Free Workshop Monday 9/21

I will be teaching a one-time free workshop covering the Taiji basics routine on Monday, September 21 at the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange.  The class will begin at 6pm and last about an hour.  Depending on the number of people in attendance, there may not be time to get through the full routine; however, the workshop is designed to give newcomers a taste of what the regular class is like and to increase enrollment. If the enrollment for the regular class increases to above ten, then I will extend the class time from one hour to an hour and a half or two hours with no additional tuition charge.

Do come by and please be ready for a leg-burning workout!   

The Five Elements of Taiji (Part 2)

This article will discuss the training methods used for each of the five element styles described in Part 1.

Earth Training:

A strong root is the most basic of taiji’s skills.  Standing postures and slow form work are the ways one can build up this connection to the ground.  All taiji players should have some of this, while others will take the element to the ultimate extreme by trying to remain almost completely still while others attack.  I once pushed with a older man in Taiwan who did not move much at all and could not control me, yet he was impossible for me to move.  Try as I might, by hook or by crook, I could not shake or entice him out of his solid stance.  Although this is not my style, I can appreciate that ability after having studied Shuai Jiao (aka Chinese Wrestling), where being immovable often mean being unthrowable.

In order to manifest this energy proficiently, one must certainly have people push against their arms and body while holding and moving through the various postures.  In this way, one will gradually be able to support the weight of and absorb  attacks no matter where they are placed.

Water Training:

Training for softness begins in push hands practice.  The first step is to learn how to yield and follow with one’s entire body.  In this way one can completely move out of the way of the most transparent of attacks as well as follow opponents who become stuck at the end.  The second step is to learn how to yield to a resisting opponent who has some rooting skill.  This occasionally requires an attitude adjustment because when the opponent’s center is found, the initial response is to push on it.  Yet, if he is strong, the opponent will be able to resist a push on his center. As Sun- Tzu said,

“Leave a passage for a besieged army.  Do not press an enemy at bay.” (The Art of War Ch. 7)

What instead should be done is to immediately back off of the resistance, and allow him a space to fall. This creates an opportunity to change directions and attack in a more vulnerable position.  Essentially this is a micro-flanking maneuver.

Wood Training:

Practicing the standard long form shown in the pictures of Yang Cheng-fu is mostly what is needed to practice this style.  Some spear and/or long pole training would help as well.  Pushing out the palms and extending the empty leg as far as possible in each posture will build up the required limb and core strength.  Push hands should be practiced in a similar expansive way, making sure to keep ones arms (and the opponent’s) as far as possible from the body.

Metal Training,

After ones listening energy and root are developed, it is possible to begin putting those two energies together by reacting to the opponent’s energy more directly by grinding against his every move.  To even be able to practice this style one has to have developed a very heavy feeling in the arms through lots of slow form and posture training as well as some weight or heavy weapon work.  The difference between Metal and Earth or Wood training, is that when training for Metal the moves of the form may feel more robotic as one focuses on turning the joints and body in more precise (i.e. less flowing) directions.  In time one may feel no need to flow with the movements of a lesser skilled opponent but can direct their movements at will. It is said that Yang Cheng-fu would do this in push hands and his students arms would quickly become tired and sore.  In my own experience, my long form teacher was the only person I ever met who neared this ability.  It actually felt as if he had some sort of metal bionic arms, such was the amount of force he could manifest on mine.

Fire Training:

Training for explosive power is the last thing that one can train in push hands as it requires a strong root, relaxed smooth movements, and the ability to extend power quickly.  In order to pull this off successfully one also has to be able to conceal any intent to attack.  Although, it is the last thing that one likely will become proficient in, once all of the prerequisites are met, it is perhaps the easiest to practice.  I recommend learning Xing-yi for fire (fa-jing) practice as Taiji has little of it, even in Chen Style.

Sunday Class Begins

We will have class this Sunday at 9am.   The focus of the class will be more on form corrections and push hands drills and less on teh basic routine taught during the week.  All are most welcome to attend.  Same location.

The Five Elements of Taiji (part 1)

Intro:

In his first book on Taiji, Cheng Man-Ching wrote a chapter in which he compared the five elements theory to the five basic weapons of Chinese martial arts, the straight sword (water), spear (fire), broad sword (metal), staff (wood), and the empty hand (earth).  After several years of practicing taiji, I realized that this idea could also be applied to the variety of push hands practitioners one might encounter.

For reference, here is the destruction cycle of the five element theory in a nutshell:

Fire melts Metal, Metal cuts Wood, Wood penetrates Earth, Earth shapes Water, and Water smothers Fire.

The objective of this article is to provide somewhat advanced practitioners of push hands with a framework for categorizing their own style as well as the styles of others.   It would be incorrect to conclude from this article that the author judges one style of pushes to be better than any of the others; on the contrary, it is my opinion that those who are able to manifest these different styles of movement AND have the flexibility to change between them when circumstances call for it have truly mastered push hands.

Many practitioners feel that the way they have learned push hands is the way most in accordance with Taiji principles.  It is not my intent to judge the various styles of push hands presented here, the point is that no matter how someone practices there will always be inherent strengths and weaknesses in it.  It is for this reason that the destruction cycle of five element theory is so useful as a theoretical framework.  Once one figures out where one belongs within it, they will then be able to know which opponents they will have the most trouble with and those who can be dispatched easily.  Notice that none of these styles is stiff or unresponsive, and all of them have to be cultivated to a certain extent by dedicated practitioners.

Earth:

The Earth Style is the basis for all internal Chinese martial arts, and it is employed in many others, Chinese and non-Chinese, as well.  The focus of the style is stability and stillness, therefore the way one practices this style in a solo way is through static postures.  When pushing hands, Earth stylists conserve their movements and attempt to “root” against or absorb the pushes of others with their postural strength.  They seem quite reluctant, even passive, when they are asked to push others.  The best practitioners will often challenge others to push them rather than trying to prove that they can push others.  My teacher, Liu His-heng, once called this the kung fu of stopping.  Even if they are forced to move they will always keep their center firm and rotate with it rather than attempt to shift their entire bodies out of the way of an attack.

Water:

The most mobile of all styles.  These practitioners often take phrases like “softness over coming hardness” and “use the mind, don’t use force” as their philosophical outlook for push hands and even for daily life.  They practice the way of “letting four once lead a thousand pounds,” and when pushing hands they will attempt to yield to and completely neutralize the opponent’s incoming power and then (if this action isn’t enough to throw the other person off balance) they will lightly adhere to and follow their partners force back until it reaches its most vulnerable position and the push requires the least amount of strength to accomplish.   As water stylists are constantly moving and changing they have the most opportunities to attack and can be very hard targets themselves.  Yet, because they change according to circumstances so easily, there is often not enough time to concentrate sufficient power for any single attack to be very devastating. 

Fire:

Fire is for fa-jing or a release of energy.  When conceptualizing the fire element it is perhaps better to think of it as an explosion or burst of power rather than a slow burning flame.  These practitioners try to pack as much power into a single punch as possible.  Xing-yi Quan is a common art cited as having explosive power and consequently here I will categorize all of Xing-Yi’s “5 element fists” as being manifestations of the fire element.  It is rare to find someone who attempts to solely practice the fire style within their push hands practice, though some do consider it their ideal state.  Paradoxically, there is a moment before the explosion when fire exhibits an aspect of water or soft energy: just before each explosive burst a collection of force or a wind-up is required.  In that moment one may feel a bit of yielding going on, but be cautious because it is a false retreat.  Skilled fire stylists will have their timing down so well that the build up to their release of energy will feel like a casual movement and not be telegraphed.  It is also during this build-up phase that the explosive energy is best dealt with.

Metal:

These practitioners are rare in the current push hands era and perhaps always have been.  The chief reason is most likely the fact that the metal style explicitly uses hardness to wear down an opponent’s arms as a karate ka might use hard blocking to attack an opponent’s ability to throw strikes.  The first thing that is often taught in push hands is to relax and learn to sense an opponent’s movements.  Metal stylists, however, take almost the opposite approach, on what ever part of the body they are in contact with they will grind their hands and arms against it and attempt to destroy the other’s ability to relax and move freely.  YCF was known wear his students arms out during push hands practice, it is likely due to him using this hard heavy power.

Wood:

A battering ram or a staff might be the best visualization for this element.  Practitioners who employ the wood element use the length of their arms and long postures to their advantage.  Practitioners of large-frame forms will developed the strength in the upper back while keeping their hands pushed out away from their bodies, in doing so they will acquire an ability to keep their opponents at a distance and still be able to attack them for there, much like the use of artillery on the battlefield.  Wood stylists can be most difficult to deal with in push hands, yet their style is also the least flexible and most limited in terms of available techniques.  Because they must keep their arms in a rather extended position to maintain distance they are unable to do much besides push others away. 

Class Update

We’ve starting meeting a bit earlier at 5:35pm on Mon, Tues, and Thurs.   I also would like to start a form class on the weekends for those that are interested.  This class would be somewhat less physically demanding than the routine practiced during the week, yet would still be a good workout.  We would first go through the sequence of the 37 posture form then focus on the specific dynamic or function of the individual moves.  If there is time we may practice some push hands exercises as well.

If anyone is interested please let me know your available times during the weekend, and I shall attempt to coordinate with other students.

The Peng Problem

As I have said elsewhere on this blog, peng (or ward off energy) is an essential energy in Taiji, yet it is not the only energy.   It is practiced seemingly everywhere in the form, yet is  often concealed in free push hands practice so as to avoid giving away ones center.  For the beginner, peng may seem very static as one tries to get the body into that perfect alignment.  For more advanced practitioners peng can become very lively and mobile.  For even more advanced practitioners peng seems to be completely hidden until needed, and then only apparent for a brief instant.   Often, peng is used for demonstration purposes in a passive way to show ones ability to channel incoming force into the ground.  Other times, peng will be used to repel people great distances as an expression of fa-jing.  Yet with so many different manifestations of peng, how are practitioners  supposed to know its intended martial purpose?

I myself have practiced peng in several different ways, but I believe that experience and honest teachers has helped me come to an understanding of the best way to practice peng in its various manifestations.

To begin with, in Chen Wen-ming’s book “Taijii Quan Ta Wen” he describes peng as something that is used when one cannot turn the waist in time to avoid a fast, direct attack.  He explains that peng energy is built up over practicing for a long period of time.  I take from this that Chen believed one should always try to “yield turn push” and use the force of the opponent against him, but there should still be a strong root which is resistant to those quick attacks described.

Chen’s description clearly illustrates peng’s necessity as well as its limitations.  While a passive peng can absorb strong attacks, it limits the ability to use that attacking force to ones advantage.  This is because peng basically stops movement rather than to continue and redirect it.   Thus, peng’s martial applications are necessarily quite limited for it is difficult to grapple, throw, or control someone if you cannot make use of their momentum.

As I have often observed, those who make extensive use of peng in their push hands, while they may be difficult to push or control, often have a rather limited arsenal of techniques to use against their opponents and thus mainly rely on their ability to push them away.  This can only be due to the fact that peng stops the motion of both attacker and defender.

Yet, peng is important to practice because it effectively teaches us about good posture through learning how to channel force into the ground.  With out this basic skill other kinds of power use and manipulation will be very limited at best.

I believe the best way to practice peng without it limiting ones other areas of practice, is to think about it only in the context of the form and when doing the most cooperative of two person drills.   Often when students are holding a posture, the teacher will test the alignment by pushing against the students hand or arm.  This is very good way to teach alignment, but the student should not interpret the action as a desired response to incoming force.   Sometimes students can practice in pairs with one pushing using “press” (ji) and the other absorbing with peng. This is a good exercise  for strengthening the whole body’s posture, but again it should not be mistaken for response training as only a very stagnant practice will result from directly resisting a partner.

When pushing hands, the static peng should be eliminated entirely to avoid telegraphing ones movement.  At a very advanced level the peng can be performed without the opponent realizing it is a peng.  Although my teacher, Mr. Liu in Taiwan, almost never used peng jin in the static or strengthening ways I’ve described above, he did at least once demonstrate his ability to use the energy in a less than cooperative way.  He did this by first putting his hand on his chest, rather than holding it out in font in the traditional fashion, and telling us to push him there.  While we pushed on him he was able to “peng” his hand and ours’ out into the rounded structure of the normal peng posture.  It was a very odd feeling because apparently he was moving directly against my forward push, but my hand did not feel anything to push on or resist, yet I was still moved backward.  Although I have not achieved this level of skill I trust my teacher’s advice that that move in particular can only be achieved though softness not strength.  That is the peng of no peng, or a force-stopping move which itself does not stop its flow.

Class time update

Beginning Monday, August 3rd classes will be held at 12:00 noon Monday through Thursday at the same Takoma Park location.  Our routine usually takes about an hour to complete and it has two definite parts.  Thus, if some students wanted to come for only the first or second parts of the routine on their lunch hour (12:00 – 12:30 or 12:30 1:00) this would be acceptable  Knowing the first part of the routine is not a prerequisite to learning the second.

Regarding class fees,

Monthly tuition: $100.  Weekly tuition: $25.  The per class drop in fee will be $10.

The first two classes are always free, and tuition reduction will be granted to those in financial difficulties.  Students wishing to do less than the four classes a week and still pay monthly should ask me about special rates.

Competition Push Hands

In contrast to the previous post showing an example of lively free-flowing push hands, here are examples of competition push hands practiced both in the US and in China.  The videos make their point very well, if they are a bit harsh on the Americans.

And Part 2:

Those who made this seem to be in favor of the push hands rules used in mainland China taiji matches instead of the rather arbitrary ones used in the USA.  Although I don’t agree with competition PH in general, I do believe that that rules should be clear in any form of competition so as to avoid corruption of the art.  The American judge shown here is basically acting as a taiji coach to both competitors, lecturing them on what is “excessive force.”  That doesn’t seem right as the players should already have teachers; they simply want to test their skills against one another  The time for discussing how to deal with force should be in the classroom not during a test of overall skill.

As shown in my previous post, many skills acquired in push hands can be used in a shuai jiao or even a judo format.  Thus I believe that taiji players should work toward being able to test their skills in those areas where not only taiji and internal martial artists operate but  grapplers and externals stylists do as well.  If more taiji players would branch out in this way, I believe it would very healthy for taiji, as it could demonstrate the advantages of softness and hua jin to a much much wider audience.  Then there would be not need to make a sport of push hands simply to spread the art.

Good Push Hands

Here is a great video of a Wu stylist who has excellent hua jin and then is able to apply shuai jiao techniques smoothly after gaining control of the opponent.  I have only had the chance to practice with a few advanced Wu stylists  over the years; but each time I was impressed with their softness and root.

When it rains . . .

If it is a rainy day the class will meet at the covered area of the Piney Branch Park  located on the hill behind the soccer field.  If another group is practicing in that area we will meet in front of the Takoma Park Community Center just outside of the computer center next to the park.