Dunkin Donuts... hiring bigoted staff in Forest Hills?

From Facebook: Hi, I went to this Dunkin Donuts located at 100-05 Queens Blvd, Forest Hills, NY 11375 with my nanny & my one year old son today 5/30/2016 at 3:38pm. Besides juice & hot chocolate, we order Glazed chocolate donut. Staff Yaibur R. told me that I have to say the whole name of the donut. I point it to him & tell him that I want the "glazed chocolate donut" with a accent. He is like "What? What are you saying?" I point it again & say "that chocolate donut." He does not even want to look & help me. He just look at me & say "you have to say the whole name of the donut." I say why should I say the whole name. You already know what I want. You just want to make fun of me. He said you just have to say it in order to order it. I said I want to talk to your manager. He said you don't have to see the manager. Manager is not here. You think he will be here all the time. He has home. Today is holiday. He has to go home. I say what is your name? He point his name tag & say "Here is my name. Do you know how to say it?" I insist to see the manager. Of course that staff ignore me. And then, this customer start to scream at me. When I start to use my phone to record, that Dunkin staff finally stop making fun of me. But this customer start to approach me & scream at me saying that he is going to take my phone away & throw it outside of window. I say don't touch me. I am calling the police. The customer even say that I must be illegal. How humiliated. The staff is just standing there laughing. Doing nothing. I called the police. This guy keep making fun of me before he run away. He even call the police & tell them that i am just a Chinese lady who doesn't like the Dunkin personnal's attitude. Language violence? Discrimination? Bully the women with a children? Is this represent Dunkin Donus? This behavior of discrimination & arrogant is unacceptable.

On a personal note, I think this type of behavior is totally a piss poor representative for Dunkin Donuts. I will take my business elsewhere. And, who so ever hires this man in the future for a job? Wow... i would not want him representing MY company.

Yang Wenhu

watching the dantian action of this gentlemen...very interesting.

Learning the Chinese Names of the Sequences for Lao Jia Yi Lu

This particular vid clip I find very useful because of the Chinese audio in the background naming each particular sequence of movements. That is useful for those that wish to know the name of the different sequences in Chinese. I find it useful to better communicate with Shifu as I am learning the sequences and the particular possible uses of the techniques. I don't think it is necessary to learn Chinese, but it certainly helps with communication as it provides a common frame of reference. Don't be afraid! Give it a try! Keep it fun, and you WILL learn. Good luck!

Zhang Maozhen... student of Chen Zhao Kui...

I watch all the small details... interesting that the fellow in white, is close, but he lacks some of the finer points that his Master is showing on this clip. I believe that sometimes we can be influenced by other teachers... best I believe to follow the teachings of your immediate teacher, and then later make adjustments to your own practice AFTER you truly understand the differences from what you were originally taught, and why you choose to make the changes if any, in your own practice.

I really admire how Master Zhang moves...very close to what I am being taught.

Ma Wende... One of Chen ZhaoKui's students... here at 90 years old!

The audio on this clip is awful, suggest watching it with the sound off!

My Tai Chi Bang

I received my Tai Chi Bang today from the UPS carrier. Wow! What an amazing piece of finely crafted wood! It is as I envisioned it, and I already spent some time playing with it after teaching a couple of classes tonight. I will have to put up some more vid clips on using the Tai Chi Bang for training. The Tai Chi Bang is NOT something we can pick up at our local martial arts store... I ordered mine custom made from Charles Tauber. He's a great person to deal with. Fast communication, good responses, and I was amazed how quickly he was able to get the Bang to me. These are not cheap massed produced items, rather, they are finely handcrafted wood items, that are a worthy investment, if you would like to delve into further aspects of self training in the Chen Tai Chi Tradition.

Charles Tauber's Website for Tai Chi Bang

I have posted the link above to Charles' website. I think if you're curious, and willing to spend the money, you'll be pleased with the finished products that Charles offers. Of course, the key is not just having the item, but also PRACTICING with it. Charles also puts out a DVD on how to use the Tai Chi Bang. Thank you Charles for making this great tool, I treasure it already!

Chen Yu performing a few Moves from Lao Jia

I really enjoy watching Chen Yu. Hope you all enjoy it, too!

My Facebook Taijiquan Page!

I've started up a page on facebook for my examinations/thoughts on Chen Tai Chi. Hopefully, you'll check out the page there, as I won't have much duplication between there and here, but I like the facebook approach because it does allow for more interaction between readers/viewers, etc. Hope you check it out and Like the page. Thanks!!

FACEBOOK Page on NYC CHEN TAIJIQUAN

Examining the Transition From One Movement to the Next

Can you see the arm lock/control here? If the transition from one movement to the next is done too quickly, or without thought, we can miss out on the hidden techniques being presented within the form. Shifu's form presentation is awesome, and designed specifically to teach AND to show, unlike other instructors who retain and hide much of what they do know. It's why in a city with many, many big names and instructors in martial arts, I choose Master Yu Guo Shun as my teacher. His openness and willingness to teach and share information inspires me every chance I see him.

Benefits of Practice... Better Sleep!

I can't promise that everyone will have the same benefits derived from Tai Chi practice, but I can state without hesitation that for the past month, i've been sleeping MUCH better at night since I resumed training with Shifu. I know that when i'm training consistently, I get stronger, am calmer, deal with stress a bit better and now, i'm sleeping better. I think the time invested in the training is well worthwhile.

A Giant Tai Chi Ball

This vid clip sure looks interesting... I believe that this type of training would teach us how to work our waists and also to work with spiraling energy. I think the height of the stand is important, and where could one possibly find a large ball like that one! Wow. Amazing. OK... back to practice! While supplementary training can be useful, Shifu keeps telling me that the important thing is to practice the movements of the form correctly.

Old Pic of Ma Hong

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.

Chen Fa Ke to Chen Zhao Kui to Ma Hong to Yu Guo Shun

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.

Tai Chi Bang with Ma Hong

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!

Transitions from One Motion to the Next

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!

Quad Strength

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.

Interesting Article I Found About Ma Hong

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.

Ma Hong Article

Click on the link above if interested in seeing it.

Posture in Tai Chi is Important

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.

Moving Both Hands Simultaneously...

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.

How Can You Fight, If You Move So Slow?

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.