For all it is worth.
No longer applicable to me as I am pushing into 70, and with one bad knee, and a wonky ankle on other leg.
I gave up chasing SYTs as they can walk faster than I can run now.
But in the distant past of my younger days, I would have been happy to step into the octagon then.
Now extracts from my memoirs.
Taiping thoughts //Ivan photos//Camera malfunction at NanHwaShi//Combat Taijichuan -some notes
Partial extract to keep to 10,000 characters limit
I thought I should write down some of my experiences of Taijichuan before it faded away.
Sadly, taijichuan started to go away from me when Tinkerbell came into my life as seen in my earlier writing here.
I was martial arts inclined. Started with Korean TKD and Goju ryu. And later with Shaolin Kungfun passed down indirectly by a Shaolin Monk Sek Koh Sum who came from China to be Abbot in Singapore Suan Lin Tse. That Abbot died before my interest in martial arts was kindled. One of his tudi was my friend. I got to where I could snap the top half with a chop or reversed punch of a brick placed on palm of a hand. With Judo done in school and Western boxing done in my Army days, I had my share of real knocks and bumps.
I knew little of taijichuan other than that first encounter very much earlier on and which left a good respect for that. I had not even known of the different schools of taijichuan thinking they were all the same.
Which was why I was doing the Sun Jia Taijichuan, largely because of another Chinese MA guy I respected and he asked me to join him. Later on, I learned Sun Jia was from Sun Lutang, a guy who was good in HsingYi and Pakua and later learned taijichuan. Sun jia was a fusion of HsingYi, Pakua and taijichuan. I was at this for a few years following that lady. She was a student of Sun Lu Tang.
Then in 1980, Chen Hsiao Wang, the Jangmengpai of Chen Jia came to Singapore with the opening up of China.
He hold a demonstration as a kind of announcement of his arrival. During his demo, he asked for 2 volunteers to come up and lock his arms. To my delight and surprise, I saw two of my friends walking to him. One was a 3rd dan Aikido and the other was a no nonsense Shaolin brother. I thought then armlocks by either of them cannot be broken ever. At the word that both were ready, the next moment saw both flung apart as CHW broke their locks with ease.
I signed up for CHW classes immediately. The Chen jia Lau Jia, the Jiang, the Chiang, the Dao was learned from him.
The first fajing was shown by CHW. But sadly because of that, I was mislead further away from fajing then before. Not the fault of CHW. But he was quite muscular at that time. And the mind , like a monkey, only want to believe what one want to believe.
That fajing is physical, and therefore must be from muscular/tendon background. And CHW was muscular.
I was unable to discard the lifetime of scientific western perceptions and
engineering background I had. Taiji was then interpreted by me in such a
light, grouped and generalised until it became 'understandable'. Techniques
were classified into vectorial forces and certain groups for
effect/response. 'Energy' should no longer be the static stiffness of
muscles. The whip-like effects from the legs and abdomenal/hips rotations
were equated to the 'chi' talked about. As my 'tui shou'(pushing hands)
encounters with others normally do not have me losing, I thought I won and I
thought Taiji was within my grasp.
My constant reading of the books on Taiji chuan and the TTC had me
interpreting them with the perceptions of my experiences. Rationalizations
fitted those nuggets into compartments in my mind with me feeling
justifiably proud of my 'progress'.
In 1990, I found myself in Taipei working on their mass rapid transit
system. Early morning will have me in their parks doing my taiji excercises
and 'tui shou' with uneven results.
There are masters and Masters but I was yet unable to see or know the
differences until the day I met Masters.
There were two who cannot leave my mind now. One had to walk with a cane
and need to be assisted by us to go up the steps leading to the Sun yat sen
memorial hall. Another was a slim elderly man,so slim that a strong wind
may blow him done, in the Hsingkongyuan(new Taipei park) south of the
Taipei railway station. Their weight was about 80-90 lbs.
Those two were so skinny that they were almost like walking skeletons. From time to time, I help Master Lee up the steps to SYS memorial hall and hold his arms which almost like broom stick. And when he laid down his cane for the tui shou, my body was compelled to go where it did not want to go.
It was also so laughable with the Master at HsingKongYuan.
I used to go there on some weekends to do almost free sparring with one and all. I noticed Master Liu watching me a few times. He looked like in late 70s and I thought he was toddling about there in the park for exercises. Until he asked me to try with him. As a matter of face, we all restrained ourselves. I even more with that sweet old dear.
He then started to talk with me when we were arms to arms, that he sadly over estimated me. That I was just a lump of fat and flesh with no strength at all. My politeness evaporated and I quickened my steps. He evaporated away from the center of my arms. I was very quick and he remained very slow, but not there. And kept talking to me how disappointed he was in me. And next moment, I was send flying. I came back more determined then ever. He moved like a wraith of smoke and again, I flew. I could not believe what was happening to me, lessons more intense than at SYS memorial hall with that other Master Lee. Again and again and again. My friends with me and watching all that said I was lucky. Master Liu hardly bother to do that with them. I left him with respect amounting to awe, and he asked me to see him again next week end.
I never could put the words to what Master Liu did at HKY, until I saw the movie Alien 3 - Resurrection a few years later. If you have seen this movie, you would have seen Ellen Ripley, made with genes crossed over from Alien, playing basketball with a bunch of kick ass Marines. Effortlessly toying with them, and with powers way beyond them. What was special effects happened in real life then, and at subsequent visits to Master Liu at HKY and Master Lee at SYS. Master Liu / Lee was Ripley, and I the muscle bound kick ass flat footed Marine.
It finally dawned on me in light of what happened to me that fa jing was not muscles at all. They said I lacked the faith. One cannot get the faith by reading and reading. You had to be thrown and thrown, tossed and throwned until you get it out of your head that muscles were not involved as they had no muscles to begin with. Which was why they told me what jia did not matter once I understood. Master Lee did the Yang jia to warm up before tuishou. Master Liu just do the tuishou with me on every 2nd Sunday or so when I saw him. Master Liu never told me what jia he did. He would ask me if I want to talk or tuishou, and then proceed to tui with me. I loved the mountains of Taiwan too much to be that dedicated to taijichuan with with Masters.
Not all came from those 2 Masters. I was doing the Chen jia Chen Fah Ker and the Yang Jia and Yang Jia Suan Tui shou. The Yang Jia Suan Tui Shou came from a Master Tan teaching in a tiny park next to my block in MingSheng Ser Chi. This YJSTS was actually an exercise in Ting Jing. I was so nearly kicked out by Master Tan until I latched on, and stopped doing what I took for granted, anticipating the moves, like in conventional MA. I had to use Tingjing (listening Jing). I cannot put into words the difference.
No longer applicable to me as I am pushing into 70, and with one bad knee, and a wonky ankle on other leg.
I gave up chasing SYTs as they can walk faster than I can run now.
But in the distant past of my younger days, I would have been happy to step into the octagon then.
Now extracts from my memoirs.
Taiping thoughts //Ivan photos//Camera malfunction at NanHwaShi//Combat Taijichuan -some notes
Partial extract to keep to 10,000 characters limit
I thought I should write down some of my experiences of Taijichuan before it faded away.
Sadly, taijichuan started to go away from me when Tinkerbell came into my life as seen in my earlier writing here.
I was martial arts inclined. Started with Korean TKD and Goju ryu. And later with Shaolin Kungfun passed down indirectly by a Shaolin Monk Sek Koh Sum who came from China to be Abbot in Singapore Suan Lin Tse. That Abbot died before my interest in martial arts was kindled. One of his tudi was my friend. I got to where I could snap the top half with a chop or reversed punch of a brick placed on palm of a hand. With Judo done in school and Western boxing done in my Army days, I had my share of real knocks and bumps.
I knew little of taijichuan other than that first encounter very much earlier on and which left a good respect for that. I had not even known of the different schools of taijichuan thinking they were all the same.
Which was why I was doing the Sun Jia Taijichuan, largely because of another Chinese MA guy I respected and he asked me to join him. Later on, I learned Sun Jia was from Sun Lutang, a guy who was good in HsingYi and Pakua and later learned taijichuan. Sun jia was a fusion of HsingYi, Pakua and taijichuan. I was at this for a few years following that lady. She was a student of Sun Lu Tang.
Then in 1980, Chen Hsiao Wang, the Jangmengpai of Chen Jia came to Singapore with the opening up of China.
He hold a demonstration as a kind of announcement of his arrival. During his demo, he asked for 2 volunteers to come up and lock his arms. To my delight and surprise, I saw two of my friends walking to him. One was a 3rd dan Aikido and the other was a no nonsense Shaolin brother. I thought then armlocks by either of them cannot be broken ever. At the word that both were ready, the next moment saw both flung apart as CHW broke their locks with ease.
I signed up for CHW classes immediately. The Chen jia Lau Jia, the Jiang, the Chiang, the Dao was learned from him.
The first fajing was shown by CHW. But sadly because of that, I was mislead further away from fajing then before. Not the fault of CHW. But he was quite muscular at that time. And the mind , like a monkey, only want to believe what one want to believe.
That fajing is physical, and therefore must be from muscular/tendon background. And CHW was muscular.
I was unable to discard the lifetime of scientific western perceptions and
engineering background I had. Taiji was then interpreted by me in such a
light, grouped and generalised until it became 'understandable'. Techniques
were classified into vectorial forces and certain groups for
effect/response. 'Energy' should no longer be the static stiffness of
muscles. The whip-like effects from the legs and abdomenal/hips rotations
were equated to the 'chi' talked about. As my 'tui shou'(pushing hands)
encounters with others normally do not have me losing, I thought I won and I
thought Taiji was within my grasp.
My constant reading of the books on Taiji chuan and the TTC had me
interpreting them with the perceptions of my experiences. Rationalizations
fitted those nuggets into compartments in my mind with me feeling
justifiably proud of my 'progress'.
In 1990, I found myself in Taipei working on their mass rapid transit
system. Early morning will have me in their parks doing my taiji excercises
and 'tui shou' with uneven results.
There are masters and Masters but I was yet unable to see or know the
differences until the day I met Masters.
There were two who cannot leave my mind now. One had to walk with a cane
and need to be assisted by us to go up the steps leading to the Sun yat sen
memorial hall. Another was a slim elderly man,so slim that a strong wind
may blow him done, in the Hsingkongyuan(new Taipei park) south of the
Taipei railway station. Their weight was about 80-90 lbs.
Those two were so skinny that they were almost like walking skeletons. From time to time, I help Master Lee up the steps to SYS memorial hall and hold his arms which almost like broom stick. And when he laid down his cane for the tui shou, my body was compelled to go where it did not want to go.
It was also so laughable with the Master at HsingKongYuan.
I used to go there on some weekends to do almost free sparring with one and all. I noticed Master Liu watching me a few times. He looked like in late 70s and I thought he was toddling about there in the park for exercises. Until he asked me to try with him. As a matter of face, we all restrained ourselves. I even more with that sweet old dear.
He then started to talk with me when we were arms to arms, that he sadly over estimated me. That I was just a lump of fat and flesh with no strength at all. My politeness evaporated and I quickened my steps. He evaporated away from the center of my arms. I was very quick and he remained very slow, but not there. And kept talking to me how disappointed he was in me. And next moment, I was send flying. I came back more determined then ever. He moved like a wraith of smoke and again, I flew. I could not believe what was happening to me, lessons more intense than at SYS memorial hall with that other Master Lee. Again and again and again. My friends with me and watching all that said I was lucky. Master Liu hardly bother to do that with them. I left him with respect amounting to awe, and he asked me to see him again next week end.
I never could put the words to what Master Liu did at HKY, until I saw the movie Alien 3 - Resurrection a few years later. If you have seen this movie, you would have seen Ellen Ripley, made with genes crossed over from Alien, playing basketball with a bunch of kick ass Marines. Effortlessly toying with them, and with powers way beyond them. What was special effects happened in real life then, and at subsequent visits to Master Liu at HKY and Master Lee at SYS. Master Liu / Lee was Ripley, and I the muscle bound kick ass flat footed Marine.
It finally dawned on me in light of what happened to me that fa jing was not muscles at all. They said I lacked the faith. One cannot get the faith by reading and reading. You had to be thrown and thrown, tossed and throwned until you get it out of your head that muscles were not involved as they had no muscles to begin with. Which was why they told me what jia did not matter once I understood. Master Lee did the Yang jia to warm up before tuishou. Master Liu just do the tuishou with me on every 2nd Sunday or so when I saw him. Master Liu never told me what jia he did. He would ask me if I want to talk or tuishou, and then proceed to tui with me. I loved the mountains of Taiwan too much to be that dedicated to taijichuan with with Masters.
Not all came from those 2 Masters. I was doing the Chen jia Chen Fah Ker and the Yang Jia and Yang Jia Suan Tui shou. The Yang Jia Suan Tui Shou came from a Master Tan teaching in a tiny park next to my block in MingSheng Ser Chi. This YJSTS was actually an exercise in Ting Jing. I was so nearly kicked out by Master Tan until I latched on, and stopped doing what I took for granted, anticipating the moves, like in conventional MA. I had to use Tingjing (listening Jing). I cannot put into words the difference.
