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Wang Shu Chin's Taijiquan - Tai Chi C
Wang Shu Chin's Taijiquan - Tai Chi C
COPYRIGHT
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Tokyo, 1972
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INTRODUCTION
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THE SOURCE
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Grandmaster Chen Pan - Ling and Grandmaster Wang Shu - Chin pose in this group
photograph of Tai Chi practitioners in Taiwan. Inset is a enlarged copy of the two
teachers of the internal (nei chia) martial arts.
I met and practiced Pa Kua Chang with Mr. Hsiao Hai - Po,
Inalso1938,
learned San Tsai Chuang (three forces staking: heaven, earth. and
man), Hun Yuan Chuang (Constitution stake) and different stages of staking
techniques from Mr. Wang Hsiang - Chai.
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I get the
Then
instruction from
Mr. Chen Tsun - Feng,
Pan - Ling, the vice principal of Nanking
Central Martial arts
school. For over twenty
years, studying and
practicing with him, I
began to understand the
differences and
similarities of the three
and the profound mystery
of their correlation. With
my experience of over
fifty years, I still feel my
knowledge is not perfect,
I dare not say I am
skilled in all three.
variation of the source of Grandmaster Wangs Tai Chi is
Thethatsecond
the five leading teachers of the major Tai Chi schools combined
the best of each system. This was taught to Wang before he relocated to
Taiwan. I leave it to the reader to derive their own conclusions. Wang Shu
Chin lists his instructors in his outline. He does not mention any Tai Chi Chuan
sources prior to Chen Pan Ling. Grandmaster Chen Pan Ling however does
list his lineage in the Tai Chi and this includes, leading teachers of the Chen,
Yang, and Wu clans (in his book on Chen Pan Ling style Tai Chi). In
conclusion, a sound knowledge of history does not increase a trainees abilities.
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should be noted that Wang Shu Chin did change and emphasize
Itdifferent
principles and applications. Eight mm footage of Wang Shu Chin taken in the early sixties shows a form that more closely resembles the
pattern taught by Chen Pan - Ling. The fact that Wang Shu Chin often
engaged in combat during the 30 years prior to his death, also served to
influence what he thought was important in the Tai Chi form. Therefore though
the shape of the forms is similar, the principles and the inner, unseen
movements of the two systems differ greatly.
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PRINCIPLES
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1. Cross linking
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an individual
Once
feels the correct
pathway, his use of gravity,
timing, acceleration, and
mental involvement all add
up to create a pulse of
force. The effect of this
crossing is amplified when
the two opposites are
oscillated quickly. This
however takes some
perception and repeated
action. The slow movement
of the Tai Chi form allows the
formation of feeling ones way
through this cross-linking of
the limbs.
THE USE OF CROSS-LINKING AND
COILING IS SHOWN ABOVE.
well. If one however uses left-hand strikes, while left foot weights down; we have
what is known as double weighting. This is a situation that is precarious and
dangerous, as skilled opponents will make much use of the imbalance or
overstriking. You are totally dedicated in this posture and have no defense until
your equilibrium is once again centered.
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he main mass
Isomeone training
Tai Chi Chuan, who makes
a noise when his front lands,
or has a straight front leg,
or is leaning back they
have lost control of the
center of mass of their
body. They cannot attack or
defend, as their core is not
controlled by them. This
individual will require a short
length of time to center
their body before they can
move in any direction. It
does not really matter if
anyone else witnesses this
lack of control for perhaps
the last 1% of movement,
the performer knows. You
have control or you do not.
It is this final settling of
weight that determines how
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Onelearnhastoto
accept the pain in the
legs, To support your
weight and control the
change of balance
requires strong inner thigh
muscles. Study your
natural method of
walking. Is it controlled?
Or do you simply place
one foot in front of the
other. Do you move with
ease through a crowd of
people at rush hour, or
are you constantly off
balance? When you rise
up from sitting in a chair,
is your body upright? Are
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hour reaches an end, and they train for 5/10/15 minutes more
Thebecause
that is where they would rather be. This is the feeling aspect
of Grandmaster Wangs Tai Chi Chuan. Many individuals in the martial arts train
the patterns and basics because they have to. In this style - one trains because
you want to. As one thirty year instructor has stated The training is like a drug it becomes addictive.
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looked at photos of
themselves, prior to understanding this principle have commented they look
scrunched up, or restricted or not rounded out. The overall result of this
methodology is a total body stretch. The feeling of symmetry will first impact on
the major joints, then extends, eventually to the toes and final finger joints. Every
joint is flexed, coiled, and stretched which enhances both chi flow, correct
alignment and movements of the skeletal / muscular structure. It also greatly
adds to the elasticity of the total body winding/unwinding, which is a large
additive factor in the application of force.
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Straining
(in some schools). Many of these forgotten methods were preserved on 8mm
film and on video tape by various individuals (after they learned them). It is
doubtful that Grandmaster Wang ever allowed himself to be filmed or photo graphed with the intention of giving anything away. The training method for
enhancing ching, building internal power via; timing, dropping, cross-linking, and
weight change is one practice that is very valuable. Several schools (for various
reasons) have been told to discontinue its practice. Wang Shu Chin once said
that force-gathering, training is a substitute for Tui Shou (push hands). There is
strong support that this isolated method of developing force of approximately
48 different nei kung techniques, originated with Chang Chao Tung.
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(not Tan Tien) is the Japanese term for the practice and
Tanden
repetition of one isolated technique for a fixed number of counts.
Therefore this practice is similar in context to the kihon of Karate. For example
the double palm push is one of the techniques trained for example 50-100
times with left foot forward, then the opposite leg is placed forward for 50-100
repetitions. This training method was usually not taught in Japan in the seventies.
In Taiwan it was trained at the end of every session. Each art (Tai Chi , Hsing - I,
Pa Kua) has its own series of Tanden (force gathering) training. The concepts
and principles that a student learns from this methodology are very important for
proper application of ching. The trainee finds a very narrow gap in timing,
weighting, rounding out and sinking weight onto the rear leg, that causes a
pulse-like throwing of force in any chosen direction. The striking element is not
important as an elbow, shoulder, head can be substituted as required. What is
important is sinking the weight onto the rear leg as the striking surface is moved
forward. As the rear leg pushes against the ground, force is exerted upwards.
This pushes the waist and torso forward. The force is directed through the curved
upper body, and into the trapezoid muscles, which wrap forward towards the
shoulders. The shoulders now flex forward which drives the elbows forward. The
elbows wrap inward as the wrist coils in an opposite direction. The wrist is
popped from a position where the fingers point to the imaginary opponents
chest. The palm butt is pushed forward as the wrist flexes. The fingertips are out
of harms way and point upward. There is very little force applied throughout this
practice. Some of the advanced trainees practice the concept of the ching
release on mechanical devices. This gives a real sense of positive feedback as
to the development of ching. Trainees should experiment, as their teachers did.
There are important considerations beyond the scope of this short article that
are important in the sense of both power development and balancing the
recoil of force into the practitioner. Some trainees that have more than enough
ching have actually had to train the force gathering while standing on
compressed foam padding.
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mechanism from head to foot. It is the release of this spring that is multiplied
by the use of gravity, and creates a very short penetrating strike with almost any
part of the body.
IN CONCLUSION
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2000-M.E.Rottmann
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Write to:
The International Wang Shu-Chin Memorial Association
P.O. Box 48118, Midlake P.O.
Calgary, Alberta, CANADA T2X 3C0
Or Email: postmaster@wangshuchin.com
- 2000 - M.E.ROTTMANN
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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