Chen style ‘Family photo’ taken in Beijing in 1982. Back row, 3rd from left (L3): Chen Xiaowang. L5: Feng Zhiqiang. R5: Li Jingwu. R4: Hong Junsheng. Chen Zhaokui’s disciple Ma Hong is front row, far right.
While perusing through the net, I found this pic...you can see Ma Hong as a younger gentlemen in the front row, far right.
Pictured here is Chen Fa Ke. He was the master that introduced Chen Tai Chi to Beijing and created a large movement of Chen Tai Chi practitioners outside of Chen Village. He lived from 1887 to 1957, and he taught in Beijing for about 30 years. He was very well respected in the martial arts community, and had many challenges, in which he was successful.
Chen Zhao Kui was the second son of Chen Fa Ke. He lived from 1928 to 1981. He was one of the first exponents of Xin Jia, which his father created. Chen village did not receive the Xin Jia instruction until 1973, when Chen Zhao Kui returned from Beijing. By that time, people were already practicing and studying Xin Jia outside of Chen Village. That is why, although, most people think of Chen Village, when thinking of Chen Tai Chi... there were many other very skilled and dedicated practitioners OUTSIDE of Chen Village.
Chen Zhao Kui is pictured below.
I'm a guy. I love gadgets, and am always seeking out different ways to supplement my training. I find that various tools can help to motivate me when I hit a lull in my training, and that different tools can improve different parts of the skills needed for effective application of technique. This clip above is by Ma Hong. Shifu Yu was a disciple of his and we are so fortunate to have Shifu here teaching in NYC! The bang or stick, is used to work on solo practice of chin na and grasping skills. Hope you enjoy!
During my training sessions, I find it difficult to go from one movement to the next. For myself, the difficulty lies in the weaknesses in my foundation (i.e. weakness in my quads/fatigue and weakness in my lumbar area). Shifu will often admonish me during transitions for allowing my posture to collapse. Compensations in stance/posture will clearly diminish the effectiveness of Tai Chi movement as well as cause us to lose grace and correct execution of technique. Best thing to do at this point is to pause for a few minutes, to allow some rest, and then... resume practice! More practice!
The quads are the large muscle group found in the front of the thigh. It's called quadriceps muscle because there are actually 4 muscles that comprise the entire group of the muscle. Anyway, for myself, these are a weak point in my foundation. By the end of my own training session, I usually have some trouble walking. Being in my 50s, agewise, and struggling to practice for a couple of hours the right way, is challenging. I love it though! The discomfort is temporary, it will pass I know, and the benefits of training will be derived soon. I am a physical therapist by profession, and I know that the practice of Tai Chi will be beneficial to my circulation,respiration, overall tone, AND my weak legs.
Found this article written about a student's experience training with Ma Hong. Perhaps you'd find this useful? Just figured i'd share it.
Click on the link above if interested in seeing it.
My friend just started training with Shifu. One of the major points she had trouble with was sustaining a good upright posture when she was in some of the different stances. Be sure to stay upright and centered naturally on top of the hips. Hope the pic above helps... don't be like that. Be more like this... look at the bottom pic.
It's a challenging thing... both hands are moving and spiralling, as we achieve different positions. The hands are separate and doing different things, but together they are creating a single objective at times. It is very difficult for me to achieve the correct timing and application without much practice. Being able to achieve this combined movement with the correct sequence and timing is truly gratifying. It's one of the great things I love about Chen. Most teachers may or may not be aware of how their students are managing with this concept. It's one of the many reasons, that I encourage people to come and learn from Shifu Yu.
A big misconception is that when we train in Tai Chi, since there are so many slow motion movements, how could anyone fight against someone moving quickly? The training is done in slow motion, so we can learn the correct body mechanics and learn how a given technique should be done. THEN, if one is serious about being able to apply these types of techniques, they must be trained at a faster and faster rate of speed until an individual can use it for fighting. Since many people who pursue Tai Chi, may not be motivated by fighting skill, that may be an aspect of training they wish to forego. There is nothing wrong with that at all. We all pursue our training for different reasons, and the individual reasons are all good! But, if one did wish to practice Tai Chi for combative ability, THEN, the practice should include understanding of how to move slowly first, and then progressively faster.
An excellent clip showing how Shifu helps keep things fresh for long time students with a form he composed in Chen style. Every aspect of the movements shown has a combative application which he is willing to share with his students. Learning a movement and having an understanding of how a movement can be applied, helps the student to train better and smarter.
Really understanding a given motion, may require a very in depth look at what is actually being done. As Shifu explained it to me, I may see or think of one interpretation, but that same motion, HE may be seeing or thinking of 4 to 5 potential applications. The key to understanding this is to practice slowly and really examine the path and the relative timing of what can be happening within that short time frame of motion. It is why when we practice Tai Chi, we try to go slow,slow enough to understand what we are trying to achieve.
Initially when learning the form, we just try to learn the movements of the form, and while learning the form, we reap the benefits of the training physically, mentally and for me, emotionally. As we progress, we have to examine deeper what we are actually doing with the motions. I won't lie, I thought I had a pretty good grasp of application from a number of the motions... I cannot tell you how humbling it was to see just how infantile my understanding and expression was!! Only a high level instructor willing to share his art, skill and understanding can help one achieve this breadth of knowledge. Thank you, Shifu!!
This was new to me. For years, when I practiced another type of Tai Chi, I had been taught to breathe in with the ward off. I remember really struggling with that concept back in the day, but I had learned to do that in form training, while in application/fighting and sparring I always naturally breathed out upon exertion of force.
So, while relearning the form yesterday, I had to "work" at doing the form motions correctly and had to keep reminding myself to "breathe out as you ward off." Just sharing the things that I feel are important for me to remember and relearn. Hopefully, you find this useful as well!
As of today, these are the numbers of page views I've had to this blog. While I have been remiss in posting during my hiatus from training, i'm super glad to be back and have missed the flow of energy and positivity I used to gain while training in Chen Tai Chi. For those that don't remember, I am a student of Yu Guo Shun. He is a serious top instructor in Chen Tai Chi and a direct lineage holder of Chen Fa Ke's training in China. While it is not the same as the Chen style taught from Chen Village, in my opinion as a martial arts student with over 40 years invested in training, Shifu is a wonderful and giving instructor who sincerely wants his students to do the forms correctly and with understanding, and he works tirelessly to ensure his students recieve the best he can provide in training. I can't recommend Shifu's training enough.
One of the very first and very clear things I noticed in my return to training today was how difficult I was adapting to the single leg stances and sustaining good balance during some of the transitional movements. Shifu noticed that and encouraged me to work on single leg standing and holding it for progressive periods of time to increase my core strength and my balance. This was a weak part of my form back in the day, and three years of relative inactivity didn't help me. I'll be working on my single leg stance and holding it for 30 seconds for a few reps daily. I expect that improvement should be noticed in a few weeks time. Shifu encouraged focusing on the raised knee, and trying to bring that knee higher during my training practice. Hope that helps you all!
Well, so it only took about 3 years to finally get back on track, and back to training with Shifu Yu. He is such an incredible teacher. In the few years that have passed, his command of the English language has improved quite a bit, and the depth of his teaching has gotten even more detailed and intense. I asked him to resume my training with me starting at a basic beginner level. He was accommodating and so gracious. He was very clear that he didn't want me practicing "dead" movements, that he wanted me to understand what I was doing. We went over many things in our session today, and more details will be coming very soon! It's great to be back in tai chi action, back with my old teacher, and back to learning this amazing art as he teaches it. I am grateful.
