Thoughts, opinions and discusson on Tai Chi
I noticed that the following is available for pre-order;
I have another Chen book by Master Silberstorff and I have to say, I thought it was excellent (and an excellent translation too).
Good post discussing hard versus soft in Tai Chi, or rather, “versus” is the actually wrong word to use.
I noticed on the BBC News that Jack Lalanne has passed away. Now, I hadn’t actually heard of him before, but he is credited with inspiring millions of people to get fit and changing the common perception of gyms as the preserve of bodybuilders and strongmen to places for the average person to keep in shape. He made it to an amazing 96 years old, and was still performing record-setting feats of fitness at 70!
Whatever your chosen method of keeping fit, one way or another you probably owe this man your respect.
The latest advice in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society recommends the use of Tai Chi to reduce falls in the elderly;
What’s surprising is how much falls cost;
“A third of over 65s and half of over 80s will fall each year, and it is thought that 14,000 people in the UK die as a result.
“Treatment costs the NHS in England around £4.6m a day.”
I came across an interview with Chen Zhonghua, which is copy of a translated article in a Brazilian Tai Chi magazine. Zhonghua studied with Hong Junsheng, and later with Feng Zhiqiang. Chen’s teaching strongly emphasises the practical aspect of taijiquan training, as did Hong before him.
Chen Zhonghua has quite a few videos on Youtube;
BBC Radio 4 is broadcasting a series called Costing The Earth, which examines “… man’s effect on the environment and how the environment reacts, questioning accepted truths, challenging those in charge and reporting on progress towards improving the world.”
In the latest episode, “The Revenge Of The Stairs“, Tom Heap attempts to find out whether it is possible to plan cities and design buildings so that people are encouraged to walk and exercise more, take the stairs over the lift, and so on. The programme considers whether the design of cities has had the unintentional side-effect of making us less healthy, and whether this trend can be reversed.
Yet another reason to get practising your form in your local green space – assuming you have one. Failing which, get walking and take the stairs!
Some Chen postures have names such as “Jin Gang Dao Dui”, which is sometimes translated as “Buddha’s Warrior Attendant Pounds Mortar”. It may help your practice to keep this image of a “Jin Gang” in mind;
However, I did come across an alternative translation in a post on Facebook, in the Chen Style Taijiquan (Tai Chi) group;
Quoting from the link Dan Docherty says
“Oh yes, this amazing Taoist martial art with techniques such as ‘Buddha’s Warrior Attendant Pounding Mortar’! basically it’s Shaolin Boxing with a bit of Tai Chi thrown in”
I wonder if he has any ability to understand Chinese. The “Buddha Warrior” in Jin Gang Dao Dui is not a correct translation. a “Jin Gang(金强)” is an adjective meaning “very adamant” not a noun meaning “Buddha Warrior.” Jin Gang Shi(金强石) means Jin Gang(indestructable) Stone or Diamond. Jin Gang Bu Huai(金剛不壞) refers to a state in Shaolin Gong Fu where the practitioners skin cannot be harmed by weapon.
Jin Gang SOMETIMES refer to very adamant guardian in Buddhism but not neccessarily always.
So Jin Gang Dao Dui just means very solid pound on a mortar or a Jin Gang Guardian pounding on a mortar. Not “Buddha Warrior”
Edit: see the comments for further discussion.
A study at Ohio State University found that posture can affect mood. We spend a lot of time in Tai Chi being concerned with posture, both in terms of how straight or how aligned we are, but also how relaxed we are as we hold ourselves upright. The implication is that we can both improve our level of relaxation and our self-confidence through Tai Chi practice. Clearly the effect will vary between students, and relies on the students being correctly adjusted by the teacher, but this nonetheless points to Tai Chi being an effective holistic practice.
There’s more to this in Chen-style however, once the student advances to the point of practising fajin and the Cannon Fist form, as we can practise good posture, relaxation but also feeling strong and powerful. This is potent mix for a feeling of well-being and personal development.
Sorry, yet more videos. This time we have Chen Bing, hurling some beefy looking chaps around in an octagon ring like a rag doll;
I found some great videos of Zhu Tiancai giving instruction in fajing training;
