loose swinging & pivot warmup

Something I do daily before & after doing the taiji forms.
Over the years I have combined the 'sink & relax' training that I learned from various teachers into 'walking' improvisation using both sides of patterns from taiji, bagua, xingyi & kalari, tanglang & choylitfut.
Various movements too that I've seen people use when playing racquet sports, cricket, swimming, riding... I've played piano for about 60 years too & know about keeping the spine erect & head balanced, arms & hands loose. I also played cello & bassoon. When I was in high school our hockey team played in the Agrade mens competition. I was left half. So I learned about stick work then. I worked in the NZ railway mopping carriages in 1968 .. stick work with a wet mop on the end. I used hay forks & shovels on farms & on construction sites - more stick work. 

letters from Shanghai

2010 - Michael has been in Shanghai for 6 months. His teacher in Qingdao asked for him to be in the recent festival there. The Sailing events were in Qingdao during the Olympics. Michael & Matthew taught English in Qingdao 1998-2000. My family & I went to see them in 2000 & we met Bi Shifu. In 2005 a group - Matthew, Michael & Jing, Dave, Noel & I went to Qingdao where we stayed with BiShifu & his father in a traditional village. Bi Shifu arranged for his kungfu sister Pan Laoshi to teach us Tui Shou. Michael & Matthew continued learning routines with Bi Shifu too. This is a recent email from Michael. Hi Lindsay, Hope your demo went well. Just got back from Qingdao. It was a really good trip. Bi Shifu is looking well. I also had the chance to meet up with most of my old friends there as well including Meng Jia and Lu Jian. The tournament side of things was very successful. It was a very big competition. I was lucky enough to win all 3 of my events, empty hand, Tang Lang Jian and Traditional long weapons. I did Da Mo Jian and Tang Lang Staff. There were a lot of Tang Lang practitioners there, as well as other traditional styles and a little bit of modern Wushu. One of the three areas (mats) was dedicated to tai ji for the whole day. I didn't get to see much of the tai ji though. Not much in the way of other internal styles there. Will send some photos through when I can. Hope everyone is well. Best regards, Michael.
July 3, 2010 at 10:40 AM Edit Delete Flag Quote & Reply
Lindsay Smith Site Owner Posts: 8	an earlier letter from Michael - My training here is going well. I have memorised the Wudang 13, 38 and tai chi sword and am working on getting them right. It feels like a luxury having time to work on the forms. Usually on trips to China everything is so rushed and there is only just enough time to learn all of the moves, then work on them back in Australia. I have also started the Wudang five elements form. It looks like tai chi but isn't, apparently. I have finished learning the spear, which I really enjoyed, and have now started on double broadswords which is a nice form too. Bi Shi Fu called and asked me if I wanted to participate in a tournament on the 20th of June. He has put me down for three events, empty hand, da mo jian and pole. Its a Qingdao city tournament as opposed to the international one they have every couple of years. I'm looking at it as more of a chance to show the other praying mantis people in town what Bi shifu has taught us rather than the competition side of things(which I think is Bi's aim too, judging by the forms he suggested). Of course I still want to do them the best I can. Preparation for this is difficult while I am learning so much other new stuff ..

early morning training

morning training

My day starts with morning exercise in the park beside the Fitzroy River @ 6am to honour all the people who have contributed to my skills & knowledge over the years & to collect the fresh Qi from the rising sun & circulate. Ah Keng, my taiji father often spoke of the importance of collecting the fresh Qi & his elder brother Mr Chua Joo Ban in Singapore also told me to be out there training as the sun was coming up. Mr Chua taught me jian - sword in 1988. Michael & Matthew when they returned from Qingdao in 2000 began teaching Dave & I the taiji sword forms that they'd learned in the park there. We now do 32, 42 & wudang taiji forms as part of our routine.

Tian took this photo @ St Christophers Chapel near Rocky in 2010.

Training the Five Circles by John P. Painter

Simply doing constant repetitions of the Five Circles or any other exercise for that matter or will only be beneficial if the true keys to the exercise and in this case the five Circles are used to unlock the underlying principles and these principles become second nature. This must be done before beginning any repetitive practice if one wants to truly benefit and plumb the depths of this simple but not easy method.

1. learn to stand in Ma-bu correctly.

2. learn to shift from side to side by pushing with one leg and releasing with
the other.

3. learn to turn the torso (Yao) waist (shoulder & Hips) simultaneously.

4. learn to turn the Yao without allowing the thigh / Femur to twist in or outduring shifting so the knees point directly ahead.

5. learn to make these movements as a continual ellipse not a start and stop action.

6. Become aware of the beginning, middle and ending point of each shift.

7. start the shift with circle over note where according to Cross the Great River principle the energy (jin) begins for this move during the shift at the midpoint.

8. Complete the shift note where the Jin changes from pushing to pulling for the palm up to the return mid point. When you can feel the build up and dissipation of energy in the circle over palm according to Cross the Great River principle at the appropriate points listed above on both the right and left circle over you can train the circle under in the same way.

9. Next do circle across and again notice the Jin transition points from start to finish. That is from moving left to right and back again. When you learn to feel the build up and dissipation of energy in the circle across palm at the
appropriate points of beginning middle and end as outlined in Crossing The Great River move to the next circle and continue in this way with each circle trained individually.

10. Now and only now start combining the circles into one continuous flow. You must be aware of each circle when it starts and when it ends and how it relates to the circle preceding and following it in accord with Cross the Great River principle.

11. Now practice of 30days and 100 repetitions can begin so long as awareness is fully maintained during the training.

12   After one has the awareness of each point of Jin building and fading in eachcircle is it possible to really benefit from doing the moves with "no movement"as a standing Wuji exercise. Once this is known and can be felt internally youare training correctly. However you must have more than just a feeling ofmovement. You must be able to sense the moves as if you were physicallyperforming them in real motion and time. This is very difficult. It is suggestedyou start with each individual circle and shifting feeling to achieve thisability. Take each step one at a time to develop true knowledge and skill.

I met John @ Jou Tsung Hwa's Taiji Farm in 1992 & stayed with John in Arlington Tx in 2002 where I did a week intensive with John & many of his senior students.

body mind & spirit

There is a saying, 'stand like a mountain & flow like a river.' But a mountain is just a heap of earth & huge stones & ice with trees & other vegetation on the lowers slopes perhaps & ice melting & forming streams. I prefer the idea of 'stand like a tree' because trees have their roots sunk deep into the earth & they suck up moisture from below. Bamboo is a tall grass that stands very well & is flexible in the wind. Bamboo is hardy & hard to kill.

Indian yogis say 'a real 'man' breathes from his feet. Of course women who do yoga can do that too. There is the saying that 'the singer's belly is full of Qi.' But breathing with the feet goes further down than the belly, the dantian, the hara, than abominal breathing - all the same thing really but with different slants & implications.

My singing teacher in the late 50s, early 60s instructed me to focus on the light switch, over the heads of the audience near the entrance. 'Eyes on there & beam your voice so that it bounces off all the walls & revererates around the theatre.' I watched a visiting singer, a bass come on stage before a concert & hum a note, very powerful sound. He walked around the stage & found 'the spot' that he was going to stand & marked it with chalk on the floor. Classical singers often stand as if holding a ball of energy too.

In Chinese Medicine the kidney meridian begins @ KI in the balls of the feet. Kidney is the water. We are around 60% water, H2O - 2 potentially explosive gases & we are constantly feeding on oxygen & probably other trace elements in the air.

In some positions in Tai Chi forms 'peng' is mentioned. Peng meaning a relaxed springy inflation. Some of that inflation comes from the 5 bows - the arms, legs & spine. All the steps in a tai Chi form should have the feeling of peng. Some of that feeling of inflation comes from the Yi, the intention. So the fundamentals, the masterkeys are 'sung' & 'yi' - sink & focus.