Classical Tai Chi is the epitome of "Neigong"

Neigong exercises by definition need to combine "special breathing" with movement and in most cases are indicative of the "large frame" Tai Chi needing additional exercises. When the Classical Tai Chi "Compact Round Form" is done correctly, each movement no matter how small is a Neigong movement and does not need special breathing techniques...the breathing is natural and without conscious/deliberate intent. From Wikipedia: "Neigong exercises that are part of the neijia tradition involve cultivating physical stillness and or conscious (deliberate) movement, designed to produce relaxation or releasing of muscular tension combined with special breathing techniques such as the "tortoise" or "reverse" methods."  

Intro. to Compact Round and Square Forms

This Classical Tai Chi as a Neigong tunes the nervous system by using slow movement and sensitivity. Slow movement with sensitivity favors the nervous system with a more accurate and discriminating perception of the mechanics of the movement. Square form develops this. Yet, not all will have the aptitude or perseverance to develop the brains' ability to sense and correct any potential excess and unnecessary effort.

Learning "Round and Square" Forms
Classical Tai Chi as a Neigong refines the nerve signal in the body and is referred to as "Qi". Classical Tai Chi may be considered as a means to return to childhood. The Internal Discipline of the Form movements first tunes the nervous system in the body so that the complex and powerful internal movements will become natural and spontaneous. In China, a healthy and well-tuned nervous system is considered to be paramount to a healthy body. Physically, the internal movements penetrate to the deep recesses of the torso, stimulating and invigorating the organs and the circulation systems in the torso. 

You know several martial arts are they "offensive" or "defensive"?

Even a jury of non-martial artists would be hard pressed to find anything other than "guilty" when the defendant says:  "He was walking toward me in what I perceived as a threatening manner, using harsh language, so I launched myself at him first".  My common sense question as a juror might well be "Could you have gotten away in the first place, and why did you throw the first punch or launch yourself in order to "defend" yourself? 


My teacher Stephen Hwa, Ph.D. tells me that Classical Tai Chi is a pure "defensive martial art". In the video you see him explaining and demonstrating the difference between "offensive" and "defensive" with the catalyst explained as "jumping off" or momentum force. So the question is if you launch yourself in any fashion toward the opponent to "defend" yourself, how is that a "defensive" tactic?

I have taught quite a number of students that do external or what are called hard style martial arts. Certainly, one can be attacked by hostile people, hostile animals, etc. But the question for me is at what cost do you defend yourself?  I agree with Master Hwa that "...in a fight, anything goes..." But is your integrity, common sense, and training guiding you in "anything goes" defensively or offensively toward the attacker? From time to time, one of my students will remind me that that there are martial arts better, faster, stronger and quicker to learn that Tai Chi. So in that reasoning, could one learn to do several different martial arts, learning several times faster than Tai Chi and be several times better?  Many indeed, very pretty, even flashy but are these several arts "offensive" or "defensive" because if they have a hint of offense, then don't they cross the line? 

 In the 1990's I was contacted by a martial artist. He had seen me doing Wu's style sword form and asked for lessons.  I told him I would teach him the sword if he learned the Wu's Square Form first. Note: This is not Classical Tai Chi's square form. John reminded me periodically that he had learned 7 different martial arts faster and appeared in an Inside Kung Fu article. He said that he learned those faster than he would ever learn Tai Chi and hence never did learn the sword. 

John, however, did not use internal discipline where one part in the core moves and one part does not move in any of the 7 arts, by the "jumping off" definition his arts were "offensive".  My student Barry who did Karate and taught defensive tactics as a parole officer did not use internal energy. Barry told me that he has learned several martial arts but that learning internal discipline has been the most challenging, by the "jumping off" definition his arts were "offensive" Another of my students Anh has done Wing Chun for a long time but says learning internal discipline is more challenging and sophisticated.

In conclusion Master Hwa makes a great point that there is a big difference in the use of force "offensively" as compared to "defensively". In another segment of the video he also states that Classical Tai Chi because of its dependence on a non-moving part of the body is a purely defensive art.  If one is not moving that one part of the torso in other words, then how can you launch yourself toward the opponent while maintaining that non-moving part albeit in full momentum?

Why one does not have internal motion, internal energy and internal discipline in everyday activities?

"Having good technique in Classical Tai Chi is very important. Learning forms correctly will gradually change how you move during your day for a more healthful posture." Master Stephen Hwa

It occurred to me  as I was driving the car yesterday and then today while washing the dishes that most people really do learn Tai Chi for other than martial art reasons. Then I remembered Master Stephen Hwa's article on "Yi, Martial Art Intention" from the Classical Tai Chi Forum, October 2003 Then today's practice with the "Square Form" really drove the nail home.  WHAT WE DO IN EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES MOST OFTEN HAS NO REAL "INTENTION" OF MOVEMENT AKA DOING THINGS MINDLESSLY, IT IS NO WONDER PEOPLE CANNOT INTEGRATE THE TAI CHI MOVEMENT INTO THEIR EVERYDAY LIFE.

Online course on round and square forms

So excited to be working on my newest Small Circle Classical #TaiChi online courses teaching the 108 long form! This course will teach small form in a way that speeds up the learning process. Since it's online, you can use a variety of internet-connected devices to learn.

Meanwhile, here is a link to my first online course. The info here will help you with the upcoming one.http://www.classicaltaichi.com/healthandstrength.htm

What martial art is the most dangerous?

Notice I did not say the worlds' deadliest, the most deadly, the most dangerous and when we put those modifiers in most would think of how they can really hurt someone else.  But what if you hurt yourself when doing your martial art?  As Master Stephen Hwa once said paraphrased: "...all the opponent has to do is wait till you hurt yourself, then they can step in and do the job..."



What martial art is the most dangerous?

We hear from a 1988 article in which a sports medicine physician breaks down common injuries by style.  No surprise but Tai Chi is much healthier than other martial arts. Of course, you also have to do Tai Chi correctly to not hurt yourself.  Classical Tai Chi is the most admirable in this regard since it relies on moving from the core, "internal discipline" which does not involve the use of shoulders and other joints in detrimental movements.

Martial art shoulder injury at age 74 doing Tai Chi?

I cringe as I write this as one reads of a 74-year-old Tai Chi practitioner who has shoulder arthritis.  He also does Wing Chun and punches concrete walls in his practice.  Well, what more need be said about learning "internal discipline" in Tai Chi, Tai Chi has to be good for health as well as martial arts, and it does not involve punching concrete walls.

Pitfalls of external movement

I include some injury statistics here from NIH: The new online course "Martial Origins of Tai Chi" (Classical Tai Chi at Teachable.com)

discusses how virulent "pitfalls of external" the injuries in external martial arts are. Participants Ike Schultz and yours truly both studied Karate, Tae Kwon Do to Black Belt level and saw first hand how external movement in Kata, sparring exercises, etc. would cause injury because of "snapping" movements and "stopping" or it is called "pulling" the punch or kick whereas Classical Tai Chi moves slowly but teaches to punch or kick "all the way through" with no gaps, stops or snaps in the energy. The NIH reports on how many injuries in martial arts like Karate as well as their most likely commonality:
"The hand/wrist was the most common area injured (53%), followed by the shoulder/upper arm (27%) and the forearm/elbow (19%). Joint sprains/muscle strains were the most frequent injuries reported overall (47%), followed by abrasions/bruises (26%). ... Injuries may result in chronic upper extremity symptoms."

New Online Video Courses to complement "Face to Face" teaching

We will be continuing our discussions at the Blog but in the meantime, enjoy our older posts and:  

Come to our face to face classes once or twice a week at rock bottom prices. The Spring sale means our 1st month of studio-class (face to face) is packaged along with Master Hwa's 1st online video instruction course in Internal Discipline. Both are included in one initial payment for the first month when you enroll online. The first online video course payment is set at $27 and subsequent online courses at that same amount. Along with that, the face to face classes are only $25 per month. One might well think they are getting both for the low price of $52 per month. You will have videos from which to learn and reference with the added bonus of an experienced teacher to monitor and/or critique your progress in person.

Please go to http://www.classicaltaichiofbuffalo.com/live_classes to enroll in Master Hwa's class and register for ours.

Online Video Course is up and running

Classical Tai Chi Online Video Course...NEW

A Classical Wu-Style Tai Chi Video Class to Improve Wellness

CLASSICAL-TAI-CHI.TEACHABLE.COM

I'd like to say that everyone I have taught over the years including advanced students and teachers, needs to remember to look down a couple of times and check which direction their feet are pointing in, each time they practice. In moves where the feet are supposed to be parallel, a toe even slightly out here, a toe out there and I recall images in my mind of each student I've taught being reminded consistently to point their feet in the forward direction. The phrase "...feet are parallel..." is more than just talking about it. Now here are some of Master Hwa's practice reminders from the Classical Tai Chi Forum that mesh with his recent videos on keeping the knees and back healthy:

"I wish to reemphasize some of the points in the video to help you visualize and think about key elements of practice.
BODY POSITIONS:
In the instructional video one has to be concerned with many aspects of the position of the body. Two of primary importance are the (Master Hwa has changed this to "stretch the tailbone down" in his videos) tuck in and the knee over toe Tuck in or bringing the pelvis forward and up is easy to forget when you are thinking about all the other aspects of practicing tai chi. Yet it is of utmost importance. If done correctly then the practice of tai chi will alleviate lower back problems. If not done, then the movement can exacerbate lower back problems.

Knee over toe eventually can harm or injure the knee. Your step size can more or less determine whether your knee will go over the toe. The step size in the video with the front foot heel even with the back foot toe should normally avoid the problem of unconsciously bending the knee over the toe.
If you have a knee problem to start with,, you should try to use an even smaller step size. Keep the front foot heel just behind the back foot toe until your knee feels more comfortable. With such small step size you can till learn the form movements and develop the Internal Discipline."

Square Form Written Instruction

https://www.classicaltaichi.com/PDF/squareform.pdf

Master Hwas Square Form Instructions analyzed and excerpted here by Sifu Jim Roach.Students do these wrong and miss the martial intent and ultimate application of the movement: The "hand has to end up in line with the curve of the elbow" as in photo 3, otherwise, it is out of position to have intent on the fingertips thus able to strike upward to the throat. These 4 photos represent movements at the end of Posture 2 and the beginning of posture 3 of the square form. I see students get the position of the elbow wrong in the 3rd photo. They do not draw in the elbow by keeping it down but allowing it to rise to a right angle, sometimes to the level of the shoulder. 
One key is the right palm becomes centered, behind left palm but IT IS ALSO IN LINE WITH THE CURVE OF THE LEFT ELBOW, then after the shift of the body forward into posture 3, we can talk about "the right elbow pull slightly down and out, causing the right hand to slide slightly to the right"

Integrating mind and body

 

The simple movement of rotating the thumbs toward the body will cause the palms to face the rear.  However, unless it is trained not to move, the chest will hollow as well. To the casual observer, nothing is happening here. This is where the integration of body and mind can consciously occur. Humans are complex beings, however, and so we need training and practice in integrating mind and body. This is where "ting jin" comes in and sensing of one's own movement before learning to sense the partners. Here's where I find a fascinating example of how the mind and body are not intrinsically integrated for even a simple movement. It also shows how to achieve integration in both simple and complex movement.

The words "...when one part moves everything moves..." found as glaring error in the Tai Chi Classics is not integration of mind and body. For how do you take a lack of consciousness in movement, lack of yin/yang delineation and turn it into a Tai Chi principle? So you see it is a natural fact that if you move one part of the body, your body will always move another part extraneously unless your mind consciously intervenes.