Why do the teachers all do it differently?

Chen Xin

I've been asked many times why do the teachers all do it differently? One of the most puzzling things to many Taijiquan students is why the teachers from Chenjiagou all seem to be so different. After all they trained with, for the most part, the same teachers, how is it then that they come to look so different?

First lets be clear what we are looking at. Chen Taijiquan is an internal martial art where every movement is led by one's intention. Chen Xin used the analogy of a writer composing an essay to illustrate the use of intention: "As the pen moves it carries the intention of the writer, producing on paper what the writer intends. What the mind plans, the hand writes. The writing requires the full attention and complete focus of the writer".

Concentrating upon details during a workshop at the Embrace
the Moon Taijiquan School in Seattle, USA

As Taijiquan students begin training they have to concentrate very hard on what to do as they are doing it - where the weight is, the position of the hands, angle of the body etc etc... As a result, the mind can become tense and movements can become disjointed and not free flowing. It needs an extended period of persistent practice to become natural, unforced and uninhibited.

To go back to the writing analogy. If we think back to how we first learned to write. First we were shown the letters of the alphabet. We were taught the rules of what made an "a", what made a "b"... and so on. We would painstakingly copy out a letter over and over again until we fulfilled the rules for each particular letter.  Then we would begin to string the letters together to form words, spelling each out carefully. In time we would "suddenly" be writing fluently and effortlessly. Taijiquan follows the same process. First learning the rules for each part of the body, learning how to move in the required way. As the requirements become second nature and we are no longer concerned with where the hands should be, the angle or direction, where the weight should be, our movements become "internalised".

Learning Taijiquan's rules for each part of the body
- Lecture at the Taoist Sanctuary of San Diego

We are not surprised when each of our classmates develops their own distinctive handwriting. As long as they continue to stay within the principles we can understand what they write. The same should hold true when we see the differences between the Taijiquan masters. Anyone who finds it difficult to reconcile the variations between Chen Xiaowang, Zhu Tiancai, Chen Xiaoxing, Wang Xian, Chen Zhenglei  et al... is perhaps guilty of confusing the manifestation with the method.

...It's harder to find a good student?

Davidine Sim

Traditionally, in the world of Chinese martial arts, if students wanted their teacher to take an interest in their development it was understood that the onus was on the student to demonstrate their commitment. Not just in words, but in action - by invariably showing up and giving 100% - not just showing their face when it was convenient. In this post I'd like to share an extract from an article by Davidine Sim on the nature of the student teacher relationship:

...It's harder to find a good student?

I didn't understand this statement until I became a teacher myself. In the 15 years that I've taught the truth of this statement has become more apparent and valid.  The first part of this statement is " It's hard to find a good teacher".

My teachers must have been tired of seeing my face.  I was an ever present 'stalker'. I was indiscriminate in my attendance - the thirst for understanding this fascinating, complex and hugely misunderstood discipline meant that I went to all the classes I could go to, irrespective of what the teaching programmes were.  As I progressed 'up the rank', I continued to line up with the beginners and repeated what I've done countless numbers of times, always discovering some new aspects of the art as I did so.  I'd like to qualify that I didn't do this under duress.  I genuinely enjoyed, and still enjoy, the energy of being in a class, of  being guided  into postures that I would  hold until the legs scream for release and the body loses the essential quality of relaxation.  Or until the teacher tells me to move.  For me it was inconceivable that there would, indeed could, be a class without me!  

I've 'stalked' my teachers to over 20 cities in different parts of the  world.  I did not inform my teacher that I

Davidine Sim being guided by Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang - 1998

was coming, I just went. After all, when you go to school you don't inform your teacher each day that you're turning up.  Nor do you take time off whenever you feel like it.  I did not discuss my 'lesson plan', nor did I tell the teacher what to teach, or what I 'preferred' to learn. The teacher knows the curriculum!  There's always something new to learn.  Some aspect one can improve on.

A good student therefore is not the strongest, fittest, youngest, most intelligent.  But the most interested and committed.

The relationship between a teacher and a student develops over time.  Not in term of months, but years.   A student's commitment to training, in actions not in rhetoric, and his/her attendance, for self-development and not for association, earns a teacher's respect.  Yes, respect goes both ways, although it takes different forms.  This respect manifests in the teacher taking the student's progression seriously - by proper, appropriate and timely instruction and guidance.

The traditional way- harder to learn, but worth the effort!!!

The decline of traditional Chinese martial arts in China (including Taijiquan) was reported in a recent edition of the Economist magazine of all places. Not the usual place you would expect to find a critique of  the state of play in the motherland. An article titled "Ain't that a Kick in the Head" spoke of the rapid rise of modern forms of  martial arts like Brazilian Jujitsu and of the popularity of recently introduced MMA events and their effect upon the home-grown systems. The article stated that:

"Traditional kung fu, incorporating different styles such as Wing Chun, Shaolin and Tai Chi, though still popular, has been in decline for decades, because of a one-two to the head, first from Maoism and now from commercialism. Youths with smart phones and short attention spans have no time for breathing exercises and meditation". The article concluded that: "Many Chinese people still have a soft spot for the history and discipline of traditional kung fu. But, as in many areas of modern China, the new, the brash and the million-yuan cheque pack a bigger punch".

An 8 year old Chu En Sian (2nd from right) pictured about 1935

 I had an interesting conversation in Singapore a few weeks ago with 86 year old Chu En Sian who trained in traditional Chinese wushu at an early age. She was disappointed with the simplification of the old ways of training and was quite clear in her opinion (and I completely agree!):  "The traditional way is harder to learn, but it is worth learning. Everything in the traditional method is there for a reason and you can't get the full benefit by simplifiation and discarding pieces from it"!

People often justify this simplification with reasons like - "the more people who know about it the better",, "students are not able to do the traditional way", "in today's busy world people just don't have the time", "once they start doing the simple way they will realise how good it is and then get serious", etc etc. But honestly, how many people who are only prepared to do Taijiquan if it is simple ever go on to do the "real" thing - not many (IF ANY)!

As Mdm Chu said, every aspect of the traditional arts is there for a reason - following the rigorous traditional method a firm foundation is first laid down. When I first travelled to China in the 1990s to train with the Chenjiagou teachers I asked many of them what I needed to do to make the best progress. Invariably the teachers said "practice Yilu". That was what they and generations before them had done. With the establishment of a firm foundation the scope for improvement in all aspects of Taijiquan is unlimited. Done in the time-honoured way Taijiquan maximises the potential of the human body, increasing both the health and martial capabilities of those who really dedicate themselves to it.

Chen Zhenglei's 1st International Training Camp Hebei 1999 - 10 days of intensive training of Yilu and Tuishou                  L-R David Gaffney, Liu Yong, Gou Kongjie, Chen Zhenglei, Davidine Sim, Fang Xiangdong

Look at the sayings passed down for generations:

"Drink the water of Chenjiagou your legs will surely shake"

"You must be prepared to eat bitterness"

"One day's chill doesn't result in three feet of ice"

"One day of practice, one day's skill"

"Three years, small achievement;  five years medium achievement; ten years, great achievement"

"Don't go outside the door for ten years"...

So, no it is not easy! It is complicated, physically challenging and to get real benefits it needs long-term committment! But, for the reasons mentioned, I believe that the traditional way, with all its complexities and demanding requirements, is needed more today than ever.


 I'd like to plug the website of the Journal of Asian Martial Arts
This is a great resouce with a section dedicated to traditional Chen Taijiquan. Currently there are 15 articles about Chen Taijiquan:

Three Techniques of Dantian Rotation in Chen Taiji: Internal Energy Techniques and Their Relationship with the Body’s Meridians by Bosco Seung-Chul Baek

Tensegrity: Development of Dynamic Balance and Internal Power in Taijiquan by Michael Rosario-Graycar and Rachel Tomlinson

Chenjiagou: The History of the Taiji Village by David Gaffney

Overlapping Steps: Traditional Training Methods in Chen Village Taijiquan by David Gaffney

Dripping Oil onto Parchment: Traditional Taijiquan Form Training in Chen Village by David Gaffney

Comments on Selections from Chen Xin’s Illustrated Explanations of Chen Taijiquan with Commentary from Chen Xiaowang by Stephan Berwick

Going Beyond the Norm: An Interview with Chen Taiji Stylist Wang Xian by Asr Cordes

An Introduction to Seizing Techniques in Chen Style Taijiquan by Yaron Seidman

Chen Xiaowang on Learning, Practicing and Teaching Chen Taiji by Stephan Berwick

Taiji’s Chen Village: Under the Influence of Chen Xiaoxing by Stephan Berwick

The Nurturing Ways of Chen Taiji: An Interview with Yang Yang by Michael De Marco & A. Edwin Matthews

Mind-Body Connections in Chen Xin’s Illustrated Explanation of Chen Style Taijiquan by Miriam O'Conner

Internal Training: The Foundation for Chen Taiji’s Fighting Skills and Health Promotion by Adam Wallace

An Encounter with Chen Xiaowang: The Continuing Development of Chen style Taijiquan by Dietmar Stubenbaum

A Brief Description of Chen-style Master Du Yuzi by Wong Jiaxiang & Michael DeMarco

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting - Except for the Taiji Guys!!

martial arts pioneer E.W. Barton-Wright

Sat back to watch BBC4's - Timeshift, Series 12, "Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting: The Rise of Martial Arts in Britain" last night. Its promo looked promising - 

Ticky Donovan

"Timeshift, the black belt of the archive world, takes a look at the rise of martial arts in Britain. From the early days of bartitsu, through judo and karate to kung fu, Britain has had a long and illustrious involvement with the martial arts. Gold medals have been won, Sherlock Holmes's life has been saved and aftershave has been worn - all thanks to the martial arts".

 

Judo pioneer - Sarah Mayer

Over the course of an hour the programme documented the early days of "Bartitsu" a Victorian Ju Jitsu inspired self defence system for gentlemen introduced by martial arts pioneer E.W. Barton-Wright. Bartitsu was such a hit that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had his hero Sherlock Holmes use it to save himself in a fight to the death with his arch-enemy Moriarty. Sarah Mayer the first non-Japanese woman to get a judo black belt in famous Butokukai club in Japan- from Jigaro Kano the creator of Judo no less. The deadly skills of Captain W.E. Fairbairn used by the British special forces in the Second World War. Those who think that cross training is a new phenomenon had obviously never heard of Fairbairn -versed in Jiu-Jitsu, Kodokan Judo, French Savate, Cornish Wrestling, Western and Chinese Boxing. Ticky Donovan the coach who developed the British Karate team into a formidable force that won the world championships 5 consecutive times - a feat not even the Japanese could manage. You get the general idea...

Fairbairn's devastating combat techniques

Finally in the closing minutes it got to "Taiji". Panning into a group that looked as if they were on their last legs in some anonymous old people's home the narrator dismissively concluded: "But martial arts has also evolved in the opposite direction, towards methods that seem as far away from combat as possible...slow moving zen-like type of exercise...for those least inclined to want to know anything at all about fighting"! 

There it is, the martial heritage of Taijiquan dismissed in a sentence! So what happened to the legacy left by the great Taijiquan masters of the past - masters of all styles of Taijiquan:  Chen Fake who single-handedly stood against the "Red Spear" rebels; or Yang Luchan dubbed "Yang the Invincible" for his peerless fighting skills; or Sun Lutang, Wang Peisheng, Chen Zhaopi....

More people than ever are doing "Taiji" but obviously somewhere along the line the martial aspect of Taijiquan is being lost in transmission. It is great that people of all ages can train TaijiQUAN, but where is the QUAN. There is a danger that as more and more people accept the above perception it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.  

CTGB Cannon Fist training!

 

No internal without external...

The physical strength of Fu Zhengsong is evident. 

Fu was a famous master of Bagua who first learned

 Chen Tauijiquan under 16th Generation Chenjiagou 

master Chen Yanxi

To the average western Taijiquan student neigong or "internal training" can seem esoteric and is often over-emphasised. In Chinese Martial Arts: A Historical Survey Brian Kennedy and Elizabeth Guo describe internal training as follows: "Neigong includes exercises to train such qualities as coordination of muscle groups to act as a single "whole", the ability to coordinate the breathing along with movements and the ability to stay relaxed and responsive in a confrontation. These exercises are called "internal" because they do not involve any obvious external actions". 

In Chen Taijiquan the following are all critical parts of internal training: 

• Fang Song - loosening the body by relaxing the joints
• Peng Jin - an outward supportive strength
• Ding Jin - upright and straight
• Chen - rootedness
• Chansijin - reeling silk energy

But all traditional Chinese martial arts involve a balance of internal and external methods. Without an external basis this internal development is of limited value. ""Coordinated strength" means nothing if you don't have any strength to coordinate".

18th Generation Chen Taijiquan exponent Chen Zhaopi divided the training process into three distinct stages:

First training the body externally concentrating upon the extremities - this stage involved intense physical practice to "open up the joints". This stage, he said, should take about five years to accomplish - five years of daily training under the guidance of a knowledgeable teacher. This stage was deemed successful when:

Stamping the foot in Jin Gang Dao Dui should sound like thunder

Punching during Yang Shou Hong Quan should make a sound like the wind

Leaping up to do Er Ti Jiao, the kick should be able to reach seven or eight foot into the air...

While these past Chinese teachers did express themselves in flowery terms, I think we get the picture - at the end of this first stage a practitioner is strong and agile. While this probably sounds heretical to many Taijiquan practitioners today, Chen Zhaopi was adamant that: "If first you don't train this type of brute jin, the body's joints will not be opened up and flexible. As a result, the neijin (internal energy) cannot be stimulated".

Push hands training with Chen Ziqiang - Some basis of strength and conditioning is necessary to
successfully apply the qualities of rooting and sinking against a 110kg opponent! 

Only when the first stage was complete  were practitioners deemed ready to enter the second stage of working towards understanding neijin. Since he was responsible for training the current generation of Grandmasters from Chenjiagou his advice is probably worth listening to. This is in line with a previous post where Chen Ziqiang listed the four qualities necessary for success in traditional Chinese martial arts as: strength, constitution, technique and finally gong. 

Is calmness possible in the digital age

On the flight from the UK to Singapore yesterday I was browsing through the in-flight magazine and came across an interview with Nicholas Carr - Pulitzer Prize finalist, author of The Shallows:What the Internet is Doing to our Brains. The following quote from Carr struck me as very relevant to Taijiquan training/teaching/learning today:

Taiji in a digital age!!!

"The nature of the Internet and other digital media is to encourage us to take in as much information as quickly as possible. What the net doesn't encourage, and I think what it is stealing from us is the ability to engage in calmer, more attentive ways of thinking, the kind of thinking that requires us to screen out distractions rather than indulging them. It's not just deep reading, it's also contemplative and reflective kinds of thinking and introspection. As a society, I think we are devaluing calmer, more focused ways of using our brains".

This presents a serious challenge to today's Taijiquan players. Talking to the current grandmasters it is clear that they faced many challenges on their own journey - famine, political upheaval, poverty.... It is also clear that in better times, life in Chenjiagou had few distractions and a slow and calm lifestyle that lent itself to the prolonged steady training through which the real traditional skill could flourish. 

In the same magazine there was another article in the business section citing"mindfulness" programmes that had been successfully introduced. By Olympics athletes, US marines and large corporations such as Google, Shell, GlaxoSmithKline, KPMG, Carlsberg... With the likes of the Harvard Business Review reporting on a modern epidemic of ADT - attention deficit trait - in the workplace, the article suggested that the need for mindfulness was an idea whose time had come. The symptoms of ADT cited included: distractability, impatience and difficulty with organisation and prioritising. Not traits likely to help one's Taijiquan development! 

The Principle of gradualness

Chen Zhaopi -live in accord with a higher philosophy

To fully understand Taijiquan it is necessary to understand its underlying philosophy. This is less of a problem for Chinese students as many of the ideas are omnipresent throughout  their everyday culture. Western students, on the other hand, need to explore aspects of Chinese thought that have permeated its culture for several thousand years. Failure to grasp its philosophy results in one training a superficial system that is lacking in real foundation. 18th generation exponent Chen Zhaopi believed that this does not just apply to Taijiquan, but that every action a person takes in everyday life should be in accord with a higher philosophy.

At Taijiquan's core is the Taiji or Yin-Yang theory - the search for harmony and balance. In Daoist alchemy heaven, earth and humans are collectively known as the "Three Powers". Humans thrive to the extent to which they conform to the forces that mould and nurture them. It was said that: "Heaven is clear and calm; earth is stable and tranquil. Humans who reject these virtues perish, while those who adapt them thrive".Following its Daoist roots, Taijiquan asks practitioners to seek "ziran" or "the natural state". To do this we must accept the principle of gradualness - the long journey towards mastery can only be achieved gradually. Looking at the normal development of a person from infancy to maturity - each day they may seem the same as the day before, but if all their basic needs are met a fully functioning adult eventually emerges.

Gradual progress from ceaseless effort!

Taijiquan places great importance on fulfilling basic requirements which must be trained daily over a long period of time. We all know the rules - suspend the head, store the chest, relax shoulders, sink elbows etc etc... This is the core of Taijiquan skill and no amount of new forms and novel applications can replace it. The following advice from Chen Xin's "Illustrated Explanation of Chen Family Taijiquan", reflects this inexhorable approach to developing real skill: "The Taijiquan practitioner must apply ceaseless efforts to make his mind aware of each tiny transformation taking place in the postures...one must establish full mental control over every movement: from the way one's hand commences a posture, to the area through which it passes, and up to its final resting place". This can only be achieved gradually!

Chen Xiaoxing – entering a new cycle!

The birthday cake -  6 tiers topped by a symbolic longevity peach

A week ago I was in Chenjiagou enjoying the 60th birthday celebrations of Chen Xiaoxing. Unlike the West’s obsession with youth, in Chinese culture the 60th birthday is a landmark birthday and is the first birthday to be marked by large scale celebrations. It was fitting of the man that the party wasn’t held in some fancy restaurant, but in his training hall!

Evening celebrations

The Chinese zodiac is made up of 12 creatures - the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Each creature in turn is associated with one of the 5 elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Chinese astrologers consider the age of 60 to be the completion of one life cycle – (The 12 creatures multiplied by the 5 elements equates to 60 distinct phases), an auspicious number in Chinese culture. Those who achieve the plateau of 60 years begin a new life cycle at that point. 

Saying my piece - just one of the many speeches

Chen Xiaoxing has lived in Chen Village all his life. He knows everyone in the village, and they all know him. Surrounded by his family, friends and disciples - like all good Chinese celebrations it began with a succession of speeches. One after another stood up to praise him for his modesty skill and martial virtue or "wude".

When everyone else had finished Chen Xiaoxing stood up and in his usual understated way offered the following advice: 

“Don’t criticise other people. Don’t boast about yourself. Just put your head down and train”!   

After the afternoon banquet the whole school demonstrated for Chen Xiaoxing and his guests.

   

You might be doing Chen style but are you doing Taijiquan?

Moving slowly towards correctness

Chen style Taijiquan is a relatively new kid on the block in Western Taiji circles. In a short time many Chen teachers have sprung up – self proclaimed masters proudly proclaiming that they are doing the original, the real, the authentic Taijiquan passed down from Chen Wangting the creator of Taijiquan himself!! You know the type – trained for 2 years and loudly talking about push hands, applications and realistic training… or instructors qualified to teach the Chen short form: Can you imagine a Karate/Judo/Ju Jitsu student training for 6 months and then getting an instructor’s certificate – “qualified to teach up to yellow belt”!! While marvelling at their own achievements they disparage Taiji players from other systems as having too much emphasis on softness, no fajin etc etc.   

Traditional training - precise, meticulous, long-term...

Let us be clear - the unique features of Taijiquan are song, rou and man – that is looseness, pliancy and slowness. Slowness is the method where we can, as it were, expand time to check that every aspect of posture and movement fulfils the necessary criteria. Through meticulous self-examination and correction from a knowledgeable teacher we slowly move closer and closer to the standard required. Following the traditional method it is accepted that the qualities of pliancy and looseness can only be cultivated slowly. Only when these qualities have been honed are we ready to train the wider parts of the syllabus. Many modern Chen players pay lip service to the traditional way but in reality cannot accept this preliminary stage. I know of an ordained Buddhist who received his appointment after completing a “fast track” course in Zen Buddhism. Comparing a traditionally trained Chen Taijiquan player with these “fast track” Chen players is like comparing western boxing with a boxercise class at the local health studio.

Or does it have to be fun or you're not playing!