Although many would know that chansijing or silkreeling energy is the main element that makes up Chen Style Taiji, those who understand and can apply it is few and far in between. There are those that think silkreeling as spiral force. If that is the case, their often point of view that follows would be correct -  Don’t have to bother as other Taiji styles dwell on spiral and circular energies too. But does silkreeling equates to spiral force? And does their application differ?

According to expert opinion, they are not the same; read on as Master Li Jingwu(李经悟)elaborates further from an extract in his 1964 article:

“Produced through spiral movement, the spiral energy is focused on a single point of the opponent’s body, with the purpose of upsetting his structure or balance. This kind of energy application exists in all forms of Taijiquan, for example Wu Style’s Grasping Bird’s Tail or Brush Knee Push, all which exhibit obvious spiral energy application.

The silkreeling energy however is different.

Firstly, the mechanism to achieve it is more complex. Its uniqueness is marked by the multi-varied rotational movement of the waist and dantian working in tandem. This results from combining the two rotational movements of the waist and dantian, twirling on at least two different axes. With the guidance of the mind intention the silkreeling energy reaches the finger tips through the rotating spine and arms.

Secondly, ‘returning to the source’(归原) must be achieved through the settling of qi in the dantian at the end of each movement with the rounding of the ‘dang’. On the surface it looks as though this energy is the result of the movement and the rotation of the upper limps only. But in actual fact precise co-ordination of the whole body is required, right from the feet to the main focus of the waist and dantian rotation, to the spine and arms and finally to the finger tips, all guided by the mind intention.

Finally however, let’s examine this in terms of application and usage because in it lays the most obvious difference between the two energies. Silkreeling energy does not stop at the finger tips to be focused on a single point if the opponent. Instead, through the multi-axis rotational movement of the finger tips, wrist and arms, the twirling and twisting energy enters the opponent. This energy becomes amplified giving rise to a natural but overwhelming wrapping up or entanglement effect. The opponent will be ‘wrapped up’ or entangled by his own body or limps and thus being subdued that way. This is the essence of Chen Style Taiji, which is truly unique”.

Well, Master Li Jingwu’s (李经悟)above writing may indeed be the most succinct explanation on silkreeling energy to date. Compare it with the clip below and see if you can relate the two or come up with any new insights. The clip shows demonstrations by Li Baoting (李宝廷), a very accomplished student of Master Hong Junsheng. Enjoy.

How is your practise for the year 2009? Let see how a 12 year old been doing. According to the note posted on Youtube, she is doing Chen Style Taijiquan from Ma Hong school. She is the daughter of a prominent student of Ma Hong.

Well, I am sure we have been guilty of, or have encountered other players, slagging off each others styles, lineages or teachers; and the possibilities why we react that way must be a handful.

Now, Fist in hand with a Stamp is the signature of Buddha Warrior Pounds the Mortar. It is like the hallmark posture to Chen style Taiji and those who play it would know it involves inner focus of energy amidst a very quiet mind, with reams of expansiveness unbounded. It casts a deep impression to most beginners’ mind as it is one of the first movement that is introduced to them. And with its association to the Buddha warrior, I can’t help being drawn to something I read before, especially when I start thinking why other Taiji styles do not contain this fantastic move. With the below quotes, I wish that all of us Taiji players are also able to find liking and meaning in other styles of Taiji:

Zen

zen mind, beginner’s mind – quote from right attitude:
“If you understand the cause of conflict as some fixed or one-sided idea, you can find meaning in various practices without being caught by them. If you do not realise this point you will be easily caught by some particular way, and you will say ‘This is enlightenment! This is perfect practice. This is our way! The rest of the ways are not perfect. This is the best way.’ This is a big mistake. There is no particular way in true practice. You should find your own way, and you should know what kind of practice you have right now. Knowing both the advantages and disadvantages of some special practice, you can practice that special way without danger. But if you have one-sided attitude, you will ignore the disadvantage of the practice, emphasizing only its good part. Eventually you will discover the worst side of the practice, and become discouraged when it is too late. This is silly. We should be grateful that the ancient teachers point out this mistake.”

zen mind, beginner’s mind – quote from right understanding:
“But if enlightenment comes first, before thinking, before practice, your thinking and your practice will not be self-centered. By enlightenment I mean believing in nothing, believing in something which has no form or no color, which is ready to take form or color. This enlightenment is the immutable truth. It is on this original truth that our activity, our thinking, and our practice should be based”

Known as the “King of Wrestling” in Chen village, you would not suspect that He Guo-Yin is a blind man. Although blind in one eye since birth, He Guo-Yin was an active boy in Chen village. He started learning from Chen De-Yi after being thrown successively to the ground, when he tried mischievously to disrupt Chen’s farming activities.

Due to his surname, He Guo-Yin was considered an outsider and for a long time he could not be coached in the usual way. Instead, Chen De-Yi would throw him to the ground with an application move and he was left to figure out how it all worked. When He Guo-Yin thought he had it figured, he would go back to try the move on Chen. If there was a gap in his understanding, he would be thrown to the ground again. This process would repeat until he can successfully apply the move on Chen De-Yi, which usually took months.

In addition to Chen De-Yi, he also received pointers from other exponents, which include Wang Xian, Li Xi, Chen Zhi-Ben, Chen Xin-Lan, Chen Hei-Xin and Chen Yong. He became more prominent in recent years when the younger generation Chen Chun-Ai sought out his guidance, even though he was totally blind by then.

Ok, let us view this clip for inspiration; and ponder about the feelings going into our forms as if we are blindfolded.

Source: Shaolinyutaiji – March 09

If you can’t see the embedded video, please go to here

A lesser known figure outside of China, Li Jingwu (1912-1997)probably is one of the most accomplished Chen style Taiji master of his generation. Listed below are some quick references to his achievements:

1. One of Chen Fake’s top disciples, who could neutralise up to 4 of Chen’s successive fajings.
2.  Known for his upright character, mild mannerism and integrity, especially when exchanging pointers with opponents.
3. Respected Grand Master of both Chen and Wu style Taiji.
4. He is Wang Peisheng’s kungfu brother and together they form 2 out of the 5 Taiji Tigers of that era.
5.  Represented Beijing in the 1956 National Wushu Exchange Competition together with Wang Yongquan and Zhang Yansheng. He came in 1st in his Category.
6.  Also practice Sun Style and Yang Style Taiji, and helped with the compiling of the standard Beijing 24-Form teaching video.
7. Made significant contributions to the book “Chen Style Taijiquan” of Shen Jiazhen and Gu Liuxin, but credits to him was mistakenly excluded.
8. Also known for his qigong and accupunture skills.
9.  He not only contributed public articles on what is chansijing in the 1960s, he is also a testament to its high level application (See 2:10 to 2:19 of the clip above).
10.  He is well liked and respected by students, teachers and all others in the Taiji circle.

Chen Family Small Frame Taiji seems to most to be the lesser cousin of the Large Frame. This is not surprising as there have been much more written and discussed about the latter in the last 70 years or so due to its popularity. Some of the factors that could have contributed to this scenario are of course Chen Fake’s efforts and distinction that shook Beijing from the 1930s; and also Chen Zhaopi’s relentless labours from 1950s Chen Village for grooming some of today’s grandmasters.

However, it is interesting to look beyond the last 70 years and realise that the vast majority of the written works then about Chen Family Taiji was based on the Small Frame. The published works of Chen Xin and Chen Zhiming, which contain substantial discussions on theories, are both based on the Small Frame postures.

Regarded as the Chen Family Taiji Classics, we are fortunate to have Chen Xin’s “The illustrated Canon of Chen Family Taijiquan“, as well as Chen Zhiming’s “The Art of Chen Family Taijiquan Transmitted through the Generations“/ “The essence of Taijiquan” reprinted and republished in recent years. This, by no doubt, has helped to keep interests level high, and fan the growth of Chen Family Taiji players globally, whether Small Frame or Large.

So, what are the relations between the two frames and why the distinction, since a lot of the theories seen in the Chen Taiji classics can be applied to the Large Frame as well?

The preface of the recently republished book from Chen Zhiming offers us a view “The development that occurred during Chen Changxin’s and Chen Youben’s time was by leaps and bounds. There was further development through Chen Youben who innovated on what was traditionally transmitted to him. With many years of his own achievements in learning, enlightenment and combat efficiency, he modified some of the Large Frame movements. In his later years, he created what was to become Chen Family Small Frame, which has more continuous flow, and contains many lively and compact transition movements, and therefore more combat practical. The postures are similar to the Large Frame in terms of expansiveness but the fajing comes with a muted or delayed effect. Chen Youben is the innovator of the Small Frame while Chen Changxin is the successor of the traditional Large Frame.”

However, it is also interesting to hear Chen Xizhao, one of Chen Fake’s student based in Xi An, quoted as saying in Ma Guo Xiang’s book <My Taiji Journey>” Among the older generation, it is acknowledged that the small frame is foremost.”  If you are thinking “foremost” in terms of development, then the quote is in line with what is stated in the preface. But is it possible that it is not; and what are the implications?

Whatever it is, Chen Family Small Frame Taiji has its unique flavour. Let us take a moment to enjoy the clip below to mark the uniqueness of the Small Frame and also as a tribute to the recently demised Grand Master Chen Liqing. I do not practice the Small Frame or for that matter, I have no clue what Grand Master Chen Liqing is like. So to me, when I think of the Chen Family Small Frame Taiji, this clip of Grand Master Chen Liqing comes to mind with her exquisite performance of the hallmark muted fajing.

For more details on the Chen Family Small Frame, refer to this site: http://www.chinafrominside.com/ma/taiji/xiaojia.html

Recorded during the 3rd Chenjiagou Taiji GongFu Competition in June 08, this clip showcases few of Master Chen Zhenglie’s better known disciples. They are Zhang Dongwu, Wang Haijun, Chen Bin, Fu Nengbin and Chen Juan.

http://www.chentaichi.com
http://www.chiflow.com/html/Taijiquan_Chen3.html

When it comes to Taiji practice, have you ever felt like you are in a maze running in circles, almost with no hope of seeing light at the end of the tunnel? You can be sure you are not alone, and going online in search for new perspectives might just be the way to cheer you up! These two websites stated above caught my eye, with the contents bearing the hallmark that would only come with years of genuine practice. In addition, the authors are from lineages not familiar to most from this part of the world so it will be good to briefly talk about them.

Chentaichi.com

Paul Chou is the person behind http://www.chentaichi.com, one of the first Chen Style Taiji sites that surfaced in the 1990s. His teacher is Master Pan Wing Chow, who was one of the first students of Chen Fake during the 1930s in Beijing, China. And also Gerald A Sharp, who occasionally writes for Taichi Magazine, also has a site dedicated to the practice of the internal martial arts and qigong. Gerald spent many years in China researching with top masters of the internal arts; he is a student of Master Zhou Yun Long, who learnt from Chen Zhao Kui, the son of Chen Fake.

Chi Flow

So what is so special about the two sites? For one, they have video clips to effectively illustrate the point across. Paul’s site has the full length clips of him performing Laojia Yilu and Erlu, which can be co-related to online lessons. While Gerald’s site is not exclusively on Chen Style Taiji, there are video clips of martial application of the various Chen Taiji postures i.e. Single whip etc.

One of the main aims of http://www.chentaichi.com is to communicate by  translating the teachings of Master Pan Wing Chow. There is a good mix of theories complementing the online lessons that focus on form practice. The theories presented include topics such as Ying and Yang, Peng Jing and Application, Chung Chi, Load path, essence of Taichi etc.

As a beginner looking for encouragement, this is one of my favorite lines from Paul’s site
“They are partially correct. The achievement you have is a necessary intermediate step, not the stage Great Master demonstrated in their generation, not the one the story tells….However, Master Pan’s saying is to encourage us. Master Pan himself didn’t stop here. He move on to that stage with pure elegancy with all his energy embedded. He used to let me grasp his hand and move around while I feel not a single trace of resistance, though he is in perfectly connecting and ready to use my energy at any instance. Therefore, if your opponent tells you: That’s not Taichi, don’t be angry or frustrated. You are on the right track, just not there yet. – <Beyond root and load path>“

The chiflow site however, presents us with yet another perspective; this time how not to practice Chen Style Taiji “If the practitioner employs patience, slowness and softness and is able to find stillness in their movement, they will develop a natural twisting and diligent practice will yield huge results. The key word is patience. Without that, you’re really banging your head against the wall. Chen Taijiquan can be very powerful, but if practiced incorrectly, you can damage your back, energy, knees, etc. With improper practice, such as moving first from the waist, you can also make yourself putty in the hands of those who know how to use lightness in applications……..Generally the nontraditional Chen stylists are the same people who believe that something slow and intricate is useless and flowery. This group has an excessive desire to see overt training that involves heavy perspiration and heavy-handed looking blows they can revere and label as “martial.”"

So if you make a cross-reference and view Paul’s form in the video clips on his site, do you see slowness, softness and intricacy? Well, that’s for the experts to tell. For now, I’ll leave you with what I think might be the most important lesson, as a closing remark of my visit to two of the finest sites on Chen style Taiji  “‘First let it in your heart (Conscious mind), then apply through your body (Subconscious reflex) <From Master Pan>.’ This is the approach to build the circles of Taiji into ourselves. Until one day we succeed, the movements we make will be in perfect harmony and balance.”

Yang NuoBing, a fellow blogger in Beijing, talks to CCTV about Chen style taijiquan and the up-coming Beijing Olympics 2008. The chat is filled with jokes and it is good to see light-heartedness and enjoyment.

Yang learns with Tian XiuMao, whose uncle, Tian XiuChen is one of Chen Fake’s disciple. With such a background, somehow it came as a surprise when Yang said Tian had not asked for any tuition fees. In fact, sometimes Yang even sponge off his teacher by accepting free food and lodging, he laughingly tells the show hosts.

But yet, there are times when his depth reveal beyond the superficial, “The more achieved you become, the more you realise you’re lacking. The Chen form is just so profound; never ending”

Yang even show the hosts a few Chen moves and from his blog, we can see that he is an enthusiastic and optimistic Taiji player with good attempts to remain open. His email, contact number and time/ location of his usual practice are public domain. He certainly believes there is nothing to hide, a virtue not too common in the blogsphere. If you can spare the time for some light-hearted optimism in taiji, why not visit Yang Nuo Bing’s blog http://blog.sina.com.cn/taiji

“I have to share this with someone”, I said to myself, looking at the dim sum dumplings packed in the styrofoam box that had just been distributed. The portion resembles more like a main meal rather than mid-afternoon refreshment. If anything, it is an indication of how well the event had been managed. “Taiji for Osteoporosis” is a public forum organised by the Osteoporosis Society of Singapore, which is backed by the Lee Foundation, Tote Board and the National Health Group. Dr Paul Lam from Sydney was the main speaker.

Dr Paul Lam, a western doctor and lecturer at the University of New South Wales, has been practicing different styles of Taiji for over 30 years. His rehabilitation Taiji programs – for conditions – have been well received worldwide, which are only now just making headway into Singapore.

The specially designed osteoporosis program is easy to learn, safe, enjoyable yet effective and therefore suitable to help prevent, or improve Osteoporosis conditions.

“Not all Taiji are suitable for people with Osteoporosis. For example, the Chen style might even be harmful for those with such conditions”, he qualified. And in response to a question about how the various Taiji styles compare in terms of their rehabilitation effectiveness he said, “It’s hard to compare due to the diversity involved; but the program that we are running has been specially designed with that purpose in mind”.

The popularity of his osteoporosis program can be said to be due to the research evidence that it works. Ended in 2006, the Central Sydney Taiji Trial for 700 elderly people showed a strong correlation between confidence and fall prevention.

“Fall prevention is important because most of the time people with Osteoporosis don’t feel anything but once they have fallen, their bones will easily snap due to the brittleness caused by their condition”, said Dr Lam when talking about how Taiji can help prevent fall. Balance, strength and confidence are factors that can help prevent a fall. Studies, including the Atlanta FICIT study in 1996, have shown that regular Taiji practice can improve all of that as well as reducing bone loss, or even increasing Bone Mass Density (BMD).

Dr Paul Lam, of Teochew descent, sees himself as a bridge between the old Chinese tradition and modern western medical science. Looking at the evolution of Taiji, this may be the beginning of a new wave where forerunners such as Dr Lam himself, is introducing Taiji mainly as a rehabilitation tool to the world. The first wave development is popularly seen as the bringing of a Village Family Martial Art into capital Beijing in the late 19th Century. The second wave development is marked by the pivotal figure Yang ChengFu and his contemporaries, who taught Taiji publicly for the first time in 1910s Beijing.

Towards the end of the forum, Dr Lam impressed the near capacity crowd at the Teochew Building with his play of the various Taiji Forms. We were also showered with health information pamphlets, sample vitamin pills, salt/sugar substitutes etc as part of a health starter kit.

Dim Sum Taiji

To me the 10 different dim sum dumplings packed for each participant can really be used to sum up the takeaway message for the afternoon. Just as the different dumplings have different appeal, Taiji can also be multi facet when served on the 21st century platter. Regardless of your personal needs and goals, there will always be a Taiji form suitable for you. Whatever the reasons you have for Taiji play, don’t forget to share the goodness around.