Ken Gullette's Internal Fighting Arts Blog

Keep it Simple for Ultimate Success in Self-Defense

bagua self-defense martial arts training self-defense Dec 14, 2019

Leonardo da Vinci was not a fighter, but he knew something that can help you if or when self-defense techniques are needed.

There is a well-known Chen-style Taiji instructor who put a video on YouTube recently showing some fighting applications.

The applications looked really cool, but something did not seem right, so I decided to test them with students at the next couple of practices.

I very quickly discovered what was wrong with the applications. They did not work if the opponent did not cooperate completely.

If my student gave me the slightest resistance, or continued to fight as he would in a real-life situation, the application fell apart instantly.

My students and I watched the video together. We were quickly disgusted at how the student in the videos was just standing there limply even when "locked" and then allowing himself to be thrown to the ground.

That is not the way a real-life fight happens.

No wonder the internal arts have such a bad reputati...

The Tao of Mister Rogers - Working at Being Kind and Centered

philosophy remain centered Nov 29, 2019

When people hurt me I get angry. You probably do, too.

There have been times when I have carried grudges. There were three bullies who were "after" me for two or three years back in middle school. Rob Brewster, Dan Cotter and Tom Prentice always seemed to be together and always wanted to pound me into the ground.

They were older than I was by at least a year.

One night, Rob sucker-punched me through a car window, so I had to have been around 16 and driving, but the bullying began long before that, when I was around 14.

One day when I was 14 or 15, I was fighting another bully after school in a field near the school. We were surrounded by boys as our fists were flying and we were wrestling and finally, exhausted, we called it a draw.

Dan decided at that moment, when I was exhausted from another fight and he was fresh, it was the right time to jump me. Bullies always try to pick a target that is weak or alone.

He hit me a few times but I would not fight. I was so tired, I knew I w...

Watch the Show in Front of You -- A Martial Arts Lesson from a Sports Psychologist

dr. jeffrey fishbein michael golden mindfulness podcasts the golden mean tournament sparring Nov 21, 2019

When I first began competing in tournament sparring, I was emotionally involved in every point. I would get upset if a judge missed a call. Not outwardly upset, other than a cocking of my head as if asking, "What?"

Mainly, I was inwardly upset. I wanted to win.

My opponents were often emotionally involved, too. Sometimes, I would stand across from a guy who was angry. And if I scored a point, he was angrier.

I kept careful track of the score. Am I winning? By how much? If I'm behind, how many points do I need?

And then one day, sometime in my forties, I got my ego and emotion out of the game. And I started winning more.

When I faced off against another black belt, I relaxed. When a point was scored, I didn't keep track. I stopped, let the judges call it, and then got back to the contest.

I stopped keeping track of who was winning.

If my opponent scored a point on me, I would congratulate him. "Good shot," I would say. Sometimes, I joked around, wobbling a bit on my rubbery legs...

Training the Chen Taiji Straight Sword Form with Master Chen Huixian

chen huixian chen straight sword form chen tai chi sword chen zhenglei sword tai chi sword tai chi weapons taiji weapons Nov 07, 2019

I spent the weekend studying with Master Chen Huixian in Madison, Wisconsin. We worked through the entire Chen Straight Sword form in six hours of training on Saturday and six hours on Sunday. The workshop was sponsored by her student, Patrick Rogne, the owner and instructor at Ancient Root Taijiquan in Madison.

I have been practicing this form for 13 years, and I originally learned a different version, but except for a couple of major differences in the opening movements, most of the movements follow the same order. There are different angles and different flourishes and transitions, but essentially it is the same form.

Chen Huixian's form is similar to the form of her uncle and primary teacher, Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei. She is an "in-chamber" disciple.

Over two days, she demonstrated each movement a few times, then led the students through the movement, carefully explaining which leg is solid, where the weight is shifting, when you should sink, how to hold the sword, how to do th...

If You Want to Make Progress in Martial Arts You Must Set Goals

Uncategorized Oct 31, 2019

I'm training this weekend with Chen Huixian in Madison, Wisconsin. I'm looking forward to seeing how she teaches and performs the Chen straight sword form. That is the primary focus of the workshop, especially on Saturday and then Sunday morning.

Sunday afternoon she will review and make corrections on Laojia Erlu, which she taught a year ago at her Madison workshop.

Preparing for workshops like this has reminded me how important it is to set goals. I have pushed myself a little harder as the workshop has drawn closer. These workshops are NOT easy. They are physically demanding, and at age 66, trying to cope with one lung and a heart issue, actually going through a 15-hour workshop in a weekend pushes me to the very limit of my capacity.

I usually come home and have to take a couple of days to recover.

Because I don't want to look weak in front of a workshop group, I push myself in the weeks leading up to the workshop to do a little more and try to strengthen my body a bit more.

Back w...

Join Me in Madison This Weekend to Study Taijiquan with Chen Huixian Nov 1-3

chen family taijiquan chen tai chi tai chi taijiquan Oct 27, 2019

I will be in Madison, Wisconsin starting this Friday, Nov. 1 through Sunday, Nov. 3 to study with Chen Huixian. If you live within driving distance, I hope you'll join me and train with one of the best.

Chen Huixian is an in-door disciple of her uncle, Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei. Other uncles include Chen Xiaowang and Chen Xiaoxing.

She grew up in the Chen Village and is highly skilled. Each time I train with her, I come away with deeper insights because of the personal corrections and coaching that she gives me.

She is teaching a workshop that will include the following:

Friday Night 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

** Zhan Zhuang (Standing Stake)

** Silk-Reeling

Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (with a 2-hour lunch break)

** Chen Straight Sword Form (1st half)

Sunday 9:00 a.m. to Noon

** Chen Straight Sword Form (1st half)

Sunday 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Laojia Erlu ("Cannon Fist") Review and Corrections

Chen Huixian's workshops are punctuated with laughter. It is very refreshing to have a...

If You Want To Learn the Internal Martial Arts Here it Is Come and Get It

Uncategorized Oct 03, 2019

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...

Loading the Rear Leg - An Important Skill in Xingyiquan

fighting with hsing-i fighting with xingyi xingyi self-defense xingyiquan Oct 03, 2019

An important concept in Xingyiquan is to take your opponent's ground.

Xingyi is not really a defensive art. The goal is not to take an opponent's energy and neutralize it. The purpose of Xingyi is to drive through your opponent like a bowling ball through bowling pins.

Xingyi is aggressive. It takes no prisoners.

But to take ground, you need to build leg strength by practicing taking ground. Step one in that process is to "load" the rear leg.

Take a look at the three images in this post.

In the first image, I am standing tall. If I had to spring forward, it would be difficult.

In the second image, I am loaded into a Xingyi fighting stance. My energy is "sunk" and I am ready. Notice how I am compressed into the rear leg. It is like a spring, ready to release. And my energy is forward, not backward.

In the third image, I am springing forward to strike with Beng Chuan.

As soon as I land, I will load the rear leg again.

Taking ground is not just for Xing...

The Tai Chi Skill of "Dang" -- a Rounded Crotch

body mechanics internal mechanics tai chi dang taiji dang Sep 16, 2019

There are a lot of things to think about when you do internal movement.

One of my teachers said that when you are first learning, you can be paralyzed by well over a dozen principles of structure and movement that you are trying to achieve in each movement.

Chen Xiaowang says, "If Taiji were easy, everyone be master."

It is NOT easy, which is why, after a lot of hard work, it is satisfying when you enter a room full of Taiji people and you realize that you understand internal movement at a different level.

The other night, a student looked at me funny when I said, "I want to talk about your Dang."

It's pronounced "Dahng."

Yes, we both laughed.

So I clarified.

"I want to talk about your groin."

That did not help the situation, but you probably know by now that laughter is an important part of my practices.

So I explained.

The term "Dang" is the shape of the legs when you are in a stance. When you look at the angles at the top of the legs, at t...

The Death of a Child and a Spouse Offer Tests of Internal Strength

internal strength philosophy Sep 16, 2019

A few days ago, my daughter Shara would have celebrated her 39th birthday. She was born on September 12, 1980.

Six weeks later, on a chilly October morning, the morning after she broke into a big, toothless grin for the first time, causing me, her 3-year old sister Harmony and her mom to burst out laughing, we found her dead in her bed from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

Crib death came in the night and took our little red-haired baby girl.

We were devastated, shrouded for a couple of years in grief that felt like a weight vest. Over the years, the grief diminished to a manageable state; life went on, and after being knocked into an emotional hole in the ground, I managed to lift myself up and re-balance.

The philosophical Taoism and Zen thinking that I tried to adopt in the years before Shara's death had put down roots.

This philosophy is not about not feeling. It is not about being passive. It is about feeling fully, but not letting destructive emotions take control.

It is ab...

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Ken Gullette's Internal Fighting Arts

Keep it Simple for Ultimate Success in Self-Defense

The Tao of Mister Rogers - Working at Being Kind and Centered

Watch the Show in Front of You -- A Martial Arts Lesson from a Sports Psychologist

Training the Chen Taiji Straight Sword Form with Master Chen Huixian

If You Want to Make Progress in Martial Arts You Must Set Goals

Join Me in Madison This Weekend to Study Taijiquan with Chen Huixian Nov 1-3

If You Want To Learn the Internal Martial Arts Here it Is Come and Get It

Loading the Rear Leg - An Important Skill in Xingyiquan

The Tai Chi Skill of "Dang" -- a Rounded Crotch

The Death of a Child and a Spouse Offer Tests of Internal Strength

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