Iron Boy Learns Iron Palm
Read this article about a teacher in Miami who trains in Iron Palm.
This teacher might be able to break four bricks, but my friends, "chi" has nothing to do with it.
When you "boil" your hand until the fingers swell up like grapes, and you continue doing this to your poor hands until you no longer feel anything, why would anyone believe that doing such a ridiculous thing is building "chi"?
If you condition part of your body to withstand pain--for example slamming your palm a thousand times a day onto a bean bag for months or years--it has nothing to do with chi.
If chi exists (and I doubt it) it would be a natural thing. Damaging part of your body so you can break a few bricks is the least natural thing you can do.
I've seen the knuckles of guys who pound wood or metal to strengthen their striking power and their "chi." Their knuckles are deformed, horribly calloused, and ugly. There is a philosophical problem here--a disconnect between the concept of "chi flow" and this type of ...
Congratulations to Our Tournament Winners
I've been teaching for nearly 10 years, and one of the most enjoyable parts of that experience has been seeing my students compete successfully in regional tournaments. A week ago, my friend John Morrow hosted a tournament at his school in Moline, Illinois.
Four students competed and walked away with 8 trophies between them. They're pictured here--from left to right--Chris Miller, Kim Miller, me (I didn't compete due to a lack of black belt competitors), Kim Kruse, and Rakeem Johnson. Kim Miller is 6 months pregnant and placed with the Chen 19 form, an appropriate selection since the tournament was held on World Tai Chi Day. I'm very proud of these guys.
--by Ken Gullette
Thoughts on Life and Death in My Mother's Final Weeks
My mom is dying.
Three weeks ago, she was working. Now, she has very little time left due to a fast-growing cancer.
She has been a Christian as long as I can remember. In her own mind, she was a very serious one. In fact, when she learned that I had parted company with religion and had embraced Taoism as a philosophy, she predicted that "if anything ever happens to one of his children, he'll be on his knees again praying."
Her prediction became partially true. Shortly after she said that, in 1980, my daughter Shara died of crib death. But despite the devastation and sorrow--as low as a human can go emotionally--my philosophy helped me weather the storm over time.
When someone I know is dying, I talk with them about it because I feel that I'm intimately familiar with the topic. And I ask them questions. I'm curious about what they're thinking, and if it's causing them to change opinions on their faith, or the way they view things. I talked with my mom about it two weeks ago, and she...
A Major Chi Fail
Last year, a student joined our tai chi class who has been involved in the art for decades. He even teaches now, even though he really shouldn't, based on his knowledge of body mechanics.
One night in class we had a discussion of chi, and I explained my views. I said that no one could use chi to make a person move without touching them.
"I can," he said.
"Really? You can make me move without touching me?" I asked.
"Yes, I've done it many times."
"Well, all I can tell you is one, no you haven't, and two, you certainly can't make me move without touching me," I said.
So, with several students watching, he walked up close to me. Very close. His face was inches away from mine, and he held his hands up just a centimeter or two from my face.
Now, the natural human reaction when someone moves so close is to back away, but that's what he expected me to do. Instead, I relaxed and decided that I wasn't going to let the fact that he had violated my space bother me. He kept his hands in fro...
Ten Important Bagua Tips
I'm not sure where these tips came from, but I thought I'd pass them on because they're good ones for the practice of Baguazhang.
1. Keep the head upright and neck straight (but not tense) with spirit and intention.
2. Keep the back rounded, stretched and natural, not stiff.
3. Keep the shoulders relaxed and dropped (so power can reach the hands).
4. Keep the arms closed inward -- front arm bent and extended; rear arm protects the body.
5. Drop the elbows. The role of elbows is to protect within attack.
6. Palms - the thumb is spread outward, fingers extended and fanned as if holding a teacup. The tiger's mouth is round and separated.
7. Waist is like an axle - hardness and softness exist together. There is twisting and turning with strength and agility.
8. Keep the hips under the body - don't let them protrude. Relax the lower back.
9. The front thigh leads the way and the rear thigh supports. Knees are kept together and both thighs protect the crotch.
10. The inner foot (th...
The First Step to a Centered Life
"Standing stake" is one of the fundamental exercises in Chen tai chi, and it's also, in my humble opinion, the best chi kung exercise you can do. If you spend a few minutes a day doing this, you can begin the journey to use the internal arts to create a more healthy and positive life.
A centered life.
Here's a very basic guide -- stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Your feet should be parallel. Relax the knees--don't lock them out. Keep the head up and the chin slightly tucked in (slightly). Relax the lower back by slightly tucking the hips under. Raise your hands so that it appears you're embracing a tree. Your palms should face your body, your fingers are pointing toward each other.
Relax your shoulders. Working your way down your body, focus on relaxing every muscle.
Calm your mind and place part of your awareness on your dan t'ien (the fist-sized area about 1.5 inches below the navel and an inch or two inside the body).
When I do this exercise, I use mental imagery. I ...
The Importance of Connecting Drills
In class Wednesday night we did some "connecting" drills.
Remaining centered and connected to the people and the world around you is a noble pursuit--one that we naturally fall short of at times because of human nature, but that's true with any philosophical or religious pursuit, isn't it? We can really try to live our philosophy, but there's always the occasional slip-up.
The practice of kung fu, at its core, is about mastering ourselves. Let's face it--I hope I'm never in another real fight. I haven't been in a real fight since high school. I've managed to calm down potentially violent situations several times as an adult, and I've always felt good about that. The reason we practice the martial art is to gain control over our minds and bodies.
But if we fail to control ourselves in daily life, our martial arts training isn't very effective.
I've told this story before, but the first time I realized I was incorporating the philosophy and the centering skills into my life was when...
A Lecture on Light-Contact Sparring vs Full-Contact Sparring
About once a year, as new students come in, I have to give the sparring lecture. As a school owner, the amount of contact to allow when students spar is always a tricky subject.
For one thing, most insurance policies for martial arts schools don't allow much contact, and you have to make your policies clear or else you can be in big trouble if someone gets hurt.
But some other variables come into play when you're a student:
1. Students can't train if they're hurt. If you spar someone and you don't care how hard you kick or hit them, you can put them out of class with one stupid move. Too many people come in and swing for the fences. Even some black belts enjoy showing beginning students who's boss. Once, I saw a black belt crack a beginner's rib the very first time this new guy sparred. The new student dropped out of class very quickly. The black belt didn't really do it maliciously--he just wasn't thinking. I know a black belt who once dropped out of another school because he was "...
Using Video as a Martial Arts Training Tool
You have to occasionally videotape yourself doing forms. When I'm practicing Tai Chi, in my mind I'm positive that I look like Chen Xiaowang. When I videotape myself and watch it, I more closely resemble Harpo Marx.
Video is an amazing tool. Imagine the treasure we would have if someone had videotaped Chen Fake or other great masters? Imagine being able to break down their movements, watch in slow motion, frame by frame, and freeze the video at certain points to examine body positioning?
We've all heard the old stories of a master demonstrating a form one time to a student, then saying, "I'll be back in one year." The student was expected to learn the form by that time. Naturally, that was probably impossible even a hundred years ago, when the attention span was a little greater.
Now, we have the ability to watch great masters on tape and DVD and study them--masters such as Chen Xiaowang, Chen Xiaoxing, and up-and-coming masters such as Chen Bing. This would be virtually impossible ...
Congratulations Kim Kruse
Kim Kruse started in kung fu just a couple of months ago and is already showing the traits of a champion. As part of her novice training, she learned a basic kung fu form, practiced hard, and competed at John Morrow's tournament in Moline on Feb. 24th, 2007. The week before the tournament she demonstrated the form in class and I told her, "That is a first place form." It was sharp and precise.
At the tournament, she won 1st place in forms and 2nd place in sparring in the white/yellow/orange sash division.
Kim enrolled in both the tai chi and kung fu classes and has been a regular ever since. I'm lucky to have several outstanding students--some of them couldn't make it to the tournament due to an ice storm that day. But the Dubuque tournament is coming up on March 24 so hopefully more will make it, put it on the line, cheer each other on, and carry the banner.
Author - Instructor
Ken Gullette
I have practiced martial arts since 1973 and began studying the internal arts in 1987. My goal is to cut years off your development time by coaching you in the real skills for high-quality Tai Chi, Xingyi, Bagua. To see more about my bio, click the "About Ken" link on the menu at the top of this page.
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