Nanjing Central Martial Arts Academy 1930; 2-person combined t'ai chi an...

Great stuff, love this.

Random Thought

 With all that's happening in the media world, Covid-19, Politics, Egos, Divisiveness, Manipulation etc. , I'm turning off my phone, computer and TV.

Tuning out to tune in to the energy accessed through my T'ai Chi. Focus on releasing tension and embracing softness.

Exercises from Clouds over Qingcheng Mountain

 Over on the Singing Dragon blog you can find this post which has three simple exercises for relaxation.

The link is here: http://singingdragon.com/sdblog/2020/10/clouds-over-qingcheng-mountain-posting-exercises-to-try/

Sun-style Boxing Master Cheng Bingjun's Lesson Record

Stepping in Sun Style Taiji

 In Sun style Taiji, the front foot should pull up the back foot when stepping forwards.

On no account does the back foot take a leisurely step up. This is what happens when you take the engine out of the form and replace it with what amounts to a pretty flourish.

Real martial arts are not about looking pretty.

Always avoid flourishes.

Infusion

 

For anyone who is interested in the books by Scott Meredith, he has put out a graphic manual, available on Amazon.

See https://cattanga.typepad.com/tabby_cat_gamespace/2020/10/infusion-the-graphic-training-manual.html

You can find it on Amazon in the UK.

Don't bob up and down

 One of the lessons drilled into me was not to bob up and down in my form. 

The torso should continuously be sinking into the legs, even when there is natural rising, for example, after a lowering posture and one should especially pay attention when kicking.

When the weight of the torso is sinking the kinetic energy is stored, if you bob up and down then it is dissipated needlessly and the form becomes an empty gesture.

The Tao of Pooh

 The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff was published in the early 1980s. It explains Taoism through Winnie the Pooh and it's one of my favourite books.

I came across this audio clip on Youtube and the book is available on Amazon.

You can find out more about the author on his website www.benjaminhoffauthor.com/

Umbrella as an Improvised Weapon