Ken Gullette's Internal Fighting Arts Blog

What Does It Take to Send Someone Flying Ten Feet Through the Air? Let's Look at the Numbers

chi powers push hands qi powers tai chi Oct 12, 2025

Sometimes, stories are told of long-dead masters, and the story is embellished to the point that the master did push hands with a challenger and "sent him flying back ten feet through the air."

Sometimes, we see photos that are obviously faked, showing students a few feet in the air, flying away from the "master." There are prominent teachers right now who have used these images.

Sometimes, teachers tell us that they have also sent people ten feet through the air while doing push hands.

Really? You launched a full-grown adult ten feet through the air — without a running start, on level ground, doing push hands and using nothing but your internal power?

See the photo at the top of the page? From the edge of the charcoal gray floor to the edge of the blue mat is exactly ten feet. Someone would have to make me fly all the way back to the mat.

It insults the intelligence of the people hearing the claim, reading about it, or seeing the pictures, and it hurts the image of Taiji.

So le...

Don't Rise to the Occasion -- Sink to the Occasion

chen taiji tai chi tai chi training Dec 14, 2019

I have been thinking about something all wrong.

When I prepare for something special, like a demonstration or especially a workshop like I attended a few weeks ago with Chen Huixian, I have approached it with the wrong mental attitude.

I often think that I need to prepare myself, get my body stronger and be able to "rise to the occasion."

But what I need to do is "sink to the occasion."

Let me explain.

I practiced Laojia Yilu two nights ago. Actually, I practiced three movements from Laojia Yilu. And then I isolated my practice to just one move.

I spent a lot of time on Hidden Hand Punch, and the sinking and spiraling -- not in the punch itself, but in the movements leading up to the punch, when your hands sweep low and outward, then spiral inwards as you close into the right kua, one hand flat and one in a fist.

Practicing the internal arts is like practicing the piano, or any musical instrument. My body is my instrument, and sometimes, you have to isolate ...

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...

Translations of Ancient Tai Chi Classics Can Point You the Wrong Way

body mechanics tai chi May 15, 2019

I was reading a book by well-known martial artist and teacher, and he wrote something that could send people down the wrong path.

I like Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming. He has done some good things for the arts. He has tried to save some of the older texts and Chinese "songs" and "poems" related to martial arts.

He is a dedicated martial artist and scholar, and apparently a very nice guy. This is not about his skill.

But in his book, "Advanced Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan," he should have gone one step further when he translated and interpreted some old Tai Chi classics.

The first of the classics he presents in the book is supposed to be by Chang San Feng (also spelled Zhang San Feng), but we all know that there is absolutely no evidence that Chang San Feng was a real person. He is a "legend," which means he probably didn't exist. A lot of people who refuse to say the Chen family created the art insist that Chang created it centuries earlier.

Dr. Yang should have mentioned this in the book, but ...

Ken Gullette Interviewed by David Roth-Lindberg for Thoughts on Tai Chi Blog

interviews tai chi taijiquan Dec 21, 2018

David Roth-Lindberg interviewed me for his blog, "Thoughts on Tai Chi."

The Q&A was published today. Here is a link.

https://taichithoughts.wordpress.com/2018/12/21/qa-with-ken-gullette/

Why Your Tai Chi Skills are So Weak - Top 10 Tai Chi Requirements

tai chi weak tai chi Oct 09, 2009

There is an article on the Internet by a tai chi instructor based in Los Angeles. It outlines the 10 most important concepts you should remember when practicing Tai Chi. And it's the reason most Tai Chi being practiced in America is so weak.

This isn't a personal attack. I don't intend to insult this teacher or his group. I'm sure they're completely sincere, so I won't bring this guy's name into the discussion, but he's typical of so many Tai Chi folks I've met who focus on the wrong things, thinking they're doing Tai Chi. They do this because their teacher taught them a weak version of this art, and they believed he or she knew what they were talking about. It happens everywhere. The result -- you meet their students and see quickly that they have no concept of body mechanics.

Here--briefly--is his list of top ten important things to focus on:

Concept 1: Tai Chi is done with an emphasis on every movement. The fashion of every pattern must be connected with one another.

Concept 2: ...

Ken Gullette's Internal Fighting Arts

What Does It Take to Send Someone Flying Ten Feet Through the Air? Let's Look at the Numbers

Don't Rise to the Occasion -- Sink to the Occasion

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

Translations of Ancient Tai Chi Classics Can Point You the Wrong Way

Ken Gullette Interviewed by David Roth-Lindberg for Thoughts on Tai Chi Blog

Why Your Tai Chi Skills are So Weak - Top 10 Tai Chi Requirements

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