If You Want To Learn the Internal Martial Arts Here it Is Come and Get It
Do you remember the old song by Badfinger called "Come and Get It?" The lyrics went: "If you want it, here it is, come and get it. But you better hurry, cause it's going fast."
The body mechanics and principles that I teach through my membership website and my instructional DVDs will serve you well regardless of your style of Xingyi, Taiji or Bagua.
There are stylistic differences from teacher to teacher, from art to art and from style to style within an art. But if you have the right body mechanics, any differences in style are just a matter of adjusting to a teacher's particular way.
In a recent podcast interview that I did with Jon Nicklin, he describes how a lot of "traditional" teachers in China work.
His teacher, Dai Xueqi is a business owner, so on Saturday and Sunday mornings, those who want to learn show up at Dai's home arrive and begin practicing.
At a practice, the students might stand in San Ti, then practice Pi Chuan or another fist posture. They might work on spear.
They might not learn anything new -- just practice what they already know, over and over. The teacher will give corrections.
Most traditional teachers don't teach for money. They might not even charge their students a fee.
And a student cannot expect a teacher to come to them. The teacher's attitude is, "If you want it, come and get it."
But the student does not tell the teacher what he wants to learn. The teacher lets the student know what he is ready to learn. And if you have studied from another teacher, you probably will have to start over.
That's what I did when I began studying Chen style in 1998, after more than a decade studying Yang style Taiji.
You can go to China and see teachers practicing in the parks. You can join in as they lead the groups. Those classes are usually the "follow me" type of classes. The instruction is pretty superficial.
If you want to learn the deeper stuff, you must develop a personal relationship with the teacher. You must go to the places where he trains his most serious students -- often his home. And it helps if you can speak Chinese. It's difficult to develop a deep relationship with someone when you don't speak the language.
I guess the training I provide is not "traditional." Anyone can learn every aspect of what I teach from the very beginning of your membership. You join the website, you get the information. The "secrets."
I don't think there are too many secrets. I think you can watch all of my videos and STILL not be able to steal my art.
I will teach you my art. And then you have to work very hard. And you have to be corrected on your mistakes. Over and over, until you get it.
That is the secret.
But an untold secret is that a lot of teachers out there have had really bad instruction. You might know some of them by the title "Master."
I have met people who have trained in the internal arts for decades, but still have not been taught some of the basic principles of internal movement. They still think their teacher is a "master."
They think "lifting the head as if it is held up by a golden thread" is one of the Top 10 points. It might be number 10. Maybe number 11. But if you don't have the six key body mechanics, it doesn't matter if your head is lifted or tilted. It just doesn't matter.
Are you just a "follow me" type of internal arts student? Do you think you have achieved something by learning the movements of a form?
Are you always pushing to learn the next form before you have spent a lot of time on the last form you learned?
Are you anxious to get to that next rank? Even worse, is your teacher or school pushing you to get that next rank?
Here is a good question: Do you have a relationship with your teacher?
There are people who join my website and never communicate with me. There are others who communicate, send messages, call on the phone, and do live one-on-one sessions (at no extra cost).
The photo at the top of this post shows me shooting feedback for a website member who sent me a video of himself doing a silk-reeling exercise. I am coaching him on using the kua and turning the waist instead of the hips.
Which members do you think get more from this inexpensive training?
When Jon Nicklin was a member of the site, he was using the material to supplement what he was learning in China. He didn't need to communicate a lot with me. That may be how you use my DVDs and website, too.
But if you are not getting quality feedback, or if you find that what I teach is not accepted by your other teachers, then that is a different issue.
If you want it, here it is. Come and get it.
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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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