The pursuit of Classical Tai Chi methodology for suitable teaching of certain segments of population Inbox x

Dear Master Stephen Hwa:

In reference to your recent request for a dialogue on the subject: "I have been experimenting with different scope of teaching that is extracting certain parts of our art which are suitable for certain segment of population, such as elderly population."

From visiting and participating in your class in Florida I picked up on some few "parts of the art" which can be useful for the elderly population. It cannot be denied that one of the "parts" has to be how we can be using the "Tai Chi Walk"

I cannot help but continually think of what I experienced when I participated in the "walking exercises"  with the very large class.  What I saw was a variety of "gaits", some of which I believed were abnormal but since I was participating was not able to zero in on specifics.  I have to say however, what a treasure/miracle it is to have a normal gait and to not be afflicted by an abnormal gait that may even be there because of some disease. 

One of the things I like to do with our class is use a long corridor (which we have access to) and simply watch students come and go as they walk normally up and down the hall. This seems to give me a better handle on how I can breach the gap on even introducing the walking exercises. 

I can't help but think that an instructor  of Classical Tai Chi can benefit from some preliminary observations of what his/her class is capable or not capable of in an everyday kind of environment instead of taking a "one size fits all" approach. As a side note, some major Universities publish documentation that there are literally dozens of abnormal gaits associated with various disease states. 

 As you say:

"The concern we have is that there are different category of potential students who could benefit from learning our tai chi. But, different category of incoming students have different objective of learning as well as different capability of learning. One learning path can not fit all."

Please note that a copy of this email and future emails will be sent to the Yahoo email group

Sifu James Roach

Learning Paths

Here is a request from Master Stephen Hwa for a  contribution of thought, opinion,discussion, ideas, that are appropriate to the subject he raises.

"I have been in discussion with some of you regarding the learning path for Classical Tai Chi. The concern we have is that there are different categories of potential students who could benefit from learning our tai chi. But, different categories of incoming students have different objectives of learning as well as different capabilities of learning. One learning path can not fit all.

If we are interested in setting up Classical Tai Chi schools, we need to tailor our teachings to a large and varied population , not limited to those who have the ambition to become a proficient practitioner of all aspects of our art. One has to have a substantial student body in order to have a viable school.

I have been experimenting with a different scope of teaching that is extracting certain parts of our art which are suitable for certain segments of the population, such as the elderly population. And also, experimenting with a different approach to initiate students into our art. Nowdays, one has to keep students' interest high right from the beginning and continue through the course, otherwise, one will not be able to maintain a substantial and stable student body.

I hope to start a dialogue here and hopefully come up with some good approaches. And also, I am planning on having a workshop in a the near future on these subjects and other questions you may have."

Good practice,

Stephen Hwa

Gumption

Sometimes things are not so clear, sometimes they are and sometimes one can distinguish clearly between what is clear and not clear.  When one side moves the other side does not, can we ask for a better image of the delineation of Yin and Yang in Classical Tai Chi movement?

Which has a parallel with what Eva told me about why few people stick with this and most people don't.  The line of understanding as to the why and wherefore of this question became very clear yesterday as I talked to a student, let me explain:

"I have written this and other articles as well in my brainchild Classical Tai Chi facebook group  in the hope of engaging the curiousity of students and offering inspiration. Inspiration however, is a difficult thing to pin down and a teacher can inspire but it is  only the student who can do the work. I cannot offer curiosity  and can only offer inspiration to the point where a student has engaged their curiosity. The inspiration is never earth shaking and I have met many who came and went in relative silence. So it is incredibly rare when I meet a student as I did today who seemingly has the integrity and is forthcoming enough to not only say they are leaving but state a reason.

It is even more of a rarity as happened today,  when I hear a student say they liked me, liked the classes, but  were chagrined to admit they could not find the "inspiration" to go home and practice anything from the very first day for three months, not one bit of silk reeling, not one posture. As I said,  a teacher cannot go home with the student supplying inspiration. But in most of these cases whether gone silently, gone with bombast or gone while being forthcoming the student has not seen the forest for the trees.

What this takes is "gumption" or as one dictionary defines, it is the guts and subsequent determination to stick things out to the point where the tai chi begins to give genuine sustaining inspiration. This is also known as "Uncovering the Treasure" of which books have been written on how to not only uncover it but provided details on how to take it with you.  I've said this many times that initial enthusiasm is no substitute for persistence and dedication. It rewards you in proportion to commitment and devotion and that is not my job as a teacher, the onus is on the student.

There is no "secret" to sticking this out and doing the work. Tae Kwon Do is a sport which I did for several years at the same time I was doing Tai Chi,  but I once wanted to learn a back turning side kick that could stop an attacker dead in their tracks. I went home and kicked the bag an hour, sometimes two,  each day for a year. I kicked to the point where I could move the bag from vertical to horizontal...hitting the suspended ceiling above. One could say, what a specialized skill and of what value?  Someone tried to knife me on the street , while I was walking to work, munching on a sandwich and the kick worked, did not even drop the sandwich. I guess Eva is right, there are not many people willing to do that, to stick it out, but the "secret" never changes...it takes initial gumption followed by persistence and devotion.

It is a cliche to say this takes a long time or a lifetime, for "Time" is what we have in this moment and is therefore no guarantee that the lack of practice will yield anything but a fallow field."

Liked on YouTube: 陳永太極 ‒ 怎樣化掐頸之方法

陳永太極 ‒ 怎樣化掐頸之方法
Gripping Art demonstration on how to neutralise the force of an opponent grabbing your neck, slowed down for ease of comprehension. 來源Source: http://ift.tt/1LXvnCV Facebook Page: Tai Chi 太極拳 http://ift.tt/1LXvmPv
via YouTube http://youtu.be/xQw0DMa0OdE

Square form also has continuity of movement (Not)

Square Form

Note that you can get this link and more if it does not come through by searching James Roach Classical Tai Chi on Youtube. I worked very hard to learn square form correctly but I hope this does not come across as too strong in my analysis and commentary.  A criticism of Classical Tai Chi by some in the Tai Chi community is that there is no "continuity" in the Square Form. I received this comment on the Youtube video of Square Form at Master Hwa's workshop:  The comment simply said "Square form also have continuity".  This is relatively easy to address to others but I do not think they will understand because they do not do "square", contrary to what they think they do. Nor will even many students of Classical Tai Chi, even after many years understand the difference between round and square. 

"Continuity" of movement is important in Classical Tai Chi Round Form where there is a steady flow of internal energy. Continuity of movement in square form is not an important consideration since each of the moves should have a PAUSE between them. However, although the very nature of the square form with its PAUSES seems almost antithetical to Round it serves an indispensable purpose to learning and practicing the Round. The purpose of square form is NOT to learn to move continuously, the purpose is to learn to CLEARLY DELINEATE postures and to CLEARLY DELINEATE the separation of Yin and Yang. DELINEATE in Merriam Webster refers to "LINES" used to indicate something. In this case where the yin-yang pair, that delineation, those delineations  of yin-yang is/are located.

One cannot learn to do round correctly unless they have learned where the yin-yang pairs are to be located in each of the postures...those "pairs" do not imbed themselves in the correct locations simply because one does "continuous" movement. On the other hand through correct practice of square the yin-yang pairs will imbed at the correct locations. Once this is achieved we can talk about "continuous" movement. We then have the dynamics of Tai Chi in play as one yin-yang pair transforms to the other and so on, thus giving the effect of constant motion and CONTINUITY.

I even get comments from long time students who tell me they are doing square form.  What I see to some extent is how I learned the "old" way with "continuity" in mind.  I learned this "old" way but my student Tom and I found out the hard way that we did not have the "pairs" at the right spots. Like those videos I receive, we both have too much extraneous movement at the joints, no pauses between movements or compromised pausing if any, fluorishes of arms, fluorishes of the wrist (wrists flexing extraneously), head cocked to the side during postures, arms too far back or chicken wing out to the side. We had both been exposed to a square form that was too "round" and did not have said delineation and separation...it is not easy learning to be crisp and resolute, I really had to work hard. 

Becoming more "robotic" is better, the more the better as Master Hwa says.  There has been way too much laughing about this being "robotic" but this is simply because people do not understand.  Isn't that the convoluted way of things to laugh where we don't understand.  Master Hwa learned this way right from the start so I encouraged my student Jason to learn square form footwork first. He took it so much to heart that he learned just the foot movements of the entire square form for a year before adding in the hands and upper body. Now I feel gratified as a Sifu because Master Hwa said  when he certified him as a teacher, "Jason's square form is very good", very good indeed.

Jim R.

Classical Tai Chi for weak hips or hip replacement

Dear Master Hwa, colleagues and students:

As someone who was involved in a sport related injury and who has a titanium pin in the hip, I can really relate to this subject.  With the assistance of Sifu Jason Bulger and Sifu Anh Le, I present our contribution to the efforts.

Jim R.

Our 2 video contribution, Sifu's Jason Bulger, Anh Le and Jim Roach for those who " have had hip replacements or weak hips from lack of movement....a movement and variations of the movement  which "provides muscle support " for the pelvis.

Variations on "Lift Leg" a lower left or right quarter-body move 

Lift Leg pp. 5 and 6 of "Uncovering the Treasure" by Stephen C.P. Hwa, PhD.

"All lower body movements are from the core.

This is just one example of it. Practicing with an

imaginary mental picture that the legs do not

end at the hip joints, but rather, there is a leg

extension into the core of the body has helped

some students learn how to initiate lower body

movements from the core."

"Lift the left leg by using abdominal and back muscles

to lift the left side of the pelvis which in turn lifts the

leg. In this case, the left leg is completely relaxed

since the lifting is done by internal power not the

leg muscle. The moving part is the left leg and

its associated abdominal and back muscles while

the other parts of the body remain stationary

to provide support and grounding. The yin-yang

junction may be visualized in the left abdominal

and back region. One could classify this as a lower

left, quarter -body move."

From Linda Felicio, RN, MSW who teaches classes in the Florida School at Wynmoor, Coconut Creek, Fl. "

Hi Sifu Jim, I wanted to start a discussion regarding the this turning movement, "turning the leg while engaging the hip" as Master Hwa discusses that you should think "the leg extends higher into the hip"which appears to provides for a safer transition while moving the leg. At first it feels a bit awkward and one has to engage the glutes, back muscles and the core to accomplish this move. It feels less stressful for the joint if done probably. This could provide for a stronger hip as we age since the muscles are doing most of the work.

For my senior clients it's most important since some have had hip replacements or weak hips from lack of movement. It appears this movement "provides muscles support " for the pelvis."

Prepare to learn "quarter body" movement

A "necessary" but not "sufficient" condition for learning quarter body movement is to be able to "fold" the body at the spine. 

In the beginning try to move both halves of the body, then you can try form movements such as "single whip", "parting hands" etc. where only one half is moved. As you do these , do not tip your head but you can piecemeal look down at your shoulder joints to discern any extraneous external movement. You can watch the shoulder joints in a mirror, video, via a friend's critique, etc.

Make sure to relax the back both upper and lower to facilitate the practice. Relaxing includes "SONG KUA" OR AS IT IS CALLED "STRETCHING DOWN THE TAILBONE" and we have discussed this in earlier posts. THIS WAY THE FOLDING CAN EXTEND THE LENGTH OF THE SPINE. STRETCHING THE TAILBONE DOWN RELAXES THE ENTIRE BACK.

Teaching "not to move" is more difficult than teaching "how to move"..."How does one teach/learn upper body movements? MINIMIZE EXTRANEOUS EXTERNAL MOVEMENTS first, such as a lift of the shoulder, excess motion at the shoulder joint, stretching the arm out, pulling the elbow in, and swinging the arm without purpose or hand flourishes. Only when external movements are minimized can the internal movements be free to fluorish. That is one of the purposes of square form, freezing the arm from external movements during certain form movements"

These are examples of many "folding" movements of which its ability of doing is essential for any future quarter body movements. Don't fold at the shoulder but fold along the spine to the tailbone. One can develop a knack for moving from the core. Find a neural pathway in the body core abdomen/back which can make the internal move you intend. Get through this first "stage" then work toward a second "stage" where arms are integrated with those internal movements.

Ang Lee "Pushing Hands" contrast Tao of Martial Applications

In Classical Tai Chi we have both "cooperative" and "competitive" Pushing Hands. Use of different terminology same concepts is present in an Ang Lee film. "Pushing Hands" as the most important metaphorical concept is only explained at the end of the film. In short, the technique of "pushing hands" literally functions to allow cooperation or competition, discord or harmony Example: One can set out to unbalance, be antagonistic, competitive, actively try to push around one's partner/opponent "discord". Or one can set out to harmonize, cooperate when neither partner is actively trying to unbalance the other.Harmony is in short supply in the Chinese restaurant. It is even less harmony than exists in his son's home. Ang Lee makes expressive use of "hands" in many of the scenes but note there are no close-up shots of hands when Zhu is working in the Chinese Restaurant. Let's contrast this with the close-ups and copious use of explanation for "hands" present in Master Hwa's Tao of Martial Applications.

Tao of Martial Applications: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir4vQ8qzpKU

Immovable Old Zhu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDzNML7NgM8

Actually "pushing hands" with someone feels like a 6th sense ("ting jin" or "sensing/listening") and a new found method of communication between humans. How can humans not use improved communications? This film by Ang Lee explores how xenophobic hostility is transformed into harmony because of open minded cultural communication...sounds like a metaphor for crowded/open spaces. NYC comes to mind which is where this was filmed by Ang Lee.

The wonders of what "space" or the lack of "space" can do...

One of the very few venues where you would get my vote on using Tai Chi as performance art.  If you can pay a reasonable price, try to get the video

The seventh art, Ang Lee: http://www.theseventhart.org/…/vide…/issue-17-pushing-hands/

Recall from Yesterday

I recall as if yesterday when reaching to grip Master Hwa's hand as he told me the news of his teacher's passing.  In his typical unselfish fashion he was visiting me as I invited him to teach one of my beginner classes.  He  traveled to Buffalo from Rochester to do this and in light of that I still feel there is no way I can relate how deeply he feels the need to pass on the art he learned from Master Young to future generations...except to continue to follow his example and do the same myself.

 Shortly after this, Master Hwa announced his decision to appoint the  first certified teacher of Classical Wu Style Tai Chi. It is near 10 years this year as a teacher that I announced to Master Hwa and asked his permission to appoint my longtime  student Sifu Tom Kostusiak as my own first certified teacher. 

April 18, 2015 is 10 years to the day and in memoriam of Grandmaster Young I hope you will understand as I give statements about what we do and will be doing. I recall statements from Eva Marie Koepsell and Master Hwa in memoriam of Grandmaster Young Wabu.

It will be exactly 10 years to the day...April 18, 2005 to April 18, 2015.

Read what was said in memoriam at Grandmaster Young's funeral in 2005.

http://www.classicaltaichi. com/forum/pdf/forum13.pdf 

On April 18, 2015 Master Stephen Hwa will be working with my own promising students once again in Buffalo.  This time he travels such a greater distance from Florida to do this. 

On April 18, 2005 Grand Master Young Wabu passed away at age of 101 in Rochester, NY.

Eva Marie Koepsell tells me that Master Stephen Hwa "says that it was the tai chi that influenced (his teacher Young Wabu) and Young Wabu's skill in healing...,,he was taught the healing skills after he learned tai chi.....so it might have been a synergy of knowledge and practice."

I stated to Master Hwa that "Young Wabu and he alone, seems to have saved what he learned from  (Wu jian quan/Wu chien chuan) intact to pass on. Rather than watering it down to make it palatable to a mass audience, I think he not only kept it, but kept it like a "gold standard".  I then asked him his opinion and what he thought of my statement.

To which he responded: "Jim: Yes my teacher is the one who saves the Wu tai chi , and the Yang tai chi also. No one in the Yang family has this art left."

Thank you everyone and in this  year of the goat, beginning of the lunar year and the promise of spring...may you have sunshine all around you.

Jim R.

Tai Chi is hard but not as hard as you think

TAI CHI MAY SEEM HARD BUT DON'T BE FOOLED. CHANGING PRIOR TENDENCIES  IS REALLY THE CULPRIT AND FOR MANY IS WHAT SEEMS NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE.

How is it that you stand like that, for that is “double weighted”? A student once made this accusation as I was teaching him the round form. I was standing with the feet looking parallel as you see Master Hwa doing here. I was in the throes of demonstrating the “cloud hands” sequence using the square form as an example.Video of cloud hands instruction and stepping . Actually, one of my feet was slightly back of the other via a step back, he thought it looked parallel and thus double weighted.  Unfortunately the student never completed his study, preferring to defer to what his former teacher taught which was a 24 Form, large frame Wu Style. He was enamored of that to the point of stating that I “...was not teaching Tai Chi...” and promptly left.

Well, it is next to impossible to be double weighted in Classical Tai Chi, unless one pushes with the back leg instead of pulling with the front. As we know,"... the pushing , which is synonymous both with everday walking and large frame Tai Chi, engages both feet stuck to the ground until the move is completed . In the case of pulling the back foot has no such responsibility, it is free to be lifted and moved…even in the case of parallel feet..."

I cite this example of what is or is not double weighted as an example of how difficult it is for many people to learn Classical Tai Chi, needless to say it helps if one wants to do the work. If one does not want to do the work, it is impossible. I shall attempt to explain why and you may be surprised.

On his web page, Master Hwa makes reference to his teacher Grandmaster Young Wabu “…he tested his martial art skills with Wu and found that he was completely dominated by Wu At that point, Young gave up all he had learned before and became Wu’s student. Young remembers the difficulty in trying to FORGET the deeply ingrained external martial arts he had learned and switch to the very different internal …” You see, this applies to those like that student I mention, that learn other Tai Chi, even large frame Wu Style for that is also “external”…they do not want to admit this.

Almost in keeping with “…it cannot be changed…” as quoted by Young Wabu as he attributed it to his teacher Wu Chien Chuan. There is also the concept that learning a style of Tai Chi , learning the postures of Tai Chi, learning another martial art, having learned to do everday walking, etc. is relatively EASY compared to the act of trying to change these things…changing these things is HARD. Unfortunately, my experience with MANY students bears this out for they personify what one might call “pigheaded resistance” in mind and body. Pigheaded in relying on prior notions of both thinking and tendencies.

Here is WHY: This is understandable, why shouldn’t it be , for it is natural for body and mind want to cling to information provided by the senses. eg. Once having learned to everyday walk, of course the body and mind resist change. I had an elderly man in my class who resisted learning the "basic walk" so much, he would slap his thighs say "this is stupid,I know how to walk" and continually resume everyday walking Another student would put both hands out to the sides like a tightrope walker, preferring to do everday walking instead of holding onto the wall, doing basic walking etc.

Therefore, It is absolutely necessary that a student’s beginning lessons of the principles be correct without compromise. A student asked once why it had to be “so difficult”. In light of what we know about our sensory “pigheaded” resistance to change, is it so much that the Tai Chi is difficult …or is it is more a case of your body and mind making things difficult ? If you can come to admit the latter, you have taken a good “pulling” step toward learning.

Raise angle of foot and raise the level of discussion

Notice anything about the angle of the foot as it is raised and the foot leaves the ground?

 In keeping with hopes for a "discussion" , I notice Master Hwa takes the time to do more than "poke" or "like" what is said on the Facebook page...he "comments". So, this is a test and a request with no end date to see who is actually reading what is written. Don't make this like the Yahoo group where there may be .01% reading and commenting. If you read this and ANY future posts, leave at least a small sentence about what you read. In turn, I will make every attempt to make my posts succinct. Thanks