I spent the time in Czech at the end of February priming everyone for the Summer Course in July.  We worked on the importance of studying each bit of advice from the classics in synergy with the others. “Raise the head as if suspended by a rope from above” goes naturally with “lighten the top of the head”.  There were a few problems with ‘lighten’ in translation, but when everyone realised that they didn’t need a light bulb on the top of their head, (which I would argue with) they realised that when they tried to ‘straighten’ the head they…

We’ve been working on the idea of continuous peng in all directions whilst maintaining continuous spiraling motion in the form. One of the ways we’ve been practicing this idea is with 4 people gently pulling or pushing the form practitioner in all directions making him find his feet and spiral into them, maintaining peng and taking the ‘opponents’ just out of their feet with the first couple of millimetres of movement so that they are still attached, weakened, but not really aware of it. The skill is in utilising the right-brained ‘spatial’ mind that has the ability to treat all…

For those that don’t see me too often I thought I’d give you all an update as to what we’ve been working on lately…. The opening of the spine in both directions To not only stretch the spine upwards, but to also feel like you have a weight attached to the coccyx, pulling it downwards to open the spaces between the vertebrae.  This goes along with the idea of ‘parking’ the spine and you cannot help but ‘loosen up’ through the ankles, knees and hips at the same time.  This also allows you to be more sensitive to gently pulling…

The Shi Kon training system is mnemonic.  At each grade the ‘form’ is mnemonic for the basics and applications to be practised for the next grade.  The system is progressive from grade to grade. It works from kicking and boxing to close quarter fighting, to power striking and on to the study of the 16 gates of the human body, to the 13 remaining hands of the system, taking those ideas into curves, circles and spirals to the internal system, the method of employing it into the 5 animals, the methods of emitting power and energy and all these ‘minor…

I’ve just come back from Jablonec in the Czech Republic teaching Tai Chi, it’s 19 years since I first visited there and have done so for at least 3 times a year ever since. My senior student there is Colonel Ondra Musil from the Czech Police and through him I’ve taught Presidential bodyguards, special services and police self defence instructors throughout that time. Our week long Open Summer Seminar in the mountains of Jizerka next year will be the 19th Annual Open Summer Seminar there. On the Friday evening we started with qigong and moved on to the feet and…

Last week we worked on ‘freestyle’ Tai Chi form. We did this in a number of different ways: 1. We mixed the standard moves of the form moving intuitively from one technique to another, this helped to improve the technique of the form and having to use natural spontaneous transitions that adhered to the principles helped to learn how to move into a technique in combat. 2. We then imagined the opponent(s) attacking with varying techniques from all angles and responded with technique from the form. Adding to the above this helped to develop intuitive application to the form. 3.…

The seminar at the Dojo today was on the 8 principles that are written on the Dojo wall facing the students as they train. They are: FEET POSTURE MIND BREATH INTERNALPOWER WEDGE SPIRAL Each word is a mnemonic for a wealth of knowledge and the doorway to a universe of study. The Shi Kon training system is principle based, techniques are a result of the principles being applied. This means that any movement becomes a technique when the 8 principles are being applied. Some very brief notes for those on the seminar today : FEET Force has to be in the opposite direction…

‘Sink the chest’ and ‘raise the back’ are probably the most oft quoted bits of advice from the classics that go along with ‘suspend the head’ and ‘loosen the waist’ Before humans were biped we were quadruped - and our physiology still reflects this. Any quadruped animal has to sink the chest and raise the back, otherwise their legs would splay and they would fall flat on their face! Looking at the front legs of a quadruped also shows us how our arms align powerfully to the body, particularly once the chest is sunk and the back raised. The centre…

The problem with identifying principles for training in the martial arts and bringing them down to a one word mnemonic is that students fail to realise their full importance. I’ve used the ‘wedge’ and ‘ball’ analogies for over 25 years because they present an excellent visualisation for what I’m teaching. ‘Wedge’ describes precisely what I’m asking the student to do. “Fence’ for me is too defensive, whereas ‘wedge’ is active and ploughs directly through and deflects the attackers arms whilst attacking them in the most powerful alignment. The ‘wedge point’ is the ‘jeet point’ in kung fu, the optimum distance…

This is a commonly used expression in the Martial Arts for anyone learning to ‘empty their cup’ of previous held conceptions, to enable them to understand what they are being taught. It’s generally accompanied by the story of the master pouring tea whilst the student tells him all about what he knows of the arts. The Master continues pouring even after the cup is full and when the student tells the Master that he’s pouring into a full cup, the Master tells the student that in the same way he can’t teach him unless he ‘empties his cup’ of knowledge…