Teaching As You Learnt It

I look at the way my teacher teaches taiji, and how some others try to teach taiji, and have some thoughts.

My teacher teaches taiji the way he learnt it from his teachers (Grandmasters Lim Bo Yan, Hu Yunhua, plus Chen Xiaowang and Zhu Tiancai, though the latter two consider him contemporaries rather than teacher-student). He passes on the same taiji theory that his teachers taught him. He doesn't try to come up with his own theories, instead assimilating his own understanding into the theories taught by his teachers. He spent years learning taiji, and even more years practising what he learnt, as he learnt it. This got him to where he is today. His training is effective, as shown by his achievement.

There are some teachers who try to come up with scientific theories behind taiji. They no longer teach taiji as they learnt it; instead, they have used their understanding from their learning to derive their own theory, trying to base it on modern science to appeal to the modern student. In so doing, they hope to shorten the learning curve, to make training more efficient.

But is efficient training the same as effective training?

If I spend 30 years doing what my teacher taught me, I should be able to achieve close to what he did.

What remains unknown is whether using that same 30 years to train under a modern scientific method will yield the same result. After all, the person who came up with that method did not reach where he is using that method. He trained under his teacher using the good old traditional way.

One is a proven method. The other sounds right to the modern scientific mind, but is unproven.

To be effective? Or to be efficient? Can wit really replace hard work?

Keeping Things Simple

I was driving back from taiji practice when a thought came into my mind. I was actually talking to my teacher about his fellow student, when it reminded me of a video clip that I saw of his fellow student performing a Praying Mantis routine. While the movements are the same when compared to what my teacher taught me, his fellow student's presentation of the routine is more flashy, mimicking a praying mantis more closely.

It got me thinking: these animal styles, are they supposed to look like the animal that inspired them, or is the inspiration a concept (something inside) rather than in action (something outside/external)? In other words, is the Praying Mantis style supposed to look like a praying mantis? Or is it based on the concept of how a praying mantis attacks it prey? One is literal, the other conceptual. To me, one is flashy and showy, the other is down to the essence.

Do we put more energy into looking like a praying mantis? Or do we put that energy into fighting like one?

The movements my teacher taught me are simple and straightforward. Each move has a use, and there is nothing extra to try to make it look more like a praying mantis (we don't bounce/spring, crouch low and draw needless circles, etc). To me, martial arts are practical skills, they were designed for a specific purpose, and anything beyond that is unnecessary. It is like competition wushu nowadays, the actions are flashy/showy but a lot of energy is spent on making it look good, rather than making it effective in defeating an opponent.

It also reminded me that in my taiji practice, I need to get rid of all that extra stuff, the extra movements, the extra force. Strip down everything to the bare minimum, keep things as simple as they can be. Keep to the essence, everything else is a waste of energy that can be better used.

Self-Conceit

Self-confidence is one thing, but being overly confident of oneself can lead to self-conceitedness, which blinds one to his own weaknesses, and ultimately prevents one from becoming better.

As we become good in something, we start to gain confidence in our skill. We know we are better than others. But if we stop at that, if we only know that we are better than others but do not realise that we still have weaknesses that need to be improved upon, then we have reached a wall in our development.

It is a wall that requires a lot of effort to climb over or break down. Because self-conceit feeds itself; each victory makes us more conceited, and when things don't turn out as planned, we start blaming every other thing except ourselves.

And that is why I like pushing hands with my teacher. Because every time I push hands with him, I am able to remind myself that I still have a long way to go. I may have started to get an inkling of how to use force, how to neutralise force, but I still have a long way to go before I can really relax and use force like a true taiji master.

Pushing Hands Is About Practice

Actually, not just pushing hands, but everything is about practice. Practising taiji routines, practising pushing hands, using pair practice, practising with a partner on how to use each move, these are all practices that will help you become better and better.

And that is what I like about the pushing hands class in Japan that I went to (a few times only, though...)

There is a lot of practice there. Because it is not a class but rather a gathering of like-minded individuals. Yes, there is a pushing hands master there, who gives his advice to the rest, but everyone there is there to learn from one another, to practice with one another. They are all there with the right mindset, and there are many of them. So there is no lack of practice. You can practise with different people, each with his strengths and weaknesses, his own experiences to share. Instead of learning only from one teacher, in a way, everyone there is a teacher and you learn from all of them. (In fact, quite a few of them are actually taiji teachers teaching taiji classes of their own.)

I guess it means that each time I go for class, I should maximise the time for practice. And maybe one day, who knows, Singapore will have a pushing hands group that is big and with people of the same mindset (there to learn, rather than there to push) that I can join to further my learning journey.

Same Mistakes...

I talked about "not following through" some time back. I thought I had gotten a better understanding of how to push, yet my body still does not react the way that I want it to. When I push, I still follow through. And end up using brute force towards the end.

I think the reason for not following through is that the force is just enough to move your opponent. Move in, then stop before he can use your force against you. If you continue to follow through, he can use your force as a leverage and eventually use it back against you. Or just simply use your force as a counterweight to avoid falling.

So by not following through, once his centre of gravity has been upset, he will start to fall, and has nothing to use as a counterweight to hold on to, to prevent himself from falling.

But still, even though the theory is in my head, I can't get my body to behave.

Back to form practice...

To Be Strong, Know Your Weaknesses First

In our learning journey, I think this is one principle that remains true. In order for us to become stronger, first, we need to know our own weaknesses.

But knowing our own weaknesses is not enough. It is about accepting them that the journey to becoming stronger actually starts. If we don't accept our weaknesses, we will not work to overcome them; instead, we run away from them, hide them, push them aside, pretend not to see them. That doesn't make those weaknesses go away. Not acknowledging our own weaknesses does not make them go away, it only makes them stay on.

So it is about finding our what your weaknesses are, accepting them (taking ownership of them), and then working to overcome them. That is the path to growing stronger.

In taiji terms, it means being willing to accept being pushed around, because that exposes our weaknesses. Then we think about why we were able to be pushed; that is about accepting and understanding our weaknesses. After that comes practice and practice and practice, to overcome those weaknesses.

Do you have the courage to face up to your weaknesses and then work to overcome them? Do you have what it takes to be strong? Can you face up to the fact that you are not as good as you think you are?

Shifting Weight and Keeping Kua Relaxed

A common mistake of mine is to think too much about using the back leg to push, to the extent that my back leg's kua becomes stiff towards the end of the push. Too much power is generated by the back leg and that actually upsets my centre of gravity, resulting in something that can be exploited.

Stances are always about how much weight to put on each leg. 40% on front leg, 60% on back leg; 70% on front leg, 30% on back leg, and the list goes on. Every time, it adds up to 100%. Weight, in this case, is actually the amount of force being generated by your legs. What this means is that as you shift your stance, the force generated by each leg changes, with one leg using less force while the other using more.

My mistake is to use one leg to take up more of my weight, while using the same force from the other leg... which means the resultant force is more than 100%, which means there is a resultant force that continues to move my centre of gravity (instead of maintaining it within my two legs) and thus something that my opponent can exploit to upset my balance. Especially in pushing. When pushing, as you push with the back leg, the front leg will take up more weight. Which means you are supposed to push with less force from your back leg as the front leg takes up more weight. If you don't, you end up overextending the push (which is my common mistake).

Another thing that arises from this mistake is the kua of the back leg won't be able to remain relaxed if your back leg continues to push with the same force even as your front leg is taking up more weight. The back leg's kua becomes stiff. So as you push, focus on keeping BOTH kua relaxed; that would take away the force from the back leg as you shift your weight forward, keeping your centre of gravity within your two legs.

Sharing An Article On Peng

Found this blog article on peng, which offers great insight into what peng is about, and consolidates understanding about what peng is. I think it is a very well written article that summarises everything that I understand and have written about peng so far.

Stages In Pushing Hands

I think there are a few stages to pushing hands.

Stage 1: Using brute force, still don't know what is relax. This is the beginner stage. There is a chance of injury if both you and your opponent play rough.

Stage 2: Start to relax and can sense force. However, still cannot use your opponent's force against him. Still got some chance of getting injured if your opponent plays rough.

Stage 3: Start to be able to use your opponent's force against him, but still not able to fully return his force to him. This is usually the case when you are able to be more relaxed than your opponent. Less chance of injury because you are better able to protect yourself now when your opponent plays rough.

Stage 4: Like a mirror, returns whatever force is thrown at you. This is actually the most dangerous stage in training, because there is a chance of you injuring your training partner if he plays rough.

Stage 5: Able to control force exactly. You can control what you actually return. No one gets injured because you control everything.

Just my thoughts...

Inkling: Between Want and Don't Want

My teacher was sharing that the key to being able to use your opponent's force is "between want and don't want, between have and don't have (在要与不要之间，在有跟没有之间)". It is very similar to the rest of taiji principles, about how to use force. To be too focused on the intention leads to rigidity. To lack intention, however, leads to a void that can be exploited. So there must be an intention, but it is not strong and can thus be changed when needed. There is something there, but it doesn't take shape; and when it has no shape, it cannot be easily discerned by your opponent and thus he finds it hard to react.

Pair Practice

When I was in Japan two years ago, I joined a pushing hands class there. Although they practised a different style and did things a bit different, I think I can now see the benefit of their training too.

In their training, they take turns to be the one who pushes. Draw a circle, then another, and then push. But both sides try to be as soft as possible. I see the benefit as:
- It trains the one pushing on how to push with as little brute strength as possible.
- It trains the one being pushed on how to relax so as to neutralise force.
Such pair practice is actually useful in learning how to use force.

I actually came to realise this when I was pushing hands with my teacher the other day. He was teaching me how to push, and it became a pair practice with me trying to push him. It struck my mind that this was very similar to what I did in Japan, not in terms of the actual movements, but the form of practice.

To learn to apply taiji, pair practice is thus very important.

Pushing hands teaches you how to sense force and neutralise it. It will also teach you how to use force. Repeated practice trains up a reflex action that automatically neutralises force when your body senses it.

Practising the application of the taiji movements (with a partner) allows you to feel for yourself how the force that is applied feels like. Repeated practice also helps train up reflex action, in terms of reacting in a certain way in a certain situation.

But never forget that the foundation lies in the routines. Without a strong foundation, everything else is nought.

Master Kwek Lee Hwa's Facebook Page

This is the link to my taiji teacher, Master Kwek Lee Hwa's Facebook page.

Those interested in learning taiji can check the page for updates on classes. The page is actually maintained by his students (myself included). While I post taiji thoughts there using my own name, some of the other admins sometimes post their own thoughts using my teacher's name. Please don't take it that those are my teacher's thoughts. As far as I know, he doesn't post anything on that page. Update: Mr Kwek passed away on 11 August 2024. Some of his students still gather every Sunday morning at Blk 98A Lorong 1 Toa Payoh to practise.

Relax When Pushing, Not Stiff When Pushing Revisited

In a previous post, I wrote about the need to be relaxed when pushing.

The thing is, it is not just the upper body that needs to be relaxed when pushing. Even though the force comes from the legs, the lower body needs to be relaxed too, in order to be able to push correctly.

Relax, then push. But I had misunderstood the part about pushing with the back leg. Yes, the force is generated by the back leg, but in the process, the legs must still remain flexible and the joints relaxed.

I came to realise this when pushing hands with my teacher. No matter how much I relax my upper body, every time I try to push him, he will tell me that he can sense my force, that I am still stiff when pushing.

His words got me thinking. I thought about how I am able to push my fellow students when they use brute force, but when they spring back and push me back, I lose my balance too. Now I know that it is because when I push, even though my upper body is relaxed, my hip joint actually stiffens at the end of the push. This locks me into place, making me rigid and thus susceptible to retaliation.

The key to pushing is to relax every joint in the body, and then move in the direction of the push. And the key to being able to achieve that is to keep practising it when practising routines. And then keep putting it to use during pushing hands.

Inkling: Keep Moving

I have been telling other fellow students to keep moving when they are pushing hands. I told them that to stop is to become stiff.

And I was told the same thing today by my teacher.

Relax is about staying flexible. Once you stop moving, you have a fixed posture, which is thus rigid and not flexible. Relax means to keep moving, but not to directly go against your opponent's force. Relax doesn't mean to collapse, it doesn't mean to run away.

Keep moving, keep up the flow and ebb. It is about keeping the balance, and thus when your opponent uses force, you draw it in; when his force is at the end of its exertion, you move in with your own force.

Keep moving, keep the balance.

Finding My Own Place For More Practice

I used to practise a lot of taiji. I mean, compared to the average Singaporean, of course. Most people here turn up for classes once a week, and that's about it. Some may practise a bit at home, maybe 2 times each week outside class, totalling 3 times a week. For me, I used to regularly turn up for 5 taiji classes and 2 pushing hands classes each week. The peak (which lasted about 3 months) was 9 taiji classes (turning up for 2 classes each day on the weekends) and 1 pushing hands class each week.

Nowadays, I turn up for only 2 taiji classes and 2 pushing hands classes each week. That's a sharp drop in practice for me. And even when I do turn up for classes, a lot of the time, it is for my own practice; I don't get a lot of instruction from my teacher. But these classes are still important, since everyone once in a while, he will notice something about my routines and tell me.

What I need now, though, is a place of my own for my own practice. Because I don't practice enough, I keep making the same mistakes, and thus there is nothing new for my teacher to tell me. I need to practise more so that I can correct those mistakes and move on to the next stage. Some place where I can practise on my own, near where I stay (so I cut down on travel time and maximise training time), sheltered (so that I don't have to cease training because of rain), public (so that I don't have to pay) and yet not crowded (so that people don't interrupt the training, especially when training with weapons).

Wish me luck in finding such a place!

Different Types of Pushing Hands

There are actually many types of pushing hands, because different martial arts may have different ways to practise pushing hands.

When people talk about pushing hands, we usually think about taiji pushing hands, because taiji is something that is most commonly associated with pushing hands. Taiji's pushing hands is about learning how to sense your opponent's force and how to use it against him. The basic methods are more about how to sense force, while the moving methods progresses towards limited application.
But although taiji pushing hands is probably the most common and also the oldest type of pushing hands, other martial arts also have developed their own type of pushing hands for their training.

For example, yiquan has its own type of pushing hands, that looks different from taiji's. The emphasis seems to be in finding an opening, though I can't say for sure since I don't practise yiquan.
There is also pushing hands in baguazhang. It seems to be a mixture of taiji's and yiquan's pushing hands, with a lot more emphasis on footwork, the trademark of baguazhang.
Even less commonly known is the pushing hands in xingyiquan. I haven't been able to find something about this, but it is probably similar to yiquan's pushing hands.

Must Be Fast When Pushing

My teacher was sharing that in order to push, you need to be fast. Fast in terms of reaction, in terms of being able to relax, and once you sense that your opponent's force has all been absorb, to quickly push back gently.

Relax so that you absorb his force, and once you sense that there is no more force, quickly but gently push back with the back leg.

When you relax, his force gets absorbed, but if you are slow and don't push back in time, his force continues to build up, you continue to relax and end up flattened instead.

So everything is in the timing... that split second determines if you are able to use his force against him, or end up being overwhelmed by his force.

Inkling - Don't Follow Through

Okay, the title for this post sounds weird. After all, we have always been taught to follow through on what we do, right?

Well, for this post, I am talking about using force. It is still an inkling, something that I haven't been able to fully pursue down through my thoughts yet.

When we push, we continue to apply force until we achieve the effect that we want, that is to say, when the person we are pushing loses his balance. That seems like the way to push, right? We follow through with our initial push until we achieve the end state.

Well, it seems that the right way to push, or rather, to apply force in general, is not to follow through. Instead of pushing all the way until he falls over, we use just enough force to cause him to move. Then we stop. So instead of following through (which usually results in us stiffening up and using brute force), that short and sharp use of force seems to be able to achieve the end state using less force.

There is probably some science behind this too, just that it is probably a bit too confusing for me right now.

Equal And Opposite Force

Physics tells us that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. I think that is actually part of the physics behind taiji.

When you push with your arms, there is an opposite reaction that works to push you backwards. I think this opposite reaction is that force is can be used against you when you push using brute force. How? It probably has to do with direction. When you push in one direction, and the opposite reaction moves in the opposite direction, there is balance and thus no resultant force working on your centre of gravity. But if your original force is being redirected somewhere else, the opposite reaction still works in the opposite direction of the original force, which could thus end up creating a resultant force that works on your centre of gravity, thus affecting your balance.

I think it can also be used to explain why we use the back leg to push. When you use your back leg to push, the original force moves backwards. It creates a reaction force in the opposite direction, ie. forward. Since nothing is going to change the direction of the original force, the equal and opposite forces are somewhat in equilibrium and is thus controlled by you. It allows you to move your centre of gravity, and the opposite force generated is the one that can be used to push towards your opponent.

I am not a physics expert and thus can't say that this is definitely the scientific theory behind force in taiji, but this is just an inkling that I got when talking to a fellow student.

Finding Mistakes 8 Years On

After 8 years, I am still finding mistakes.

When my opponent tries to push upwards, I have a tendency to stiffen my back leg's kua, which actually allows him to use that opportunity to lift my centre of gravity upwards. The consolation is that my upper body and front leg's kua is usually still relaxed, and I am thus able to still somehow neutralise his force. But that is a mistake that I need to correct. I need to continue to remind myself that I need to relax my kua at all times. All the more when his force goes upwards, I need to sink downwards.

Relaxing the kua is still a big issue.

I sometimes still find it difficult to link the hands with the feet.

Often, I am not using my kua to move my upper body. Instead, the lower half and the upper half are actually moving independently. But because they are both moving at the same time, it looks like they are linked, but they are actually not.

Many years more to correct these mistakes...

Relax When Pushing, Not Stiff When Pushing

In taiji, we are always told that the power comes from the legs, and we need to push using the back leg, channelling that strength from the legs up to the hands where they can be applied.

However, that does not mean we stiffen our upper body, then use the back leg to push. Because when you do that, your force has taken shape, and people can easily deflect it or avoid it.

Instead, it is about remaining relaxed. The upper body is still relaxed as you use your back leg to push and shift your weight onto the front leg. When you sense an opening, that is when your force takes shape and goes in. Otherwise, remain relaxed and search around for openings.

Closing the Distance

A thought came into mind today. It is about closing the distance. In martial arts, in order for us to strike our opponent, we must get within range to use our weapons (hands, elbows, shoulders, knees, etc.) Closing the distance to our opponent then becomes very important, because if he is out of range, then there is nothing you can do to him.

Different styles and schools of martial arts have different ways to close that distance. Some move straight in, some circle around, and some wait for him to close in. At the end of the day, what is important is to know how to close that distance so that you can put him within range of your "weapons".

Warm Up Exercise

This is the warm up routine that my teacher, Mr Kwek, usually does for this classes.

1)原地走 (walking on the spot, to loosen up the body)
2)大鹏展翅 (raising of arms front and back)
3)排肩 (tapping the shoulders)
4)转肩 (turning the shoulders)
5)伸手 (stretching out the hands)
6)转脚 (ankle rotation)
7)侧伸腰 (side stretch)
8)转膝盖 (knee rotation)
9)伸屈膝盖 (bending of knees)
10)弯腰压腿 (hamstring stretch)
11)半蹲 (half squats)
12)抱球 (rolling of a "ball")
13)踢脚 (front kick)
14)侧蹬 (side kick)
15)深呼吸 (deep breathing)

Playing Rough... Again!

I hate it when people play rough during pushing hands. After all, the purpose of pushing hands is to learn how to discern force and redirect it. But people play rough because they see pushing hands as a competition, in which the objective is to push and win. That is so... misguided.

Today, I managed to lock my pushing hands opponent's arm. So I told him, "Your arm will break if you keep doing this (using so much force)." To my surprise, he replied, "Try and break my arm if you can." Wow! So fierce! I mean, I don't come and practise pushing hands so that I can have someone break my arm, so I don't go around breaking other people's arms too. But it goes to show his mentality, that pushing hands is about winning and losing, about who is better than the other. That, to me, is the wrong way to approach training.

Things got quite out of hand, with him using lots of force, and me trying my best not to. I elbowed him a few times because that was the only way to use his force against him (he was pulling my arm away to the side, and inadvertently drawing my elbow into his chest). There were times when I put my hand on his chest, and he pulled back at my elbow, causing my hand to move up to his throat and choking him. And he asked me, why do I keep choking him? I had to tell him that he needs to stop pulling at my elbow because he is choking himself, not me.

Still, in all, it was a good experience. At least I know I can stand my ground against someone who plays rough, and that I can still control my force (and his) so that no one really ended up getting seriously hurt.

The Fundamentals Are The Same, But Style Can Be Different

Sharing a post from my other blog. It is just as applicable to taiji as it is to my work.

"The fundamentals are the same, but style can be different"

Inkling: Relax, Balance, Push

An inkling: relax, then balance the force, and once the force is balanced, push with the back leg.

Relax to absorb the force, after which you can balance it. Once the force is balanced, you can then push.

And relaxing is peng, I would say. One and the same. When you relax, you are in effect also doing peng. Which means you can then stick to his force, follow it, and redirect as needed. And that is why you can balance it, to bring it somewhere else where it can be used.

Many more inklings to go as I journey along...

8 Years and Going

It has been 8 years since I started learning taiji under Mr Kwek.

Looking back, I learnt the following:
Chen Style Old Frame First Routine 陈式老架一路
Chen Style Taijijian 陈式太极剑
Yang Style Taijiquan (Yang Style 108) 杨式太极拳 （杨式108）
Yang Style Fast Form (Dong Style Fast Form) 杨式快拳 （董式快拳）
Yang Style Taijijian 杨式太极剑
Yang Style Taijidao 杨式太极刀
Sun Style Taijiquan 孙式太极拳
Fixed stance single hand pushing hands 定步单推手
Fixed stance two hands pushing hands 定步双推手

I think I have enough to last me a while, for me to continue to practise and improve on them before I pick up anything new. Especially since I am spending less time than before on practice. I need to push myself to find time for practice. Cannot be lazy.

The Importance of Form Training

So why do we even do form training in the first place? Can't we just keep pushing hands and learn how to use taiji from there?

I think form training is still very important. It provides the basis, the foundation, for taiji. Taiji's force comes from the legs; form training is about how to manifest that force into something that we can use.

In form training, power comes from the legs. We use the power to turn the kua, which must be relaxed in order for it to turn, and through the turning of the kua, the torso turns too. The turning of the torso then brings about movement of the arms, allowing us to utilise the force generated by the legs.

Through such training, we learn to relax our kua, we learn to push with our legs, we learn how to link our arms to our legs, our hands to our feet. We learn how to move continuously without breaks. We are actually learning about some of the basic principles of taiji. And this will then help us during pushing hands. It allows us to practise taiji and get better at it without a partner. And I guess that is why form training remains an important part of taiji.

Using Circles To Return Force

I like to tell my fellow pushing hands students that pushing hands is about moving continuously, to keep turning and moving. It is about being dynamic; once static, it is resisting, you are being rigid.

This reminded me of two previous posts:
方中带圆，圆中有方
圆化方进

When you feel force contact you, turn it back towards your opponent. That was how I used circles to return force towards my opponent. For example, when my opponent pushes my forearm, I peng and turn my forearm outwards, maintaining contact with his force and turning it back towards him.

Relax to draw his force in and stick to it. Then turn it back towards him to use his force against him. I am going to experiment with this idea for a while.

Relax Kua to Relax Shoulders

My teacher used to tell me that the key to relaxing the shoulders is actually to relax the kua. I have always wondered why, but I stuck to his teaching and focused on trying to relax the kua. Today, I have an inkling of why.

For us to move our arms, we usually end up using muscular strength, which starts from the shoulders. But if we can relax our kua and use that to move our torso, and use the moving of our torso to move our arms instead, then we can move our arms without having to use muscular strength. Instead, the movement will originate from the legs, using the torso as the transmission medium, to end up at the arms.

And in order for us to be able to use the torso as a transmission medium, first, our kua must be relaxed, so that we can then use our legs to turn our torso. And therefore, once you can relax your kua, you can use your legs to move and that movement will be transmitted by the torso to the arms, allowing you to move your arms without muscular strength, which means your shoulders won't be tensed up.