Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Welcome to Volume 24 of Lift Hands Magazine!
I cannot believe that another year has already flown by and we are now standing at the cusp of 2023! Where has the time gone?
2022 was the year after Covid, when the world finally started to move again, and while it was a tough year for many, it was a relief to get back to some kind of normality.
The Lift Hands family has grown with each passing year and the magazine has moved on from strength to strength. We have officially entered Year 7, since the launch of the magazine in November 2016 — a remarkable achievement and one which could not have been accomplished without the many, many, many good souls and friends out there who have helped in so many different ways. As always — a massive thank you to you all for your contributions, no matter how big or small. I genuinely feel humbled by the love and support which I have received.
Hopefully, by the time the magazine is published, you will all have had your fill of festivities, merriment and the obligatory overdosing of food, and will be ready to put your feet up for a good read.
Once again, the articles are top draw! Thank you to each and every one of you who have taken the time out, especially during the holiday seasons around the world, and sat down to write for the magazine. The usual suspects have come up with the goods once again.
Greg Lawton, my dear friend, has signed-off with an excellent Part 3 to his series Embracing The Blade. It really has been a gemstone. Katherine Sensei, despite being not so well, got one of her team members, Dr Dimitrios Zacharopoulos to write an excellent article on injury prevention. We wish Katherine Sensei a speedy recovery and hope that it will not interfere with her enjoying of the festive period.
I would like to say a massive thank you to Howard Choy for being so accommodating and prompt with the extended 20 Questions which I put to him. His answers are not only illuminating, lifting a veil on Yang family Taiji in Hong Kong and elsewhere, they are also inspiring. I hope that at some point in the future I can sit down and do another interview with him in person.
Lift Hands Magazine is now available to buy as a digital download from peecho.com. The links are all available on our FaceBook page and I will be adding them at the back of the magazine as well. For those wishing to purchase a digital download, simply copy and paste the Volume link into your browser and follow the instructions from there.
March 2023 will see Volume 25 of Lift Hands Magazine — we will have made it to a quarter of a century… let’s make this an even bigger bolder issue to mark the occasion!
As we close the year, let us remember all our fallen brothers and sisters in our Martial Family — We bow to them and honour them all.
Meanwhile, I’d like to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a peaceful, healthy and prosperous New Year.
See you in 2023!
9 editor’s
Nasser
Nasser Butt
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Fulfill your nature…
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Iwill try to write about something that I find hard to put into words. I have never read anything about it, so I have to rely on my writing skills to convey this concept. To be honest, to talk about the "Dao" of anything, is to imply a level of skill that approaches that which is supernatural. In this case, the subject being discussed is movement. It is a wonderful subject and to say that I have attained it might be an overstatement. However, I'm close enough to it to discuss it. To achieve this level of movement and express it in the context of movement improvisation is a good and somewhat difficult task. It is like in a science fiction movie when a visitor or alien speaks in one language, and five other beings (each of them speaking different languages) hears the visitor or alien speaking only in their own particular language. Similarly, when one can express pure self-expression through improvisational movement, five different people watching it may see five totally different things. My Taijiquan teacher's instructor (master Jou Tsung Hwa) once said that most Kung fu players would beat most Taiji players. Since my Taiji instructor at the time (Larry Banks) was a martial artist as well, I felt flat footed when trying to use Ving Tsun kung fu when sparring with him. This led to my desire to be able to move in a more flexible way. That led to my experimenting with stances in Taiji forms and achieving my aim. I later found out (this was all done entirely on my own much later) that I could expand this concept from the potential in fighting to the potential in movement itself. That is sports, dance, and choreography (although that requires at least 2 people). Some people may see this level or demonstration of it as just martial arts, and my challenge to go beyond martial arts. Others may feel that it has no potential in martial arts. That would be like a person seeing someone shooting at birds in a tree and then asking "What else is it good for?” This is a big subject and right there is the joy and frustration in presenting it.
To view the previous analogy of an example of presenting and demonstrating the use of a machine gun to shoot at birds in a tree, with an observer then asking what else is it (the machine gun) good for, is like seeing the "Dao Of Movement" and asking can it be used in fighting.
I recently decided to not only resume my practice of master Jou Tsung-Hwa's Chen form (1st routine), but to also work with some of the stances in it. Just yesterday I was inspired to practice a stance that I've never practiced individually before. However, when working with a Taiji particular form, I never practice a stance (at least for quite a while) that doesn't move directly into an attack. But yesterday I practiced a beautiful stance with the back foot left toes pointing approximately between 10 and 11 o'clock. The right front foot directly in front of the back foot, with the toes pointing approximately between 1 and 2 o'clock. The right hand is extended directly to the right at shoulder level but not locked with the palm facing directly forward as is the vision and head. The left hand is extended in front of you, palm facing forward with the elbow facing the left with the arm basically at shoulder level. The stance should resemble a person playing a flute. This stance moves directly into "The Whirlwind Kick". The left foot comes up, (from 6 to12 o'clock) hits the extended left hand as the body rotates towards the right until the entire body is now facing opposite the original starting point. This should also be practiced with everything in the reversed positions. The main thing however, is to practice the stance, and look for more and more stances until everything is a stance, and the stances evaporate.
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I wanted to spread this level of attainment while I am physically able to do so, in whatever category that I can. I especially wanted to achieve this with dancers, because although many people can improvise, but usually can only improvise with dance moves (to music-I'm not against music being myself a musician), or with moves or postures which have no purpose or application or even attractiveness.
Chopin was once at the piano in an informal setting in which he was trying to improvise, and said, "Nothing's coming, nothing's coming”.
My particular problem in improvisational movement is that everything's coming at the same time, therefore the attempt to perform every movement in the universe at one time. It sounds ridiculous but it’s true.
I want to finally have the stances, and the movement without them looking like a martial art (all Taiji forms do not look alike). That is another level entirely, pure formlessness.
If I were using the principles put forth by master Jou Tsung-Hwa, there would be more movement in my body and less seen by the viewers. I still have a ways to go.
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Beautiful Movement of Blue and Yellow… Image source: Adobe Stock Image by: Digital Art Studio
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Introduction
Be the beast! Everyone has a beast inside of them. Whether you are tall or short, large, or petite, and no matter what your gender or occupation in life, there is a bit of a beast within all of us. Good people have been raised and conditioned to be nice, kind, generous, and non-violent. These are exactly the traits that violent predators look for in victims. Your good heart is what they take advantage of. A street predator approaches you and says, “Hey buddy, do you have some money I can have? I haven’t eaten for two days!” As you reach for your wallet, the knife comes out or you are punched in the face.
I train a select group of students in an approach to violence through which they find the beast within themselves, and they become the alpha predator — more cunning and dangerous than the punks on the street. I call this concept and training “Talon Protectives."
Sometimes violence is unavoidable and must be met with an equal or greater counterforce. These are the circumstances for which the combat martial artist trains. Preparing ourselves for violent situations or combat (whether empty hand or with a weapon) is a theoretical activity. There are many martial artists who have never had to employ fighting techniques outside of the safe environment of a martial art school or the highly regulated arena of sports martial arts. Therefore, their self-proclaimed knowledge of combat is theoretical and is likely 100 percent based upon the teaching and experience of their instructors. This is not a position to be in when you are attempting to use a weapon-disarming technique against a violent predator with a gun, knife, or club. The sanitized and controlled environment of a martial arts class or training seminar is not the same as having an assailant suddenly come at you with a knife. This article, “Embracing the Blade: Finding the Beast Within,” is Part Three of a three-part series on the techniques, tactics, and psychology of using bladed weapons.
Many martial art, tactical, and combative training programs teach techniques based upon the concept that if an attacker does this (like throwing a punch at my head), I do this... or if they put me in a headlock, I do this. This method programs students to think like a victim and defensively. Thinking that you are the victim of an attack and then role playing your response in terms of a complex sequence of attacks is ineffective and is entirely the wrong mindset to have. I prefer to teach students to think like an attacker and not to play defensive games. If you stay in a defensive mind set, you will lose. Don’t see yourself as a victim or you will become one. Rather, think like a predator. Better yet, be a predator that feeds on other predators.
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None of the comments in this article are intended to denigrate any martial art style, system, or teacher. Frankly, I have studied many martial arts myself, and I respect the many kinds of knowledge and experience that they represent and the teachers that sacrifice time and effort to teach and hopefully protect their students. No matter what we teach, we are more alike than different.
Please note that there can be serious legal repercussions to defending yourself and inflicting injury to another person or by causing their death. Legal issues may present as criminal charges and/or civil lawsuits. It has often been stated that, “The first fight is for your life, and the second fight is for the rest of your life.” I highly recommend that the reader of this article reviews my previous three-part series entitled “The Medical Implications of Combat Tai Chi Chuan Techniques: Investigating Blunt Force Trauma”; it is on the subject of the medical consequences of combat Tai Chi Chuan. It contains very practical and direct physical attacks to the most vulnerable areas of the human body, and so does my two-part series entitled “The Eye of Destruction.”
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In the real world of assault and victimization, your highly honed weapons skills are virtually useless until you have mastered the psychological traits needed in high stress situations where reaction time is measured in milliseconds.
In the Real World
In the real world of assault and victimization, your highly honed weapons skills are virtually useless until you have mastered the psychological traits needed in high stress situations where reaction time is measured in milliseconds. Consider that most attacks (those that we were not situationally observant of) occur within less than eight feet! Your attacker will not be yards away; they will be bad-breath close, and they will attack without warning.
You may have purchased and practiced with a bladed weapon, but can you deploy it and use it in one second or less? Most trained martial artists cannot. In studies performed on military personnel and law enforcement officers, although going through extensive training, they could not deploy either a knife or a handgun in less than 3 to 5 seconds — and that is if everything went perfectly. In studies involving law enforcement officers, the average time for a police officer to mentally justify using their weapons was .21 sec for a simple scenario, .87 sec for a complex one, and the average time it takes for someone to draw from a level one, friction retention holster is 1.71 sec. These types of studies are usually done in controlled circumstances and without complicating factors like having to track the movements of multiple assailants or fumble through layers of winter clothing.
What weapons do you have that allow you to react to a surprise attack from five feet away? Your body and your mind. Let’s not forget that your empty hand combat skills are your foremost line of defense. When you are holding a bladed weapon, it is only a tool (like a screwdriver); you are the real weapon. What if the situation that you find yourself in does not call for the use of a bladed weapon, but you have trained yourself to reach for your weapon first? In such a case, you will have wasted valuable response time and perhaps behaved inappropriately and with excessive force, thus making yourself the criminal. Can you transition smoothly and effectively from empty hand to a knife, or vice versa? Many of the students that I teach who have been victims of a violent attack were in compromising circumstances, and they state that the attack “came out of nowhere...” In hindsight, they belatedly realize that it did not.
Because of the mentorship relationships that I build with my students, I frequently interact with them in multiple venues — from outdoor activities to restaurants, to indoor sports like axe throwing, to training at the local gym. When I meet with my students in these venues, I always assess whether they are oriented and alert to their environment, whether they have run a risk assessment on their location and identified the exits and entrances, and whether they are carrying a knife. Often, they have left their knife at home and therefore have not mentally prepared for its use.
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Carrying a knife and using it is a mind-set that you learn or acquire by constantly carrying and training with the tool; you cannot use the weapon that you don’t have or that you cannot get to in a few seconds. Don’t be the student that when attacked must drive home to get their knife out of a drawer or the pocket of their other pair of jeans so that they can use it. Carry your knife everywhere that legally allows it.
Even if you have your knife on you and ready to deploy, you may have to use empty hand combat skills to fight to draw your weapon. Crime statistics tell us that at least fifty percent of the time, someone defending themselves had to fight to get to their weapon. You may have to jam your finger or thumb into an assailant’s eye socket down to the bone before you are able to grab and open your knife. This kind of occurrence is more common than most than most knife carriers realize. Has your training prepared you to fight to get to your knife by using maiming techniques? If your focus is 100 percent on drawing your weapon, your mind will be blinded to the empty hand techniques available to you that will slow or stop the attacker so that you can deploy your weapon.
The Use of Reasonable Force
Reasonable force is the amount of force or violence needed to protect yourself. Unnecessary force is when you exceed the amount of force needed to protect yourself. The use of reasonable force is in relationship to defending your life from violent attack, theft, or some other type of recognized criminal aggression. If you are involved in the use of reasonable force, you need to know that law enforcement and the legal system will investigate and determine whether you acted reasonably in response to the assault and the level of threat that you faced. An investigation may lead to criminal charges against you if you are thought to have responded unreasonably or with undue aggression or violence. Whether or not you face criminal charges, you will most likely face a civil lawsuit from your assailant (if they survive) or their surviving family members. This is why I recommend to my students that they have a self-defense insurance policy to cover legal expenses.
The definition of what constitutes reasonable force varies in relationship to the circumstances of the assault. To determine if the degree of force used by a defender is reasonable, a legal standard called the “reasonable person standard” is used to judge the circumstances of the attack and the counterforce used by the defender. Under this reasonable person standard, actions will be considered reasonable if a “reasonable person” would have acted in the same way under the same (or similar) circumstances.
The Problem - Fantasy Versus Reality
There are several problems with contemporary weapons training. Current weapons training is often conducted in “sterile” training environments where there is no real risk and your brain knows that. The human brain knows the difference between fantasy and reality. When a friendly training partner comes at me with a dummy training knife, that is an artificial situation with no real threat. The human brain knows the difference between a mock attack and a life-threatening situation. An assailant launching a sudden assault has a significant advantage over an unaware victim. Even the best trained combat or law enforcement operatives experience a lag time during which they are attempting to “read” the situation and the brain is deciding on what level of force is appropriate to utilize. A committed assailant has already processed their intent to inflict harm and does not have this mental processing handicap. In many cases, their attack is already being launched before the victim realizes what is happening and can react.
Other problems regarding weapons training may include:
1. Whether the combat weapons instructor has real world experience that they can transmit to inexperienced students. How many weapons instructors have been involved in real-life knife attacks or attempted to disarm a violent assailant with a knife?
2. Training is often unidimensional (meaning that the training frequently involves straight-line attacks and defense).
3. Training is not stress tested to see how well techniques and students stand up to the kind of sudden and violent attacks seen in the street.
4. Training is often provided in short, one weekend seminars, and this kind of training without consistent and long-term follow-up training has been shown to be ineffective for both military and law enforcement purposes. These short-term training classes are great for creating delusional beliefs regarding a participant’s abilities.
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There is a factor in education called learning degradation. Learning degradation is the loss or erosion of learning outcomes. The instruction in combat martial arts involves the same learning processes — recruitment of neurons in the brain and short-term and long-term memory storage that occurs in learning and mastering any skill. It does not matter whether the skill is carpentry or stabbing someone with a knife; the brain’s learning, memory, and retention processes are the same. A neuron with memory storage for a specific skill has no opinion as to whether the information stored is instructions for sawing a board in half or stabbing someone with a knife. Learning degradation will always occur relative to the quality of the initial and ongoing learning process and the amount of repetition invested in mastering a new skill.
Studies show that the more complex a skill is, the more accurate reactions and actions need to be. The faster the skill sets or techniques were taught to a student, the more rapidly memory and ability will degrade. As previously mentioned, there is a disconnect between a student’s belief in their ability based upon short-term training and the reality that is revealed in studies that put those beliefs to the test in real-life and high stress scenarios. This basically means that many combat martial artists have a high opinion of their skills, but when those skills are stress tested, they fail to demonstrate adequate proficiency. In a real-life scenario, these unfounded personal beliefs can result in tragic consequences.
Cramming combat weapons techniques or using a broad-brush stroke approach to training at weekend seminars is another factor that both distorts a student’s opinion of their ability and leads to rapid degradation and erosion of memory. Students need an accurate sense of what to expect in terms of real-life encounters with assailants. This includes understanding the speed and range in which the unexpected attack can occur. In many real-life scenarios, you will not have the time or space from which to draw your weapon. High-level complex skills are not practical in high stress situations. Therefore, you must hone your empty hand skills first. Your empty hand and weapons training needs to be organized in such a way that you are prepared for how to handle sudden close-range attacks — before, during, and after an assault.
The challenges presented by a violent attack in the street have little in common with the conditions that are presented in traditional martial arts training or contemporary sports martial arts.
Tough Times Call for Tough Responses
The challenges presented by a violent attack in the street have little in common with the conditions that are presented in traditional martial arts training or contemporary sports martial arts. If you are going to prepare for the current wave of overwhelming violence seen in our cities, then you must begin training with a significantly different approach to real-life lethal force encounters than has been routinely taught by many instructors. You must train for lethal force encounters in the real-life environments where these encounters occur... In other words, you must train in the street.
You
As has been previously mentioned, much of martial arts training is ineffective because it lacks valid context. This is due to several factors, including safety concerns and the convenience of training in a clean and comfortable training center (with grappling mats, punching bags, and other fighting equipment). But none of this gear and equipment exists in the street. Compared to a well-lit and temperature-controlled training center, the street is a foreign environment... and yet the street is the test tube where real-life situations occur. Very few instructors take their students into the environment where they are most likely to experience an attack. When was the last time you heard about a rape or mugging that occurred inside a martial arts school?
Real-life scenario and contextual training are a critical aspect of training and preparation for an assault. The greater the contextual disconnect between the way we train and the real-life scenarios that we might face in the street, the less likely we are to be capable of effectively protecting ourselves. Think about how your comfortable, climate controlled, and safe martial arts training center training is unlike the real world (with its traffic, sidewalks, curbs, signs, noise, and the general activity of an urban environment) or how different your school is from a bar,
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must train for lethal force encounters in the real-life environments where these encounters occur... In other words, you must train in the street.
restaurant, night club, or heavy metal concert. For years, our military and law enforcement personnel have trained for the environments in which they will serve and fight. This is because they have always known that real-world training is vital to developing effective skills, but in the martial arts community, we have largely ignored this lesson.
Think about how your comfortable, climate controlled, and safe martial arts training center training is unlike the real world (with its traffic, sidewalks, curbs, signs, noise, and the general activity of an urban environment).
Another lesson that has not been well recognized in the martial arts community is that complex techniques (involving multiple steps or movements) simply do not work when stress tested in real-life scenarios. The only skills that are effective are those that you can reliably execute under high stress. There is a significant difference between the ability to perform martial arts techniques in a safe and relaxed environment and when your life is being threatened. Complex skills usually fail where simple skills succeed.
In 1971, while training at Thomas Connor’s TRACO International Kosho Ryu Kenpo school in Mesa and Scottsdale, Arizona, one of my Kenpo instructors was jumped as he was exiting the back of the school late at night. The Mesa Kenpo school was adjacent to a bar with a bad reputation for almost nightly fights. Apparently, several of the bar’s patrons thought it would be fun to assault this instructor as he was walking down the darkened alley to his truck. The result of the attempted assault was that several of the attackers got a ride to the hospital to be treated for broken bones and concussions.
When the instructor discussed with me what happened during the attack (he was uninjured), he told me confidentially that he had not used any of the Kenpo self-defense combinations that he had practiced or taught. Under the suddenness and stress of the attack, even though he was a highly capable Kenpo black belt, he did not remember any of the complicated multi-step Kenpo combinations. He attributed prevailing in the unexpected violent attack to his superb physical conditioning and the fact that he could hit really hard.
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You may not want to fight; you may hope that you will not have to, but you still must prepare. You cannot wish away the inevitable. When the moment to defend your life stares you in the face, step up and embrace it.
A Real-Life Street Scenario
I was riding the bus late one evening — a cold night in an area of town that had a particularly bad reputation for muggings and violent assaults. Unfortunately, I was on the last bus of the evening, and it stopped several city blocks short of my normal stop so that it could turn and head back to the bus garage. As I exited the bus, two large, hooded individuals took notice of me and my bright new tennis shoes and headed towards me. One of them said, “Hey those are really nice shoes you are wearing.” A conversation ensued where my two “new shoe-loving friends” indicated that they would really appreciate it if I gave them my shoes. I politely declined and stood my ground. What my new friends did not realize as we faced off five feet from each other, was that in my right hand covered by a mitten was a fixed blade knife. All I had to do was to stab it through the cloth of the glove and into them. What the predators did not understand or plan for was facing another predator — armed and ready with a naked blade in his hand.
Why was I prepared? Why did I have a fixed blade knife in a mitten? Because I surveyed and evaluated the environment around the bus stop before I got off the bus. I assessed the two potential “problem” individuals and was ready for them.
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Sifu John Aldred teaching advanced student Abass Ali knife drill involving deflecting a punch and stabbing into the carotid artery.
Real-Life Training and Assault Preparedness
As was previously mentioned, combat empty hand and weapons training may be organized on three broad levels:
1. Pre-assault
2. Active assault
3. Post-assault
All three of these levels have been covered in Embracing the Blade, Part 1 and Part 2. Preparation before an assault incorporates your empty hand and combat weapons training, along with risk avoidance and situational awareness. The best way to successfully deal with an assault is not to be there to begin with. When an assault occurs, your training and conditioning will kick in. If you have trained appropriately (in accordance with known methods of learning and memory retention), you may prevail during a violent encounter. After an assault, you may have to deal with emergency medical issues, the legal repercussions related to self-defense laws and weapon restrictions, and the emotional and stress related consequences on the mind and body.
Most empty hand and combat weapon training is designed for practice in a school or training seminar... not for the street. Real-life training needs to be evidence-based, the result of proven experience, and pragmatic. Once again, much of what is taught (or that appears on various social media platforms or blogs) is not based upon experience or measurable performance; it is theoretical and transmitted from instructor to student in staged training sessions. If an instructor is not trained in contemporary education learning methodology (or the science of learning), much of what is taught and how it’s taught will be ineffective at best (and perhaps harmful).
Real-world training focuses on simple proven techniques that are practiced long-term and repetitively, and that are taught and practiced slowly. The brain will not track and repeat training skills that are complex, crammed into a short period of time, and that are practiced too quickly or too infrequently.
Below: Talon Protectives student Erin Johnston practicing slow deliberate knife drills with advanced student Mohamed
The training mantra is “Simple, Slow, Repetition.” If you cannot effectively execute a skill (for example, an attack to the anterior throat region), then you will not be able to perform the technique under stress and at full speed. This is an approach to skill acquisition that correctly mirrors the learning processes of the human brain. Another factor is that training needs to be structured around role playing scenarios that are contextually accurate. This not only includes real-life scenarios on the training mats but also location-based training in the streets. If you do not know this and do not train like this, your weapon skills are probably useless. Something else to consider: based upon assault and defense statistics, you probably will not be carrying (or have immediate access to) your weapon when you are attacked.
Slow, repetitive training (a method long ago adopted by and inculcated into Tai Chi Chuan) is the most effective way to gain physical skill that gets translated into long-term memory. This is certainly not going to happen during a two-day seminar with technique after technique jammed into the training schedule. Rather than gaining real skill, the student leaves the experience with the illusion of ability and capability.
Gaining the capability to flip the mental switch and to inflict catastrophic injury requires the acceptance of violence as a form of physical and mental communication — freed from judgment, hesitation, or regret. This ability has nothing to do with your 5, 10, 15, or 20 years in the dojo or the color of your belt.
Cause and Effect
Many self-defense systems are based upon training that teaches choreographed reactions to an attack. Rarely will you prevail if you wait to react to an attack or continue to fight defensively. You must become the cause: put your assailant into a defending or reacting posture. We know that in this world we have two physical laws based upon cause and effect. The term “cause” is used to describe an action which will produce a certain result. An assailant swinging a club at your head is looking to cause blunt force trauma to your head and brain that will result in unconsciousness or worse — so that they can rob or take advantage of you in other ways.
While choreographed training can teach students certain fundamental fighting skills (such as stance, weight placement, striking techniques and other basics), the effective combat fighter cannot and does not rely upon predetermined movements or combinations. The most effective form of fighting results for instantaneous, spontaneous, and creative movements and techniques unconsciously executed with speed, power, accuracy, and penetration. In real-life fighting, principles are more important that techniques. Some fighters confuse thinking about doing something with doing something. If you must think about a technique before you can execute it, you are not in the fight and much too slow.
Let’s amplify this concept in terms of blocking punches, kicks, or any attack that an assailant is directing towards you. Unless you are fighting an extremely inexperienced or impaired attacker, blocking does not work in most violent scenarios. And yet, many martial artists practice blocking and complex redirecting techniques for thousands of hours. This is largely wasted effort. Worse, it is programming a fighter to use ineffective techniques. Your objective when attacked suddenly and violently is to stop your assailant by executing an effective technique — as quickly and brutally as you can. You don’t train to block; you train to stop your assailant by making them physically and mentally unable to continue. One example is to practice forcefully hitting the most vital areas of the human body: areas that maim or kill will stop an attack. This might involve hitting through an assailant’s strike with such force and speed that it not only neutralizes the line of their attack against you, but it also penetrates to inflict serious damage to the assailant. Learning how to deliver such decisive and forceful attacks requires working out with heavy bags and various kinds of striking equipment. One of the greatest examples of supreme skill in this regard was the late Bruce Lee, the founder of Jeet Kun Do. The best combat fighters understand and have mastered this principle. Fight from your point of greatest power and ability. Don’t waste time or energy on defense. Step up and brutally incapacitate the assailant in a way that results in the shutdown of their brain, nervous, and cardiovascular systems.
Continuing with the principle of instantaneous offensive attack, many fighters step into a defensive stance and hesitate. Tactically, this is a weak position to take. Some of these fighters have been trained in traditional or modern sports martial arts; there, the fighters take a position and wait for the referee to start the fight. Obviously, there is no referee in the street. The learned behavior to step into a defensive stance and to initially hesitate is an error that can get you hurt or killed. If you have acquired this habit through civilized training in a martial arts school, train yourself out of it by learning to attack as soon as you perceive a threat. The person that strikes first has the advantage and the person that continues to attack maintains the advantage.
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How the Brain Learns
Most martial art, tactical, and combative instructors became teachers through the age-old process of transmission of knowledge and skill through practice and experience. In other words, they studied the martial arts and stuck with their training long enough to become an instructor. Being a good martial arts student does not necessarily mean that a martial artist will be a good teacher.
There is a science to learning called “learning science,” and while some martial art, tactical, and combative instructors come to this knowledge naturally or through trial and error, many do not. In academic circles, teaching is a profession that encompasses learning methodologies. Learning methodologies are a collection of concepts, strategies, techniques, and methods that attempt to improve learning and skill acquisition outcomes in students. Largely, the martial art community has not adopted contemporary learning methodologies or the science of learning.
As has already been noted in this article, short-term seminars (where information and practice skills are crammed into a few hours) do not result in significant gains in ability for the execution of martial arts techniquesespecially those that involve complex movements. What has been shown to work in terms of increasing knowledge and skill is training that incorporates:
1. Slow deliberate movements
2. Repetition of movements and techniques
3. Simplicity
4. Shorter training sessions that decrease learning fatigue
5. Long-term training
6. Modification of techniques and skills throughout the training cycle
Let’s use Tai Chi Chuan as an example of what is right and wrong regarding traditional and common training methods. When it comes to slow repetitive movement of postures and techniques, Tai Chi Chuan instructors got it right. There are several areas, however, where contemporary learning methodologies could improve the learning outcomes for Tai Chi Chuan students. For example, many Tai Chi Chuan instructors and students practice a Tai Chi form repetitively and with the goal of perfecting the flow of the postures in the same way each time the form is practiced. This common methodology is not effective in stimulating continual learning or improving upon martial skills. The brain likes change and stimulation, and it learns from both the mistakes we make in training and new information that is presented to it via our senses. Therefore, traditional training in the martial arts and Tai Chi Chuan had many mental, physical, and spiritual dimensions. These dimensions included:
I have not listed these ten dimensions in any special order in terms of practice sequence. I have called them dimensions because each one of them is an ocean of knowledge with an endless array of techniques and skill sets. The mastery of any one of these dimensions takes years, decades, and a lifetime of constant practice and striving. None of the ten dimensions are a destination; they are instead an endless journey. Learning is a lifetime process, not an event.
As we examine and study how we learn, retain, and improve upon martial skills, we discover that initial learning of any new technique or movement needs to be performed slowly and deliberately, with daily repetition and with changes and modification over time. We need to vary our training schedules from day to day. Few people have the time between work, school, and/or family obligations to perform activities in all ten dimensions daily.
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2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1. Dao Yin/Breath Work
Martial Chi Kung/Iron Shirt
Tai Chi Chuan
Environment Training and Conditioning
Push Hands
Strength/Power Training
Weapons
Sparring/Fighting
Academic Study of the Arts
Prayer/Meditation
Once again, using Tai Chi Chuan as an example, I teach my students several different forms of Tai Chi Chuan. I invite students to study more than one style of Tai Chi Chuan from the five major family styles. I recommend that they study all three of the internal martial arts, including Hsing Yi and Pakua Chang. I teach students to practice slowly to improve style and accuracy, with strength and Fa Jing to develop power, and finally at full speed to test the other elements (style and power along with accuracy). I encourage students to incorporate striking skills, kicking, punching, elbows, shoulder strokes, etc., on various kinds of punching bags or shields. Many traditional martial artists were farmers or were engaged in some form of hard physical labor, but many contemporary students have desk jobs, so weight training is an important element of martial art training. There is a direct relationship between the ability to run (and specifically to sprint) that corresponds to overall body and hand speed. Therefore, our training should include moderate amounts of running and sprinting.
After a student has acquired proficiency in the Tai Chi form, they need to practice the form for style, power, and speed along with changing the form through executing the numerous applications of each posture. For example, through one performance of the form, they may extend each posture into an application and change the applications of the posture every time they practice the form. Each posture should also be practiced separately from the form, along with as many applications of the posture that the student has learned. The individual applications should be practiced slowly for accuracy and power (Fa Jing) and then for speed. Then the applications should be applied to push hands practice and sparring. The variations derived from combining the ten dimensions in a training schedule are limitless and will employ a serious student in the study of the martial arts for a lifetime.
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Advanced Talon Protectives student Mohamed Jabateh practicing a Kenpo knife form. The individual applications should be practiced slowly for accuracy and power (Fa Jing) and then for speed.
For this example and explanation, I have used Tai Chi Chuan because of its early adoption (several hundred years ago) of slow movements for the initial training process of students and because of that method’s proven success in contemporary evidence-based learning sciences. This same example may be applied to modern tactical and combative training.
In this article, I have talked about the failure of many traditional martial arts to prepare students for real-life violent and predatory situations. However, if these traditional martial arts taught their students the original and true skills and training methods of the past (such as Chin Na), this would not be the case. Everything needed for the traditional martial arts to be effective for combat and street worthiness has been available to instructors, but many instructors simply have not taught these skills to their students. Perhaps they never learned them. As one of my instructors taught me: “Greg, you cannot teach what you do not know, you cannot give a gift you do not possess."
Talon Protectives
Those of you that have been following my articles in Lift Hands magazine have seen my transition from the term “self-defense” to “self-protection.” I really think that the term self-defense is misleading and is an erroneous concept as it is misapplied to combat martial arts. I teach my students the principles of avoidance, threat assessment, evasion, and retreat, but also (when it is justified) preemptive, offensive, and catastrophic attacks. In an aggressive encounter, if someone states that they are going to kill you, believe them and take them out before they get the chance.
I run small classes for people of sound mental and emotional capacity who want to learn how to protect themselves from violent, bigger, stronger, and faster opponents. I call these small, specialized classes Talon Protectives. I teach students basic empty hand combat techniques that maim and kill. I also teach bladed weapons (such as the knife) as well as firearms. My students are often individuals who have experienced violent assault, domestic abuse, or rape. These are individuals who are not your “normal” traditional martial art or mixed martial art students and who do not have until 2030 to become proficient in the martial arts.
I teach my students five levels of threat assessment, and I suggest that human to human conflicts may be categorized into five categories. These categories do not necessarily have to flow from one to the other in numerical sequence; in fact, they rarely do. For example, a conflict may begin and end in the assertiveness stage, or a situation may suddenly begin with violence or predatory violence. Likewise, an initially assertive person who is not getting their way may become aggressive or violent.
These are the five categories that I break human to human conflict into:
1. Assertiveness – Healthy assertiveness is the personal expression of confident and affirming behavior. We may disagree with someone, but that disagreement does not necessarily to lead to aggressive behavior.
2. Aggression – Aggression is a demonstration of the beginning stages of physical and psychologic threat, bullying, and intimidation. Aggression is a domineering pursuit of one’s opinion, aims, interests and/or needs.
3. Forceful Aggression – Forceful aggression is a psychological manifestation of hostile behavior or attitudes toward another person or persons. It represents a readiness to attack, or it may become an actual physical attack that does not have the intent to cause serious harm, injury, or death.
4. Violence – Violence is the intent to inflict direct physical and psychological harm to another person through behavior that results in injury or death.
5. Predatory Violence – Predatory violence is a form of violence that is inflicted on a person by someone who is psychologically developed by circumstance, conditioning, and/or mental illness. Predators include individuals with aberrant behavior patterns, career criminals, sociopaths, and psychopaths.
I teach that actions against a violent or predatory assailant require a total commitment to inflict catastrophic injury by shutting down the neurological and cardiovascular systems of the attacker. This concept is not new or the property of any contemporary martial art, tactical or combative instructor. These types of techniques have been utilized in combat and warfare for centuries. In the Chinese martial arts, they are organized into what is called chin na, which means to grab or to seize. Some chin na techniques are taught as joint locks, but this is a more contemporary translation of chin na applications and one that does not meet my requirements for teaching effective self-protection skills. I was taught (and I teach) the more direct method of breaking, dislocating, or separating joints. Additionally, chin na techniques can be organized into those that attack nerves, blood vessels, organs, and chi. The attacks on meridian points are often associated with anatomically underlying nerves, blood vessels, or organs. I do not teach or utilize chi or meridian techniques that do not inflict immediate catastrophic
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damage to the human body.
We have already addressed the fact that the more complex a series of self-defense movements are, the less likely they are to be effective. I teach women and people who are not training themselves to fight in the ring or Octagon bladed weapons and chin na because students can learn these effective skills in a very short time. Talon Protective
What doesn’t work is teaching a 100-pound woman to punch a 200-pound man in the face…
What doesn’t work is teaching a 100-pound woman to punch a 200-pound man (who is five times stronger than her) in the face; she will probably break her hand and her slightly irritated attacker will break her. If your hands are not conditioned to punch (and even if they are), you will probably break them on some one’s face. Professional boxers and MMA fighters frequently break their hands even though they are wrapped and wearing gloves. Mike Tyson (Iron Mike) has broken his hands several times in the ring and in street fights. Try defending yourself if you managed to break your hand in the first few seconds of an assault with techniques that you learned in a cardio-kickboxing class.
Talon Protectives doesn’t utilize techniques designed for 24-year-old gym rats with godlike bodies, strength, and reflexes. It doesn’t take strength to gouge someone in the eye, just intent and skill; yet this is a highly effective technique. It is not difficult to learn how to stab a knife into the eye socket or the carotid artery. Almost no strength is needed, and the skill set can be learned in a very short time through simple drills taught slowly and repetitively. Many people, men and women alike, need real-life training in self-protection skills. These students may be small of stature, deconditioned, elderly, disabled, or dealing with personal health issues, but they still need and seek self-protection training.
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A student’s physical condition will define their range of motion, speed, balance, and endurance. In Talon Protectives, the student does not conform to the training; rather, the training conforms to the student. The quick flick of a knife across the face and eyes has been shown to be faster than an assailant attempting to draw a gun or other weapon, and it will be painful, maiming, and blinding. This is a technique that requires almost no strength or endurance, and the set up for the technique is more important than lightning speed. The length, weight, or type of knife used is not important either, and many students use a small two-inch blade neck knife for this application. Even a razor blade would get the job done.
As has been stated previously, many systems of martial arts, tactical and combative training are too complex and complicated; the learning curve is much too long, and the erosion of skill and ability over time is significant. The primary focus of Talon Protective is principles, not techniques. Talon Protective techniques and drills are based upon simple striking skills taken from other martial arts systems. For example, in Kosho Ryu Kenpo, there is a technique called finger flick. Finger flick is a fast flick of the fingers across the mask of the face and the eyes. When performed with as an empty hand technique, it is often used to set up another strike like a backfist or a palm to the head or jaw; when executed with a small concealable knife, it can cause pain or blindness; when delivered across the forehead, it can cause heavy bleeding downward into the eyes.
“Finger Flick” with a knife delivered across the forehead, it can cause heavy bleeding downward into the eyes.
An effective technique is to cut or slash whatever part of the assailant’s anatomy is reaching or striking to make contact with your head or face. For example, most often an assailant will unleash their attack with their hands or fists, and this makes them vulnerable to cuts or slashes across the fingers, fists, wrists, and forearms. If you can cut or slash your assailant in these areas there is normally a reflective reaction, much like when you burn your hand on a hot stove, to withdraw the damaged hand and arm. We train to follow the wounded limb as it is withdrawn and to attack points further up the arm, like the armpit or axillary region, or the neck or face.
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Below: We train to follow the wounded limb as it is withdrawn and to attack points further up the arm, like the armpit or axillary region, or the neck or face.
We also modify empty hand techniques from several martial arts including from internal styles like Tai Chi Chuan and Pakua Chang as well as Kosho Ryu Kenpo. An example of this is a Kenpo technique called The Anvil. In the empty hands version of this technique the hands are clasped together and driven into the face, throat, or solar plexus. In the modified knife version of this technique the hands are crossed at the wrist and the knife slashes horizontally across the throat.
Talon Protectives Principles of Conflict
The following concepts form some of the basic principles of Talon Protectives:
Avoid trouble and conflict.
Practice situational awareness.
If possible, disengage, retreat, and/or run.
Everyone has the capacity to defend themselves.
Everyone has the legal and moral right to defend themselves.
When it is time to act, act preemptively.
Conceal your weapons and your intent until it is time to attack.
Preemptive attacks must be anatomically specific, surgical, and catastrophic.
Possess a total commitment to inflict catastrophic injury.
When facing a threat or an aggressive individual, assume that you will have to defend yourself and prepare to do so.
Attack continuously and until the attacker is incapacitated.
Assume the worst, and train for the worst.
You are the weapon; the knife is a tool.
Don’t fear weapons — master them.
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Conclusion
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result. These words are usually attributed to the renowned Albert Einstein. This statement describes much of the training being presented to students in the martial art, tactical and combative community. As I see it, when training in a lethal combat system like Talon Protectives, the solution is not to repeat the same type of training that has been proven to be ineffective or to practice from a defensive victim mentality, but to change how we train and fight in conformity to current methods of education that pertain to how we humans learn new skills. I hope that this short article, my previous articles in this series, and similar articles I have written for Lift Hands magazine will serve as a catalyst for changing how students are trained to face potentially lethal encounters with violent predators. After all, we are not training students to play tennis or soccer; we are training them to face the worst day of their life and survive. You may not want to fight; you may hope that you will not have to fight, but you still must prepare to fight. Find the beast within you and be the beast!
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We are not training students to play tennis or soccer; we are training them to face the worst day of their life and survive. Find the beast within you and be the beast!
References
:
1. Amin, Hafeez Ullah & Malik, Aamir. (2014). Memory Retention and Recall Process. 10.1201/b17605-11.
2. Schmidt, R.A., Lee, T.D., Winstein, C.J., Wulf, G., & Zelaznik, H.N. (2019). Motor control and learning: A behavioral emphasis (6th ed). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
3. Soderstrom, N.C., & Bjork, R.A. (2015). Learning versus performance: An integrative review. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10, 176-199.
4. Swinnen, S.P., Schmidt, R.A., Nicholson, D.E., & Shapiro, D.C. (1990). Information feedback for skill acquisition: Instantaneous knowledge of results degrades learning. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 16, 706-716.
5. Liu, Y., Mao, L., Zhao, Y, & Huang, Y. (2018). Impact of a simulated stress training program on the tactical shooting performance of SWAT trainees. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 89, 482-489.
6. Information Processing Speed in Clinical Populations (Studies on Neuropsychology, Neurology and Cognition) 1st Edition by John DeLuca (Editor), Jessica H. Kalmar (Editor), July 24, 2015, Routledge, 27 Church Road, East Sussex, BN3 2FA, UK
7. Roediger, H.L., Nestojko, J.F., & Smith, N.S. (2019). Strategies to improve learning and retention during training. In M.D. Matthews & D.M Schnyer (Eds.) Human performance optimization: The science and ethics of enhancing human capabilities (pp. 302-332). Oxford University Press.
8. Shaolin Chin Na Fa: Art of Seizing and Grappling, by Liu Jin Sheng, Shan Wu, Shanghai, China, 1936 (Copyright Andrew Timofeevich 2005).
9. Clinical Review of Vascular Trauma 2014th Edition by Anahita Dua (Editor), Sapan S. Desai (Editor), John B. Holcomb (Editor), Andrew R. Burgess (Editor), Julie Ann Freischlag (Editor), Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014
Acknowledgement
I offer my sincere appreciation and thank you to Sifu John Aldred and students Erin Johnston, Abass Ali and Mohamed Jabateh for their capable assistance with this article and for serving as models for the photographs. Sifu John Aldred is a highly trained and skilled martial artist who has trained with me and beside me for over two decades in Tai Chi Chuan, Pakua Chang, and Kosho Ryu Kenpo. Abass Ali is a talented and dedicated martial artist who has trained with me for the past ten years. Erin Johnston is a new student who is pursuing training in Talon Protectives.
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Photography Attribution:
Credit for the exquisite and “edgy” photographs used in this article goes to professional photographer Lisa Hampton and her associate Emmerson Bissell. Once again, we turned the photoshoot into a “party” challenging the professional skills of photographer Lisa Hampton. Who would have thought that keeping a straight face or looking menacing would be both difficult and fun.
About the author:
Gregory T. Lawton, D.C., D.N., D.Ac. is a chiropractor, naprapath, and acupuncturist. He is the founder of the Blue Heron Academy of Healing Arts and Sciences where he teaches biomedicine, medical manual therapy, and Asian medicine. Dr. Lawton is nationally board certified in radiology, physiotherapy, manual medicine, and acupuncture.
The Blue Heron Academy was founded over forty years ago by Dr. Lawton as a training center for women in transition who were victims of rape, incest, and domestic abuse.
Since the early 1960s Dr. Gregory T. Lawton has studied and trained in Asian religion, philosophy, and martial arts such as aikido, jujitsu, kenpo/kempo, and tai chi chuan. Dr. Lawton served in the U.S. Army between 1965 and 1968 achieving the rank of Sergeant E-5.
Dr. Lawton’s most noted Asian martial art instructor was Professor Huo Chi-Kwang who was a student of Yang Shao Hou.
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Introduction
The Fa-jing Ch’uan Dim-mak Training Methods are an integral component of The Erle Montaigue System. These training methods were designed to teach a student the foundations of fa-jing, combined with dim-mak at both a theoretical and practical level. Further, they helped develop mind-body coordination, timing, the point of coordination, as well as attacking targets at a reflexive level.
There are 10 of these training methods in total. Each method increases in complexity and skill. Usually, students were only given a single method to practice and only after successful execution and understanding was the next one given. Each method is practiced on both sides. Some of the methods are trained 4* ways, whilst others only 2.** All the methods have a solo component, followed by a two-person method.
Each method requires that the body be totally loose — this does not mean that you hold it like a limp noodle, you must have internal tension in order to hold structure.
It is, of course, impossible to show the explosive nature of these methods using still photography since they literally take a split second to do and would simply be a blur. For those who are interested in learning these methods, it is best to seek out a teacher who is well-versed with them and can execute them as they are intended.
The students should not view these as techniques! They are training methods, which when understood will lead the student on to higher things. However, it is important that students don’t kid themselves! Evaluate your progression correctly. Don’t rush through these methods, because just when you think that you have understood one, to the diligent student, it will offer more!
The purpose here is to simply introduce these methods to the beginner, as well as to provide a reference point for those students who are already training under The Guild with either myself or Peter Jones.
A word of warning… the areas being targeted are extremely dangerous and can be fatal or cause serious injury! At no point should any of the primary target actually be struck [especially those located on the neck, eyes, the back of the head and the face in general]. Pull your strike in training! Power can be executed in the solo drill and or upon mitts with a partner.
* Right foot, right hand lead; Right foot, left hand lead; Left foot, left hand lead; left foot, right hand lead.
** Right and left side.
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———————————————-
Method One — An open side method
Solo
Starting with a reverse bow stance, simply allow your hands to hang in front of you about chest high [Figure 1]. As the waist turns to your left, your left hand strikes using the pisiform bone to the left. As you step forward with the right foot, the right hand strikes to the right as the waist turns to the right. Finally, as the waist turns back to the left, the left foot naturally drags up behind as the right hand snaps into a tiger-paw punch with the right leg kicking slightly backwards, and the waist finishes by turning back to the centre. The movement itself dictates the weight positioning as we finish slightly forward of 50/50 in favour of the front leg, ie, we are not double-weighted.
The solo drill is practiced explosively marching up and down the hall on both sides 4 ways.
Two-Person Method
Points struck are PC6 [Neigwan on both wrists, followed by a single-knuckle strike into either CV22 [pit of the throat] or ST9 [to the side of the Adam’s apple].
Pericardium [PC] 6
Stomach [ST] 9
Conceptor Vessel [CV] 22
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 4 Figure 3
Tiger Paw
Your partner stands in front of you holding a guard. They should be just outside your reach at a realistic distance! Your waist turns explosively to the left as the left hand strikes his right neigwan [Figure 5] in the direction towards his hand, immediately as you step with the right foot, your waist turns to the right striking his right neigwan [Figure 6], causing both his hands to explode outwards [this component is the key movement]. As your waist continues the shake back to the left, your back foot naturally drags up as your tiger paw [Single-knuckle] strikes him either at CV22 [the pit of the throat] or at ST9 to the side of the neck [Figure 7].
All the strikes must happen on the count of one! Waist movements are left, right, left and centring back to right.
Method Two — An open side method
Solo
Start in a reverse bow stance as in the previous method [Figure 8]. Your waist starts to turn to the left as your right hand moves up and across in an arc [Figure 9] with the palm facing outwards, as the waist continues to turn to the left the left hand moves up in an arc and immediately overtakes the right hand [Figure 10] with the palm facing inwards. The waist immediately turns back to the right taking the right hand with it as you step forward with the right foot [Figure 11]. As the waist turns back to the left, the left foot drags up naturally as the right hand strikes forwards with the knife-edge exposed [Figure 12]. The move finishes with the waist settling back to the centre.
All the rules of the previous method apply here too.
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Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7
Figure 8
Figure 9
Figure 11 Figure 10 Figure 12
Two-Person Method
Points struck are PC6 [Neigwan on both wrists, followed by a knife-edge strike to ST9 [to the side of the Adam’s apple].
Your partner stands in front of you holding a guard. Your waist turns explosively to the left as the right hand moves
Figure 13
Figure 14
Figure 15 Figure 16
up and across in an arc as your weight shifts slightly towards the rear leg [Figure 13] and strikes his neigwan [PC6] on his right arm. As the waist continues its turn to the left, the left hand instantly follows and over takes the right hand, and also strikes [PC6] using the back of the palm and part of the wrist [Figure 14]. As you step forward with your right foot, your waist turns to the right and the right hand slams into his left neigwan point [Figure 15]. Finally, as the waist turns back to the left, the right knife-edge shoots forward and strikes into ST9 [Figure 16], before settling back in the centre.
Once again, all the strikes happen on the count of one and the opening 3 strikes on his neigwan points should cause his hands to explode outwards. Waist movements are left, right, left and centring back to right.
Method Three — A closed-side Method
Solo
Figure 17
Figure 19 Figure 18 Figure 20
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Start in a reverse bow stance as in the previous method [Figure 17]. This time we are working on the closed side. All three strikes are carried out by the same hand!
Your waist turns to the right as your right hand strikes to the right with a back fist [Figure 18]. The waist immediately turns back to the left, you step forward with the right foot with your right hand forming a tiger paw as it whips up and across to the left [Figure 19]. Instantly, the waist shakes back to the right, as the right hand now rolls into a ‘dog-fist’ [see below] and whips to the right [Figure 20] as the back foot catches up.
Again, all 3 strikes are done on the count of one — an explosive movement of the waist right, left and right as the hand spirals upwards. This is a difficult dynamic. Like in all the methods, it is the body which is doing the strike following the Classic:
Starting from your foot, issue through your leg, directing it at your waist, and expressing it at your fingers.
Two-Person Method
Points struck are CO10 [Colon/Large Intestine] just below the elbow, followed by GV26 [Governing Vessel] below the nose and finally, GB3 [Gallbladder] in the temple area by the side of the head.
Colon/Large Intestine [CO/LI] 6
Dog-Fist: The arrows indicate the striking portion of the bottom 3 knuckles.
Your partner stands with their guard up. As your waist begins its shake to the right, the right back fist [using top two knuckles] strikes your partner on CO10 [Figure 21, reverse image below]. This causes their angle to change to their left. Instantly the waist continues to shake to the left as the left foot steps up and the right hand now ricochets and whips across under the nose, striking into GV26 [Figure 22] with a tiger paw. The waist now turns back to the right as the right tiger paw opens and the hand whips back to the right, closing and forming a dog-fist, with the last 3 knuckles striking into the temple [GB3].
All three of the above methods deploy a single fa-jing shake. As already stated above, the images here are for illustrative purposes only to show what is happening during the shake from a static perspective. It is not possible to show the method at full pace.
We will continue with the next three methods in Lift Hands Volume 25, available in March 2023.
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Figure 21
Figure 22 Figure 23
Image Source : Adobe Stock. Image by: people images.com
Sport injuries, including muscles, tendons and ligaments, may happen during all kind of martial arts training.
An acute injury can cause a short or long term termination of one’s training schedule. A chronic injury may result in a permanent inability for high-quality training because a martial artist in order to cope with his/her less functioning joints cannot execute the right movements. It is well known that small injuries that cause bearable, mild pain, as they accumulate, day by day, month by month, eventually provoke a bad impact. This kind of chronic injuries can also result to frustration and, most important, to long term kinetic problems.
Working as a doctor for the Women’s Water polo Team of Greece (1998 – 2004), I observed that the following measures helped a lot and protected the athletes from severe injuries, despite the fact that they used to have five to six hours of training daily.
Warm up — Stretching
Warming up improves blood and oxygen supply. It is essential even in anaerobic effort. We have to start with mild effort in slow motion in order to give the ‘information’ to our body that a strong effort is coming up sooner or later. Blood flow increases gradually which is more effective in muscle protection.
Stretching always follows warm up and never precedes it. It is dangerous to extend a stiff ‘rubber’! Since this part of training is very important, teachers need to insist in focused, gentle movements which include the entire body. Muscles that support or rotate our body (abdominal, dorsal) should be prepared and stretched in order to avoid low back pain. Weapons training stress the wrist, elbow and shoulder joints; therefore, we cannot forget to prepare them also.
Stretching is done slowly and with caution. When an agonist muscle is contracting, the antagonist is stretching. For example, when quadriceps femoral is contracting, the biceps femoral is stretching, which means that contraction needs to be executed slowly. For example, the front kicks.
Basic Techniques (Kihon)
Perform basic techniques slowly. Teacher supervision protects the martial artists from injuries, especially when they hold a weapon long or short, light or heavy, with one or two hands. Any wrong movement can cause an injury (acute or chronic) when one makes a high number of repetitions in training.
When someone holds a weapon with both hands (Bo, Eiku) wrong movement of one hand, provokes the other hand, or even the whole body to make an unorthodox movement in order to compensate. For these reasons teachers need to be meticulous from the very beginning of the training. Basic techniques need to be done slowly, at the beginning, and/or during the course of the training.
I had the privilege to meet a great Serbian water polo coach, Nikola Stamenic*, who had already won Olympic and World Championship medals.
I recall him saying: “I deeply respect budo training. It always starts with the very first, simple techniques. Budokas, no matter the rank they have to do the techniques so many times as if it was their first lesson.”
I also remember the training of Serbia’s National Team before a World Championship tournament. The players started with one meter distance passing balls. How many times must they have done this simple technique during their career! And, believe me, they were great players. They started slowly, under the supervision of their coach. Gradually they increased the distance and the speed of passing the ball. They did the same with shooting the ball. After one hour the quality was enormous. I felt so lucky watching a high quality training which started as kindergarten training. “Wrong technique provokes injury, at least” he used to say. So, good technique, it starts from the basics and it is essential in order to avoid injuries.
Teachers need to emphasize smoothness, focus (kime), timing and breathing for the same reason. Stiffness at the beginning of the movement is not good for the muscles, tendons and joints. Martial artists need to execute a single technique or a series of techniques that kata requires with 100% focus on each movement. It is especially essential when a martial artist is training with a weapon. Repetitive poorly executed techniques may cause repetitive minor injuries that finally, after months or years may cause severe inability.
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Strength Development
Strength development is a part of training that can be performed after the warm-up and stretching, and/or before basic techniques and kata training. Nevertheless, it can also be done as extra training. Isotonic exercises such as the use of elastic bands dumb bells and/or free weights are useful. Also, training using only one’s body weight such as push-ups, squats and pull-ups is essential. This sort of training builds up strong muscles, tendons and ligaments; and, subsequently strong joints. Also, strong muscles improve the movement of the body, along with the speed, which is important when someone uses a heavy weapon.
Post Training – Relaxing
Muscles need to be relaxed after training. Metabolic products need to be eliminated. For this reason, someone needs to have time to repeat the stretching exercises done at the beginning of the lesson, and teachers need to be aware of that. They should insist and supervise martial artists during this part of training. After strong effort one needs to get rid the metabolic products, especially oxygen radicals, by improving topical blood flow, via stretching. Otherwise muscles will remain stiff until the next lesson making things more difficult. Stiff muscles can be the reason of non-expected tendonitis after several days or weeks. It is imperative that teachers and coaches include post-training relaxing in their lessons.
Sport physiology and traumatology is a specialty that analyses, among other issues, the protection from injuries. I strongly believe that teachers can participate in that protection with the knowledge and skills they have, by insisting on them and highly supervise their students. Although injuries are inevitable, they can be mild, and the time of rehabilitation very short, following these simple rules.
** Doctor Dimitrios Zacharopoulos Anesthesiologist (Ret.)
Aghia Sofia Children’s Hospital Athens, Greece
* Nikola Stamenic, also known as “The General," is a Serbian water polo coach widely considered as one of the greatest coaches in water polo history.
https://prabook.com/web/nikola.stamenic/2104053
** Since 1973, Dr. Zacharopoulos has studied Judo, Hakko Ryu Jujutsu, Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu Karate Do and Ryu Kyu Kobudo.
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“The best horses in the world have natural abilities, when they walk slowly they seem to be in a state of forgetfulness, when they gallop fast, they run like wind and leave the dust far behind, but they do not know where such skills come from.”
Icame across Howard Choy’s The Feng Shui Architect's Blog, accidentally whilst researching for an article I was writing several years ago. The article — Whose Line Is It Anyway? [Part one of which was published in Lift Hands Volume 10, June 2019] — would go on to become a book, something which I had never originally envisioned, in 2021.
The ‘article’ I had stumbled upon was entitled, Discipleship, Snake Style Taijiquan and Erle Montaigue. It wasn’t really an article, but rather a question he had been asked and he had written down his response on his blog. Although brief, it contained a treasure trove of history [“… a first-hand record of what went on in the 70s and 80s as compare[d] to now, from my perspective,” as Howard Choy put it].
The main thing which had caught my eye originally was the name of Erle Montaigue, my teacher, in the title. Erle had passed away a couple of years earlier, so it intrigued me to say the least. Howard wrote that he “knew Erle quite well,” when they were both living in Sydney and that he would regularly practice with him and his students every Sunday.
He also went on to confirm that Erle had been offered ‘discipleship’ by the Yang family [in 1981] — as had he, himself, earlier! Both had declined the offer which was based upon serious financial commitments and not on merit or for the sake of the art. Howard Choy states this clearly… “Looking back, when discipleship is based on a financial arrangement with a territorial right and not on genuine commitment to the art and skill, it seldom works out well.”
I had argued this very point in Whose Line Is It Anyway? — A point to which we will return a little further down the line.
Having read Howard Choy’s blog, further questions arose in my mind and I hoped to contact him. However, as always, life seems to get in the way. I eventually became preoccupied with my own school and pathway post Erle’s death in 2011, until I finally walked away from his organization in 2016. I have covered this period extensively in my articles and books — no need to regurgitate stuff here! Of course, 2016 was also the year I began Lift Hands Magazine, the purpose of which initially was to get things of my own chest. The magazine grew organically and has become a small phenomenon in such a short space of time, thanks to the several wise heads who joined me!
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Self-Portrait by Howard Choy
Zhuangzi
During the global pandemic lockdown, I started organising my notes and in 2021, I published Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Whilst going through my notes, I was reminded of Howard Choy. I hoped that he was alive and healthy [Covid sadly took many lives as we know] and decided that if he was agreeable, I’d interview him for the magazine. From his blog, I knew that he was living in Berlin and initially I thought of flying across and meeting him in person — again, if agreeable. Alas! Once again, life had other plans and I had to shelve the idea of flying out, however, I was determined to make contact and had envisaged the December 2022 issue in which to place the interview, if it were possible.
Finally, in November, I managed to find a way to contact Howard, thanks to social media [there were no direct contact details on his blog which I could find and it appeared it hadn’t been updated in a while]. I wrote to him excitedly and introduced myself and asked him if he would do the magazine the honour of interviewing him either online or via email?
He replied rather promptly, “Hi Nasser, it is easier if you can send your questions here and I will try to answer you asap, when I have a bit of free time.”
I had Colin Power — my brother from another mother — visiting me from Australia during the month of November, I excitedly told him to sit and watch some TV whilst I ran up to my study to format the questions. As soon as I had finished formatting the questions, I sent them and within 48 hours, I had received them back in an extensive ordered reply!
Howard Choy’s answers were illuminating and matter of fact in his telling. There was much in his answers which I already knew, however, his replies had shed further light on one or two things for myself. What stood out for me the most though were his answers to questions pertaining to Yang Shouzhong — the eldest son of Master Yang Cheng-fu. They appear, at least in my personal opinion to indicate a family in decline, “…teaching for a living” and “not that much interested in what the students are doing…” with lessons being “strictly business”!
Howard Choy had been a private student of Yang Shouzhong between 1978–1980 in Hong Kong!
His views on ‘family’ and ‘lineages’ as well as other things coincided with my own.
As I have mentioned above, I had argued this very point myself in Whose Line Is It Anyway? Further in an interview a few years back with Combative Corner, I discussed the myth of lineages. A lineage does not necessarily translate into knowledge or understanding. A person sharing the same name as Einstein [through blood or otherwise], or being taught by him doesn’t automatically inherit his intelligence or knowledge!
— I was asked:
What's one of the biggest martial arts myth(s) that you wish more people knew the truth of?
I had replied:
Whilst there are many obvious ones that will come to most people’s mind like, for example, no touch knockouts, I’m going to be a little controversial here and say the myth of lineages!
Whenever, I come across a discussion I see folk instantly bring lineage into the conversation and the authenticity of their line and as if this somehow places their knowledge and skill above others. Authenticity of the skill and knowledge of the master does not necessarily translate to knowledge skill, full-transmission and understanding to their students or off-spring!
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Yang Shouzhong
A teacher should be looked upon with merit according to their own skill and understanding of the subject matter — Yes, of course their pedigree will and should matter — but one should not take their pedigree/lineage alone as a confirmation of their knowledge and skill or that they have received full-transmissions. The Yangs of old taught tens of thousands in their lifetimes, yet we only have a handful of their students who rose to the challenge to continue their art and in most cases these students were not necessarily their natural off-spring! Majority of their students fell by the wayside, or trained slackly, or left too soon to set themselves up as ‘masters’ — this is something which is confirmed in the historical documents which have survived.
Sadly, we also have ample examples in history where lineages have been bought or sold and do not necessarily represent skill or knowledge. Equally, after the cultural revolution, once the ‘bamboo curtain’ went up, many martial artists set themselves up in Taiwan, Hong Kong and in the West claiming ‘masterships’ or lineages of renowned families in China, when this simply wasn’t true. Some had only trained with them for a few months or even weeks and later claimed they had been disciples for a number of years!
Self-appointed masterships continue to this day and lineages can be bought with martial arts having become a multi-billion pound industry and business.
So, beware the myth of a lineage!
Howard’s answers had also reminded me of an article I had read a few years back, authored by the late Gabriel Chin — Can We Tell The Truth? — which appeared in the book, Nei Jia Quan: Internal Martial Arts, Teachers of Taijiquan, Xing Yi Quan and Ba Gua Zhang, published in 2004 by Jesse O’Brien, in which he writes:
What is “Tai Ji Quan”?
In a way this question has no answer... it is because Tai Ji Quan is now — how shall we put it — a kind of business, so some sharp dealers try very hard to include a whole lot of foolish Chinese stories, traditions and mythology. In a way the purpose is to decorate it, or apply some make-up, but when the make-up is overdone, Tai Ji has lost its true form.
Very unfortunately, at the time Tai Ji started to invade Western culture, it came in as a kind of commercial goods... The purpose of doing business is to make money. So as long as one can make money, let the end justify the means. Also, we all know, packaging is very important to any product, so Tai Ji with mythology as packaging has more persuasive power. Thus the Western nations, especially English-speaking Americans with the business idea, changed their traditional attitude toward the scholastic research. Instead of trying to search for the facts and truth, Tai Ji merchants adopted the Chinese business principle which is, “I say so because I know it’s so. If you cannot disprove me then what I said is true.”... According to the fundamentalist belief, you’re not supposed to know why, and you’re not supposed to express whether you understand or not, you just go ahead and believe... To this extent the English-speaking people have to take a certain responsibility.
We lament today, how martial arts are run primarily as a business with the arts themselves, sadly, not even taking second place. Yet, it would appear that the phenomena is not new, it started a long, long time ago with the difference being that today, we can disseminate that commercialism at a far quicker rate in the age of the internet!
However, as always, I digress!
The interview is in two parts.
The first part deals primarily with Yang Shouzhong, Yang Taiji and Erle. Part two contains our traditional 20 Questions.
Having read Howard Choy’s answers to the 20 Questions, made me wish even more that I had carried out the interview in person! For myself, personally, his answers represent a grand soul, with many more stories to tell… stories which I would have happily sat listening to late into the night and the early hours of the morning!
The interview appears here in its entirety — unedited, with nothing omitted. In a couple of places I have added a footnote to clarify or expand on a point — that’s all.
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So, who is Howard Choy?
In brief, Howard Choy [Cai Hong in Mandarin and Choy Hung in Cantonese], is a practicing martial artist and architect born in Guangdong, China, raised in Sydney Australia, and currently residing in Berlin. His training resume reads like a Who’s Who — having been a private student of Yang Shouzhong and since 1993 began his training in Chen Style with no less than Chen Xiaowang. I will let him continue…
Part One
LH: Welcome to Lift Hands Magazine Shifu Choy! It is an honour to have you here and share your valuable time with our readership. How old were you when you began your martial arts training and what made you want to train in Taijiquan?
HC: My parents sent me from Hong Kong to my grandfather in Sydney Australia, when I was only 13+, to continue my education, I missed home very much at the time and looked for something “Chinese” to do. Subsequently, I met up with an old gentleman (Oldman Chan), who said he studied Taijiquan in Shanghai with Yang Cheng-fu, so I went to see him every week and started to learn Taijiquan with him. After a while, it turned out that he only remembered the first section of the Yang long form, being a student in a class of 100s of students, but that was enough to stimulate my life-long interest in the Chinese Qi energetics.
LH: You trained as a private student with no less an authority then Master Yang Shouzhong — the eldest son of the legendary Yang Cheng-fu… what was it like to train with him and how did you get to meet and train with him in the first place?
HC: After Oldman Chan, I met up with Li Iu-ling, to first continue to study Taijiquan and then Choy Lee Fut (CLF) kung-fu with him. He also did some group class with Yang Cheng-fu, when he came down to Guangzhou to teach with his son, Yang Shou-chung, in a Buddhist temple called Dafo Si. When I finished my architectural study in 1978 and went to work in Hong Kong, he said I should look up Yang Shou-chung, and I did with a letter of introduction from him.
When I first contacted the Yang family, it was Mrs. Yang who returned my phone call, via the Australian architectural firm that I worked for at the time, she asked for my background and much to my surprise, she also checked out, through the office-manager, roughly how much I earned being an expat!
LH: What was Master Yang, himself, like?
HC: The feeling I have, for the duration of the two years that I studied with him, was that he was teaching for a living, he was not that much interested in what the students are doing, for example, he seldom physically demonstrates a movement in front of me, he instructed in Mandarin with a heavy accent, what my body and limbs should be doing, and corrected me by adjusting my postures while I am holding a pose. When I asked him how a movement is used in fighting, he said to look up his father’s book on applications.
While I was there, I never met another student, even though I went there two times a week for the two years. Once I got smart and waited until another student after me to turn up and then knocked on the door, but they never answered the door, so I waited for the other private student after me to finish his class, to catch him on the stairway and to have a chat with him. It turned out that he was a Chinese expat dentist from Canada and he has been studying a year longer than me, and he is now into the long form, after the standard 108 Yang family form that I was learning as well.
Looking back, in the end, I learned the Yang family movements thoroughly, but nothing else much more than that.
LH: You knew my teacher Erle Montaigue when he was living and teaching in Sydney. How would you describe your relationship with him?
HC: We had a friendly relationship, we joked and laughed a lot and I remembered we went to the Sydney Observatory Hill to practice push-hands each Sunday morning, and I encouraged him to teach instead of making music, which earns a lot less regular income than teaching Taijiquan a few times a week and he had a family to support. I was reluctant to keep up with the friendship when he made the decision to be controversial,
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Howard Choy
rather not to be known at all. I thought he behaved badly when he stormed out of a demonstration by Huang Sheng-shyan in Surrey Hills, yelling at the top of his voice, because one of his top students, Tony Ward, had decided to switch camp and went to study with Huang instead of staying with him, as his disciple and assistant.
LH: Erle trained under Master Chu King-Hung in London in the 70s before going on to train with Chang Yiuchun (a student of Yang Shou-hou). He was originally invited by Master Yang to come train with him in 1979 an offer he took up in 1981 when he went to visit Master Yang in Hong Kong, accompanied by Master Chu as per custom… were you still in Hong Kong at the time or had you moved on?
HC: No, I was not there in 1981, I returned home to Sydney already by then.
LH: Erle was offered to become the Yang Family representative — something you have already verified in one of your blogs — as were you yourself… and you both refused! Erle told me that he refused on principle after being told about the financial arrangements. Was this typical? What I mean is, did merit and skill of the student not matter over the financial contributions?
HC: It was not only the financial arrangement, paying Yang Sou-chung USD 30,000 and collect membership fees every year for him to become his disciple, which would have put a lot of strain on my family and my work, but the fact that I did not feel I know enough about his Taijiquan to be his family representative in Australia, that stopped me from taking up the offer.
LH: When you trained with Master Yang, was your training martial oriented or primarily health based? Did Master Yang teach any of the old methods or forms usually associated with his uncle Yang Shou-hou?
HC: No, it was not martial orientated, nor it was health orientated either and we never talked about fighting nor applications, nor any health-related stuff, nor anything associated with his uncle Yang Shou-hou. I was just learning the form and he corrected me a couple of times, re-starting from the beginning to the end, movement by movement. There were no warm-ups, no small-talks and no applications, it was strictly business doing the form over and over again during each of the one-hour private lessons. We have never gone overtime once in the two years.
LH: In Taijiquan, we have the large two-person San-Shao (Pauchui)… Erle was also taught a small San-shao by Master Chu, based upon the postures of Grasp Sparrow’s tail up to and including Single Whip. This was corrected by Master Yang in Hong Kong during Erle’s visit. He also gave him further tips on the training method. Erle was under the impression based upon what had been intimated by Master Chu that Master Yang had developed this method based upon The 13 Dynamics in order to add a more Yang training element for the student’s study. Are you familiar with this training method as there are not many people practicing it or even aware of it?
HC: No, I am not familiar with this small San-shao by Chu and I am not aware that Yang Shou-chung teaches this technique either. I think it would have come from Chu or someone else and not from the Yang family. I remembered when I asked Yang Shou-chung about the different training techniques that I have seen in the different books, magazines and videos, his reply was like Fu Zhong-wen, that everything that you’ll need to know, is in the Yang family form, there is no two-man practice form of any kind, nor there is an old form or a fast form. The so-called long form is just that, more repetitions.
I have a feeling that Chu, and Erle for that matter, made up a lot of the stuff, to continue to make a living out of his students and to hold onto them. It is a natural evolution, if Taijiquan is to become a financial pursue. Chen Xiao-wang and Chen Yong-fa, as far as I know, do the same, made up different routines all the time, for the students to practice their skills, in a different way.
LH: Upon Master Yang’s death in 1985, you went to visit all his disciples… why did Master Chu refuse to see you in person and why was Yang Ma-Lee such a divisive figure?
HC: I went to see Ip Tai-tek first with Chen Yong-fa (CLF fifth generation direct descendant) and I had an “incident” with Ip, on the rooftop of his house in Pok Fu Lam, it was by accident, which was not meant to be, I was there to learn. I think Chu may have heard of this and avoid to see me, for I could be troublesome, but this is only my guess, I don’t know why and he did not tell me why he does not want to see me, every time I asked him, he said I should see Ma-Lee instead and I did, in her house in Causeway Bay.
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HC: Ma-Lee received me with her husband and Mrs. Yang was also there at the time, I did not find her to be a divisive figure, she was cordial and friendly to me, but I would imagine a lot of Yang Shou-chung’s students and the 3 recognized disciples, would not think she has the skill to take over the family role.
I also went to see Chu Gin-soon in Boston, trying to continue my study in Yang Taijiquan, Chu had some impressive students, but in the end, it was Chen Xiaowang, who taught me more about Taijiquan than any other teachers that I had before and after him.
LH: There are folks teaching the Yeung Family Style Taiji as opposed to the Yang Family Style Taiji here in the UK (and elsewhere) claiming that the Yeung Family Style is the Taiji taught only to family members and the Yang Style being a commercial version! Would you agree with that? Or is it, as I and others believe, merely a con by unscrupulous teachers — semantics — since Yeung is simply the Chinese way of saying Yang, into duping students to come train with them? What’s interesting is that those who claim this are in no way related to the Yang family, so it also begs the question why non-family members would be taught this if it was for family only?
HC: My experience tells me not to get caught with “family” and “lineage,” yet all my major studies are with lineage holders, in CLF, in Chen and in Yang Taijiquan. Just because they are lineage holders or from the family, it does not guarantee that you will get the best tuition, paying a lot of money will only give you a false sense that you are getting the genuine stuff, because not everyone from the family or from the lineage got what it takes. It depends on the individual and on your luck, I suppose. Looking back, I did not get “it” from Yang Shou-chung, I got “it” from Chen Xiao-wang and Chen Yong-fa instead.
LH: My teacher Erle, himself, had become controversial when he started teaching what he described as the Old Yang Style Taiji way back in the early 80s. Many masters said that there was no such thing, however, archival and historical documentation now clearly shows modifications had been carried out by Master Yang Cheng-fu between 1914-27 to his family style to make it easier for the masses and that there was clearly older and more martial versions of Long Boxing… Erle performed this at the National Wushu Championships in Yinchuan in 1985 in the presence of Master Fu Zhongwen, and was awarded his Mastership by Master Wang Xinwu (VP of The China Wushu Committee)— a disciple of Fu and acknowledged by Master Fu.
What is your view upon the various divisions within Yang Style Taiji?
HC: My personal view resonates with the Chinese philosophical concept of Ti-Yong, or Principle-Function, or simply Body-Usage. Taijiquan, as the name implied, is based on the Taiji Principles and every style within the Yang, as well as within the Chen, the Song, the Fu, or whatever other schools people wanted to make up, whether old and new, traditional or modern, have the same principles and they are the same, but the look, the routine, the application and the usage can differ from master to master, since everyone is different in body and mind. How effective and how efficacious they can be depended on the person and not on the style, the family, or the lineage holder, or otherwise. I cannot do what my teachers do, I have to learn from them and then internalize to make it my own, otherwise it would not be genuine nor “ziran” (being self-thus). My take is if we want to be good at something, we have to spend the time and have the dedication to stay with it, there are no other hidden secrets, except to keep at it, as far as I am concerned.
LH: How do you see the future of Taijiquan?
HC: It depends on what people want, Taijiquan can be a martial art, a health and healing exercise, a Qigong form and even an artistic expression, the principles underlying Taijiquan are very comprehensive and holistic, we can even use the Taiji principles in business and in our daily life, like how to feel secure and peaceful with ourselves and how to keep a relationship alive and lasting. We name it and the Taijiquan principles can come to our rescue, provided that we can understand what they are, deeply and profoundly, the rest is technical.
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Part Two
LH: Thank you so much sir for your answers. In this part, these are fun questions to find out a bit more about the person. You can be as detailed as you like.
If you could have personally witnessed anything, what would you want to have seen?
HC: Master Chu King-hung* throw me off balance, standing third from the front of a long queue of his students!
LH: What would you do if you were invisible for a day?
HC: Watching Yang Shou-chung practicing his form in his Wan Chai studio**.
LH: As a child, what did you wish to become when you grew up?
HC: An artist!
LH: What animal best represents you and why?
HC: A pig, because that is my Zodiac animal, and that is what heaven has dictated to me.
* Many ‘masters’ demonstrate such ‘prowess’ of their qi in order to impress their students or prospective students. These are nothing more than circus tricks with the students usually either in on the act, or being vulnerable to suggestion! Part of the reason why Erle stopped training with Chu was due to this chicanery! Unfortunately, this continues in most forms of martial arts.
** Master Yang Shouzhong [Shou-chung] never publicly demonstrated his form, nor allowed anyone to photograph or film him doing it. His instructions were verbal. This was confirmed to me by Erle whilst recounting his visit to Master Yang in Hong Kong in 1981. There is only a very poor quality film purporting to showing him demonstrate the Yang Long Form, as well as images contained in his book, Practical Use of Tai Chi Chuan: Its Application and Variations.
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LH: What is your greatest strength or weakness?
HC: My greatest strength is my desire to be loved, and my greatest weakness is also my desire to be loved.
LH: What is your favourite memory of any one of your grandparents?
HC: My paternal grandfather sitting on a chair, after a long and hard day’s work in the Chinese market garden he owns, smoking a “Camel” cigarette and drinking a bottle of his favorite stout.
LH: How do you want to be remembered?
HC: An ordinary person walking by at a given space and time, like the seasons passing by. Perhaps I have left something worthwhile behind.
LH: What have you always wanted and did you ever get it?
HC: I have always wanted a wife that I will never get bored with, and I have one. I am a lucky man!
LH: Do you know your heritage?
HC: I know a little bit of my Chinese heritage, but I would like to know more.
LH: Are you still learning who you are?
HC: I am learning that there are more than one of me, it depends on where I am, what I am doing and whom I am with. Right now, I am a writer, answering your questions, in half an hour’s time, when I finished, I will become a chef, cooking dinner for my wife before she comes home, and then hopefully, I can turn into a lover from a cook, instantly.
LH: What, if anything, are you afraid of and why?
HC: I am afraid that I will lose my bodily function as I gradually grow older, since I cannot participate in life fully, but I hope I can learn to cope with it, somehow.
LH: What is the most memorable class you have ever taken?
HC: A CLF self-defense class, when this technique that I have been practicing day after day actually works, my opponent went off flying and I have only been doing CLF for a short while.
LH: What book has influenced you the most?
HC: Many books have influenced me during different stages of my life, right now I am reading Burton Watson’s translation of Zhuangzi and I can feel my thoughts are turning.
LH: What ridiculous thing has someone tricked you into doing or believing?
HC: Tricked me into believing that all I’ll need is intention, I found out later that is not enough, intention without action is just hot-air.
LH: Who or what has been the greatest influence in your life?
HC: Slowly I realized it is my father, I never saw him much and I never talked to him much either before he died, and I wish I had, but as I get older, I find myself become more and more like him, somehow, each day.
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LH: What is the craziest thing one of your teachers has done or made you do?
HC: Insisted that I can handle 5 or 6 people pushing me at the same time and I will not be pushed over. Somehow, I managed and I learned from this unusual experience that it is our fear that makes us weak, the skill is needed but it is not the only criteria.
LH: When did you screw everything up, but no one ever found out it was you?
HC: Never, I always got found out, it must have shown on my face.
LH: If someone made a movie of your life would it be a drama, a comedy, a romantic-comedy, action film or science fiction?
HC: It would be a dramatic science fiction with an action and romance plot but ended up as a comedy.
LH: If you could select one person from history and ask them one question — who would you select and what would the question be?
HC: I would ask Krishnamurti, why did you keep your clandestine love affair secret for 25 years, when I have put you on a pedestal?
LH: How would you describe your art in ten words or less?
HC: “I tried my best; the rest is my fate”.
LH: Thank you so much for your generosity of time and detailed answers to the questions sir. I have enjoyed each and every one of them and concur wholeheartedly with your words, and I’m sure our readers will too. I hope that we can hear from you in future issues too.
HC: Thank you for the opportunity for me to reflect, I enjoyed the opportunity very much in answering your questions.
All images in this article appear courtesy of Howard Choy. Further information regarding classes etc can be found at shou-yi.org
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Iremember to an extent getting caught up in the biggest amount of bullshit dojo politics I’ve ever seen. My memory is hazy on this one. One of my instructors had taken time off for personal reasons and had come back to training. Sensei Daz was coaching him while I, and the other black belts were running classes. Over time this began to create friction and upset since almost all the black belts were becoming unhappy with not being taught or given chance to learn since they were effectively coaching (or managing the kids). My then friend at the time expressed his concerns and put it to me to try and talk about it. I’ll spare the details but trying to be an intermediary in this whole mess was a shithouse idea. I got dragged into the argument directly after expressing my own opinions.
I was stripped of my Sandan grade and knocked down to 3rd Kyu. A decision I later was told was to encourage me to quit. I was already going through a rough time after discovering I had epilepsy and it subsequently being a bigger barrier to living a normal life than I thought. I often think back to that situation, the ugliness and cruelty of it. In my darker moments when the bad thoughts kick in, I regret my decision to stay and carry on training. This whole event I think is responsible for the duality of emotions I feel towards training even now.
I distinctly remember my next session back. Putting that brown belt on. The strange looks I was given by everybody. It sent an obvious message to everybody else. Hindsight is 20/20 and it tells me now that this is when the club began to really fracture.
I have mentioned this situation a couple times to folks. Much like here I omit a lot of the bullshit. I always get the same question, “Why did you stay?”
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With Steve Lowe TSKC
Simple answer, I had an unwavering faith in Sensei Westwood. I was convinced it was the right decision he made (or maybe I had to convince myself that). I couldn’t give up on something that was such a big part of me. My martial arts was the only thing of any value to me as a person, so maybe I was trying to hold on to that one thing that gave me some self-worth. Maybe a part of me needed to prove to everybody else that I was worth my grade (I’d already heard the ‘he was graded too quickly,’ ‘we made a mistake with him’ etc). Ultimately where else would I have gone? I was piss poor and couldn’t have afforded in any capacity to go anywhere or do anything else. But above everything, I felt I’d let my hero down; I desperately felt a need to redeem myself in his eyes.
I believe it was around a year later I was given my belt back. I can’t remember fully but I think it was my Shodan I was given back first. My Sandan I believe didn’t come until much later (again I can’t fully remember this). I do know I wept a little in that lesson.
Time carried on and so did I. I moved away for a while and spent a good chunk of time out of the dojo while I was living in Kidsgrove. I became a father, sank deep into depression, and struggled for work all through that year. Then I spent around another year homeless, more depressed, and more hopeless. I tried to get to the dojo when I could (when I was back in Tipton). It was a really dark time.
It was during that year that I attempted suicide by overdose. I remember sitting in the hospital bed after having chucked my guts up, taste of charcoal in my mouth. Sensei Daz visited, “Well was that worth it?” He was still there for me.
That incident had served to burn my last bridge though. I’d called in any favours I was owed by that point. Fortunately, it wasn’t long after we had a home and things started to stabilise. I even got back into the dojo. Things had changed a fair bit though. We had a few black belts leave by this point, some unhappy, or too injured (not from training), or too busy. A lot changed while I was away and even now my memory is an absolute wreck of those events.
I still kept training though. Kept my own abilities sharp as I could, did my best to attend around work. My attendance at the dojo around this time did start to wane though, besides that I was losing interest. I wasn’t learning anything new and when I did show up for classes it was usually a case of ‘here you go, coach the class’ or ‘here you go, coach these new kids.’ After a long day working including cycling miles to and from work you just don’t want that. Eventually I just stopped attending. I can’t remember if it was before or during my (still training/studying at home) absence that I graded to yondan. Again I’ve not got much memory of this grading save that it was a tough one because I was physically not in as good a shape as I was when I took my sandan.
I’d lost my spark and had sunk into a very deep depression after losing a fairly basic job as a metal polisher. My epilepsy had almost caused me an accident at a lathe and I had to give up on that type of work and start looking at something else. During this period of time I ended up doing a little volunteering.
I remember responding to a little advert looking for someone to coach martial arts for a community group. I took it on as a cash in hand thing to do in my spare time while I looked for work. Extra money for nappies and milk. This one thing became the spark that eventually built to me having my own dojo now. I couldn’t maintain the coaching for an indefinite amount of time since the depression I was dealing with was an almost insurmountable beast at the time. Some months passed after I had to stop and I felt the itch to get back to coaching, more as something to do to distract me than anything.
I approached the studio I was coaching at previously to check availability, I sorted my insurance, safeguarding, booked the space and went for it. With Sensei Westwood’s help I was away as a coach. It was demanding work. Looking back I wasn’t fully ready for it; I was coming home physically and emotionally exhausted most nights. The kids gave me motivation though, I couldn’t let them down. My first class included my first ever student when I volunteered previously (she is still currently training with me since she wouldn’t go to anyone else), my nephew, youngest sister, my eldest son (who was really only there to soak up the atmosphere and run around since he was a toddler) and a couple of people who’d responded to some very basic advertising. It was in a fairly small dance studio, with not much in the way of mats. I built up a nice little class fairly quickly and really got my spark back for martial arts in general.
It remained difficult. A couple hours in a class was wiping me out. But it started to feel like I had some sort of purpose again. I would attend the main dojo when I could which always seemed to be losing people.
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Over a year or so I’d moved locations to a larger school hall space, gained some kids, lost some kids. I couldn’t get any adults in my classes (and unfortunately still don’t now) which was always a bit disconcerting. At the time I was doing this I wasn’t really developing too much as a martial artist, but I was as a coach. In learning to coach things, I found I was developing deeper understanding of certain things (especially when I was writing notes or lesson plans on how to coach certain principles).
The timeline is fuzzy but somewhere around this period is when I blagged my way onto an amateur MMA undercard in Bolton. I was still out of work and Christmas was looming. Through a lot of bullshit I got a paid fight. I fought a chap named Matt Parker (I think) in a catchweight bout. I had zero prep time, zero experience in competing MMA. I made weight to fight a guy bigger than me who was much more prepared. I lost that fight at the end of the first round to an arm bar. After this, I started training at the UTC in Erdignton (yes still piss poor and out of work, living that early days Conor McGregor lifestyle but without the opportunities). I picked up a lot there working on Boxing, Muay Thai, and BJJ; that is until they shut down. It all complimented my karate and further helped improve my skillset.
Around that time is when I took over the coaching at the main dojo and merged my club into it. I wasn’t happy with the school hall (or more specifically the company left managing it) and the main club was struggling. Sensei Nath was uninterested in coaching, Sensei Daz had all but stopped attending due to work so there was only me left to do it. I didn’t want my home dojo to die so I stepped in and stepped up.
The club grew fairly well at this time and things were looking at least stable. I think around this time is when I started to attend seminars and events properly and moved into the next stage of my martial arts journey proper.
Ironically, I met some of the best folks and made some solid friendships through a Jessie Enkamp seminar. I attended his first ever UK seminar, which was honestly crap. I don’t know Jessie personally, I don’t train with him, and don’t really know his history. What he demonstrated on this seminar however was pretty rubbish in my opinion. There was the usual “let’s wow everyone who does 80s styled Shotokan karate with something they’ve never done before” exercises; primarily proprioception-based stuff. This was followed with some fairly naff ‘flinch response’ (if I could even call it that) training. At one point we did some over exaggerated variation of nikyo with zero equalisation, use of mechanical advantage, or anything that I KNOW makes the principle what it is. The icing on the cake was someone asking if Jessie would perform a kata (since you know, that’s what he’s really well known for) and he flat out refused.
As much as that seminar sucked, I made some great contacts though. People that have become good friends. The guys from Tividale Shotokan Karate (TSKC), and the guys from Canon Shotokan in particular! I also ended up at a 24hour karate event through Mike Turbitt from this event too.
With the boys at ABA
Thanks to the link up with TSKC though I ended snowballing into a load of seminars over the next couple of years. Now I won’t go into details for each seminar (you can read about some that I’ve written reviews on) but my karate and martial arts world was opened right up through their seminars hosting a variety of people. I met such amazing people as Senseis Simon Oliver, Steve Lowe, John Johnston, Katsu Tiru Jr, Mandie Read. Amazing guys such as Tommy Joe Moore and loads of others.
During this time I began trying to find a way to make myself more useful and look at creating a long term better future for my dojo, all while out of work and being rejected left right and centre for even the most rudimentary jobs.
I’ll save the boring and long bits but eventually I was able to set up a community centre which would serve as a full time matted training space. The dojo had a nice place for classes, we were able to run extra things for schools, get funding for new equipment and run extra projects. The first place lasted just over a year. No thanks to a dodgy landlord and the dreaded covid we ended up needing somewhere new fairly quick. Covid actually helped us get the place where we’re based today, the WMA Community Fitness Centre.
At some point during all of this I was awarded my godan. Both for my continued contribution to the Ryu, but also displaying levels of understanding and study that match the grade (I think). I don’t get to see Sensei Westwood a lot these days, sometimes we’re not in contact for months. It’s quite saddening for me, but such is life; people have their own things to do. I hope someday I’m worth him coming and teaching properly again, or at the very least that I can see him in a gi more regularly.
Setting up this current space has been one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced in life. Thanks to the help of some amazing people I turned my pipe dream into a reality. Hopefully in a few years’ time I’ll be in a position to set up a purely dedicated martial arts gym as a business, or at least find a way to live through martial arts. I don’t need to be a rich man, just an honest and happy one will do. I don’t want to keep living in survival mode.
My time spent dealing with charity-based community work over the past few years has been more bitter than sweet. I personally am more built for martial arts than I am serving a community that in some cases doesn’t care for what we do to help folks. I don’t like dealing with self-serving councillors with crocodile smiles and having to deal with people who always have some alternate agenda when dealing with you.
I’ve built myself up to be a great coach and instructor in my own right. I’ve studied hard and continue to do so in my martial arts. I’m now making links with the right people, good people on their own great journeys who are willing to share their experience and knowledge.
My disability, along with the depression, is an horrendous thing to deal with. They affect my ability to travel, and live ‘normally.’ They limit how hard I can work most days, and how much of myself I can put into things. We all have these barriers in life, I’m not special because of it, but they do shape my decisions and who I am.
Trying to touch very lightly on a lot of things that have happened over the past years is hard. I apologise if this all looks like a jumble of random thoughts, and experiences. I got halfway through writing this and had to stop. I almost decided to delete the entire thing. It doesn’t match my usual writing style and clear-cut review layout. Trying to recall things from a damaged part of my brain probably hasn’t helped especially when some things I have almost no clear memory of at all. I’ve left out loads of smaller stories and tonnes of details of certain events because remembering them was plainly just too painful for me. For anyone interested though I’m always happy to chat about stuff over a coffee.
This about rounds it up for me. I’m currently trying to improve my physical health and maintain regular coaching. My mental health isn’t great, and I’m about 3 years in on a waiting list now for an appointment for one-to-one therapy on the NHS. My karate is sharper than ever though. Now more than ever it is my anchor and my reason for getting up in the morning. It is my focus and my purpose. Maybe it will all turn on its head tomorrow and the dream will clear and it’ll all be the end, or maybe I’ll pull off the impossible and be happy for a change.
One thing is for sure though, I’m open and willing to train with anyone, anywhere, any time. If somebody has their knicker sin a twist about what I do, what I know, or how I train, my dojo is open for them to air their grievances on the mats. If anyone needs my help, they’ll get it. Those individuals that have supported me and continue to support me, you’ve got my loyalty and support in return.
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Finally I’d like to shout out and thank a few folks.
Firstly a shout out to Tommy Joe Moore, who I’ve not known long. He’s an impressive gent and has inspired me to get back to writing to the point I am going to write a book.
Lucci Del Gaudio for putting on some awesome events and bringing people together that have been great for me to meet. The guy is putting UK martial arts back on the map. If I’m lucky, maybe I’ll be on one of his events in future, standing alongside giants.
The Canon Shotokan Karate Club, in particular Senseis Paul Connor and James Hinsley! They’ve been good blokes and friends to me over the past couple of years.
Mandie Read, and Dudley Shukokai Club! Mandie was one of less than a handful of people who have checked in on me just to see if I’m all right, especially during lockdown. She is an amazing lady, and fantastic coach; her club is lucky to have her.
Katsu Tiru Jr for much the same reason. One of few people to just get in touch to say hi. He’s one of the nicest guys you could ever meet and I’m glad to count him as a friend.
Les and Steve Knight, and the whole TSKC family! These guys have been nothing but welcoming towards me over the years. We’ve always had this joke that I’m like an adopted stray member of the club. Since meeting them back at that seminar years ago we’ve formed a solid relationship. Through them I’ve met amazing instructors, taken part in phenomenal events; even got into coaching a Foundation Learners group from a local college (probably some of my proudest work)! Thanks for being a home away from home, and a family away from family.
All my students for supporting and believing in me enough to stick with me over the years; and for providing me with the motivation to be my best self and set a proper example.
Sensei Darren Westwood, without whom I’d probably be in jail or dead by now. Sensei Daz is my hero, my friend, my confidant and so much more. He is my Sensei, my Mr. Miyagi. He’s coached me, mentored me, helped me get my first stable full-time job. He taught me that being outside of the norm is best. Most importantly he made me believe that a poor lad from Tipton who spent his life being told he was worthless could actually be worth something.
Most importantly my missus, Katie! She is my rock, my inspiration, my voice of reason, my arse kicker. She’s my everything. She’s helped me every step of the way, whenever I’ve started to flag, she’s stepped in and got me back up. She’s seen the best of me, and the worst of me and through some miracle she still loves me all the same. Honestly, I look at her most days and wonder if I used all my luck up in one go just to have her in my life.
If you read all of that, thank you for reading. Maybe if you ever get the chance, you could come and pay my humble little dojo a visit. My door’s always open and I’m always ready to learn something new.
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With Tommy Joe Moore & James Hinsley
The Light from the Eastern Sky
Dr Gregory T. Lawton
These words are of no import. These words have no meaning.
This poet is without merit. This is the voice of an unknown soul. Do not heed this warning. Do not listen to this cry.
The sun rises again from the eastern sky And passes along its course to the West.
I do not speak of the daylight shining, That would not be the good news.
The truth, the new gospel — that is the good news. The radiant return of the Spirit — that is the good news.
These are the words this poor one writes Upon awakening to the light from the eastern sky.
These are the words that are written in traces And in whispers, upon the tablet of my heart.
But do not listen to these words They are only tears falling from blind eyes.
And do not let your heart be moved by these words Stop your ears, and remain indifferent to their meaning.
Be the first to hurl rebuke, Be the first to cast the stone, Be the first to hammer the nail, Be the first to set the cross. Be the first to close your eyes, To the light from the eastern sky.
About the authorDr. Gregory T. Lawton is an author of many books, most of them in the area of health science, but also in the genre of Asian martial arts, philosophy, poetry, and prose. Dr. Lawton is a passionate award winning artist and photographer who finds his artistic and creative inspiration in nature, and who frequently attributes the source of his images and writing to the 19th century Persian Prophet, Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Baha’i Faith, and the 13th century Persian poet and Sufi Mystic Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī. Dr. Lawton has been a member of the Baha’i Faith since 1970 and embraces the Faith’s principles related to the promotion of world unity and peace.
Kindly reprinted with permission from: The Silence Between Words 2016, Revised 2019
Dr. Gregory T. Lawton
2040 Raybrook Street, SE Suite 104 Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546 616-285-9999
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Lift Hands would like to thank Katherine Loukopoulos Sensei for providing this exclusive book free of charge to our readers. To get your download link please visit and join our group page on FaceBook: Lift Hands: The Internal Arts Magazine
Colin Power and Nasser Butt demonstrating PoC from Small Sàn-Shǒu Photography Concept and Design by Nasser Butt
Copyright©2022
“…
Taijiquan Shiyong Fa
There is a much greater meaning to coordination then simply moving your hands and feet in harmony with each other both, in Taijiquan and martial arts.
Of course coordination within oneself is a given — in fact it is a prerequisite of any martial art. However, the true meaning of coordination is the ability to move or coordinate with another person’s energy. This is true for both the martial and healing arts.
If you can coordinate your own energy with someone else’s, then you can defend yourself against that person, because whatever they do, you will do — in other words your body will manifest the correct movement and dynamics to defeat whatever they are doing! The moment they think, and that thought even begins to manifest into a strike, your subconscious1 will know and your body and internal energy will have adjusted accordingly and struck — this is referred to as the Point of Coordination [PoC], which your body registers. When you register the PoC and join your energy with that of another person, you can judge their point of power and defeat them!
According to the Taiji Classics we are told:
Starting from your foot, issue through your leg, directing it at your waist, and expressing it at your fingers.
The hands [wrists] are one of the most important parts in our Taiji training because they manifest what the whole body and the internal energy of the body is doing — the hands must emulate what the body is doing, ie the power comes from the body not the hand. The whole of Taiji is based upon this simple principle. Never do the hands move on their own [‘dead movements’], they move because of what the body is doing.
In Taiji, as in all other arts of worth, the ‘secret’ is given in the first lesson, thereafter we train for years before we finally comprehend what that was!
Taiji is not a set of 24, 37, 48, 108 or 115 movements, it is a single movement within which are found the 13 Dynamics — ‘The Thirteen Dynamics solo set flows on and on ceaselessly, and hence is called Long Boxing. [“It is like a long river flowing into the wide ocean...”] You may spread out and gather in as you will, but by no means allow yourself to stray from the taiji concept.’2 These 13 Dynamics, according to Yang Ban-hou, are ‘innate within us… based in these four terms: perception, realization, activation, action. [These four terms amount to “moving with awareness”.]’3
Further, ‘To break movement and awareness into their component parts results in: moving = the activation of movement + the act of moving, and awareness = the perception that something is + the realization of what it is’4
The Treatise of Wang T’sung-yeuh of Shanxi tells us:
The Great Polarity without poles is born: Of negative and positive it is the mother — In motion it divides, In stillness it unites.
Thus, Taiji [the Great Polarity] is born of Wuji [No Polarity] and is the mother of yin yang — the passive and active aspects. In movement, the passive and active become distinguishable and in stillness they return to being indistinguishable.
It is not my intention here to discuss the deeper aspects of Wuji — it is beyond the remit of this article and would require tomes, as well as the fact that it would be near on impossible [at least in my view] to write about movement and feeling using still images about a living breathing subject. It is, however, the epitome of Taiji!
This posture has everything in it, its functions numerous. The idea is to wait for whatever the opponent wants to surprise me with so that I will respond according to the situation.5
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once he takes even the slightest action, I have already acted.”
Figure 1. Wuji — No Polarity
From within Wuji, through to Preparation, there emerge many of the principles and concepts which help us in developing our understanding — stillness, motion, active, passive, expansion, contraction, weight-shifts [not being double-weighted], full, empty, fa-jing, coordination of mind and body, the point of coordination, grounding and so on.
As we have already mentioned above, the minute movement occurs the active [yang] and passive [yin] — the Dual Aspects, become distinguishable. We are clearly told this by Gu Ruzhang:
The “dual aspects” are your two hands separated into the roles of passive and active, forward and behind, left and right, above and below, contrary and straightforward, exiting and entering, extending and withdrawing, gathering and releasing, leisurely and quick, empty and full.6
However, most practitioners fail to heed this simple statement based upon the Classics! I will briefly expand below [please note that the movements in all of the images below have been deliberately exaggerated and simplified for purpose of clarity and performed in the large/tall frame].
From Wuji, leading into and including Preparation, most sequences of Taiji are as follows:
Figure 2 Figure 3. Front and side view Figure 4. Front and side view
The fingers of the hands are pointed straight forward [Figure 2] and the hands are raised straight up, shoulder high with the wrists relaxed [yin], [Figure 3]. At the top the hands circle slightly backwards as the wrists flex and the arms bend [yang] — supposedly making the yin yang circle — with the knees also bending. I will ask the reader to refer back to Gu Ruzhang’s statement in bold, above. Do we see any component of the “dual aspects” happening? The answer should be a simple no! Why?
According to Wu Tunan7:
Our guiding principle in promoting martial arts is to make martial arts more scientific. But Taiji Boxing is already a more scientific martial art. Why do I say this? A more scientific martial art conforms to physics and psychology, and gives particular attention to physiology and health…
In the past, the more scientific martial art of Taiji Boxing degraded most of all. Why so? Because its methods are simple and easy, and its movements are balanced and harmonious, and so people at the time gave it no attention.
In the more scientific martial art of Taiji Boxing, power can be divided into roughly three moments: 1. before8, 2. when9. 3. after.10
My advice to the reader is to go to Notes 8, 9 and 10 at the end of this article and read it alongside Gu’s statement in full before continuing.
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There is nothing scientific nor any conforming to the principles of physics in the above movements [Figs 2-4]!
There is no exhibition of the “dual aspects”! Both hands are “double-weighted” and ‘dead’ without any separation whatsoever! Further, the hands circling backwards [Figure 4], reduce the size of your ‘garden’11 thus making the ‘house’12 vulnerable to an easy attack. There are no weight-shifts, no expansion or contraction —
you are impeded:
It is because the fault of double weighting has not been realized. To avoid this fault, one must know negative and positive "Sticking" is "running," "running" is "sticking". Negative does not leave positive. Positive does not leave negative. When positive and negative complement each other, this then is understanding power.
Figure 7
Figure 5 Figure 6. Front and side view Figure 9
Figure 8
In the Old Yang, beginners are taught from Wuji, as the hands extend forward into preparation, the fingers point slightly inwards [see Figure 5 above compared to Figure 2 on previous page] indicating that the upper kua13 is open. As the hands rise, they follow the trajectory of the fingers, causing the wrists to gradually flex and reel inwards throughout the entirety of the movement, thus narrowing the distance at the apex [Figure 6] and reversing on the way back down back to their original position. This, whilst is also incorrect in terms of Gu’s statement, is known as the ‘square’ way of teaching the Taiji ‘bridge’ adhering to Wu Tunan’s “principles of physics”. This is demonstrated by the images above:
In Figure 7, Tony simply reaches forward and places his hands upon my shoulders, without overreaching or falling short. I raise my hands as per Figures 2-4… fingers pointing forwards and straight up. Nothing happens to Tony’s structure. His hands remain upon my shoulders! In Figure 9, as I raise my hands with my upper kua open, causing my fingers to point and reel inwards — the gradual state change from yang to yin peaks at the point of impact causing Tony’s hands to lift upwards and backwards. I have the Taiji ‘bridge’. There is a martial scientific reason for my hands to move in such a way!
In order for us to be true to Gu’s statement in exhibiting the dual aspects we must now observe and do as per the Taiji classic of The Treatise of Wang T’sung-yeuh of Shanxi, “In motion it divides, In stillness it unites”
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In Figures 10-11 below, we see the sequence from Wuji to Preparation and back to Wuji [please note that many of the interim movements have been omitted, otherwise there would be just too many photographs]. As soon as movement begins, a separation occurs with the “dual aspects” of Gu’s statement now clearly visible, as the weight shifts from the left heel to the right heel, forward towards the middle of the right foot across to the left and back to the heel in a counter clockwise motion — causing the waist to turn right, left, right — with the
active and passive being wholly distinguishable, as the left hand leads and the right follows until we return back to being indistinguishable… Wuji!
In order to understand and develop the above we return back to our two-person method now performed as
B C
Figure
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Figure 10. [Left to Right] Front view: Wuji, Preparation, Wuji
Figure 11. [Left to Right] Side-view: Preparation
Figure 12. [Left to Right] Side-view: Preparation
A
13. [Left to Right] Opposite view.
Stand in a regular stance — one foot slightly ahead of the other. Tony attempts to place his hands upon my shoulders [this represents in abstract any type of attack towards my chest, neck, or head — from a strike to a grab or a shove]. As soon as he moves, immediately my weight shifts as my waist turns to the right causing my hands to rise spiralling inwards as they separate and attack Tony’s arms causing them to veer off at an angle and divide [Figure 12A]. Immediately my waist turns back to the left as my left hand [knife-edge] spirals downwards and attacks his bicep with my right hand arriving a split second later and striking the corner of his jaw with the heel of my palm [Figure 12 B & C]. Figure 13 shows the same from the opposite angle.
This simple training method forms the basis of the student developing and understanding the Point of Coordination — knowing how to move and coordinate their energy with that of another person. It helps us develop the very essence of the Taiji Classics… “if one part moves, every part moves, and if one part is still, every part is still” — it is the body which attacks… starting with the foot, through the leg to the waist and expressed by the fingers [hand].
The training method starts as a static drill. Initially, the practitioner will find that their timing is off, they will not arrive at the PoC correctly, nor have power in their strikes. The movement from leg, waist to fingers will not be fluid, you will be thinking about what to do and in the process most likely get ‘struck’ by your partner.
This is one of the basic meanings of, “First in your mind, then in your body”14 — in the beginning we have to think and process what it is that we are trying to do before the body takes over and the principle eventually becomes innate. This requires long effort!
Once your body starts to work things out, your partner can start adding power to their ‘attack,’ allowing you to reflexively neutralise and issue using two fa-jing15 releases — one for the upward motion and one for the downward motion.
The above training method is now advanced where the offensive and defensive move become one, a single fajing release. We use the same principles as above [Wuji/Preparation] to target 3 areas, using 3 weapons [See table below and Figure 14] — care must be taken so as to not actually strike the targets pulling just short. As skill level improves further, stepping is introduced into then training method and this continues until your partner finally launches a realistic random attack.
Target
The PoC should not be confused with timing. You can block16 an attack with perfect timing, yet that does not mean that you have coordinated between your own internal energy and your own body with that of the energy of your opponent, and in doing so have positioned your body correctly. Of course timing plays a role, but it is not the PoC!
As our art and skills develop, the diligent student will find that the PoC exists as a major component in all of our training methods — especially in Da Shou, which hones this skill to an incredible level!
There is only one form in Taijiquan Long Boxing, everything else — Pauchui [Large Sàn-Shǒu], Small SànShǒu, Da-lu etc — should not be considered as specific fighting methods or forms per se, but rather, should be, looked upon as a component of training taught alongside the traditional form thus, giving it meaning.
However, all this begins from understanding that:
Power initiates from the heel, goes through the leg to the waist, and from the spine then goes through the arms to the fingers.17
Wuji through to preparation is a master class on the essence of Taijiquan as per the Classics!
These are the simplest of movements which teach us so much and, yet, as Wu Tunan has correctly observed [see earlier full quote]… “In the past, the more scientific martial art of Taiji Boxing degraded most of all. Why so? Because its methods are simple and easy, and its movements are balanced and harmonious, and so people at the time gave it no attention.”
Indeed, even today practitioners are giving it “no attention”!
Notes & References
1. Many folk have turned this into an esoteric concept, magical even — it is no such thing!
2. Taiji Fa Shuo: Attributed to Yang Ban-hou, [circa 1875], Brennan Translation [2013]
3. Ibid
4. Ibid
5. Taiji Boxing by Gu Ruzhang [1936], Brennan Translation [2013]
6. Ibid
7. A More Scientific Martial Art: Taiji Boxing by Wu Tunan [1931], Brenna Translation [2017]
8. ‘The moment before his strike reaches my body: I notice the direction of the opponent’s force and lead him into emptiness. If his force is going forward, I take it to the left or right, up or down, drawing it in so that his force is sure to miss. If his force is going upward, I shift it to a horizontal direction, whether left or right, forward or back, and if he continues to exert force upward, he gives me control over his force, with the result that he will be leaned away to the left or right, forward or back. If his center of balance goes beyond his body, he will fall. The same goes for the other directions.’
9. ‘The moment when his strike reaches my body: I go along with the direction of his force, causing it to veer off at an angle and divide. Then when I use a hand to strike him anywhere, it is sure to make him lean. If his center of balance goes beyond his body, he will naturally fall.’
10. ‘The moment when his strike has already reached my body: I draw him in along the direction of his force, making a ring around him, causing his force to melt away until it is almost nothing. Then I strike him at the instant he has fallen into emptiness, and as his force is already spent, this is sure to make him lean. If his center of balance goes beyond his body, he is sure to fall…’ The descriptions above are but brief glimpses of dealing with direction of force. As for force that has not yet been expressed, I can know when the opponent is about to issue, and no matter what part he wants to move, I know when it is about to move. Wherever his mind goes, I will know it. This is entirely the result of understanding the principle of movement and stillness. If one part moves, every part moves, and if one part is still, every part is still. Clearly distinguish between emptiness and fullness, and thereby you will be able to understand how force works. Then whether initiated force or borrowed force, followed force or countered force, divided force or combined force, you will succeed. After a long time, you will be able to easily understand whatever force you encounter. Does this art not conform to principles of physics? If you can study wholeheartedly, then force as a whole will not be difficult to understand.
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Notes & References continued…
11. This refers to the space between your ward-off arm and your body, where the ward-off represents the fence at which a potential intruder would be stopped!
12. This is a reference to the body itself!
13. Most practitioners are aware of the lower kua, yet neglect or do not understand, or are even aware of the upper kua!
14. This is another concept which has been given the esoteric treatment! The commentary on Wang’s text in Taijiquan Shiyong Fa [attributed to Yang Cheng-fu, we are clearly told: ‘When you start learning to spar, you will think about everything you do and probably lose. After you have completed the training, you will not have to think about how to adapt, the body will deal with attacks by spontaneously responding without the mind being involved. The opponent will stumble away and you will not be aware of how you did it. The training starts in the mind and ends in the body. It is like learning to use an abacus, in which you start by thinking through the steps to get your fingers to go where they need to go, then after you get used to the patterns, your fingers fly around by themselves – first in the mind, then in the hand. The boxing theory is the same.’
15. The fa-jing release is not visible in these images since we are using static postures for illustrative purposes only!
16. There are no blocks in Taiji, or in any martial art for that matter — there are only defensive strikes and offensive strikes!
17. Taijiquan Shiyong Fa — Methods of Applying Taiji Boxing by Yang Cheng-fu [and Dong Yingjie], 1931; Yang Lu-ch’an’s [Commentary to a] Primary Text; Brennan Translation, 2011
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Fa-jing Ch'uan Internal Chinese Boxing Schools are pleased to announce our return to Italy in April 2023
We will be meeting in Bari in the scenic region of Puglia in Southern Italy
would simply like to brush up on the foundations, or have ever wondered how the art is used as a system of selfdefence — then this will be the perfect way to get a great insight into T'ai chi Ch’uan (Taijiquan).
Date: Friday - Sunday 28-30 APRIL 2021
Venue: Edian Danza A.S.D. Via Marcello Celentano, 17/21 70121 Bari BA
Accommodation: Please contact Monica Mitoli for advice on local accommodation, meals and transportation too and from Bari.
The camp includes:
Qigong Old Yang Style T'ai Chi Practical Training Methods For Health/ Martial Arts Self-Defence
Training will begin at 3pm Friday.
Cost of training: 210 Euros for those registering by Friday 24 February 2023. (The cost will rise to 250 Euros for those registering after this date.) A 50% deposit is required to book your place.
Participants will be expected to arrive on site by Friday (28 April) morning latest and can leave after the final training session on Sunday, unless they have extended their stay in advance and are departing later depending upon flights.
Please contact Nasser Butt in the UK for further information and registration:
Visit our website for further information on what we teach: www.fajingchuan.co.uk
Whether you are a novice or already have some experience and
(PLEASE NOTE ALL DEPOSITS AND PAYMENTS ARE NONREFUNDABLE SINCE WE HAVE TO PAY FOR THE VENUE IN ADVANCE REGARDLESS.)
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Reverend Anthony Sean Bedlam Pillage 1961 - 2018
Scott ‘The Devil’ Caldwell 1973 - 2018
Pictured here with the legendary Fu Shu-yun - his teacher before meeting and continuing his training under Erle.
Alexander M. Krych 1957 - 2014 Chief Instructor of the Erle Montaigue System North America
Erle Montaigue 1949 - 2011
Monday 7.30 - 9.15pm Wednesday 7.00 - 9.00pm
Ammanford Scouts Hall
Sunday Full Day (Monthly) Peter Jones Chief Instructor Taiji Pa-Kua Internal Fighting Arts taijipakua@gmail.com The Oldest Established School of The Erle Montaigue System In The UK
Gaku Shi Juku Kendo Kai www.leicesterkendo.com
Iam still shocked and amazed at the number of emails or enquires I get from people regarding supernatural energies, or demonstrations of said energies on YouTube or elsewhere!
It is incredible that in this ‘age of reason,' there are still folk being duped by so-called ‘masters’ into believing that such fantastical forces exist whereby one can knock out an adversary by a mere flick of the hand!
If such ‘masters’ or even such supernatural energies existed, then where were they when China was being invaded and ‘raped’ en masse by foreign armies throughout its long and turbulent history? Why weren’t these ‘Super-Masters’ stepping to the fore and using their powers to defend their nation’s weak and oppressed citizens?
The answer is simple — there weren’t any, because none existed!
There is not one iota of evidence that the great masters of old — the Yang Lu-ch’ans, or Sun Lu-tangs or Chang San-fengs ever claimed to possess supernatural powers through the practice of their internal arts or ever demonstrated circus tricks!
Sure, legends abound regarding the prowess of the above-mentioned masters, but such legends were based on historical facts and where they weren’t and were overstated by zealous followers, who knew next to nothing about the art or the artist — they were and can be proven wrong easily!
Let’s take the story of Yang Lu-ch’an being able to nullify a bird’s energy and prevent it from taking off from his palm.
This is clearly a reference to the skill of Yang at being able to neutralize the energy of his opponents with ease. Birds, however, are a totally different proposition altogether! Birds are nature’s perfect flying machines. They can land on the most delicate of branches and take off without causing the branch to break! They are meant to fly... unless, of course, they are designed not to do so. The suggestion that Yang Lu-ch’an could, somehow, defy physics and the laws of nature, and prevent the bird from flying from his palm is preposterous [that is unless the bird he was holding was huge]!
The time in any flight of the greatest danger is during take off and landing. This is because speed is related to the lift needed to leave the ground. Lift is the weakest at take off because full speed has not been made. And at landing because the speed of the bird is being reduced. This is true also for modern aviation too.
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Editor’s Note: This article was originally written in December 2011 and reedited in December 2022.
It is the size of the wing which determines how much lift is made. The angle at which the wing approaches the air affects lift. This increases the air speed over the wing and produces more lift. Birds use all of the following: changing their wing size, lowering flaps, opening slots, using winds, and increasing their speed by flapping their wings faster.
So, it’s clearly demonstrable from the above that it’s the wings of a bird that help it to gain lift. Whilst some larger birds do require a run up or a hop to help take off, pushing with their feet, this is not a requirement for all. The only way Yang could have really stopped it from flying was by preventing it from spreading its wings and flapping not by making some adjustments to his palm or anything else to neutralize the bird’s energy!
By the way, there is no record of Yang ever claiming this feat for himself. Rather, it is a story handed down to us as an anecdote in Yang Cheng-fu’s Methods of Applying Taiji Boxing [1931]! In the anecdote, the bird in question is a swallow — one of the most agile flying birds in the world! Swallows spend most of their lives on the wing. Their feet are small, designed for perching and tend to walk with a waddle on the rare occasion if they do land on the ground. Further, let us remember that Yang Lu-ch’an died [1872] 11 years before Yang Cheng-fu was born [1883], so this is not something which he would have ever witnessed. Having said that, in The Essence and Applications of Taijiquan, attributed to Cheng-fu and published in 1934 — Cheng-fu mentions watching his grandfather, Yang Lu-ch’an, leading the daily training sessions with his uncles, relatives and followers, when he was young — “they practiced day and night without cease” — a clear impossibility and so we should take this anecdote with a massive dollop of salt!
On another note, I was able to hold a wild robin in my palm for 47 seconds on a cold winter’s morning a week ago! Admittedly, I had to bribe it with some chocolate and once it had had its fill, it simply took off! Obviously, the robin’s understanding of its flight mechanism is far greater then my neutralising skills! My hand barely registered its weight as it landed and took off in an instant.
Similar stories are found for Sun Lu-tang. In fact, it was claimed that he was so light footed that he could walk on the surface of water! A story which arose from a simple leap over some puddles and mud! Sun’s daughter, Sun Jian Yun, spent her life denouncing such myths about her father!
Between 1898-1901 at the time of the Boxer rebellion, there were many boxers who believed that by practicing certain qigongs, they were able to gain a type of iron shirt that could deflect bullets! Sadly, they discovered rather quickly and fatally that they were not Kryptonian men of steel but, rather, men of flesh and blood! Of course that didn’t stop some of the masters claiming that the reason why their students failed to stop the bullets was due to slack training and not following their instructions properly! Funnily enough, the said masters, themselves, never took on the guns!
A similar parallel exists in modern times. There are a host of current nonChinese and Chinese practitioners claiming the no-touch knockdowns. The fact that they have been brutally exposed by ordinary reporters and shown to be charlatans, who can only do such tricks on their own students, does not deter them from continuing to make their claims! Go check YouTube... they are found easily!
What’s so abhorrent about these guys is that they feed on the weak and vulnerable minds and no doubt make a bucket load of cash in the process!
And even when confronted by their failures, they claim it’s because the recipient is not receptive to their qi and that’s why it doesn’t work! Or, even, that the recipient was a master who knew how to neutralize their qi by simply moving their toes in opposing directions — that’s a real gem by a major such claimant!
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Surely, if such skills were possible, then they would work on everyone period! For what’s the point of something, which only works on those who are willing?
And far more importantly all the armies in the world would be teaching such skills to their soldiers! Imagine the current costs of modern warfare... these could be slashed as no more expensive bullets or missiles would be required to overthrow states and governments! Nope, the soldiers could simply wave their fingers like a Jedi and send their opponents flying or use mind tricks to confound their enemies... “These are not the droids you are looking for!”
Enough of such fools and foolishness!
They are neither masters nor teachers or guides! I would gladly stand in front of any one of them and challenge them to move me one inch without touching me or even make the shirt on my back ruffle!
A true guide or teacher would not resort to such trickery. No! They would behave with honour and protect the weak and the poor of society and even lay down their lives if they had too.
The great Baguazhang master Cheng Ting Hua, was one such honourable man who sacrificed his life during the aforementioned Boxer rebellion. It is said that he saw a group of foreign (German) soldiers abusing fellow Chinese outside his shop. Armed with 2 small knives he dove amongst them, killing several and injuring many before being shot down, whilst making his escape over a wall.
No Magic! No trickery! Rather, a man who represented the true nature of his art and executed it with a skill that still marvels us today!
The internal arts are magical enough. They do not require the circus tricks of modern charlatans to prove their worth!
No! The masters of old showed us the simple path to the truth. Stick to it, train hard and your art will reward you with health, longevity and a oneness with the earth, the heavens and all that’s contained therein. Oh... and it’ll teach you how to fight too!
And...
If you really want to knock an opponent out — simply hit him!
