Practice with Power

Workshop was sponsored by Gawain Siu of Perth, Australia.
These are clips from a real teaching seminar. The seminar is on Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method. Some of the topics covered at the seminar, particularly clips in this video, is how to train the form with power according to the concept of "doing the form as if you are fighting with a person and fight with a person as if you are doing the form solo".
The powers demonstrated come from rotation of a center, sometimes in the physical center, others in the designated center. Fajin is also demonstrated in the form. Microphone was placed on the throat and volume raised to show students there is is actually "effort" in the generation of power.
English site: www.practicalmethod.com
Chinese site: www.shiyongquanfa.cn

[@PracticalMethodAu]

I thoroughly enjoyed being one of Master Chen's "victims" in this clip, with one of the clearest aspects being how he simply doesn't move! Every time I thought "Aha, now I have him!" I was gone...Always a humbling and inspiring experience.

[@middlemedicine]

Amazing! These are the hidden secrets and training methods that lead to the "graceful" movement of TaiJiQuan: Proportional, segmented actions carried out with refined power. After a 30+ year trajectory in martial arts, I am bound to say that this demonstration fulfills (and in fact, exceeds) the highest standards that I have come to know.

[@istinaanitsi3342]

he is a clown🙃

[@xaviersantiago6358]

Amazing video of what the potential of Taijiquan is as a martial art. Master Chen shows how the not moving a point in the body while something else moves around it allows the Taiji martial artist to produce extremely effective levers in the body which throw down the opponents with less effort than not using leverage. Thank you for this amazing video and showing us the potential of Taijiquan.

[@charliewishon2057]

This video is Clearly expressing the concept of taking out the slack in the form , staying powered up , and why the center must not move. Master Chen is very inspirational in this lesson towards our development of potential skill . Towards getting the system inbedded.

[@oikddojo]

Great video! Truly shows the power and high level body mechanics of Chen Taijiquan Practical Method. As a 36 year student of the martial arts, I highly recommend attending a Chen Zhonghua workshop to feel his amazing ability.

[@oikddojo]

PD Our annual workshop with Master Zhonghua Chen will be held the weekend of July 11-12. The workshop will once again cover all aspects of Practical Method; Yilu & Erlu, and of course Applications and Push Hands. This will be our 15th year hosting this event. Last years workshop was attended by close to 20 of master Chen's disciples. Location: Seishinkan Martial Arts 260 Jericho Turnpike Floral Park, NY 11001 Date & Time: Saturday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Sunday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Private Lessons with Master will be available on a first come first serve basis. Contact Michael Calandra for details. Contact: Michael Calandra 917-667-0739 email: [e-mail] Cost: 1 Day ( Pay by July 1st) 125.00 Use Paypal here: www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=WB2K8H4P8PBBE 2 Days ( Pay by July 1st) Use Paypal Here: www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=R6GYFRZQUS3AC After July 1st : 1 day- $150 2 Days $250 POSTS

[@KelvinHoKawai]

Phenomenal! Note how exhausting training the first 13 moves of Practical Method yilu can be. It is such kind of training that enables such amazing ability to be manifested.

[@MichaelKoh]

Training in Practical Method is like "reformatting" the body.

[@MonacoBlast66]

The internal stretch and power from condensing the chi is incredible!

[@aaronbartholomew5001]

Excellent demonstration of practical taiji; how to handle getting stuck, find holes, and that what you perceive may not be what is actually going on. I can see so much that I need to practice. Many yilus ahead.

[@Evanmander]

This is why youtube is amazing. This guy is showing advanced level stuff that takes YEARS to master. Thank you!

[@Practicalmethod]

Thanks very much!

[@tongchiu9340]

請問這老師的中文名字?

[@Zz7722zZ]

@@tongchiu9340 陈中华

[@tsuisiu7162]

這位老師不藏私，而且講到做到，如果有機會受教，將會畢生受用。什麼方法找到老師？

[@natechien]

this is really great. thanks for sharing Master Chen.

[@middlemedicine]

The more you practice Practical Method TaiJi, the more you'll be able to see them - generally we can only see the grossest movements prior to training. Physically being able to reproduce the mvoements allows us to recognise them in others.

[@CarlosHanson]

This video shows one of the many great things about seminars with Master Chen: you can experience what he teaches. In the beginning, I found it difficult to trust the principles, since they seemed contrary to my prior studies. However, I could not deny them with all the hands on instruction at each seminar. Even better than being thrown to the floor with no idea how was Master Chen's ability to guide me to applying the principles. At that point, there was no turning back. When he says "don't move", he means "don't move". Why is that so hard to do? ☺

[@LonelyDogBarking]

Funny James that we ‘meet’ this way again. Remember Rizhao 2018. Grtngs Jozef;)

[@davidfetruk1491]

Subtle movement... very hard to see what he did... And then he already explains it. yet it still does not look like his move can produce that type of reaction. Somehow the ones that can see will see it, while others that cannot will not see it.

[@natechien]

the road from standing up to being on the floor is very short.

[@illiJomusic]

so good. reminds me of a bagua master I met. so much coming from the core.

[@fatgod1621]

I need to learn the 13 yilu ...

[@CottonBoxer]

Sifu, what would be a designated center and how can it be created ? is the physical center you speak of the dantian ? xie xie

[@Practicalmethod]

First of all, there are two stages in learning (in relation to your question). The first stage is the learning stage, during which the center is designated. The second stage is the application stage during which the center is random (not intentionally designated). The purpose of designating a center during the learning stage is for the ease of learning. There are two centers that are designated. One horizontal and the other vertical. The horizontal center is in the middle of the line between the hand and the shoulder, assuming that the elbow is bent. This line is called a Stick (gun). This line is virtue. The vertical center is in the middle of the line from Baihui to Huiyin. This is called the Axis (zhou). This line is real. The center for the whole body is in the Dantian. Dantian is the three-dimensional hub, and therefore it is very important. Each body part also has its own center. practicalmethod.com/2020/09/what-would-be-a-designated-center-and-how-can-it-be-created/

[@LokeKS]

wow! nice ..

[@alu3179]

where can I purchase this video?

[@lihmingca]

👍

[@angusmcgherkinsquirt]

Reminds me of ibuki breathing.

[@ozhunga]

Is that the famous Malcolm Sues son

[@yolosubmarine]

Yup

[@TieXiongJi]

It feels like hard qi gong.

[@CinamonChina]

双重

[@zee1645]

0:37 lmao

[@perrypelican9476]

His techniques are not practical for fighting because it isn't smooth. The students had to move to let him through. Why couldn't he change his direction. I'm sure that he is capable of hurting an opponent badly but he has to wind up which makes no sense for fighting. By the time he gets his strike going, the opponent will hit him 5 times. He also has much too big an ego.

[@damienchan1786]

You have no idea. I've felt his power and he doesn't need to move to generate it, its all internal energy. I watched in awe as guys >120Kg with a wrestling background got thrown around by his 65kg disciple. What you see in the video is just for teaching purposes to slow it down for people to understand what his is doing.

[@perrypelican9476]

@@damienchan1786 Thanks for answering my comment. I suggest that he show some real stuff for people interested so they know where they can get to. I guess he has taken internals to a new place with his own techniques. But he is definitely not the only internal master. I am very Interested in using internal energy for fighting. But fighting is much more than being able to throw around people. It is definitely a huge advantage and I want to learn it. I have started taiji chuan. The problem is that it's impossible to advance past a certain point unless you have a training partner. Having said that, you can get very far training alone.

[@damienchan1786]

He has heaps of videos online but there’s no point showing him demolish a student without him explaining why (which is what he does in this video). His teaching is very good for dealing with grapplers, wrestles, BJJ etc. He also shows some striking but most people learning from him are interested in the close quarter combat. He also travels (pre covid) extensively so you should check his travel schedule for a visit. At the end of the day, his practical method is very hard to beat in close quarters.

[@rickhung4611]

太極拳推手弄成這樣 還能說甚麼呢

[@elbowinhandout]

What should a martial art look like then?

[@TRUTHorSTFU]

...and we in the west have the arrogance (ignorance) to claim to know what taiji is?!

[@GingMoAcademyTv]

It is an amazing sensation being thrown by Master Zhonghua Chen. Learning from him is inspiring. What I find most challenging is trusting myself and therefore allowing the principles to work. Being ok with feeling vulnerable is also challenging.

[@bruceschaub69666]

There are a lot of very generous visuals of different applications, but my favorite is something Master Chen says is traditionally called ' to stifle ' the opponent. At 5 min you see him disallow James Strider to access his center, and at 5:20 he completely stifles all his attempts to move and power up. I asked Master Chen about this a few years ago, if he would let me feel it ( in Phoenix ) and he very graciously said ' no problem '. I attempted to move him and despite my 80 lb advantage was unable to do so. It was like being caught in a trap, where his power was wedged into the root of any move I tried to create... before it could even start. I was just stuck like a moth in a spiders web.

[@middlemedicine]

+Bruce Schaub Good catch on the type of trouble James was in. I missed it simply because, yes James looks like he is working, but CZH doesn't seem to be, so...nothing there, right?

[@bruceschaub69666]

+Hugo Ramiro I'm not sure, but I've been thinking of it as he has traced James's power back to it's source and stifled it, keeping it from being able to come out. That's the way he explained it to me when he let me feel it once, but I couldn't actually feel anything other than just stuck, like trapped in a spider web. I really couldn't move.

[@middlemedicine]

Stifling is a good way to describe it from what I can see. James' power was diverted to useless dead ends and never landed on CZH.

[@bruceschaub69666]

+Hugo Ramiro Thanks Hugo!

[@symbolsarenotreality4595]

good description

[@JuandyLiem]

In the old days this demo should be kept secret.

[@cleopatra862]

Very nice...thank you kindly for sharing this video.

[@slamonline]

"Whatever you do, you can't move the center." MASSIVE.

[@beipawel]

Never saw it performed in such a way. Master Chen emphasizes a bit, so that we can see the body mechanics. Like that video.

[@jtam2760]

Amazing! Thanks for sharing.

[@johnnyupshaw]

A phenomenal display Taijiquan!!! For those that have not felt or witnessed Master Chen's power first hand, this video captures the experience!!! Exhilarating !!!

[@bobjohnson3975]

There is a famous saying in Taijiquan: "From great softness comes great power". This tense Shaolin stuff is not Taijiquan. It is someone using the name and fame of Taijiquan to make money, plain and simple.

[@Wheel333]

This still fills me with awe. Sensational 🙏🔥❤️🔥🙏

[@bruceschaub69666]

Some truly fearsome applications of inside/outside separation and 'stifling' power.

[@bruceschaub69666]

This is an amazing window into the world of Master Chen's taiji. Truly amazing to watch!

[@jollybigfist]

i do not want to get hit by this master.... scary power

[@middlemedicine]

For example, we can see the rigid axis in his body at 1:40 and 1:42.

[@brettalexander7813]

Who can see the non-moving axis [or point] in Zhonghua Chen's applications and movements? Im still trying to recognize them myself.

[@symbolsarenotreality4595]

I am amateur at this are so I am always still learning but it seems like there are so many points on the body, it just depends on the positions you and your opponent are in but the main principle seems to be to connect each point of contact to the centre of gravity. Although some movements this is not the case. Its the underlying principle that can be applied to any situation that is most important and I still struggle to put it into words but master chen does fairly well putting these tricky concepts into words and of course he is excellent at demonstrating them.

[@mystichermit1518]

Wow! Really appreciate, so powerful!!

[@brettalexander7813]

Taijiquan taught and demonstrated as physical principles to train towards developing within the body. It seems today many modern practitioners seek unique skills without doing any kind of hard work. To gain martial skills requires very hard work, as can clearly be seen in the rare demonstration of how the form is sometimes trained in private [the physically taxing and exhaustive training method].

[@xaviersantiago6358]

At 0:11 you say how Master Chen has a rigid structure that has a point not moving and then by moving something else not in contact with the opponent, it causes him to occupy the opponent's space which will throw the opponent out.

[@RaulCasquet]

Master Chen is very generous sharing all those pearls of wisdom, I would love to attend to one of his workshops, I love the way he explains things, it makes everything so much clearer. Do you have any schools in Europe? I understand that on the current times there won't be any events happening soon, but do you have any mailing list I can subscribe to? I live in UK . Thank you again for sharing

[@toddfm]

I have been practicing Chen Zhonghua's teachings for years and am so glad that he keeps putting out videos with such high quality content for everyone to see. There is so much here! I found myself constantly rewinding to watch specific parts of Chen Zhonghua's body throughout this trailer. The applications demonstrate the principle of "don't move", "hide the center, use the center", and "don't fight head-on". The Yilu he performs is full of high-level stretching/rotation. A little Hunyuan, too.

[@AdamMontoya1]

Brings back great memories. I can't wait for Master Chen's return to Phoenix in September. I always learn something insightful from his workshops.

[@seinundzeiten]

nice form and display of real power

[@seinundzeiten]

When will he be in California area?

[@YaronSeidmanDAOM]

This stuff is really amazing!!!!

[@bruceschaub69666]

My taiji journey of 20 years previous to studying under Chen Zhonghua, had been filled with a lot of the popular notions about taiji power and how taiji skills are developed. But the truth is you have to have a teacher who will insist on the real ' standards ', and teach you the fundamental training methods. In a relatively short time, by comparison ( roughly 3 yrs ) my taiji understanding has increased exponentially thanks to Master Chen and his straightforward approach.

[@MarcP5267]

Bruce Schaub there’s a big misconception that Tai Chi without fajin isn’t Tai Chi. You should be able to be taught Tai Chi to be functional quickly.

[@Wheel333]

I love the holding a cloth analogy

[@tofumonster8913]

Awesome! Master Chen's pounding mortar at 3:03-3.06 is it adopting GM Feng's or GM Hong's flavour? Thank you.

[@Practicalmethod]

This is based on GM Feng's Hunyuan Taiji.

[@yuxinliu8352]

It is crazy!

[@waseemomar3628]

😄😄😄

[@davychung7500]

一群牛在闘力

[@bened22]

"PRIVATE VIDEO. DO NOT UPLOAD" Hmmmm...

[@markfinch6215]

Benjamin Krupp .....was about to comment same thing

[@nanochirs8964]

好端端的陈氏拳，被整成这样，让人唏嘘。

[@elbowinhandout]

What should a martial art look like then?

[@tongchiu9340]

你不懂就不要亂說