Taijiquan and Fujian White Crane
The xin (mind/heart) motivates the qì, directs it to sink, so that it can be stored andconcentrated into the bones. Let the qì motivate the body without hindrance, so that it will effortlessly follow your xin(mind/heart). If the shén (spirit) is raised, there will not be any sluggishness. This is the meaning of thecrown of
Do not take the song of thirteen postures lightly.The source of life is in the waist area. Attention must be paid to the changes of substantial and insubstantial.Let the qì flow freely throughout the body. Calmness precedes the motion and while in motion, calmness remains. Effectiveness isdemonstrated by adapting to the opponent’s changes. Using awareness
Tàijí is born from wújí.It is the mother of yin and yáng. In movements, it [ yin and yáng] separatesand in stillness it unifies. It must not be overdone or fall short.Respond to the curve with expansion. When the opposition is strong, become supple; this is yielding.Follow the person back without disconnection; this is sticking.
Throughout all movements, the body should be light, agile and most importantly connectedtogether [synchronised]. The qì should be stimulated and the shén (spirit) gathered within. Do not have deficient places. Do not have any hollow or protruding places. Do not havedisconnected places. The root [of the relaxed force] is in the feet, discharged through the
By Paul Fretter. To quote Wee Kee Jin’s teacher, Huang Sheng Shyan: “Everyone is a beginner once. Always consider yourself a student and never a master“. Do I need any special clothing or equipment to begin Taiji? No, Taiji is a very low-cost activity; just arrive in loose and comfortable clothing. Training in bare feet
Prior to learning Tàijíquán, Teacher Huang Sheng-Shyan was a renowned exponent of White Crane in Fujian province, China. From the age of 14 he learned White Crane directly from Xie Zhong-Xiang, who was already an old man. After a few years of personal tutelage and still, only in his late teens, Huang was sent by Xie to study
By Paul Fretter A link between our system of Baihequán and Okinawan Goju Ryu Karate Do is understood to be via Higaonna Kanryo, an Okinawan who was the teacher of Miyagi Chojun, the modern founder of the Goju Ryu Karate Do system. Thanks to many years of painstaking research by historians such as Patrick McCarthy, it has become
By Paul Fretter Oh the yin and yang of it all! The concepts of yin and yang are not mystical, but instead are very straightforward and refer to two things which are opposite but also have a relationship to one another. That’s it; no purple smoke and sparkles! For example, the two sides of a
By Paul Fretter If you crave adoration, reverence and respect from others then you are not yet ready to teach. The class should not be relied upon as a crutch for a fragile ego. If your students fly across the room, or fall to the floor at your feet without any apparent contact, then you