Striving for "Real" Taiji

24. EXCESS
He who stretches
beyond his natural reach,
does not stand firmly
upon the ground;
just as he
who travels at a speed
beyond his means,
cannot maintain his pace.
He who boasts
is not enlightened,
and he who is self-righteous
does not gain respect
from those who are meritous;
thus, he gains nothing,
and will fall into disrepute.
Since striving,
boasting and self-righteousness,
are all unnecessary traits,
the sage considers them excesses,
and has no need of them.

I read this as I was ruminating two recent occurrences. The first was a blog that I read by another Taiji teacher. His blog was specifically talking about the origins of Taijiquan, he was presenting arguments about which family can claim the “real” Taijiquan.

To me, the whole tone of the blog seemed a bit the antithesis of taiji and taiji principles. Does it really matter the origin; history in China is so shrouded and intertwined with legend. If it was in fact Zhang SanFeng, or Chen Wang Ting, does it really matter? Isn’t it more important to focus on the development of Taijiquan?

Personally, this leads me into the second area on which I was ruminating. I have striven, for years, contrary to this passage from the Dao De Jing . One of the main things that I have striven for is to prove that Taiji is still a martial art, and that it has relevance. Like the author of the other blog, I have had frustration about so many “instructors” teaching “Tai Chi” as a form of exercise, as a sort of dance. There are also those that teach it as some sort of mystical study, enhancing a magical “life force” that they call Qi.

There is much benefit that comes along with the study of Taijiquan, be it Yang, Chen, Wu or of another name. We cannot however dispute the fact that to write the name of our art, we use the Chinese characters 太極拳. The first character means “great, supreme, ultimate” the second character means “ridge-pole, extreme” when combined, these two characters refer to the Taiji Tu or the symbol that most of us in the west know as the Yin/Yang. In truth this symbol is the graphical representation of the Daoist philosophy. The final character is 拳 Pinyin quán which means fist and is used to denote a style of martial art.

With that said, it should be obvious that you cannot remove the martial art from Taiji or Tai Chi which is just the Wade Giles Romanization of the word. As some of my friends would say, “And there you have it.” Our challenge, as proponents of Taijiquan, is to maintain the integrity of this great art (and that means keeping the martial) while following its philosophies. It might seem easier to prove the legitimacy of Taiji by being a bellicose fighter. Is that truly Taiji?

10 Essentials of Yang Taiji

These can be found numerous places, but I feel they are worth mentioning here. They are on the Yellow/Earth Sash written test, so for my students, you need to memorize the essentials. It also does not hurt to incorporate them into your training.

Following are the Ten Essentials of Tai Chi Chuan Orally transmitted by Yang Chengfu Recorded by Chen Weiming Translated by Jerry Karin

1. Empty, lively, pushing up and energetic1

'Pushing up and energetic' means the posture of the head is upright and straight and the spirit is infused into its apex. You may not use strength. To do so makes the back of the neck stiff, whereupon the chi and blood cannot circulate freely. You must have an intention which is empty, lively (or free) and natural. Without an intention which is empty, lively, pushing up and energetic, you won't be able to raise your spirit.

2. Hold in the chest and pull up the back

The phrase 'hold in the chest' means the chest is slightly reserved inward, which causes the chi to sink to the cinnabar field (dan1 tian2). The chest must not be puffed out. If you do so then the chi is blocked in the chest region, the upper body becomes heavy and lower body light, and it will become easy for the heels to float upward. 'Pulling up the back' makes the chi stick to the back. If you are able to hold in the chest then you will naturally be able to pull up the back. If you can pull up the back, then you will be able to emit a strength from the spine which others cannot oppose.

3. Relax the waist

The waist is the commander of the whole body. Only after you are able to relax the waist2 will the two legs have strength and the lower body be stable. The alternation of empty and full all derive from the turning of the waist. Hence the saying: 'The wellspring of destiny lies in the tiny interstice of the waist. Whenever there is a lack of strength in your form, you must look for it in the waist and legs.

4. Separate empty and full

In the art of Tai Chi Chuan, separating full and empty is the number one rule. If the whole body sits on the right leg, then the right leg is deemed 'full' and the left leg 'empty'. If the whole body sits on the left leg, then the left leg is deemed 'full' and the right leg 'empty'. Only after you are able to distinguish full and empty will turning movements be light, nimble and almost without effort; if you can't distinguish them then your steps will be heavy and sluggish, you won't be able to stand stably, and it will be easy for an opponent to control you.

5. Sink the shoulders and droop the elbows

Sinking the shoulders means the shoulders relax open and hang downward. If you can't relax them downward, the shoulders pop up and then the chi follows and goes upward, causing the whole body to lack strength. Drooping the elbows means the elbows are relaxed downward. If the elbows are elevated then the shoulders are unable to sink. When you use this to push someone they won't go far. It's like the 'cut off' energy of external martial arts3.

6. Use Intent Rather than Force

The taiji classics say, "this is completely a matter of using intent rather than force'. When you practice taijiquan, let the entire body relax and extend. Don't employ even the tiniest amount of coarse strength which would cause musculo-skeletal or circulatory blockage with the result that you restrain or inhibit yourself. Only then will you be able to lightly and nimbly change and transform, circling naturally. Some wonder: if I don't use force, how can I generate force? The net of acupuncture meridians and channels throughout the body are like the waterways on top of the earth. If the waterways are not blocked, the water circulates; if the meridians are not impeded the chi circulates. If you move the body about with stiff force, you swamp the meridians, chi and blood are impeded, movements are not nimble; all someone has to do is begin to guide you and your whole body is moved. If you use intent rather than force, wherever the intent goes, so goes the chi. In this way - because the chi and blood are flowing, circulating every day throughout the entire body, never stagnating - after a lot of practice, you will get true internal strength. That's what the taiji classics mean by "Only by being extremely soft are you able to achieve extreme hardness." Somebody who is really adept at taiji has arms which seem like silk wrapped around iron, immensely heavy. Someone who practices external martial arts, when he is using his force, seems very strong. But when not using force, he is very light and floating. By this we can see that his force is actually external, or superficial strength. The force used by external martial artists is especially easy to lead or deflect, hence it is not of much value.

7. Synchronize Upper and Lower Body

In the taiji classics 'Synchronize Upper and Lower Body is expressed as: "With its root in the foot, emitting from the leg, governed by the waist, manifesting in the hands and fingers - from feet to legs to waist - complete everything in one impulse." * When hands move, the waist moves and legs move, and the gaze moves along with them. Only then can we say the upper and lower body are synchronized. If one part doesn't move then it is not coordinated with the rest.

8. Match Up Inner and Outer

What we are practicing in taiji depends on the spirit, hence the saying: "The spirit is the general, the body his troops". If you can raise your spirit, your movements will naturally be light and nimble, the form nothing more than empty and full, open and closed. When we say 'open', we don't just mean open the arms or legs; the mental intent must open along with the limbs. When we say 'close', we don't just mean close the arms or legs; the mental intent must close along with the limbs. If you can combine inner and outer into a single impulse*, then they become a seamless whole.

9. (Practice) Continuously and Without Interruption

Strength in external martial arts is a kind of acquired, brute force, so it has a beginning and an end, times when it continues and times when it is cut off, such that when the old force is used up and new force hasn't yet arisen, there is a moment when it is extremely easy for the person to be constrained by an opponent. In taiji, we use intent rather than force, and from beginning to end, smoothly and ceaselessly, complete a cycle and return to the beginning, circulating endlessly. That is what the taiji classics mean by "Like the Yangtze or Yellow River, endlessly flowing." And again: "Moving strength is like unreeling silk threads". These both refer to unifying into a single impulse*.

10. Seek Quiescence within Movement

External martial artists prize leaping and stopping as skill, and they do this till breath (chi) and strength are exhausted, so that after practicing they are all out of breath. In taiji we use quiescence to overcome movement, and even in movement, still have quiescence. So when you practice the form, the slower the better! When you do it slowly your breath becomes deep and long, the chi sinks to the cinnabar field (dan1 tian2) and naturally there is no deleterious constriction or enlargement of the blood vessels. If the student tries carefully he may be able to comprehend the meaning behind these words.

Bad Customer Service - Best Buy

I will never make a purchase from Best Buy again, either in the store or on the website.

I made this purchase with the expectation that I could walk in a pick it up, that it would be quicker than going to the store, getting the item off of the shelf and going through the checkout.

Boy was I wrong.

1. When I arrived at the store after 5 pm on the date of the order, over 30 minutes after getting the email that the item was ready to be picked up, and after waiting in line, the customer service associate was unable to locate the item. She looked on the computer and saw where “John” had picked the item, but she could not locate it. She made numerous phone calls and furtively looked around the area for the item.

2. 2. I could have gotten the item off of the shelf and went through the check out in the time I spent on Friday night trying to get the item. As I had to be somewhere, I opted to come back at a later time to get the item.

3. I returned to the store at 1:30 pm today. There was a huge line at the customer service counter. I waited for 30 minutes just to be helped. (This is ridiculous in and of itself, it sure did not feel like customer service.) Again, when I got to the counter, the poor representative was not able to find my item. She looked, she made phone calls, she finally just went back to the shelf and got one. You can imagine my feelings of frustration. I bought and paid for the item online to streamline my in store experience only to have a worse in store experience.

4. I then asked to speak to a manager, for two reasons. I wanted to let her know about my frustration, point out that the customer experience in the store was horrible, not just for myself, but for all of the other folks that were waiting in line, and to applaud the representative that had finally taken the initiative to get my product from the shelf. Jennifer was introduced as a CMO? and I began talking to her letting her know about how abysmal the service was. She simply looked at my very disinterested, and did not even take any notes, nor refer to any system. It was pretty clear that my concern was going to stop with her. When I mentioned this, her answer was that there was a place on my receipt to do something. I was flabbergasted, definitely NO customer service there.

As a business owner myself, and one that focuses on helping business grow, I realize how important the customer experience is. I can surely tell you that my customer experience at the store in Fayetteville has led me to the decision that I stated at the beginning of this email. I will not shop at Best Buy again. The purpose of this not is to let you know what is happening.

Titles in Martial Arts

If you know me at all, you surely realize that I am not hung up on titles. If you aren't sure, please reference my post dealing with Master Martin's Magical Martial T'ai Ch'i. Though, I get asked often enough about a Taij teachers title. So, here goes a quick lesson in Chinese.

1. Chinese is not written using letters like we spell in English. It is a language of characters like this. 師傅. Any word you see spelled out is a form of "Romanization" or attempt to spell out the sounds associated with the character. A great example for this would be T'ai Ch'i, the Wade Giles romanization for 太極拳. Of course now Pinyin is the standard romanization, so we play Taijiquan.

2. There are two predominate languages in China, Mandarin and Cantonese. Both are written using identical characters, but pronounced differently. (Fact - many Japanese words are written using Chinese characters)

Now on to what you should call the teacher. It really depends on what language your school has adopted, be it Cantonese or Mandarin (Google Translate only has Chinese and Mandarin it is.) It is my experience that most Taiji Instructors, unless native Cantonese speakers, or associated with a school that uses Cantonese will use Mandarin as the language to count, for names of postures and for simple phrases. Soooooo,

Shifu (師傅 and 師父;Pinyin: shīfu) is the identical pronunciation of two Chinese terms for a master.The Cantonese pronunciation is Sifu.

From Wikipedia, " The character 師 means “teacher”. The meaning of 傅 is “tutor”, and of 父, “father”. Both characters are read fu with the same tones in Cantonese and Mandarin, creating some ambiguity. A similar term often used in Chinese is 老師 lǎoshī (Cantonese lou5 si1), "teacher".

Though pronounced identically and bearing similar meanings, the two terms are distinct and usage is different. The former term (師傅) bears only the meaning of "master", and is used to express the speaker's general respect for the addressee's skills and experience. Thus, for example, a customer may address a motor mechanic as such. The latter term (師父) bears the dual meaning of "master" and "father", and thus connotes a linearity in a teacher-student relationship. As such, when addressing a tradesperson, it would only be used to address the speaker's own teacher or master. In the preceding example, the motor mechanic's apprentice would address his or her master as such, but the customer would not. On the other hand, a religious personality, and, by extension, experts of Chinese martial arts, can be addressed as "master-father" (師父) in all contexts."

By the way, I am not the type of individual to ask my class to call me this. I think that this title is earned, and that people will call me this if I deserve it. I think it is funny when martial arts teachers make a big deal about being addressed by their titles. You will note, in the Chinese Martial Arts, the title system is very related to familial relationships, big brother, father elder uncle, etc. I hope understanding the context of the names and how they are formed helps you understand Chinese Martial Arts in a deeper, more meaningful way.

Violence

While preparing to teach my first kids classes, I realized that the art I was about to teach them could be considered violent. Any martial art could be considered violent when it comes down to it. I originally had thoughts that perhaps I should lighten it up a little, I was teaching elementary age children after all. As I thought of this though I was reminded of a couple of things.

The first memory that was stirred was from my high school days. My History teacher, Mr. Kichman, relayed a story to us. His son, a new Infantry officer in the United States Army had come home for a visit after graduating from the US Army Ranger School. I remember seeing them stand, watching us run hills for football practice. The next day Mr. Kichman shared their conversation, he had mentioned to his son that he seemed much more laid back than before, that things did not seem to ruffle him. His son's response was interesting, he simply stated that, "when you realized that you could easily kill them, why would you let anyone get you upset."

The second memory was in reading the book Shambala, the Sacred Path of the Warrior, in the book, The book stated that an effect of training as a warrior was that one became confident and less afraid thus allowing them to open their heart to the world.

This is what I want to pass on to the children that I teach, the confidence to not be afraid, the ability to defend themselves so that they can open their hearts to the world. In this light, there are two markets that I feel deserve more access to martial arts. I am now announcing the Nei Dan Foundation, established to bring Chinese Martial Arts to at risk youth and seniors that cannot afford it. Check us out and help if you can, let's help establish an age of Warriors.

I do not teach the martial arts to propagate violence, but instead to mitigate it, to eliminate fear from individuals so that they can open their hearts and change the world for the better.

Discourse on the grading/sash system

This year I have put great thought into the development of a sash system that would reflect the Taoist roots of our art as well a provide a sensible system for martial development within it. I looked at many other systems for inspiration and corroboration. In the end, I wanted something that was truly reflective of my beliefs, in line with other martial arts, progressive and developmental as well as serious and effective.

A couple of months ago, we began implementing this system with the students at the dojo. The system that I have developed is only applicable to students that are studying Taiji as a complete martial art. This may be incongruous with some people’s beliefs that Taiji is not only a martial art, but it is my belief and opinion that to study any aspect of this art requires that you must study all of its aspects. With all of that in mind the following system was developed, the basics of which have already been shared with current students. I wanted to post a more in-depth explanation of the system, its underlying philosophical derivation and its relation to internal martial arts.

First, I was totally at odds with myself over the need for a ranking structure for quite some time. Taoism and truly traditional Chinese martial arts as I understand it had no formal ranking or belt designations. You were either recognized as senior or junior and followed the Wude (Martial Etiuette of the School). For this reason, I had resisted a grading system for some time. I did however recognize the positive benefit a ranking system had when it came to student motivation (although this argument could also be undone by bringing up the issue of ego). Being associated with Musha Dojo however gave me a different view on the ranking and tests in general. Every time a student tests, he or she demonstrates competency in all the skills leading up to and comprising the rank that they are testing for. In other words, when testing for a blue belt, the student must demonstrate competency on the material needed for a yellow, orange and blue belt. In this way, it preserves the forms and skills of the student as they participate in the testing system.

Blinding flash of the obvious, if I had come up through such a system, I would not have lost the many forms that I had learned and then practiced enough. I would have tested on them periodically after learning them. Voila, that was just the thought that I needed to sway me. Now I needed to either adopt a system, create one from scratch, or modify one that existed to my needs.

I began looking at all of the grading/ranking/sashing systems that I could find for Kung Fu, Taijiquan and Chinese Martial Arts in general. I know that many of the early Chinese Systems that were taught in the US adopted the Japanese ranking system of yellow through brown and then black. I did not think that that was quite the way I wanted to go. The Magic Tortoise School in Chapel Hill has a ranking system based on the Five Element system, now that certainly rang as more Taoist and related to Chinese philosophy. The Yang Family Taijiquan has a ranking system of metal types(silver, gold, platinum) and animals (dragon, tiger, eagle). None of these seemed to fit my need.

With the highest respect to the Magic Tortoise School, Dr. Jay Dunbar, Almanzo “Lao Ma” Lamaroux and Kathleen Cusick, I decided that the 5 element system would be what I would use. With the emphasis on Martial Arts that I teach and hold, I did need to modify it. With no further ado, here it and its justification are:

After 6 months of training the student is eligible to test for their green sash. The green sash represents wood. This representation further shows the commitment to the art, the commitment to have taken the time to plant the seed, the commitment to nourish that seed through continued study, the commitment to grow in the art, as a seed grows into a tree. This commitment is measured through testing of some very basic knowledge and applications and knowing the choreography of the first section of the Yang style form.

1 year of continuous study after receiving the green sash, participants are eligible to test for the yellow sash. The yellow sash represents earth, and as such is all about learning the foundation of the art. Whereas the green sash acknowledges the planting of the seed, the yellow sash is about the cultivation of the foundation represented by knowledge and competency in stances, chansijing(silk reeling), the 8 gates or eight applications of Taiji, the 5 directions or steps, etc. It is this foundation that will allow the student to reach higher skill level in Taiji than practitioners that focus excessively on form or application.

1 year of continuous study after receiving the yellow sash, participants are eligible to test for the silver sash. The silver/grey sash represents the element metal; it is representative of intention and shown through application. Once the foundation is complete, elements from the earth are brought forth, applications of forms are integral to this stage. Practitioners will be tested on their first weapon, they will also show competency in one step sparring. This focus on application will ensure that practitioners move towards a level of knowledge that allows for martial self defense and effectiveness.

1 year of continuous study after receiving the silver sash, participants are eligible to test for the red sash. The red sash represents the element Fire. This stage indicates effectiveness. It is fire that forges the elements from the earth into weapons. At this level the practitioner will demonstrate two person form work, utilization of internal principles in a sparring environment, and two person live weapon play(in the form of the san cai jian). If it isn’t obvious, this is the stage that martial development comes together. Fire’s representation of effectiveness translates in the practitioner’s ability to utilize Taijiquan in self defense, combat and competition. The Red Sash should indicate the transition from the Hand Stage of learning and performing Taijiquan to the Whole Body stage. Red Sash holders will be eligible to be assistant instructors for any Rou Long Ma program. Those interested in teaching will participate in additional teaching curriculum.

1 year of continuous study after receiving the red sash, participants are eligible to test for the purple sash. The purple sash represents water. This stage is all about flowing and non-resistance. Participants are tested on more weapons forms, and are expected to show self-defense against multiple attackers. Participants should embody the master key to taiji, shou e bagua, jiao ta wuxing. This will be demonstrated through the Bagua eight direction application drill. Water’s representation of flow is exhibited in the soft overcoming the hard; this sash is awarded when the practitioner’s movements flow like water. Purple sash holders that are involved in the teaching curriculum will be eligible/able to act as instructors for classes.

1 year of continuous study after receiving the purple sash, participants are eligible to test for the black sash. The black sash is representative of the return to wuji(balance, nothingness, void). At this stage the practitioner will be tested through additional weapons forms, will embody nothingness with efficacy in two person work (San Shou, Tui Shou, Sparring), will be tested in multiple opponent sparring and the dantien penny toss. Two person work with black sash participants should be like fighting air. This stage represents the transition to the mind stage of Taijiquan learning. Participants holding the black sash that have completed the teaching curriculum will be considered Shifu and will be eligible/able to open their own school to train others. Promotion and testing to the rank of purple and black sashes will be overseen by the head of the school system. Black Sash holders with permission from the head of the school system will be able to confer sashes below those ranks to students.

Junior age students will focus on the Tang Quan system and will have a different sash system.

Those that have digested this system to this point should be notified that this represents my musings on this program to date. It seems that revisions to date have been almost continuous, but since the implementation of the program have been minor. What I have tried to focus on in this discourse are the framework and intent of the program.

I do not anticipate graded levels above the black sash, it is my current opinion that participants that reach the level of black sash will have risen above the need for arbitrary ranking. Certainly any input to any of my thoughts in this discourse is welcome.

the week's lessons - basics and mastery

I am sitting here eating my Shrimp Mei Fun with spicy curry sauce reflecting on the week so far, and thinking about some things that have been standing out.

1. So much of the martial arts that we learn, as beginners, is not understood for years to come. I have experienced this myself, I have read about it, and heard it from students. Specifically, sharing this past weekend with one of my favorite students, who is also a student of Aikido, we were talking about a quote she had found in Aikido Journal. The quote was about focusing on kozushi. (Kuzushi (崩し:くずし) is a Japanese term for unbalancing an opponent in the martial arts.)I shared the quote with others, but not before I did more research (remember, I do not practice a Japanese Martial Art, nor do I speak Japanese.)During my research I found numerous stories of teachers that had shared an exercise called Happo No Kuzushi with students. In most cases, these students felt, at the time of learning it, that the exercise was just basic, only to realize years later that this basic was really a key to advanced martial arts.

I have my own Taiji based stories about this. How the more advanced I get, the more I appreciate and find that further advancement comes from additional practice and work with the basics. Interestingly enough, this view is in direct opposition to many folks, even those that have taken martial arts for quite a while. Many artists want to learn more, more techniques, more tricks, more moves, more forms. If we go back to the Taiji Classics, we should recall the Song of the Thirteen Postures. 8 gates representing applications, 5 energies relate to directions of stepping, these 13 postures are it, the most basic of Taiji. It all stems from the 13 original postures. It is all contained in the 13 original postures.

2. So much of mastery in anything that we do comes back to the basics.

Just like the students that took years to appreciate the basic exercises that we are given, my realization for a while is that Mastery truly is about the basics; understanding the basics, truly internalizing them, and utilizing them. One of my business associates shared the definition of mastery as the uncommon application of the basics.

Isn’t that really what Taiji teaches us, to take the basics and adapt them? Isn’t that really what the five families have done? Taken the 13 postures and shown us many more ways to apply them. I think it is.

I have even been reminded about this recently in Taiji. Ll of my current students are beginners. My classes focus on the basics, stances, leg strength, and the form. Daily I practice these with my students, and after a year of having not seen someone, they viewed a video of me, and noticed improvement. I attribute this visible improvement in my Taiji, not to any new forms, exercises or knowledge, but to an increased understanding an practice of the basics.