taiji fajin

Our school lets people try it for free. If they like it and want to stay, good, if not, no hard feelings. If they do stay, we start collecting dues about halfway through the semester, but we are pretty laid back about it.

I don't think training in two is a bad idea. I do it, and I believe it really helps. Both of my martial arts have improved because of the other one. As for the maximum limit every day, I wouldn't go overkill. Everything in moderation, and over time it will come. I would LOVE to have instruction 3 hours every day. If you have that opportunity, take it. But I wouldn't go 9 or 10 hours a day. Cut it off around 6 or so. Some people may (rightly) disagree with me, but that's around where I would set the limit. edit: I have trained for more than that long a day, even multiple days in a row, and it felt good. I just wouldn't keep up that much training EVERY day, for the rest of your life.

Red J, fair enough, I like those additions. While I don't think of teaching is a *requirement,* it is something that helps them and the art. For both Red J and octopic, ok, fair enough. There was just a thread awhile back where people were saying you learned from this guy and earned your rank with just sending him money and videos of yourself, so I wasn't sure what it was like.

Feng Zhiqiang and Chen Fake.

I guess I'm just always amazed at these violent stories I hear from people, their instructors throwing them through walls and striking their eyes and throats. Whenever I practice with my instructor, its in a very nurturing and relaxing way. He shows me hints of his power, and lets me feel a lot more than he shows me, but its never in a violent way.

"For those of you who are not Masters, what makes a Master in your eyes? What are the qualities/characteristics of a Master? How long do you think you have until you become a Master? " Someone who is in control of their body and their mind, has a high level of ability to control another's body, and understands and is able to use the underlying principles of their art. "I know that GM Villari (Shaolin Kempo) does not give out 5ths to just anyone. I don't know any that are under 40, but I have heard of a few, but even they had almost 20 years in. To test for black, you have to be at least 16 and that could take from 3.5-7 years. Even then time is no guarantee for a rank." Not to be rude, but isn't this the guy that mails you videos on how to become a black belt, and then gives you one without ever meeting you in person?

I'm currently doing Hunyuan Chen style, not Yang. I'm not sure what you agree with in regards to my comments on Yang style, because the only thing I can find that I said about Yang style is "Any style of taiji, if taught correctly, can be used as a martial art." I find it interesting that you mention Yang Yang as well . Earlier, when I said "A quote I really like from my new favorite book . . ." I was quoting Yang Yang's new book!

I'm not trying to be insulting, just wondering. Are you being facetious here?

Well, I can recommed many different martial arts, but looking at what you sid you want out of it, and that you like hapkido, I can actually feel pretty confident in recommending Kuk Sool in St. Louis. There is a good school located there, run by a 5th degree and 4th degree husband and wife (respectively). I've worked with the instructors on several occasions at camps and seminars they've either held or taught at, and they are good people. Kuk Sool is related to hapkido, so you'll find a lot of the stuff you enjoyed from it, but it is even more diverse. The St. Louis instructor himself has taught me knife throwing and long staff form (among other things). All in all, I think this martial art will give you what you are looking for. edit: here's the web address for it: http://www.kswstlouis.com/

*most* amazing? Hard to say. A couple things that come to mind are feeling the sticky force of my instructor, very impressive. Also just sensing his energy and gong doing push-hands with him. I had a direct push on the side of his body, and while I could physically touch something, it felt like there was nothing there, like I had nothing to push yet my hand couldn't go forward. At the same time, behind that I could just feel a, as the expression goes, mountain. People who have felt a master in internal arts will know what I'm talking about. They can show you very little, yet you can feel their incredible force behind it.

VERY true. That is the problem. A student could be in the back of my class for a week, get little interaction with me, and come away saying I was his instructor. Or worse, never attend my class and lie about it, hoping I never saw it (NOT that I am good enough for people to try and do this!). The only way is to meet them, or another alternative is someone you highly trust to judge skill / character to have met them. I've seen the website, but that isn't enough for me to say he's one of the best, or that he's "real." I can make some judgements looking at it, and there are things you can tell, clues that I can / have picked up, but it is better to meet in person.

I have, but April is packed for me and I am unable to make it.

I teach college students, which is why I only set it at $40 a semester

Ah, thank you, that makes sense. Have you seen the videos on his website at http://www.chentaichi.org/hunyuan/Videos/videos.htm ? In the first several, he is seen throwing students to the ground. In the last one of McGown performing Yilu, he does many parts of it very quickly. I was wondering if his class / camp normally practicing with full take downs (especially at that speed), and if the form is taught to be practiced at that speed. How much emphasis is placed on nurturing? Is push hands considered "playing," where both people are *trying* to aid the other along with themselves (not just by teaching), or is it more of a thing to "win," after you've done some work to get the movements down? Sorry, I'll cut the interrogation short, I'm just very curious abou this teacher .

Yesterday there was a thread up about a camp being run by him, but now its gone. I think it was in here, but itmay have been in internal arts. What happened to it? I was hoping to talk about him, preferably with someone who has trained under him. I am curious about his teaching style, and about how similar or dissimilar it is to some videos on his website.

How did it go?

wow, several side topics in this thread. For the main point: Taiji is not just striking and blocking, though it does have those. Other points: Taiji can be used as self defense before it is "complete." Some people have seen all the forms, push hands, etc, and would still be useless in a fight. A quote I really like from my new favorite book is "Lian quan bu lian gong, dao lao yi chang kong." It is translated (not word for word) as "Even if you practice your whole life, if you do not practice gong, your art will be empty." Seeing all the forms, push hands, etc, don't make you able to use them, just as someone seeing all the strikes, kicks, etc in another art doesn't mean that the person can use them. If you truly understand the art, any movement can be done as taiji movement. Taiji does not require an absurd amount of time to teach you how to fight. While I admit that (at FIRST) your fighting skill develops slower, it can still be developed "quickly." If you have spent 2 or 3 years on taiji, and it has not greatly improved your ability, you are either not being shown it correctly (could be for multiple reasons that the instructor has, to get money, he doesn't think you should get it, etc), or you are not practicing hard enough. On the other hand, though, I don't think anyone has gone to 4 months of a "hard" style and come out a master fighter. Any style of taiji, if taught correctly, can be used as a martial art. As for Bagua, while I have never seen it in person (how I want to find a bagua master near me!) a person I greatly respect is now taking bagua and vouches for its ability to be used in a fight. I trust his word. Is cross training "needed"? No. But it can help (or hinder, depending on your other m.a.) chen zhonghua. ... ... I need to get back to you guys on him before I comment and get my foot stuck in my mouth. Right now he could be many different things, but that's because of my lack of information about him, just what's on his webpages. Yes, unfortunately it is hard to find someone real today . I hate how easy it is for people to teach "fake" taiji. Those who just want to make some money. Sigh. Anyways, back to chess with my friend. Still working on convincing him to play Go instead.

taiji should not be hard on your knees, ever. It should never be hard on any joints, but rather strengthen them and train you to not move them in painful ways

For the Kuk Sool class I teach, I charge $40 per semester (about 4.5 months). I am in the process of setting up a Kuk Sool Camp that will last just one weekend. The cost looks like it will be about $6 (not counting food, which will be cheap, and possible tent rentals if people don't have enough). For Taiji (that I take, not teach), I pay $135 every 9 weeks.

Another reason to love black uniforms!

What, you think someone who owned a Gateway was going to start a thread like this?

I'm with most people here, do not strike first unless you know it is going to be a confontation, and there is no way out of it. There comes a point when you can sense if someone is going to attack you. Subtle body language, or the not so subtle pulling their hand back into a fist. I still like the quote, "You move, I move first."

I don't have an Apple iBook, but I do have an Apple Powerbook. Best little machine I've ever owned. If the iBook more suits your needs / budget, go for it. But if you can get a Powerbook, that's the route I'd go. I've gotten some friends to buy one, and they're all very happy about the switch to the different platform.

I'm sorry I gave off this impression. Its a club at my University, but its not a class where they earn credits toward graduating or anything. Technically, I coule have them spend all four (or more) years they're at this university as a white belt, or get to brown without ever testing, but I'm sure that would put me at odds with my old instructor. In a martial art as regulated as Kuk Sool, its a very bad idea to be at odds with your old instructor. The politics of this is something I could go on and on about, but that's not the point of this thread. The point is that many (not all) people want the test, and from black belt on they will have to be tested, so I "need to prepare them for that." So, if I can find out what are good about tests, and what are bad about them, I could possibly design them so they wouldn't be as bad to give. I also completely agree about having another instructor testing my students being offensive. Unfortunately, Kuk Sool does this from black belt on, but I believe they split the difference. It is not really a test as much as it is just a glance over. If you call the head office and tell them someone is ready to promote to black belt (or above), they take your word for it. When the grandmaster comes for the ceremony, there is a "belt test," but its more for show and they already know if the person is or isn't going to pass. Only very, VERY rarely is someone "suppose" to pass and does not. I'm really liking this thread, its giving me some good ideas. That being said, when people post *what* their tests consist of, could they please say why they think the parts that they describe are good (or bad)?

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