Ken Gullette's Internal Fighting Arts Blog

Chen Xiaowang Says to Defend From All Directions -- What Does That Mean?

awareness chan style tai chi chen style taiji chen style taijiquan chen xiaowang taijiquan Jul 21, 2025

Chen Xiaowang put a student into a good posture, one of the positions in "Buddha's Warrior Attendant Pounds Mortar." When he put the student into the proper stance, Master Chen stepped back and said, "Now, he can defend from all directions."

At the time, I wasn't sure what he meant. Now, I think I have a clearer idea.

360-Degree Dynamic Awareness. One of the things we cultivate in this martial art is a state of awareness. When Chen Xiaowang puts you into a standing posture, you aren't just doing qigong. He tells you to "listen behind you." This means to be aware of everything around you at all times. In daily life, this means taking your eyes off your cell phone and being present at all times -- walking across a parking lot at the store, driving in the car, or when you are in a potentially dangerous self-defense situation. And when you come in contact with an opponent, you are aware of his energy and where it is being directed.

Sensitivity and Responsiveness. Awareness then applies...

Tai Chi Humor from the Onion

chan style tai chi tai chi humor Jun 28, 2007

The guys at the Onion are geniuses. Here's a funny headline and photo for a fake Tai Chi feature.

Chen Xiaoxing One Year Later

chan style tai chi chen family taijiquan chen xiaoxing push hands May 15, 2007

It's been a year since Grandmaster Chen Xiaoxing stayed in our home for a week. He came to Moline partially as a favor, because I sponsored his visa to visit the U.S. and teach seminars around the country. He held a 2-day seminar on Laojia Yilu at our school and I received some good private training in my basement. It was fascinating to host a man like this and to see a true master up close and personal.

Grandmaster Chen is in charge of all tai chi training in the Chen village. He has trained some talented young masters. We're about the same age. He's the younger brother of Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang. He's the uncle of Chen Bing.

It was difficult for us to communicate, since he doesn't speak English, but when he trains, no words need to be said. One day we did push hands in my basement for a while. Each time I tried to attack him, he relaxed and suddenly, I found myself on the floor. We were both laughing--I was laughing because it was amazing to feel what he was doing but still be un...

Ken Gullette's Internal Fighting Arts

Chen Xiaowang Says to Defend From All Directions -- What Does That Mean?

Tai Chi Humor from the Onion

Chen Xiaoxing One Year Later

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