Monthly Archives: March 2009

Chen Zhonghua Workshop Summary Part 2

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Please note, below is the second part in a multipart series. For Part 1, see Chen Zhonghua Workshop Summary Part 1.

Chen Taiji Broadsword

After dinner, we returned to the hotel conference room for the introductory broadsword routine.  We started off with directions on how to hold the broadsword by the hilt in the left hand.  Next, we practiced stepping out into a horse stance and doing a basic horizontal slash.  Emphasis was placed on slashing with unified body movement and not just the shoulders.

After stepping out with the right foot in a horizontal slash, the next exercise was to step back with the right leg and bring the handle of the sword to eye height ending with the left hand slapping the right wrist.  When bringing back the sword, the goal was to not lift the point of the sword, but pivot the sword about the point of contact.  Imagine if the horizontal slash resulted in the block of an oncoming sword.  With the weight of another sword on your blade, it would be very difficult to simply flip your wrist, lifting the blade of the sword (on a clock, going from 9 => 12).  Instead, try rotating the sword about the point of contact (on a clock 9 => 12, but from a horizontal plane) before pulling the sword back.

During the buddha warrior pounds mortar sequence, Master Chen corrected the class to keep the sword hidden until the very last minute. This meant that when we raised our left hand while holding the sword by the hilt, we should keep the blade flat against our arm.  In doing so, the opponent does not see we are holding a sword.  Only at the last minute when the elbow strike is executed, do we show the sword.

In the Hong Practical Method, there is a strong emphasis placed on the notion of “no retreat”. Master Chen demonstrated to us how this applies in the mechanics of swordplay.  In all connecting movements between slashes and parries, there is no retreat. Keep the energy moving forward.  This little shift of mechanics and intention really brought about the deadly nature of sword combat.  I had done some wushu broadsword before, however I now felt more aware of the sword, the angle of slashes, and the intensity of the fight.  I have a better understanding of the taiji classic: when doing the form, we should imagine an opponent.

At one point, Master Chen had all of the students stand on one side of the room and he would call out 2 volunteers to demonstrate sections of the form.  A great thing about Master Chen is that he engages with and seeks active participation from all students attending the workshop.  Everyone who attends will *feel* exactly what Master Chen is talking about.

Stay tuned for part 3 ;)

Chen Zhonghua Workshop Summary Part 1

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I recently had the opportunity to attend a 3 day workshop with Master Chen Zhonghua. Friday evening consisted of an introduction to the Practical Method Chen Style Taijiquan Broadsword routine.  Saturday and Sunday covered taiji foundations, taiji fundamental exercises and push hands.  Note, the summary will be presented in multiple parts as I have over 60 voice memos to transcribe and 14 notepad pages of information from the workshop!

Chen Taiji Tile Hand

I had arrived in Milwaukee, WI early Friday afternoon.  After some private lessons, Master Chen and some students were heading out to dinner and invited me along. While waiting for others to arrive, I had asked Master Chen about the significance of the tile hand shape. He said think of a Chinese broom, the fibers are wound together so tight causing the bristles to spread.  The handle is like the forearm, the handle base is like the wrist, and the bristles are like the fingers.  The wrist must be locked firmly, causing the energy to expand out into the fingers. The fingers are tiled, the middle finger has a strong intention and is pulled slightly back while the pinkie and thumb have a slight pulling towards one another.  Additionally, the base of the thumb is held firmly against the knuckle joint of the index finger with the thumb pointing slightly towards the back of the hand.

I have heard about the Chen taiji tile hand before, but not in this much detail. Master Chen demonstrated the hand position to me and then asked me to try it myself. Immediately, he corrected me to lock my wrist and extended my fingers while putting them in a tile shape. This position is not easy to hold and will take quite a bit of practice to get the hand used to the shape.  Master Chen asked me to grab his wrist and showed me how the intention in the fingers could be used to redirect incoming energy.  Later in the workshop, I would learn how the  pointing of the fingers assisted in directing the energy.

Always Training

One thing I noticed right away about Master Chen is that he is always practicing. While standing, his hand would be tile shaped and extending out from his dantian (twisting the towel foundation exercise).  During the walk to a nearby restaurant, he stopped and proceeded to do some push hands with a student on the sidewalk of a busy street.  At the dinner table, Master Chen was often seen doing the double negative circle sequence of fist drapes over the body.  There were very few moments during the whole weekend workshop where Master Chen was not doing some type of taiji training movement.  I have to admit that I now often practice these same movements during idle time.  One of my favorite exercises is to practice sinking the elbow into the dantian, a component of the fist draping over body sequence.

See the following video for an example of Twisting the Towel, a foundation exercise within the Practical Method.  Note the tile shape of the hands and the matching of power between the right and left hands.  This movement can be practiced anywhere as it requires very little room and movement.

Stay tuned for part 2 :)

Recovering from the Chen Zhonghua Workshop

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Wow, I can’t believe the weekend is over. Attending the Chen Taiji Practical Method workshop with Chen Zhonghua was definitely an eye-opening experience for me. So many topics were covered in regards to foundations and taiji fundamentals as well as hand-on demonstrations and applications.  Often times, I would feel as if my world was flipped upside down, not understanding what I felt or saw… Needless to say, right now I am recovering both physically and mentally from the 3 day workshop.

The great thing about Master Chen is his willingness to demonstrate abstract taiji principles in concrete actions. His demonstrations pulled back the veil on a lot of taiji mysticism.  He would show you and let you feel exactly how and why a slight movement of the arm would send someone toppling to the ground (in reality, it’s not really the arm that’s moving, but more on that later… ;) )  One of the funniest things is Master Chen would call someone up to grab him or put him in some type of locked position.  The chosen volunteer would ask how he should perform the grab/lock and Master’s Chen response would always be, “Anything you want.”  A couple of moments later with little to no effort from Master Chen, the volunteer would either be on the ground or 3-5 feet back from their starting position.  I will write in more details later regarding the topics and more on my experiences as I try to wrap my head around things.

One of the coolest things about the workshop was getting a chance to meet a great bunch of people. I even had a chance to meet a fellow taiji blogger in addition to some readers of my blog! For me, blogging is about exploring ideas and connecting with people. For the most part, it’s just me shooting my thoughts out into the blogosphere and from time to time I will get some feedback, however there’s nothing like meeting someone in real life and exchanging ideas and techniques.  I am grateful to those who take a couple of minutes out of their lives to read my ramblings on taiji.  It’s humbling to know some have made room in their mayonnaise jar for a little bit of wujimon ;)

[edited: Note, this is just an intial feedback about the workshop. See part 1 of my multipart summary for more: Chen Zhonghua Workshop Summary Part 1 ]

Training Shoes of Choice?

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What are your training shoes of choice? I have tried many shoes from the old school Feiyue shoes to Tae Kwon Do Shoes, to Ping Pong Shoes, but I have always gone back to my tried and true Adidas Samba indoor soccer shoes.

While these may not strike folks as being good shoes, let me key you in on some of the benefits. For one, they have a pretty flat bottom, which is ideal for trying to work on balance issues.

For me, the TKD shoes tended to have a very narrow sole while the Feiyue shoes had a decent flat bottom but not too much in terms of support. The major plus and value for the Adidas shoes are the high arch supports. For me, this is the key as I need a shoe with good arch supports.  On top of that, the Sambas have that old school look, nothing like a simple black shoe with 3 white stripes to flex your taiji style. Of course, these are not competition shoes, but I don’t really compete in taiji, these are functional shoes.

Last night I decided to replace my older pair of Sambas as they were getting pretty worn out and I wanted to have a new and shiny pair for the upcoming Chen Zhonghua workshop in Milwaukee. I called like 2-3 local retailers and none of them carried the shoe in-store and kept referring me to their online counterpart. The last time I bought these shoes was probably like 5 years ago and they were pretty popular then, I guess times have changed.

Luckily for me, I called a small local retailer and they happened to have the shoes in stock and on sale!  Online these shoes were going for between $55 – $60, but I got them for the awesome price of $39.99 and supported my local store at the same time! When I came home and showed my wife the shoes, she was a bit surprised at how “old school” they were, but I told her that’s the only way I roll, tried and true, baby!  She commented on how I should have bought another pair “just in case”.  I think I just may, these are awesome shoes and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a good pair of functional martial arts training shoes.

What say you? What are your training shoes of choice?

Plumb Erect

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I just ran across a blog post this morning that mentioned the notion of being “plumb erect” with some associated pictures to illustrate the point.

After reading the post, I was reminded of a correction I had received during my chen village taiji material days. Often times while in a single weighted stance, I would receive corrections that shifted my weight more into the center of my body. Additionally, I would often get my hip shifted so that the side of my hip did not go past the outer edge of my foot, ie remaining in my body.  After seeing the illustrations and pictures, I now realize I was being adjusted to be more within my legs and body. As the author James Craven states in the article:

It is actually quite easy to just step empty. The problem is that when most people step empty their hip is not directly aligned over the support foot, but can be measured from 2-10 inches sticking out past the hip. If after stepping you dropped a plumb line from the outside of your hip to the floor. Then you measure the distance of that drop to your foot, the distance should not be more than an inch or two. Ideally no distance. So the problem is that one either sticks the hip out or bends over in order to step lightly. This compromise to the structure is very damaging.

… as one puts structure first, he then learns to stay in his legs more with the weight of the body and to relax the kua and hip area. As he/she relaxes and the legs get stronger then it is possible to step lighter and lighter because the leg is able to hold the weight when one truly relaxes into the leg. This is an ongoing process.

– via Chinese Boxing – Big Picture and How to Step in Tai Chi