Get rid of bad habits before “souping-up” the engine...
Talking Chen Taijiquan with David Gaffney
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2y ago
The traditional way is to first put the building blocks in place – a strong unmovable base, co-ordinated movement, agile footwork.  Cultivate the correct energetic qualities – weighted at the bottom, light at the top, expanding from inside to outside and fullness in the dantian. With this basis develop an understanding of Taijiquan’s different types of jin or trained power – peng, lu, ji, an etc.  Form training enables one to develop correct posture, to synchronise the different parts of the body and to increase co-ordination to the point where action is characterised by integrated ..read more
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The "Secret" of the Fingers in Taijiquan
Talking Chen Taijiquan with David Gaffney
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2y ago
The often-heard Taijiquan saying “when one part moves, all parts move” is really a simplified code for the fact that every part of the body is connected and affects each other. At a gross level this is manifested through the coordination of the upper and lower body, the left and right sides etc so that in the end we have a type of whole-body synchronised movement. In the Taijiquan classics this is reflected in the saying: “The motion is rooted in the feet, released through the legs, controlled by the waist and manifested through the fingers.” Look a little deeper and we can see relationships t ..read more
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The Eyes Have It...
Talking Chen Taijiquan with David Gaffney
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2y ago
Chinese martial arts across the many different systems agree on the fundamental importance of training the four aspects of shou yan shenfa bu (hands, eyes, body and footwork).   Within Chinese philosophy there’s a saying often repeated in martial arts theories that the “mind is the commander.” From a position of balance and stability the mind decides the appropriate actions the body must take: “The heart-mind is the lord of the body and the master of one’s spirit and intelligence. It issues orders, but it takes orders from nothing.” To be able to do this it must habitually be in a state o ..read more
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Why we need to Fang Song...
Talking Chen Taijiquan with David Gaffney
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3y ago
An important element of Chen Taijiquan’s training theory is the need to let go of physical or mental tension (fang song). Only by achieving the correct state can you be composed and stable. By eliminating physical tension, the body’s internal sensations can be better enhanced whilst training. At the same time by reducing mental tension clear, instantaneous, and correct decisions can be taken. Zhang Zong Jun, chief instructor of the Shandong branch of the Chenjiagou Taijiquan School stressed the importance not overlooking this aspect during training: “To be clear, you need to fang song before ..read more
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Lessons in the Temple of Heaven Park
Talking Chen Taijiquan with David Gaffney
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3y ago
Just been going through some old notes, as I like to do now and then, and came across my reflections on some days training with Zhang Baosheng in Beijing’s Temple of Heaven Park in the 1990s. Zhang was in his seventies at the time and had learned from the renowned Wu style master Wang Peisheng. We met by chance during a few days in the capital getting over jetlag en route to Chenjiagou. Below are some of his words of advice… On Zhan Zhuang: • The arms are expanded outwards. The strength in each arm coming from the opposite leg if tested from the side. If tested from the front, the arms ..read more
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Are You Feeling It?
Talking Chen Taijiquan with David Gaffney
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3y ago
Soak up what you see - Chen Xiaoxing demonstrating a point.   An often repeated truism is that to be good at something, you should put yourself into an environment where you can follow people more skilful than you. Then, all being well, assimilate some of  what they have. The  reverse is also true. For example, most responsible parents would worry if their children were keeping bad company in case they picked up the poor attitudes and behaviours they were exposed to. Thoughtful Taijiquan practitioners accept then that simply having the correct physical form is not ..read more
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Can you Develop Push Hands Skills Without Training Partners?
Talking Chen Taijiquan with David Gaffney
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3y ago
Chenjiagou 1998 - A youthful Chen Ziqiang and David Gaffney  A question people often ask is how they can practice push hands if they don’t have access to regular suitable training partners. By suitable read interested. During one of our early trips to Chenjiagou we interviewed Chen Bing. One of the questions put to him centered on any perceived advantages he had benefitted from having trained in the village his whole life. His answer was that, on a general level, everybody knows the rules of Taijiquan, so in that sense he had no special advantage having to put in the hard work li ..read more
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Chen Fake – Four Types of Fajin
Talking Chen Taijiquan with David Gaffney
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3y ago
Power focused to a single point In practical terms releasing power can only be effective if the person applying a technique can combine the ability to generate a great amount of force with doing so in a short time. Skill, in terms of delivering a technique accurately, and the capacity to harness the maximum possible strength possessed by an individual also have a great bearing on whether it “works” or not.  Taijiquan requires us to “focus power onto a single point.” At the same time it makes use of a type of sequential movement that picks up strength through the kinetic chain ..read more
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The Importance of Timing and Distance…
Talking Chen Taijiquan with David Gaffney
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3y ago
In martial arts training the concept of timing and distance incorporates not just the space between opponents, but also the time it takes to bridge the gap and the angle and rhythm of attack. Together, these elements all contribute to the exact position from which one opponent can effectively strike another.  Talking about the practical application of Taijiquan Chen Ziqiang said: “The most important strategy is to always be in a stronger position than your opponent. If your opponent is in a weak position in relationship to you, no matter how strong he is physically, he cannot generate muc ..read more
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“Shape” - the Essential Base for Push Hands Skills
Talking Chen Taijiquan with David Gaffney
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3y ago
Chen Xiaoxing: "Before an individual is eligible to train tuishou they must first train the frame..." Some time ago I came across an interesting article in the Chinese Taijiquan media that posed the question, what is Taijiquan gongfu and can it be better acquired through form training or tuishou? The same question was put to several teachers of different traditions including Chen Xiaoxing and Yang Zhenqi of Chen and Yang family Taijiquan respectively. First to answer was Chen Xiaoxing: “In this context gong does not refer to the gong component within jibengong (basic exercises). Ins ..read more
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