… The combined IMA/CMA flexibility, agility, stretching and strengthening and so on, are advanced foundation building blocks for those who want more from their body and their body to grow old gracefully.

… Human bodies are not geared for sport and core strength in old age, as we get older weakness sets in and this is what and why we must train…

… IMA/CMA training is just that, it allows oneself to see more than just fighting, but the fight is inside with oneself… One’s daily life style, work, bills, spouses, family and so on…

Without further ado, here is the video:

URL: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUPpEYZZA48

We arrived at the school a bit early, so the teacher took my son over to the indoor trampoline to practice jumping. The little guy was receiving instruction on raising his hands as he jumps, resulting in more upward momentum.  After a couple of minutes, the teacher asked me son to try and spin while in the air. Then, teacher showed my son how crossing his arms midair would aid with the turn.  The teacher then told my son to just have fun and jump around however he liked.  I really liked how the teacher knew when to let kids be kids.  He knew just how much instruction a 4.5 yr old could take and when it should be playtime.

Next, my son was guided to the carpeted flooring area where students practice forms.  The teacher asked my son if he liked to jump.  As my son was nodding “yes”, the teacher placed a blue kicking pad on it’s said and asked my son to run and jump over the pad.  The little guy was able to easily clear the kicking pad, so the teacher provided some guidance on which leg to step with and which leg to jump with.  Next, the teacher placed another kicking pad under the already standing pad, forming an upside down T.  My son was not able to clear the pad at this height, but the teacher noted that my son was able to actually jump higher when the second pad was not present.  He went on further to note that in the child’s mind, they think it’s too high when their body is actually capable of doing more.  The teacher then pulled out a box of LEGOS for my son to play with.

Having a bit of wushu background myself, I could easily see the connection of this “play training” with wushu mechanics.  Wushu is all about optimal biomechanics and is like a cross between martial arts and gymnastics. Contemporary wushu teaches one’s body about flexibility, strength and coordination.  I definitely see these as beneficial characteristics for physical development. However, I will be sure to impart my own knowledge of structural alignment to my son to avoid any knee injuries.

Overall, my son had a great time when the formal class began. He learned some new stretches and covered some of the basic wushu kicks and punches.  Most importantly, he met new friends and developed more self confidence in his own abilities. I am glad my son is enrolled in wushu.  The teacher even gave me some homework to cover the basic stretches and kicking patterns with my son. Sounds like a good plan to me!

For those in the Illinois area and interested in some wushu training, here is the bio page of the instructor, Jinhua Guo of Championship Martial Arts Academy.

I believe that training the mind is just as important as training the body, for were the mind goes the body follows, something many of us forget in our pursuit of physical mastery. It is almost impossible to achieve our full potential as martial artists unless we acknowledge the fact that the mind plays a significant role in our over all development. It is the key to all growth and without it we are merely puppets on a string, all physical movement and lacking in the depth and understanding that’s absolutely necessary to take us to the higher levels of mastery.

– Mind Training for Martial Artists| Part 1: Introduction

Other topics in the series include: meditation, visualization, focus, NLP, etc.  Neil Martin, author of the Urban Samurai blog, is putting out some great content. While he does not write directly about taiji, a lot of his topics are important for all martial artists.

Not only did external training help with my conditioning and flexibility, but it also provided me with a greater awareness of my own body.  Even now, I am able to pick up on gross form choreography pretty quickly and I attribute that to my training in Contemporary Wushu.

I recently came across the following:

In traditional martial art training, in Northern China at least, kids are usually taught basic Chang Quan (usually Tan Tui, Shao Lin) and Shuai Jiao first. This is not because they need to have basic mastery of external martial art first. But just to prepare them physically so they can do the very demanding physical movements in those internal martial art forms.

– Source: In Defense of Simplified Forms | Wuyizidi’s Martial Art Blog

It is almost coincidental as my recent posts have involved topics of conditioning and stretching. While these are good components of general fitness and martial arts, they are not really emphasized in most taiji curriculum.  I’m getting to a point in my life where I’m not considered a “young buck” anymore.  When I was younger, I didn’t really care about my health, but now I am very concerned about my general health and well-being.  I want to be able to play with my grand children in the backyard as opposed to being confined to a wheelchair.

During yesterday’s lunch time taiji session with my coworker, I spoke about the 6 harmonies in taiji (hand-feet, knee-elbows, hips-shoulders) and found it strangely difficult to try and demonstrate what it was like to disconnect the hips and shoulders.  I laughed at myself for this, but my coworker demonstrated to me what he thought the disconnection was and I agreed with him.

How I do taiji now, is a result of my total training and experience, including the external martial arts. I am not merely a “taiji guy” but a martial arts practitioner who has trained in X,Y, and Z styles over the course of my life.  This reminds me of the following note from the Chen Zhonghua workshop:

Peng, Lu, Ji, Ji, Ji. Ji (press/squeeze) is the most important of the energies. Ji is taking space but not letting go of any space taken (similar to the game go/weiqi).  Peng is a result of Ji, it’s the show, Ji is the action that creates the show. Analogy of an opera singer and how we don’t see the training and the steps the opera singer does (ji) to prepare for the show/final results (peng).

– Chen Zhonghua Workshop Notes Unfiltered Part 2

Likewise, what we see masters demonstrate is the show/final result. How many masters will show the training they went through to get the results?  If you just try to go on stage and try to sing opera, you will likely not be able to do it well.  We don’t see the behind the scenes breath control and conditioning training of opera singers.  A sister of mine was trained in singing and she showed me an exercise where they were taught to lay belly down on the floor and try to sing. This forced them to use Diaphragmatic breathing in their singing.  This is the type of training we don’t see.

Flipping back to the lunch time taiji sessions, my coworker has expressed an interest in learning the Yang taiji set, so that is what I have been teaching him. We have finished going through the first couple movements of the Yang long form up to the first single whip.  Now, we are going more in-depth on each of the postures, emphasizing controlled weight shifting as well as body harmony and alignment.  I showed him the Chen Practical Method form that I have been working on and asked him if he was interested in learning, but he seems more fond of Yang Style right now.

My initial thoughts were to continue the Yang long form to finish out the first section, but I am having second thoughts.  I want him to have a bit more exposure to elements of taiji.  After thinking about the notions of conditioning, balance and flexibility, I am leaning towards going through the sequence of the Yang 24 form, but taught in the “traditional” style. That is, I will maintain the postures and movements found in the traditional Yang form as opposed to doing the wushu taiji version of the movements.  This will expose my coworkers to things like Repulse Monkey, Kicks, Snake Creeps Down, Needle at Sea Bottom, etc, while at the same time enforcing concepts of conditioning, balance and flexibility. Plus, it will provide me with an opportunity to train those elements since they are sorely lacking in my own training right now.

Over the weekend, I received my copy of Real Gold Does Not Fear the Fire: the Teachings of Grandmaster Wai-lun Choi by Ray Hayward. So far, this is a great book and one I would highly recommend to any martial artist.  I really admire how Sifu Hayward has graciously shared his own personal training note with readers.

The more I read the book, the more I think about Master Wai Lun Choi is trying to teach us.  I have written about my studies with Choi in the past and one of the thing that stands out the most is his notion of not disrupting the breath.  Whatever we do, we must maintain the calmness of our breath.  Any disruption will lead to a break in energy.  In other words, if you are panting or out of breath, you are doing something wrong.

Choi is also a fan of imagery, especially in regards to animal instincts. He talks about not just mimicking the external movements of the animal, but try to understand the internal intentions of the animal. One of my favorite images is where Choi likens Yang Taiji to “that of a shark swimming, looking for his prey. Always on the move, gliding in and out”.  For me, this type of visualization conjures images of agile footwork, coiling body, and patience.

I could go on and on about the book, but I would recommend just picking it up as it contains a wealth of information from study notes to pictures to stories from students.  Here is a description from the product page:

This new book is about the life, teaching, and insights of Grandmaster Wai-lun Choi, the designated Grandmaster and lineage-holder of the Six Harmony Eight Methods style (Liu Ho Ba Fa). Featuring numerous articles, interviews, notes, photos, and history, you will be guided through the maze of martial arts, meditation, and Chinese history and culture to arrive at the door of mastery, embodied by Master Choi’s own story and accomplishments. This must-read book will be a valuable addition to the library of anyone interested in martial arts of any kind.

Shu kuang Press – Real Gold Does Not Fear the Fire: the Teachings of Grandmaster Wai-lun Choi by Ray Hayward