. HIS LEFT SIDE REMAINS STILL WHILE JUST THE RIGHT SIDE MOVES. He talks about it here from the book, p 91: Lower body movements are the foundation of Tai Chi. Poor footwork and poor lower body posture will prevent one from learning Internal Discipline later .I. using core power for leg movements, such as lifting and stretching the leg 2. keeping the body's center of gravity under control, not allowing the body to fall forward as in the common walking motion 3. pulling the body forward or backward not pushing by the leg. During push hand and Form practice, the sitting back move is often followed by the body moving forward move. To make this transition from "sitting back to moving forward" smooth and effortless, one can take advantage of the stored "sitting back" energy in the forward leg by depressing the toe down with the pelvis drawing the body forward to start the forward motion by pulling with the forward foot. The cycle of back and forward moves can be practiced while waiting in line, watching TV, etc. It strengthens the lower back and stimulates the internal organs.
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCL9aZjSPUU

Connect internal early in square form

Connect internal early in square form

A Youtube video:  Early work for Square Form  (connect internal early in square form)

Master Stephen Hwa makes the case that learning to connect the arm to the core should be done immediately upon the beginning study of the Square Form. Usually one learns Square Form, Round Form and when one is good in the Round Form they start to connect. He adds, however, that in doing it this way one's Square Form will be different. Without knowing this then one has a difficult time knowing where to place hands and arms in relation to the body.If one says "you have to connect" however, then you will know where the arms and hands should be. You will not make incorrect or indecisive movements of the arms because you will lose the "connection". At 3:00 one sees the students attempting to connect arm and leg to explicit movement of the back. The emphasis is on how the lower back should feel in spite of the difficulty.

True Fajin is like a whip

True Fajin is like a whip

When watching the mechanism of Master Hwa's punch unfold and deliver power one sees a representation of how a whip unfolds and delivers power. When striking an opponent using Fajin Newton's 3rd law of action and reaction is in effect but a reaction cannot come back... because, like the whips "softness" after the strike, so is your Fajin arm/body The rebounding force dissipates at the opponent's body and does not come back because of limpness in the arm after the strike.
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9y6oaKRnIA

Turn from waist not hip mp4

Turn from waist not hip mp4

"I have two of Master Hwa's DVDs and I find his concepts fascinating. I am a practitioner of Wu Style TCC (disciple of the Wu Family). However, we have been taught that all of the movements are generated by the "hips" first, not the "waist". I still do not understand why Master Hwa thinks that the hips should remain less mobile than the waist. The hips are the fulcrum of the body and connect the upper with the lower." A response: I have never understood how people can say things like "all of the movements are generated by the hips first, not the waist", "turn your hips", "push him harder so that he can turn his hips", etc. I heard those refrain for years in studying large frame Wu Style and years before I started Classical (Wu Style) Tai Chi. The hips are a large and complex joint of the body and like any joint are necessary for movement. They are necessary for movement but not sufficient to power or “generate” movement, however. In other words, they do not move in and of themselves but move as a result of action initiated by other parts of the body. Stating that they are "the fulcrum of the body and connect the upper with the lower" still is not a sufficient explanation of what powers or “generates” their movement. A crowbar is also a fulcrum but without a source of power “generation,” it is just a metal bar. What exactly is the mechanism that they use to move in and of themselves? There is no such self-perpetuating mechanism in the hips wherein one can "generate movement". Your hips "permit", "allow", "tolerate", "provide for" movement, but they do not "generate" movement. The generation of movement for our hips comes either from our legs or from our waist and not from the hips themselves. The generation of hip movement from the waist comes with its own set of problems as does the movement of the hips from the legs. See the attached video for examples of what happens when practitioners turn the waist and the hips at the same time. In large frame Tai Chi, the movement of the legs to turn the hip is called "folding the hip or Kua". A leg pushing the body either forward or backward makes one hip rotate into itself and the other rotate out of itself...hence the inguinal "fold' so coveted by large frame practitioners. As far as "Power" is concerned, one will reduce or drain off power when turning the "hip first" (which as we said is really impossible because it does not generate its own movement). Keep the hip still and then turn the hip "first" and you can readily see the difference in the "generation" of power. In a Large frame, it is true the hips can be rotated forcefully once the legs push the body and they reach the apex of a weight shift. As we have stated previously, however it is also true that power is drained off once the rotation is completed. Compact frame does this by pulling. In contrast to pushing, pulling moves are internal and stay energized Energy is not lost but constantly recirculated and not dependent on legs for power. In talking about "fulcrums" it is of prime importance as to how one locates or places a working fulcrum. As you can see in the video the turning of hips lowers yin/yang junction (fulcrum) to area of knees. One can readily see several practitioners of "external" style Tai Chi turning their bodies at the hips, lowering the junction to the area of the knees in the mistaken impression that "generating movement by the hips first and not the waist" can be used to "turn the body". "The most important instruction on Internal Discipline passed down from Wu Chien Chuan to my teacher Young Wabu is that": "Every movement in Tai Chi Form has to have two complementary parts of the body, a moving part (called Yang) and a stationary part (called Yin). When the yin-yang junction is located in the torso of the body, it is an internal move. When it is outside the torso, it is an external move".
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7iFQWYQwEM

Classical Wu Tai Chi - Turning Movement part 2 by Classical Tai Chi's Stephen Hwa

Classical Wu Tai Chi - Turning Movement part 2 by Classical Tai Chi's Stephen Hwa

See https://ift.tt/3x97owP What is Yin-Yang junction and why is it important in Tai Chi? For further details see: https://ift.tt/3x97owP In Chinese: https://ift.tt/3v1RenL
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrnKEd6H1YU

Achieving Health and Well-Being Through Classical Tai-Chi Training

Achieving Health and Well-Being Through Classical Tai-Chi Training

ONLINE COURSES: Internal Exercise for Power and Vitality course https://ift.tt/2zZwPsZ Small Circle Tai Chi Form course part I & II https://ift.tt/36ZiCIr For more info https://ift.tt/36WwzHk Classical Small Frame (Circle) Tai Chi Form has many dimensions. These Youtube videos try to show some facets of it: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION OF SMALL FRAME TAI CHI: Small vs Large Circle Tai Chi Forms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPfi2ImZrss&t=3s Tension and Relaxation -Insight Into Small Circle (Frame) Tai Chi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq6xubR83gI INTERNAL DISCIPLINE IN SMALL FRAME TAI CHI: Internal Discipline in Classical Tai Chi-Master Stephen Hwa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIcstWYHW5w&t=206s Qi & Internal Energy in Classical Tai Chi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6cFKvr3nyo Classical Tai Chi Walking Exercise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4Oxx12QRNY Examples of Martial Arts Fighting Applications: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZzleh-jxgk Learning Push Hand Fundamentals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NORbRqOPxPs Fajin (Fajing) in Tai Chi, Part I, Unique Characteristics of Fajin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36fCcCxrwAE&t=227s Fajin (Fajing) in Tai Chi, Part II, Training in Fajin to Enjoy Robust Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmkyMgWb7M4&t=279s IMPORTANCE OF CORRECT POSTURE ON HEALTH: Tai Chi Forward Lean Posture & Movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7QHPErjhs8 Tai Chi Exercises for Lower Back Pain. Improve Your Spine & Back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72OGPbcIlcQ How to Protect Your Knee during Tai Chi Practice or Other Physical Activities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMp3tJqyQTM LEARNING PROCESS: Classical Wu Style Tai Chi Square and Round Form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cMyhD1-8YM Importance of Martial Art Intent in Tai Chi Form Practice https://youtu.be/mZSbG5jkn6w Pair Tai Chi Left-Right Hand Player in Mirroring Position: https://youtu.be/sRf1zsdJUaU How to Learn Internal Discipline of Small Circle Tai Chi https://youtu.be/5Zxxeyrt-FI APPLICATION OF INTERNAL DISCIPLINE IN SPORTS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qygZydgwJXM
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lXAN0t3pXE

Slow square mpg

Slowsquare mpg

From Uncovering the Treasure a book by Master Stephen Hwa: "Every movement in the Square Form has a clear starting point and ending point with a stop between the moves. The movement between these two points is usually in a straight line and done very crisply and resolutely. Directional changes are usually carried out at these two points." The problem here is that the majority of students have no sense, no awareness of where the joints are located in order to accomplish this type of movement. If one does not know, is not aware of the apparatus, where the joints are located, where the movement to develop a "starting point and ending point with a stop between moves" is, then there will be no movement at those locations.
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlqMtt-7UTQ

Connect students arm to core for seniors mp4

Connect a students arm to core for seniors mp4

Something to mull over: As in this video, what happens when we have to think about how to connect our arm to our core...even with someone stretching it out? What happens to "Muscle Memory"? In Classical Tai Chi it is a "yes and no" because it is not ever definitive. Sometimes it's "yes", sometimes it is "no". When Katharine Craster's Centipede was asked about his "muscle memory" by a Toad: A centipede was happy – quite! Until a toad in fun Said, "Pray, which leg moves after which?" This raised her doubts to such a pitch, She fell exhausted in the ditch Not knowing how to run.
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKtwR9IEXIw

TAI CHI SQUARE & ROUND FORM MASTER STEPHEN HWA

TAI CHI SQUARE & ROUND FORM MASTER STEPHEN HWA

In Tai Chi there is talk of seeking straight from curved, curved from straight. Many people say Classical Tai Chi Square form is “robotic”, my teacher says “the more robotic the better”…it gives us a plethora of straight lines and delineates what parts of the body move and don't move. Everyone thinks that Tai Chi's movements should always be round and smooth I talked to my teacher Master Stephen Hwa about the Calculus, straight lines, and curves in Tai Chi…he said “you are on the right track”. BTW Master Hwa was the scientist at Xerox that others came to when they had Math problems. Anyway, if I want to draw a curve I might start with a few points. Let’s say I put points on a paper and name each N, S, E, W, N, NE, NW, etc. So I have all those points (directions). Now I connect N to NE to E to SE to S, etc. with straight lines. Once I have the lines I can draw curved lines between the points. In The Classical Tai Chi Square form, there are many straight lines, and angles. Where the movement ends is the end of a straight line but if you have visualized what I say then the end of the lines, those points are tangential to the curve, and those points, changes in direction are where internal energy is released. Indeed there are other folks Tai Chi that says they do Square Form. What they don't say is they do Square Form in a Small, Mid, or Large Frame. Classical Tai Chi does square in a Small, Compact, and Tight Compact Frame. It is essential for the plethora of small, compact, and tight compact curved movements of the Round Form that use internal movement from the torso.
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzmahSaL_kY

Do not mix Internal and External in arm mp4

Do not mix Internal and External in arm mp4

Master Stephen Hwa with “Single Whip” and moves with no extraneous movement! Its all “Internal”!

One cannot do "internal" and external at the same time in any part of the body, arms, legs etc. In this video you see arms stretching or being stretched and then internal being used or vice versa. Watching Master Hwa's arm stretch when pulled is "yielding" then "fajin" when opponent crimps up their arms and you are close to their chest. If you are going to "ting" jin and "follow" the opponents movement then use stretched or one might say "external" movement. Actually in push hands you can do one then do the other but the two cannot operate at the same time. In this event, one would have to setup the parameters for external (elbow and arm not directly in front of centerline and more toward lateral sides of body) to successfully be able to extend the arm fully and easily once more. Among arm, shoulder, and core, it is often difficult to tell which part is leading or following. It is best to always keep the shoulder passive as a follower. But the arm, the elbow, or the finger, filled with “yi”, may sometimes give the sensation of leading the movement. The synergistic effects between core movement and engagement of arm and core give unexpected results. When I try the engagement exercise on students new to my class, it seems to help them to learn how to make the core move.
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Tx_2Acujvo

Tight Compact Form

Tight Compact Form

Faster speeds: How fast one can play the form is limited by the internal energy possessed by the practitioner. Losing firm control of the movement, skipping details of the internal movement, building up tension, and not being able to maintain the yin-yang balance are some of the signs that the playing speed is beyond the capability of the practitioner. When the speed reaches 4 min., (Tight) Compact Form will be a natural choice. It is an exhilarating experience to play the form in the 2-3 min. range while maintaining the relax-energizing balance (ying-yang balance)in the body just as playing at the normal speed, and enjoying the rapid circulation of the internal energy. To achieve poise and relaxation at this speed is important preparation for martial art application.One does not learn to play this fast by practicing fast. The foundation is built at the regular speed where every detail is honed to perfection and that the internal energy is developed to a high degree
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aL5V7jHBWE

Hurdles learning InternalDiscipline

Hurdles learning InternalDiscipline

Students see the sophisticated movement of the teacher's core (most times abdomen) and in different ways express their desire to learn how to do that. A common occurrence is for students to imitate the movements from watching a video but find that they are not successful. This preconception must be put aside and the student must face the realization that the learning is not that simple. A good place to start, to understand how to negotiate these hurdles is with the video "How to learn Internal Discipline of small circle Tai Chi" available from Master Stephen Hwa's Youtube catalog "Classical Tai Chi". The traditional method of teaching and the current method of teaching which he is using. https://ift.tt/2OfwbtJ For more info https://ift.tt/36WwzHk
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWpy1YVGY1A

潜意识，下意识 "Subconscious" Qiányìshí, xiàyìshí in Taijiquan

潜意识，下意识 "Subconscious" Qiányìshí, xiàyìshí in Taijiquan

"Qi"? What Qi if there is no intent, what intent if someone even spelled it wrong and only "Win stun" (Wing Chun, etc.) is subconsciously coming out when you do Classical Tai Chi? (It's subconscious by the way, some do it naturally, some never get it because other subconscious baloney gets in the way). Uncovering the Treasure by Stephen Hwa, Ph.D. p. 25 "There is a more subtle but powerful reason why the martial arts aspect of Tai Chi is important. Tai Chi Form should be practiced with "Yi" (martial art intention). "Yi" is not something complex and elaborate. It is single-minded and somewhat intuitive with the desire to deliver the internal power externally through hands, arm, and foot, whatever the movements. If the hand is moving forward, then the Yi goes to the palm and fingers; if the hand is moving laterally in a blocking movement, then the Yi goes to the leading edge on the side of the hand, etc. Once the practitioner masters the "Yi", it is no longer a conscious effort. It becomes subconscious and comes naturally whenever the practitioner makes a move."
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6nnCNErN4Q

World Tai Chi Day Square Form

World Tai Chi Day Square Form Video

My secret to learning: Get next to uber-intelligent, skilled, and talented people then make lots of mistakes. One mistake is to not pay attention to the core, yes, even in Square Form, exclusively summed up in something that he says which is: "For the beginner, the difficulty lies in the mental discipline in which all attention has to be concentrated on the core region." I think the problem of "attention to the core" comes from certain factors, one of which is the "Western" concept of "exercise" which goes for "repetition" in all its forms. The best advice I can give is not to go after repetitions as though it is a contest to see how many that one can do. The object is to simply feel the stretch and energy flow, keywords, "simply feel", not to engage in trying to strengthen the core like a sit-up or crunch. The difference in the latter is one of building muscle for muscle sake, in the former it is to tune the nervous system so that it can move the extremities from the core. Square Form is an excellent way to "tune the nervous system" because its controlled movement creates a venue where localized nerve impulses do not flourish...but precision does.

World Tai Chi Day Square FormThe Square Form: Each movement in the Square Form always starts and ends with a complete stop. The movement itself is rather resolute and brisk. The playtime of the entire Form, therefore, consists of stopping time and movement time with both times comparable. The "stop" or "pause" between moves in the Square Form is a great opportunity for the practitioner to do the following:

 • Examine body structure and feet position. Is everything in the right place?

 • Enjoy the sensation of stretching, rooting,

   ... and prepare for the next move so that it will be carried out with conviction and intent.

Step back and punch

Step back and punch

One cannot do the Form much less the application unless the weight transfer to the right foot consists of a proper step back that lands on the heel first. 

Concurrently, this proper stepping is not developed unless the student trains in the Classical Tai Chi basic walking. This is dependent on one's skill with basic walking, not the ability to punch and kick. The stepping back and punch in the video link can only be accomplished with absolutely firm footing. Get good at Classical Tai Chi basic walking forward and back before thinking about something like this as an application. In both photo and video link, one can see from this initial position of Master Hwa's foot that the intent is to land on the heel first and not on the toe or even the ball of the foot. There are many reasons to do this, for application and health purposes. 

For improving balance the training is a panacea. For application, the training of landing on the heel first puts the move into one portion, not two. One does not land on the ball of the foot then heel making it two moves and not one. Internal 

Exercise for Power and Vitality course https://ift.tt/3kDHye4... Small Circle Tai Chi Form course part I https://ift.tt/3kDHye4... For more info https://ift.tt/36WwzHk Classical Small Frame (Circle) Tai Chi Form has many dimensions. These Youtube videos try to show some facets of it:
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Rm41J6QBGI

How does one get from "Form" to "sparring" then to "self defense"?

How does one get from "Form" to "sparring" then to "self defense"?

There is no mystery to be good at martial art application. This is discussed in the book, "Uncovering the Treasure" by Stephen Hwa at Amazon and video available at Youtube and classicaltaichi.com. You need to go through three steps: 1. Develop internal energy or power through Form practice, so that one can deliver the power at any angle and position. 2. Practice the form such that the ability of delivery becomes instinctive, no need to think. 3. Practice push hand and sparring to develop sensitivity and finesse. One needs to at least master step 1 as a reasonable start. One needs to aspire to make and use internal discipline in all moves and all angles. One must also aspire to not need to think when you move in doing the form and doing an internal movement. Multiply that by a factor of 10 when it comes to sparring and/or combat. If you have to think even before moving in the form it is no wonder one will always be one step behind, and being controlled by the opponent. Step 3 needs a partner to practice. There is no short cut to that. The traditional method of teaching and the current method of teaching which Master Stephen Hwa is using. https://ift.tt/2OfwbtJ For more info https://ift.tt/36WwzHk
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez2AgXMr-1Q

3 dimensional push hands

3 dimensional push hands

Jim R: Good streamlined lessons available online: classical-tai-chi.teachable.com. In the martial applications of when the opponent comes high and comes low at you, there is a correlation to the practice of Tai Chi Form movements. Accordingly, there is a correlation to Push Hands training. As one does with “coming high/coming low” there is also a correlation to whether one uses a 2 dimensional or a 3-dimensional response. In a 3 dimensional attack or defense, one has to “lean back” sufficiently when pushed and when attacked also train to keep the other hand up and protecting the face. Remember that in going high and going low whether in Form, Application, or Push Hands there is the all-important connection to the core to initiate ALL movements of the arms. The “cloud hands internal discipline as seen from the back” video is a good example of core movement with arms moving up and down along the “Y” axis.
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az-KDi8NN3I