You know all about Tai Chi because…?

Teaching these 45+ (I forgot how many actually) years. What I hear however for the most part is: “I know all about Tai Chi because I’ve heard a bunch of stories about it”; “because of those stories I know everything I need to know”; “so if someone asks me something about it I could tell them everything they need to know and it would all be true”.

That’s “tip of the ice berg” in illogical thinking,however. For instance,”know everything” yet turning their bodies or hips, not turning their feet, and leaving the foot behind? I say, "...that's not Tai Chi..."

Studying Classical Tai Chi is very scientific, so how can I make apologies or diplomacy for Newton's 3rd law, for instance? If you bang your head against that wall, it will bounce back. It works the same for logic about what we do in Classical Tai Chi, particularly how and why we learn. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Students don't like "how long it takes." "How long it takes" is faulty reasoning, and one might say, "throwing the baby out the window with the bath water." Whoever said scientific rationale has to be pretty and fit a student's "wishful thinking"? There has been too much belittling of Tai Chi, and I explain that below. To the best of my ability, as I do here, I also teach students to check their reasoning in Tai Chi.

It is great to study with someone who teaches you and, in the process of learning, also fine-tune your "bullshit detector." My teacher does not pussyfoot with me either; he calls me on it when my reasoning is wobbly or way off. We both have also explained in videos such as DVDs and in great detail in writing for many years why there is great reasoning behind video learning over classroom learning. I have also written about my own experiences in learning from his videos.

There was a "golden age" of Tai Chi; well, I think this is a golden "golden age" because of technology and its ability to facilitate learning. Those "old masters" could only cover so much ground, even if there were electric cars. They were so much in demand, and every student wanted Wu Chien Chuan himself, so to speak. How does the myriad of details even get to a Tai Chi family when so many outside students clam for the Grandmaster? Of course, many students want it straight from Master Stephen Hwa, not his disciples, and I am happy about that and know he is glad he can make videos and online courses. As many videos as he has made, however, he will be the first to not misdirect you but simply say each one of the 50+ only covers one (1) detail of a myriad of details connected with learning. Do you recall the saying "the devil is in the details"?

I invited Master Hwa in from Rochester to teach my class in Buffalo. The picture is from about 20 years ago, and if people don't know how to walk, how can they do Classical Tai Chi "Form"? When you read my blog and Facebook in-depth, I think you'll find the purpose of Classical Tai Chi is not stress and inner peace. Many things call themselves Tai Chi but are merely dance, exercise, or "wine and cheese" excuses to socialize...they are not Tai Chi. In my experience, those so-called Tai Chi's all cut corners in the learning. I have students who make no bones about telling me what some other martial art teacher is doing and how that should affect Classical Tai Chi. That's B.S.! Some Tai Chi adds moves, principles, and techniques from other martial arts. Add movements here, take out movements here, take out moves there, and pretty soon, it does not resemble its original purpose. You do all that cutting of corners, and the logical structure collapses.

An account of Young Wabu

 Grandmaster Young Wabu

I hope I do justice to this account of Grandmaster Young Wabu. In "About my Father," his daughter Lin Yi, reports on how much he cared for his family and how busy he was as a businessman, later studying then practicing Osteopathy, teaching many Tai Chi students, and running a healing practice. The bottom line is that he was super faithful to the Tai Chi he learned from Wu Jianquan. Master Hwa also said his teacher felt every student's "duty" to pass on the art.

From "Uncovering the Treasure, Introduction":

"We can only celebrate what is transmitted from Wu Chien Chuan and the good fortune that the turmoil of war brought Wu to Hong Kong. Wu appreciated Young's natural ability and dedication by discarding the external martial arts for which Young was known. Wu was willing to stay at Young's home to teach him. They worked night and day with very little distraction. This is reflected in the rigorous and in-depth material that is passed on. If Young had sought Wu as a teacher at Wu's home base in Shanghai, he would not have had such dedicated attention since Wu was a much sought-after teacher with many students. For this, we should be thankful for what fate brought about."

I also have some information from the Qi Journal account of the Taiji vs. White Crane fight in 1951. I also put in some of my own accounts of what my teacher, Master Stephen Hwa, has stated. I should also say in addition to Master Hwa's account, that qi Journal reports Master Young was told to give up previous training to learn Taiji. I concur with that because I was told to do the same thing when I learned from the Wu Family in Toronto and became a disciple/teacher. History is beautiful but seemingly fickle if events are not recorded accurately and passed on intact. Please bear with me as I make this account.

From the Qi Journal August 2002: Grandmaster Young Wabu was one of the well-known students of Wu Jianquan. He started in Monkey Boxing. There Young was so good that his teacher, the Gatekeeper of Monkey Boxing, had him on the top of the shortlist for "Master" status. In " Uncovering the Treasure, Master Stephen Hwa reports in "Uncovering the Treasure" that Master Young was versed in several external arts that he gave up learning from Wu. However, Grandmaster Young liked Taijiquan and sought to learn it. It is reputed that the Monkey Boxing teacher asked him who he planned to learn from and stated so many were of poor skill. The story goes the Master had tears in his eyes and sighed when he heard Wu Jianquan. Apparently, the response was also like, "Okay, let me introduce you to Wu Jianquan."

The story also states the Gatekeeper was a teenage friend of Wu's, and they "fought together" in Beijing streets. So Young switched to Taijiquan Now, the stipulation from Wu was that Young had to completely give up all the skills and methods he had learned in the other system. He had to do that before even starting to learn Tai Chi.

Master Stephen Hwa has reported that Wu lived in Young's home in Hong Kong during the Japanese invasions. He reports that the intensity of the training was incredible and went on night and day. One story reported in qi Journal is Young was made to practice single movements hundreds of times before being taught a new one. Grandmaster Young was this way a very senior family student. When Jianquan returned to Shanghai, Master Young was teaching students in the Wu family classes. Those were where his daughter Sonia, then a young girl, was learning and sparring with the men. One story from Qi Journal also reports that Master Young felt junior students were too leisurely in their practice. I think Master Hwa has said his teacher could not understand why students were "so feckless" about Tai Chi. The Journal reported that as a senior student, Master Young debated hotly with Wu Gong Yi about taking the Hong Kong challenge fight with Chan Hak Fu.

A scientific explanation of Yin and Yang

 Science of Yin and Yang video

Looking at the video from 4:00 forward: Here is the scientific explanation of why "turning the hip," turning the hip in a small frame, small circle Tai Chi is strictly verboten and goes contrary to science.

"Moving forward and backward this motion does not affect the upper body to any movement because the two forces are orthogonal. But if the pelvis also has some turning motion, then there will be an effect on the upper body turning force. If the pelvis turns now, we have two turning springs in action one is the internal waist turning spring the other is a leg crossing turning spring which is a very weak spring. Therefore hip should not have turning movement. "

Very thought-provoking! The closed captions instead of default are quite thoughtful. I think this will be the “gold standard” for Tai Chi, particularly in Scientific thought. The analysis and subsequent redesign to accurately reflect the science I think Master Hwa learned from his teacher is quite an accomplishment. Not only that, but as shown in the content and presentation, it seems to reach all levels for the uplift of others and is quite impressive.

Einstein said "Reality is an illusion, albeit a very persistent one"

Sometimes what you see in Tai Chi   a video link with an explanation

I read somewhere that Einstein said, "Reality is an illusion, albeit very persistent." In retrospect, and with tongue in cheek, Einstein was particularly correct regarding how students hold to what they perceive even with a cursory examination.

"...I watched the video of Master Hwa at home; you are wrong, Mr. Roach.." I explained that bobbing up and down, straightening the leg, and standing up is not the same as lifting the leg with the core. Upon correction for "bobbing up and down," the student told me, "...I watched the video, and when Master Hwa lifts the pelvis with the core, he straightens his leg and stands up..." I asked the student how many times they watched the video, and the answer was "...once...". That is what I mean by "cursory."

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 that their observation was not correct. That was why I incorporated different views in my video so you could see my moves at different angles to lessen the chance of a wrong impression. Using a fresh eye to review the lesson video could uncover any misinterpretation of my movements. The other thing to remember is that you perceive that you are moving a certain way, but you are not moving that way. I met one student who had finished the lessons from the video. One problem I observed was that his movements initiated from the chest area when he tried to internalize his move away from the arm and shoulder. He would

scrunch his chest to start an upper body movement. When one of the students in my class makes the turning movement, she does stabilize the pelvic area, but the turning motion initiates from the upper abdomen area. In both of these cases, the concentration on the internal position is too high. It has to be in the navel and below. When done right, you will feel the tight connection to the lower body through the buttock. My 12-year-old student in class made a brief comment: "one thinks that he is not doing external, so it must be internal." It is not an either-or situation. There is an intermediate region, which is neither external nor very internal"

Both end “al” but Centrifugal is not Internal

 

ENDS  “AL” BUT CENTRIFUGAL IS NOT INTERNAL

We are always saying that Classical Tai Chi is underpinned as Science. As a kind of Lab Experiment, at this juncture, show me a completely “internal” 4 minute Form if you disagree with anything  as follows. 

The objective is to play Tai Chi both fast and slow. Did you know that Small Frame, Small Circle is meant to do just that? In our 60’s Master Hwa and I were doing the Form in the 3-minute range. He did it faster than me; better continuity of Internal energy. Now that is faster than the "Fast Form" touted by Ma Yueh Liang. Interestingly, one never sees his Form but sees his wife (Wu's daughter) doing an excellent form. When one learns the Form and is good at it, it varies playing speed from fast to slow. Fast has "Fast" difficulty, and Slow has "Slow" difficulties. 

The crux of this is whether Fast or Slow; one cannot change the Form. Remember Wu told Young it cannot be changed?  Yes, there are various perturbations when it comes to “change”. If one goes very fast sans “Internal”, the Form inevitably changes because of centrifugal force. The postures begin to change because the internal energy flow is not maintained. The centrifuge effect takes the internal out of the equation. Limbs spin out of control, centrifugal force is changing everything about the postures. It's not like just learning a so-called "Fast Form" first. One first builds up Internal Energy; then, one can go fast. 

Slow playing builds up Internal Energy; one can then go faster and faster at a future time. Faster at this junction is called the "tight compact" Form. Yes, the postures get smaller, tighter. The steps for instance would have feet taking tinier steps, half size.  I figured out that Master Hwa went faster than me because he goes tighter and that because I am taller.  It is difficult for me at 6’3” to take tinier steps as it really begins to affect my balance.  We talked, and both laughed, about the size disparity recently and my balance problems because of height.

One inch punch time delay

 ONE INCH PUNCH TIME DELAY.. Link to Classical Tai Chi one inch punch

When not moving to California I like to visit Hwa Laoshi. I was visiting Master Stephen Hwa at his home in Florida and staying in the 2nd apartment. He knocked on the door of the apartment and said, "have you eaten yet"? He then came in, sat down with me, and talked about Fajin. To my pleasant surprise he began talking about the one-inch punch, "...all materials have a "time constant" in their elasticity ." I thought, “…who else does this but a Chemical Engineer who is a Tai Chi Master…”?

A time constant is the time that represents the speed with which a particular system can respond to change. It is typically equal to the time taken for a specified parameter to vary by a specific factor. In the DVD "Tao of Martial applications," he hit  Tom Kostusiak with a one-inch punch. It hit with so much force, so much speed it created a "time delay "..." (irrespective of the "time constant"). The fist penetrated Toms core, he had no time to react and was propelled back. 

With such a "hollow-fist punch," the reasoning is the same as why Master Hwa maintained a relaxed arm. In videos of Long Beach California, Bruce Lee’s fist, however,  is clenched tightly, and the arm extends almost entirely. With such a clenched fist, the arm cannot maintain relaxation. Try this yourself, clench the fist very tightly, and notice its effect on your arm and body. The use of muscular power is evident in Bruce's punch. 

With such preliminary muscle tension, it is "external" power. It is what Master Hwa called a precursor to "ordinary force ."When the punch is delivered, one can see Bruce Lee pushing from the back foot. Force generated from external limbs such as arms and legs has a much longer duration, no “time delay” is possible and Fajin cannot be compacted into such a burst as possible with a "hollow fist" and relaxed arm.

Peng and "ting jin"

Peng (the high push)  is a link to just the slo-mo of the High Push. It is also only 2 minutes long so it loads faster.

 

ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀꜱᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴀʀᴅᴇʀ ꜱᴛʏʟᴇꜱ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ ɪꜱ ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴇɴꜱɪᴛɪᴠɪᴛʏ ᴏꜰ ᴀ 2 x 4. ɪ ꜰᴇʟᴛ ʜɪꜱ ꜰɪɴɢᴇʀꜱ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴛᴏᴜᴄʜɪɴɢ ᴍʏ ꜱʜᴏᴜʟᴅᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀʟᴍ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴏʀᴅᴇʀ. ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴍʏ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴘᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ, ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴛɪꜰꜰᴇɴɪɴɢ ᴏꜰ ʜɪꜱ ᴀʀᴍ ᴅɪᴅ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛ ᴀᴛ ᴀ ᴄᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ. ɪᴛ ꜱᴇᴇᴍᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴇɴꜱɪᴏɴ ɪɴ ʜɪꜱ ᴀʀᴍ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴀ ꜱᴜʀɢᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ ʀᴇᴀᴄʜᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ. ɪɴ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡᴏʀᴅꜱ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴇɴꜱɪɴɢ/ꜱᴛɪꜰꜰᴇɴɪɴɢ ᴏꜰ ʜɪꜱ ᴀʀᴍ ꜱᴇᴇᴍᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀ ɴᴀᴛᴜʀᴀʟ ʀᴇꜱᴘᴏɴꜱᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴛᴀᴄᴛɪʟᴇ ꜱᴇɴꜱᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ ʀᴇꜱɪꜱᴛᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪᴛ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀᴄᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍʏ ꜱʜᴏᴜʟᴅᴇʀ.

ᴏɴᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪʟʏ ꜱᴇᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀʟᴍ ᴘᴏꜱɪᴛɪᴏɴ ɪɴ ꜱᴜᴄʜ ᴍᴏᴠᴇꜱ ᴀꜱ "ʙʀᴜꜱʜ ᴋɴᴇᴇ" ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪɴɢᴇʀꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ɪɴ ᴀ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴍɪɴᴇɴᴛ ᴘᴏꜱɪᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀʟᴍꜱ. ɪ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀɴᴀʟᴏɢʏ ᴏꜰ "ᴛɪɴɢ ᴊɪɴ" ᴡʜᴇʀᴇɪɴ ᴏɴᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ꜱᴇɴꜱᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴠᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴀɴ ᴏᴘᴘᴏɴᴇɴᴛ'ꜱ ʙᴏᴅʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ꜰɪɴɢᴇʀꜱ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ꜰᴀᴊɪɴ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀʟᴍ. ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴜɴᴄᴏᴠᴇʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴇᴀꜱᴜʀᴇ "ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴛɪꜰꜰᴇɴᴇᴅ ᴀʀᴍ, ᴛʜᴇɴ, ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴜʟᴋ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴘᴘᴏɴᴇɴᴛ. ɪꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴛɪꜰꜰᴇɴɪɴɢ ᴏᴄᴄᴜʀꜱ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴜʀɢᴇ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ʀᴇᴅᴜᴄᴇᴅ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʜᴏʟᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇꜱꜱ ᴍᴀʏ ʟᴀꜱᴛ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴀ ꜰʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ꜱᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ. ʏᴇᴛ, ᴘʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴄɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴏʀᴍ ᴛʀᴀɪɴꜱ ᴏɴᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴄᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪꜱʜ ᴛʜɪꜱ ꜱᴜʙᴄᴏɴꜱᴄɪᴏᴜꜱʟʏ."

Go "off-kilter" to not fall

Go "off-kilter" to not fall 

"𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐤 in Tai Chi 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬, 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 "𝐨𝐟𝐟-𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧."

Dr. Elizabeth Eckstrom, Geriatrician, Oregon Health & Science University.

Go "off-kilter" to not fall (video of Seniors practicing falling for safety)
I consider the following to be why we have a Tai Chi group. I want everyone to try my following suggestions here; it could save some broken bones. When I did freestyle push hands at Wu's, there were couches and chairs in case one was pushed hard and lost balance. I think I heard someone say Grandmaster Young had the same setup. The problem is, what does one do with the feet when they are falling? Well, the logic is there for a solution. If one can be trained well to "break fall" safely correctly in Tai Chi, Judo, and Aikido when thrown, one can train not to fall when losing their footing. Master Stephen Hwa is touching a post as he "sits back". For the following instruction, I recommend you "sit back" a foot in front of a couch. That way, if you fall, you end up sitting on the couch. Anyone can train their body well to fall a certain way in Judo or, in this case, take a supporting step to prevent falling. You'll need enough space in front of the couch to step backward, and the sofa does not interfere with the action. Just sit back until you reach a point of no return, and you have to step back. Sit back till you deliberately lose balance.  He is not doing this exercise and keeping his footing but do it as you see Master Hwa doing it in the N, S, E, W picture.  You can also tilt forward in the forward position till you have to step forward. Do it as you see Master Hwa tipping forward in push hands with me. Do it over and over and over; it's good training for CTC as well. As you see from the video link, a senior citizen learned how to keep from falling in just a couple of tries. None of us probably has a treadmill and harness, but we do have our Classical Tai Chi to train this. You can do the "sit back" each day with your training and do it numerous times so your "muscle memory" works with the subconscious; when you stumble, you take a saving step in the right direction.

"Tiaji is not the form"

 Someone wrote "Tiaji is not the form" to the Blog, and I'm not sure why they were, but I include all ellipsis that was submitted:

“ᴛɪᴀᴊɪ ɪꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴏʀᴍ...ɪꜰ ᴏɴᴇ ᴄʜᴏᴏꜱᴇꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇᴠᴇʟᴏᴘ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ɪɴᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ ᴍᴏᴠᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴄᴏʀʀᴇᴄᴛʟʏ... ʙᴏᴛʜ ᴘʜʏꜱɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜ ᴄᴀɴ ʙᴇ ʙʏ-ᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴛꜱ... ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇᴇᴘᴇʀ ɪꜱꜱᴜᴇꜱ ɪꜱ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀꜱᴛᴀɴᴅɪɴɢ... ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴏʀʀᴇᴄᴛ ᴍᴏᴠᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ ɪꜱ... ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ʜᴀꜱ ɢᴏᴛᴛᴇɴ ᴀ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴀᴅᴊᴜꜱᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ ꜰᴏʀᴍ ᴀ ʜɪɢʜʟʏ ꜱᴋɪʟʟᴇᴅ ᴛᴇᴀᴄʜᴇʀ ᴄᴀɴ ᴛᴇʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ᴄᴀɴ ʙᴇ ᴀ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴛʏ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴡᴏʀᴋᴏᴜᴛ... ᴇᴠᴇɴ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴀꜱ ꜱɪᴍᴘʟᴇ ᴀꜱ ꜱᴛᴀɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴘʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴄᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ʙᴇ ᴀ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴛʏ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴡᴏʀᴋᴏᴜᴛ... ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ."

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 ❞𝐓𝐢𝐚𝐣𝐢 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦...❞

Now, 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞'𝐬 "𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬" 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐚𝐢𝐣𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐧 can garner by-products of 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 and health and be a pretty good workout: 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 "𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬," 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 touch on. I'm only taking an educated guess, but I have to think 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 of necessity, under "workout" 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 other 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: For instance, I have heard many practitioners include 𝐙𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐙𝐡𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐠 ("standing practice"), 𝐖𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐑𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 "𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀" ("𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻"?), 𝘀𝗼 𝗯𝘆 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 that it is not the Form? 𝗦𝗼, 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 "𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻," 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝘆 "𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀"

Unless there is some caveat or prior statement that mandates Tai Chi is only "internal" in the mental realm, e.g., "He does his Tai Chi with an inward-looking demeanor," then "internal" means the "physical" internal discipline.

It is impossible to do an internal and external movement simultaneously; an external can precede or follow an internal movement, but they cannot coexist in the same space and time. Also, when one's internal discipline permeates the body, it becomes impossible to even raise one's arm to scratch an itch without engaging the musculature of the core. What does one do with "arm strength"? Can arm strength be used in the same space and time as "internal"? For example, if I push against a wall using my arms, I will push myself away, Newton's 3rd law. However, (internally) using the core to engage the abdomen and back muscles as I push and relax the arms, I feel a tremendous surge going into the wall. Newton cannot be wrong; there is a reaction force but no effect from the reaction force because ARMS ARE RELAXED. 

There is nothing that super arm strength can add to the internal aspect; in fact, it works against it if I strain the arms.

Of course, if one does not subscribe to an internal physical discipline, then the point is moot. 

People saying "its not the form" applies ꜰᴏʀ ᴀ ᴠᴀꜱᴛ ɴᴜᴍʙᴇʀ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴛᴜᴅᴇɴᴛꜱ ɪɴ ᴛᴀɪᴊɪ. ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ᴡʜʏ ʏᴏᴜɴɢ ᴡᴀʙᴜ, a ᴅɪꜱᴄɪᴘʟᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴡᴜ ᴄʜɪᴇɴ ᴄʜᴜᴀɴ, ᴡᴀꜱ ᴜɴʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴇᴄᴋʟᴇꜱꜱɴᴇꜱꜱ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴏ ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴛᴀɪᴊɪ ꜱᴛᴜᴅᴇɴᴛꜱ.

Oʀ, ᴡʜʏ ꜱᴏɴɪᴀ ʏᴏᴜɴɢ (ʏᴏᴜɴɢ ᴡᴀʙɪᴜ'ꜱ ᴅᴀᴜɢʜᴛᴇʀ) ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴀꜱᴋᴇᴅ ᴇᴅᴅɪᴇ ᴡᴜ (ɢᴀᴛᴇᴋᴇᴇᴘᴇʀ ᴏꜰ ᴡᴜ ᴊɪᴀɴQᴜᴀɴ ꜱᴛʏʟᴇ) ᴡʜʏ ꜱʜᴇ ꜱᴀᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀᴄᴋ ᴏꜰ ᴀᴛᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴀɪᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴏʀᴍ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏɴɢ ᴋᴏɴɢ ᴡᴜ ꜱᴛʏʟᴇ ꜱᴛᴜᴅɪᴏ. ʜᴇ ᴀɢʀᴇᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜᴇʀ.

Oɴᴇ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ᴀʟꜱᴏ "ɴᴏᴛ ᴅɪꜱᴀɢʀᴇᴇ" ʙʏ ꜱᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴏʀ, ᴡʜʏ ʏᴏᴜɴɢ ᴡᴀʙᴜ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ᴍʏ ᴛᴇᴀᴄʜᴇʀ ʜᴜᴀ ᴊɪᴘɪɴɢ (ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀ ꜱᴛᴇᴘʜᴇɴ ʜᴡᴀ), ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴜ ᴄʜɪᴇɴ ᴄʜᴜᴀɴ ɪɴꜱɪꜱᴛᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜɴɢ ʟᴇᴀʀɴ ꜱqᴜᴀʀᴇ ꜰᴏʀᴍ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ. ᴏʀ ᴡʜʏ ʏᴏᴜɴɢ ɪɴꜱɪꜱᴛᴇᴅ ʜᴡᴀ ʟᴇᴀʀɴ ꜱqᴜᴀʀᴇ ꜰᴏʀᴍ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ.

Oʀ, ᴡʜʏ ʏᴏᴜɴɢ ᴡᴀʙᴜ ꜱᴀɪᴅ ᴡᴜ ᴄʜɪᴇɴ ᴄʜᴜᴀɴ ʜᴀᴅ ʜɪᴍ ʀᴇᴘᴇᴀᴛ ꜰᴏʀᴍ ᴍᴏᴠᴇᴍᴇɴᴛꜱ ʜᴜɴᴅʀᴇᴅꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴛɪᴍᴇꜱ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ʜᴇ ᴛᴀᴜɢʜᴛ ʜɪᴍ ɴᴇᴡ ᴏɴᴇꜱ.

Oʀ ᴡʜʏ ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀ ʜᴡᴀ ᴡʀᴏᴛᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ : "Sɪɴᴄᴇ ᴍᴏꜱᴛ ᴛᴀɪ ᴄʜɪ ꜰᴏʀᴍ ᴘʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴄᴇᴅ ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ ʟᴀᴄᴋꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇʟᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴏꜰ ɪɴᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ ᴅɪꜱᴄɪᴘʟɪɴᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘʀᴏᴘᴇʀ ʙᴏᴅʏ ꜱᴛʀᴜᴄᴛᴜʀᴇ, ɪᴛ ʜᴀꜱ ʟᴏꜱᴛ ɪᴛꜱ ᴡᴏʀᴛʜ ᴀɴᴅ ɢʀᴀᴅᴜᴀʟʟʏ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴅᴇ-ᴇᴍᴘʜᴀꜱɪᴢᴇᴅ. ᴏɴ ᴏɴᴇ ʜᴀɴᴅ, ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴄʜᴏᴏʟꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴇᴍᴘʜᴀꜱɪᴢᴇ ꜱᴘᴀʀʀɪɴɢ, ᴘᴜꜱʜ ʜᴀɴᴅꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴇᴀᴘᴏɴꜱ ᴘʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴄᴇ, ɴᴇɢʟᴇᴄᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴏʀᴍ, ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴏʀᴍ ʙᴜɪʟᴅꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ ᴇɴᴇʀɢʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ ꜰᴏʀ ᴍᴀʀᴛɪᴀʟ ᴀʀᴛꜱ ᴀᴘᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ʜᴀɴᴅ, ᴀʀᴇ ꜱᴄʜᴏᴏʟꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱᴀʏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴍᴜꜱᴛ ᴅᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴏʀᴍꜱ ʙᴜᴛ ᴀʟꜱᴏ ᴀʟᴏɴɢꜱɪᴅᴇ, ᴏɴᴇ ᴍᴜꜱᴛ ꜱᴇᴘᴀʀᴀᴛᴇʟʏ ᴘʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴄᴇ Qɪ ɢᴏɴɢ ᴇxᴇʀᴄɪꜱᴇꜱ.

Tʜᴇ ᴘʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴄᴇ ᴏꜰ ɪɴᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ ᴍᴏᴠᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ ɪɴ ᴛᴀɪ ᴄʜɪ ꜰᴏʀᴍ ᴇꜱꜱᴇɴᴛɪᴀʟʟʏ ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴄᴇ ᴏꜰ ꜰᴀ ᴊɪɴ ɪɴ ᴀ ꜱʟᴏᴡ ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴇᴛʜᴏᴅɪᴄᴀʟ ᴡᴀʏ, ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ɪꜱꜱᴜᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ. ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ᴘʟᴀʏ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴏʀᴍ ɪɴꜱᴛɪɴᴄᴛɪᴠᴇʟʏ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜɪɴᴋɪɴɢ, ᴛʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ᴅᴏ ꜰᴀ ᴊɪɴ ɪɴꜱᴛɪɴᴄᴛɪᴠᴇʟʏ. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʀʏ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ꜰᴀ ᴊɪɴ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ꜰᴏʀᴍ ᴏꜰ ɪɴᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ ᴅɪꜱᴄɪᴘʟɪɴᴇ (ɴᴇɪɢᴏɴɢ), ᴛʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴘᴜꜱʜ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴀʀᴍ ꜱᴛʀᴇɴɢᴛʜ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴄqᴜɪʀᴇ nothing but ʙᴀᴅ ʜᴀʙɪᴛs" Master Stephen Hwa

Balance and caligraphy

 “̴𝐀̴𝐠̴𝐢̴𝐧̴𝐠̴ ̴𝐬̴𝐞̴𝐞̴𝐦̴𝐬̴ ̴𝐭̴𝐨̴ ̴𝐛̴𝐞̴ ̴𝐭̴𝐡̴𝐞̴ ̴𝐨̴𝐧̴𝐥̴𝐲̴ ̴𝐚̴𝐯̴𝐚̴𝐢̴𝐥̴𝐚̴𝐛̴𝐥̴𝐞̴ ̴𝐰̴𝐚̴𝐲̴ ̴𝐭̴𝐨̴ ̴𝐥̴𝐢̴𝐯̴𝐞̴ ̴𝐚̴ ̴𝐥̴𝐨̴𝐧̴𝐠̴ ̴𝐥̴𝐢̴𝐟̴𝐞̴.̴”̴ ̴𝐊̴𝐢̴𝐭̴𝐬̴𝐭̴𝐲̴ ̴𝐎̴’̴𝐍̴𝐞̴𝐢̴𝐥̴𝐥̴ ̴𝐂̴𝐨̴𝐥̴𝐥̴𝐢̴𝐧̴ (っ◔◡◔)っ "𝐀𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐀𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥" 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 "𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄" 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭. 𝟕 - 𝟐 = 𝟓 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝟐 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝟓 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝.  

And, to those "medicos" and researchers, In addition for some ineffective Tai Ji Quan "interventions", participants may not have obtained a sufficient “dose”. Participants may have attended classes infrequently or the program may not have continued long enough to demonstrate its effectiveness.

(っ◔◡◔)っ Thank you, Bob Wilder, for the great Graphics work in "Balance,"

One of the few articles I have come across that does the subject justice, thank you. 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 at the directly opposite requirement between Square and Round. This is not unique however:

Just think how one learns the art of calligraphy. My own teacher echoes this in the video link. My own experience had me learning how to write in print form (brush and ink of course). Then one learns the cursive form. The differences between these two writing forms are very much 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 analogous to Tsao Style or “Tsao Shu/Cao Shu” or the cursive script.

In Square form, as in calligraphy, movements take place in relatively straight lines, between points (start and end points of inflection). The Round form with its curves has the curves going through those points…the square is like a template for the round.

Like the Calculus of mathematics however, I would like to 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. Square form is like taking one of the important tiny straight lines expanding it into a straight movement. I guess the way of the universe is based on similar principles for everything which appears to be unrelated.

I think it is in Jou’s Tsung Hwa’s book: Tao of Tai Chi where he makes a statement about movement being like individual frames in a movie film. 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 regard to square form and perhaps to the critics: Although the major purpose is to teach students to delineate 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 being many but producing a fine product that gives us the illusion of motion. That, the more “points” are present in something such as 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 8 straight lines joining and changing direction in the I Ching diagram and one can draw the circle around those 8 points. 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 an angle or “tangent” as well.

The points where one changes direction are referred to as “Dingdian” or fixed points actually inflection points. Those starting and ending points provide definition to the curved movement in the round form. Of course nothing ever starts or ends in Tai Chi, like ocean waves, breathing, each has its own peak and trough…sine waves come to mind. This takes the concept of “reversal” into consideration which is a mainstay in the I Ching.

When I was learning calligraphy, I appreciated the stop and go of the strokes in Kai Shu. It gave me opportunity to reflect on the stroke I just did and to prepare the next movement. The square form of Tai Chi allows us to gather energy, align the joints, gather strength at the “points”. I can prepare the next move by gathering energy for the coming move. This is why the moves in the Square are resolute and appear abrupt.

Based on this, I would say that Tai Chi is not only very analogus to calligraphy, but also very scientific…in light of the Calculus one can appreciate the mathematics as well.

Thanks

James Roach

p.s. Read the biograpy of the Chows at this link. They were both outstanding artists, calligraphers and Tai Chi teachers. They both learned from Wabu Young who was my own teacher’s teacher.

http://www.enlighteners.com/history.html#transcript

More Yi, less Me

 

Here is an outline of THE big problem in Tai Chi. But in the photo, kudos to Master Stephen Hwa and my student Sifu Tom Kostusiak. I have fond memories of waiting for my turn in 2007. Now to the "ethereal": Over those years and further back, I have met so many "wishful thinkers" telling me what Tai Chi is. One would think we were teaching Grimms Fairy Tales with no exaggeration. If it is not someone with aspirations to be the next Bruce Lee, it flips completely to someone asking "...does Tai Chi allow one to fly the Astral Plane....? Then when a teacher corrects the student's Form and postures, one hears "…this is not what I expected…." Master Stephen Hwa addressed this by saying, "After all, a bad posture will stop internal energy generation and qi flow. No mental state or wishful thinking can overcome that."

I have taught M.D.'s and College Professors, and wishful thinking has no end, even in the stratosphere of advanced College degrees. Even in the Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi, the author states that there is sometimes a need to "...dispense with the scientific framework of Tai Chi...". There is also a statement that "... rational thinking needs to be turned off and rely on intuition and imagination..." On Page 7, it also says, "...Tai Chi classics say, belief or mind moves internal energy (Qi) and Qi moves the body."

Let's clarify this down to the nitty-gritty. In the photo, there is Yin and Yang to show movement. There is a blurred image of Tom falling with a blurred teacher's leg. The picture shows the teacher's 1/2 body is not moving as well. As I said, Yin is not moving, and Yang is moving. It is also not Master Hwa's belief that he is sweeping Tom's leg; it is his "Yi" or intent on the edge of his right leg to sweep Tom Kostusiak.

Cannot be said too much so to say again; the correct use is that Yi or intent of mind moves the Qi for it is undoubtedly not belief, intuition, or imagination that can get the job done. Master Stephen Hwa addressed this in detail over the years. It boils down to the language, namely the ethereal language, to describe Tai Chi. It boils down to an author saying, "... Part of Tai Chi and other meditative art practice requires turning off rational thinking and tapping into other, less understood processes, like intuition and imagination.."

One cannot say my "belief" or even my "belief" in my palm allowed me to strike the opponent. However, suppose I say my intent to strike with the edge of my hand allowed me to hit the opponent. In that case, there is undoubtedly a better outcome, both literally and figuratively, in the offing.

Significant problems occur and reoccur with this type of thinking and subsequent language, unfortunately permeating modern-day Tai Chi. Stephen Hwa Ph.D. addresses these problems in his book Uncovering the Treasure: Classical Tai Chi's Path to Internal Energy & Health and at Classical-Tai-Chi-Teachable.com

Wayne, Peter M.; Fuerst, Mark L.. The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi: 12 Weeks to a Healthy Body, Strong Heart, and Sharp Mind (Harvard Health Publications) (p. 7). Shambhala Publications. Kindle Edition.