Formosa Neijia

The temple on my street celebrated Mazu’s birthday a couple of weeks ago and I forgot to post the pics. Mazu is a very popular deity in Taiwan and south China. As you can see, life on my little street can be very interesting.

Confession time: I find it hard to have respect for people that don’t work with some form of resistance.

The martial arts world is big and there’s room for a lot of different perspectives. Whatever people want to practice is fine. To each his own.

But talking about borrowing the other person’s force is easy. Quoting classics is easy. And practicing in little cliques and cults where everyone thinks the same way is easy.

Practicing IMA against people that don’t do what you do is hard. That’s where the real material is found. That’s the real meat of the practice.

I’ve met with many people and I often find that what people do works just as long as the opponent does exactly what is expected of them.

So let’s just be clear on this: if someone needs the opponent to do what they do in order to make their stuff work, then what they do isn’t worth much is it?

But I see this all the time. “You’re pushing the wrong way.” “You’re using too much force.” “That’s not push hands.” “Don’t grab me like that. Grab me like this.”

As a whole, we spend far too much time practicing with people that share our ideas and not enough time getting outside our little worlds that we have created.

I like games. I think they can teach us things that patterns and freeplay sometimes can’t. Patterns are fixed examples of principles that should be worked into the body. Freeplay exists at the other end of the spectrum, bringing all of our stuff together. In the middle is a bit of a no-man’s land that can be difficult for us to bridge. I think this is where games come in.

Two games that I played this morning are designed to build listening skills (ting jin) by isolating some parts of the zhan/nian/lian/sui process (those are roughly translated as listening, adhering, following, etc.).

The first game I would suggest is “stick at all costs.” Two people face each other in normal push hands postures and join hands. One guy then tries to move in various ways while the second guy does his best to stick no matter what to other person. No attacks are allowed and I suggest planting the feet. Just one person sticking no matter where the other person is.

I did this with someone taller than me and I had him deliberately try to prevent me from sticking to him by extending his hand far behind his body or above his head. I was not able to stick to his arm any longer so I let me hand rub down his arm as he moved it beyond my range until my hand rested on his shoulder or even torso. As his hand and arm came back within range as he moved, I rubbed my hand back down the arm. This way I was able to stick to his body even when he disengaged my arm.

This ability to stick to the body is pretty important. We often tend to stop with the arms but that’s a bad idea.

Try this game out and let me know what you think. It should greatly increase your sticking ability.

Ken Wilber is one of the leading guys in the West that can show why science will never be able to fully explain Eastern meditation and the practices that are influenced by them, like IMA. I highly, highly recommend reading the full article that the excerpt below is taken from if this stuff interests you.

Where do you think the scientific worldview falls short when dealing with religion?

Conventional science has correctly dismantled the pre-rational myths but it goes too far in dismantling the trans-rational. The mythic and magic approaches tend to be pre-rational and pre-verbal, but the meditative or contemplative practices tend to be trans-rational. They completely accept rationality and science. But they point out that there are deeper modes of awareness, which are scientific in their own way.

What do you mean by trans-rational?

People at these higher stages of spiritual development report a “nondual awareness,” a type of awareness that transcends the dichotomy between subject and object. The mystical state is often beyond words. It is trans-rational because you have access to rationality but it’s temporarily suspended.

Why has the scientific worldview dismissed this trans-personal dimension? For most intellectuals around the world, the secular scientific paradigm has triumphed.

You can’t prove a higher stage to someone who’s not at it. If you go to somebody at the mythic stage and try to prove to them something from the rational, scientific stage, it won’t work. You go to a fundamentalist who doesn’t believe in evolution, who believes the earth was created in six days, and you say, “What about the fossil record”? “Oh yes, the fossil record; God created that on the fifth day.” You can’t use any of the evidence from a higher stage and prove it to a lower stage. So someone who’s at the rational stage has a very hard time seeing these trans-rational, trans-personal stages. The rational scientist looks at all the pre-rational stuff as nonsense — fairies and ghosts and goblins — and lumps it together with the trans-rational stuff and says, “That’s nonrational. I don’t want anything to do with it.”

But I doubt many scientists would accept this as proof of science because, ultimately, people are left to describe their own experiences. You can’t measure this with any conventional scientific instruments.

You move in the realm of phenomenology. And you either accept phenomenology or you don’t. This also applies to psychoanalysis. You get the same complaints that it’s not real science, that you can’t prove it. Well, fine, but then you can’t prove any interior experience you’re having. You can’t prove you’re loving your wife, you can’t prove you’re happy. Forget all of that, it’s not real. If that’s the mind-set you have, nobody’s going to convince you otherwise. It really comes down to whether there are interior sciences. These interior sciences use the same principles as the exterior sciences. If you define science as based on sensory experience, then these interior endeavors are not science. But if you define science as based on experience, then these interior ones are.

But somewhere down the road — 50 years from now, 500 years from now — once neuroscience becomes much more advanced, will scientists be able to pinpoint where these values and thoughts come from?

I’m saying we’ll never understand it. The materialists keep issuing promissory notes. They always promise they’re going to do it tomorrow. But interior and exterior arise together. You can’t reduce one to the other. They’re both real. Deal with it.

You’re saying there’s no way we can map what’s happening in our brains — the neuronal activity, the synaptic connections — to explain what’s going on in our inner experience.

That’s right. All you can do is map certain correlations. You can say that when a person’s thinking logically, certain parts of the brain light up. But you can’t determine what the person is thinking. More important, you can’t reproduce the reality of the person thinking because that’s a first-person experience. This first-person reality can’t be reduced to third-person material entities. What that means is that consciousness can’t be reduced to matter. You can’t give a material explanation of how the experience of consciousness arises.

Mokuren dojo has an excellent post on how aikido training doesn’t involve advanced moves. You apparently just get better and better at the standard moves as you continue the practice. He provides as excellent quote from Musashi that makes a very interesting contrast when compared to the CIMA like taiji, etc.

There is no “interior” nor “surface” in strategy.

The artistic accomplishments usually claim inner meaning and secret tradition, and “interior” and “gate”, but in combat there is no such thing as fighting on the surface, or cutting with the interior. When I teach my Way, I first teach by training in techniques which are easy for the pupil to understand, a doctrine which is easy to understand. I gradually endeavour to explain the deep principle, points which it is hardly possible to comprehend, according to the pupil’s progress. In any event, because the way to understanding is through experience, I do not speak of “interior” and “gate”.

In this world, if you go into the mountains, and decide to go deeper and yet deeper, instead you will emerge at the gate. Whatever is the Way, it has an interior, and it is sometimes a good thing to point out the gate. In strategy, we cannot say what is concealed and what is revealed.

Accordingly I dislike passing on my Way through written pledges and regulations. Perceiving the ability of my pupils, I teach the direct Way, remove the bad influence of other schools, and gradually introduce them to the true Way of the warrior.

The method of teaching my strategy is with a trustworthy spirit. You must train diligently.

This is one of the things that irks people about Chinese arts — keeping secrets and withholding things from outside the “gate.” Perhaps a standard set of moves that are common knowledge would be the way to go?

The emphasis on experience over secrets is re-assuring.

I’m so excited about this. I’ve had the Ozzy song playing in my head for a week. It’s been out in Taiwan since Wednesday, which is why the bootleg versions on the net usually have Chinese subtitles. Now you know. Last year we managed to make it to the movies twice and once was for Spiderman 3. Yuck! So I’m excited that one of my few chances to see a movie this year won’t be wasted on junk. Ironman is getting great reviews. My wife’s family has been on vacation for two weeks and we have been up to our ears in toys and dirty diapers without a babysitter. I need a break!

Just three days to go and I’ll have my popcorn and drink in hand. Aaahh…I’m there already.

The following is a long quote from Rob Turtle’s comment about Marnix Wells and push hands. It’s a continuation of the thoughts started in behind the curtain. As readers know, I make long in-depth comments like this into a post so they won’t get buried int he comment section. Thanks to Rob for this.

Marnix will point out that taijichuan is precisely that… not yin chuan. He also sometimes cites the taiji adage “you can’t use force: you can’t not use force”.

Here are some quotes from an article I hosted for him on an old website…

Wáng Shùjin, my xíngyì and bagùa master in Taiwan, used to cite the concept of hard and soft interpenetrated as in hexagram 63 (Jìjì) of the Book of Change…
Each yang (postive) line lies beneath a yin (negative) line, each in its correct place: the perfect insulation. Another way of putting it is the image of steel wrapped in silk…

On the other-hand my Tàijí pushing-hands teacher, Gan Xìaozhou, a leading disciple of Zhèng Mànqing, used repeatedly to stress: “Even an iota (siháo) of force cannot be used.” Relaxation (fàngsong) must be total…

These two approaches produced differences in practice and form. Wáng stressed the principle of extended power, a firm expansion from the centre of the lower abdomen right through to the tips of the fingers. Gan showed nothing in the limbs and extremities, which were limp and half-collapsed, until the moment for releasing energy (fa jìng)…

The third type of “softness” I encountered in Taiwan, was the explosive energy of Lìao Way-sun (Lìao Wèishan), from the famous martial town of Xilûo, in southern Taiwan. He had grown up with the local Springing Crane (Zonghè) style of kungfu which seems to have helped him assimilate the energies of Yáng-style Tàijí as interpreted by disciples of Zhèng Mànqing in Taibei. Zhèng himself was then in New York, but I was able subsequently to meet him on a visit and push with his disciple Tam Gibbs. His procedure was to position me in front of a wall, and attempt to uproot me onto it - unsuccesfully!

From my perspective, pushing hands with Marnix you definitely get a sense of “springiness”… he will certainly advocate yielding, but only if you need to or otherwise want to. He feels that if you only ever train softness and “giving up” then you are in danger of not being able to handle hardness in a real encounter. This was perhaps first brought home to him on the occasion cited here on the blog, and following occasions when visiting other masters in Taiwan and pushing hands behind closed doors (one memorable quote describing a particular situation which involved moving the feet to “yield” to a push in order to apply a “judo” throw “face rather than posterior suffered more that day”). It is also the reason why he supports competitive pushing hands… if the soft beats the hard then the usual complaint of “using too much force” should surely make it easier to handle and so can hardly be used as an excuse as to why you lost or even why you’re not competing in the first place!

As such we push hands in a number of ways, one of which is very much to keep strong “peng” in the frame at all times and try to absorb and uproot without “yielding” (actually, yielding is of course present, but very small… as the uproot is typically “straight back at ya” it can be misinterpreted as force against force. It isn’t)

Last thought is to relate the above back to another familiar term - that of fajìng which I define as release or expression of power, and discuss as:

Typified by short, sudden, expansion or shocking power, like “releasing the bowstring to shoot an arrow”. The bow stores energy as elastic potential (spring energy): the instant the bowstring is released, potential energy is transfered to the arrow as kinetic energy, sending it out on a given trajectory. Storage and concentrated discharge.
The most efficient manner of storing up energy through the body’s movement and posture is winding/ coiling in and the circle. This implies continuity and re-cycling both your energy and your opponent´s. Having accumulated in the circle, “shoot out” in the straight line (tangential). Power can be produced as a quick rotation around a central axis, yet the intention on release is on the tangent. Thus the physical movement itself will not be precisely linear: the muscles wrap around the bones and joints, binding in, they do not produce pure straight movment without working against one another (tension). “Seek the circular in the bent (, and the straight in the circular)” [qu-zhong qiú-zhí]

The quote below seems like a good follow up to yesterday’s post on the push hands tourney between the taiji grandmasters. Marnix Wells is well known for his translations and martial skill. Below he gives us his experience and it’s a bit against the common grain, so to speak. Here’s the original (I suggest reading the whole thing) and here’s what is relevant to the recent discussion:

Marnix returned to Taipei, where Gan Xiàozhou took Marnix to the general push-hands Saturday morning meet in the government Legislative Yuàn. There leading luminaries, mostly followers of Zhèng Mànqing, Wáng Yánnián and others engaged in informal push-hands. A young man named Liào Wèishan, a student at the Political University in Mùzhá, drew Marnix aside and told him to resist, rather than just to yield when pushed, as he had been taught to do. Armed with this new insight, the scales fell from his eyes and much of the magic of the push-hands masters vanished into thin air. Liào told him that Zhèng Mànqing had an in-door teaching which was ‘hard’, unlike the ‘soft’ tàijí he used to con the uninitiated (piàn wàiháng) and foreigners in America.

I find it interesting that his experience then matches some of mine today. Except where he resisted, I often move my feet as I primarily do moving step push hands.

This quote gives lots of food for thought.

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_ce00XMjI5ODE5MjA=.html

(How can I download this clip? I want to to post it to youtube.)

This clip slays a whole lot of sacred cows. I think this is the most explosive clip since Chen Xiao-wang’s debacle with Liao Bai.

This is a push hands competition from 1992 showing some of the biggest names in mainland taiji all competing against one another. They are all grandmasters.

First bout: Li En-jiu vs. unknown. Li is a Chen stylist that studied under Hong Jun-sheng.

Second: Wei Shu-ren vs. Men hui-feng. Wei is a Yang stylist known for advocating the “no force” perspective. Men is THE top wushu teacher in China , a leading proponent of wushu taiji, practices everything under the sun, and was awarded the first 10 duan rank by the Chinese government. Yes I know, no one’s ever heard of him. He’s unknown in the West.

Third bout: Li Bing-ci vs. Lin Mo-gen. Li is a Wu stylist. Lin was a top student of Li Ya-xuan (a disciple of YCF).

Fourth bout: Liu Cheng-de vs. unknown. Liu is a Chen stylist again from the Hong lineage and is in one of my favorite push hands clips.

Fifth bout: Xin Yu-he vs. Men Hui-feng. I know nothing about Xin. Maybe someone can fill me in.

Sacred cows slain

1. “Push hands competitions are worthless.” This is such a great clip because we get to see how things REALLY are when people (here high level) push. And guess what? It doesn’t look all that much different from any other push hands tournament, except perhaps a bit better.

2. “The “no force” approach is the be-all, end-all of IMA.” The biggest surprise for me was Wei Shu-ren’s performance. Let’s just say I found it severely lacking, as apparently did his opponent. I’m really, really struggling to not say more about this. Must….hold…..back….

3. “Wushu taiji is worthless.” I was shocked by Men’s performance. I’ve never seen him do anything but forms. Men is the driving force behind much of wushu taiji. Yes, WUSHU. So let’s state this more bluntly: Men took the best Wei had to offer and didn’t move an inch. Apparently Men is pretty damn good despite his wushu. Who would you rather take private lessons from?

I feel as if I could say more but I’ll cut this short for now.

Random thoughts

Lin Mo-gen would have loved the UFC. Was he determined to win or what? Li Bing-ci looks like he didn’t want any of Lin. Maybe he didn’t know what he was in when pushing with Lin. After getting thrown down a second time, he wisely called it quits. But Lin’s use of force kind of puts his other clips into perspective.

Li En-jiu’s bout also showed lots of force on both sides and grabbing of clothes, etc. Again, this is how stuff really works in the real world.

Liu Cheng-de …ugh…what is he doing? Hes the one on the right at the beginning.

Xin is also bound and determined to win. Although he throws some massive techniques at Men, Men does a fairly good job at absorbing them.

All-in-all I’m really impressed with Men and glad to see some reality thrust into Wei’s world.

But the real winner is us. For once, we get to see how real push hands is done and it doesn’t look like the clips between teachers and compliant students. Bravo.

I think most of us realize the importance of transitions in taijiquan. Many of the best moves in the art are found as you move between the so-called end points of the postures. Just paying attention to the extension of a kick or a punch often misses the point completely where taijiquan in concerned. The forms we have teach us many wonderful transitions that contain many of the secrets of the art.

But what about transitions between moves that aren’t found right after one another in the form sequences?

Perhaps you can move smoothly from single whip to cloud hands or snake creeps down (xia shi) to golden rooster stands on one leg. Those transitions are all found in the forms.

But what about moving smoothly from brush knee to single whip to wild horse parts mane? How smoothly could you transition from one of those to the other? On both sides?

It seems that many of us are missing this perhaps vital piece of the puzzle.

This initially occurred to me in push hands. I was doing lots of form work, lots of single movement practice, standing, qigong, applications, etc. But in push hands, I had lots of trouble linking my taiji moves together so that they flowed smoothly. I ended up being a “one move guy” in that I would listen for an opening and then do one move. If it didn’t work, I would usually go back to circling hands until another opportunity presented itself or I was able to make one.

The thing is, there would often be an opening that I would see for another move, but I had no way to smoothly transition from my initial move to the new move.

So what about these missing taijiquan transitions? How do you deal with this problem?