I just started playing with the notion of getting older. After seeing a couple of demonstrations of Taiji Cane, the thought of having an ambulatory device that can assist as a weapon, just staggered my mind. A simple hooked cane would do just to start. Unlike the Taiji Ruler which is used more for Qigong like postures, the cane is very effective for Charlie Chaplin Hijinks, and take down effects. The first video is a little too flourished, and feels extremely technical, however, its grace is said for. In the second one by Chosun Ninja, its use is exemplified!
A change of pace, since picking up the Broadsword, I started practicing Choy Lei Fut with my good pal, Rodrigo. At first I was so hesitant, since it is a hard style, and my mind sometimes wants to put it all in nice circles. Easily said than done. However, I do appreciate the cardio! There is a nice qigong form that is a little softer than the wide horse stances and 120* flung fists. It is mindfull with long oblique stretches.
In the middle of the picking up the double fan form, my move back to the States occurred. Upon coming home, and going through my belonging once again, I stumble upon my nice big broad sword. I remember about six years ago, Master Wu taught us this form. It was a bit much for me since I wasn’t really quite sure what I was getting from the Tai chi palm form that I was learning also at the same time. I simply put it in the back of my head, and kept the book for use another time, when I would be able to devote some time to it. I seeing my Broad sword which my good friend, Rodrigo, gave me for Christmas about two years back when he went to China for his Choy Lee Fut Seminar, I felt that this was the time to pick it up and practice.
The postures of Tai ji dao
1. Crossing the Saber by standing as if riding a tiger
2. Moving, Turning, Thrusting, and Spreading Vigorously
3. Making the Saber and arm one, a level line and looking left and right.
4. Moving one palm and the saber as if a white crane spreads its wings.
5. Drawing the Saber and One palm in as the wind rolls the Lotus leaves
6. Moving the saber in every direction
7. Moving the Saber and one palm in and out
8. Kicking up and striking a tiger
9. Keeping the body upright and holding the Saber slanted
10. Revolving the Saber as if pushing a boat
11. Freely coordinating the three movements of the saber with three of the lower limbs
12. Moving the sber as if parting water to both sides and jumping
13. Withdrawing the saber
I am a little late on this, but the location for Push-hands in Kyoto, has changed. Instead of the right side of the Kamogawa river. The group will meet on the left side, little south of where we were originally. We will meet near the gate ball court. (Rainy days will be under the Imadegawa bridge). It is near the Keihan Demachiyanagi station and the Subway Imadegawa station.
Directions in Japanese are at the link below.
http://8623.teacup.com/kamogawa/bbs?
Thank you friends in Kyoto
PS. We still meet third Sundays of the month… (Couldn’t meet this Sunday due to weather)
A very intriguing style, another hybrid of sorts, but this time of Xing yi and Tai chi. Sun Lu Tan developed this form after many years of studying and finding the most compatible resemblances between the two. Quicker and livelier than the other standard forms of Tai chi, Sun presented a challenge to me at first since it was nothing like I had ever exerienced before. Sun has a slow tempo with quick nimble pick up moves and jumping or hopping forward steps. It is very playful, and also practical.
Sun Competition Style
This is one of the better demonstrations of the form on the web.
Just encountered this interesting tid bit from Bob Patterson’s blog, Striking Thoughts. He relates how he was watching “The Brain”, on the History channel, and how he was fascinated with the different sections of the brain and how they relate to each other. On the show it was shown that athletes have facillitated the connections in the brain, making it easier for lower body connections instead of using higher body functions.
Research has shown that visualization still causes the brain to create new neural connections. ….. Eventually your brain builds so many connections that you can actually “zone out” and perform a task without thinking. In essence, the higher parts of your brain get shut down and let the lower parts work their magic. The narrator of the series noted that the lower part of the brain is firing off so many neural connections that it would quite literally vapor lock the rest of the brain if those upper parts got involved.
Interestingly, this is what they think happens with performance anxiety. Namely, those higher parts of the brain kick in, emotions get in the way, and that part of the brain short circuits what the lower part of the brain is very good at.
But how can we train our brain to stop thinking? Meditation! And you guessed it: The more you meditate the better your brain will get at learning how not to think. The reason being is the more you meditate the more neural connections you build. More connections means your brain gets very good at performing a given task and in this case the task is how to shut certain parts of itself down.
Now how do you help your brain get good at moving while not thinking?
This was my first exposure to Wu. It is a quick yet complicated introduction to the open hand style. It is fast, fluid, dynamic and invigorating. It also can be very flourished. I fell in love with it as soon as I started doing it. Its complexities can be simplified and its simplicity varied and powerfull. The momentum that one can build through the spirals of the movements are astounding. There is so much to be said about the power behind the movements. The second, I learned this form, I wanted to learn Wu, my whole life. However, there are so few teacher that teach the Wu style. Ma Yueh Liang, and Jimmy Chan and Masters of this form and they can be found in Canada, and Germany.
The 48 form is another combination of the main styles of Tai chi chuan. I combines mainly Yang style with some Wu and Sun. The three hand forms are included- fist, palm and hook, with the nine stances- bow step, empty step, crouch step, cross-legged resting stance, T-step, semi horse stance step, one-leg stance, standing stance with feet apart, and side bow stance. The four leg techniques are incorporated- the kick, heel kick, slap kick, and lotus kick. These movements represent the main contents of Tai chi chuan, and omit repetitions of movements in the traditional routines. Generally speaking, a single movement is used once each in the left and right forms.
