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T’ai Chi Ch’uan

April 10th, 2005

T’ai Chi Ch’uan or Taijiquan (Chinese: 太極拳; pinyin: Tàijíquán; literally “supreme ultimate fist”), commonly known as T’ai Chi, Tai Chi, or Taiji, is a nei chia (“internal”) Chinese martial art which is known for the claims of health and longevity benefits made by its practitioners and in some recent medical studies. T’ai Chi Ch’üan is known as a soft style martial art, an art applied with as complete a relaxation or “softness” in the musculature as possible, to distinguish its theory and application from that of the hard styles which use a degree of tension in the muscles.

T’ai Chi Ch’uan is best known as the slow motion routines groups of people practice every morning in hundreds of parks across China and, increasingly, other parts of the world. In T’ai Chi classes one is taught awareness of one’s own balance and what affects it, awareness of the same in others, and appreciation of the practical value in one’s ability to moderate extremes of behavior and attitude at both mental and physical levels.
Contents [showhide]
1 Overview
2 T’ai Chi training and techniques
3 T’ai Chi styles and history

3.1 Family tree
4 T’ai Chi in the present

4.1 Modern forms
5 T’ai Chi as a form of traditional Chinese medicine

5.1 Citations to medical research
6 See also
7 External links
[edit]

Overview

While its practitioners have historically considered it primarily a style of martial art, T’ai Chi Ch’uan is also called an art of moving meditation. T’ai Chi theory and practice is formulated in agreement with many of the principles of traditional Chinese medicine. Besides general health benefits and stress management attributed to beginning and intermediate level T’ai Chi training, many therapeutic interventions along the lines of TCM are taught to advanced T’ai Chi students in traditional schools. T’ai Chi Chuan as physical training is characterized by its requirement for the use of leverage through the joints based on coordination in relaxation rather than muscular tension. The slow, repetitive work involved in that process is said to gently increase and open the internal circulation (breath, body heat, blood, peristalsis, etc.). Over time, proponents say, this enhancement becomes a lasting effect, a direct reversal of the physical effects of stress on the human body. This reversal allows much more of the students’ native energy to be available to them, which they may then apply more effectively to the rest of their lives; families, careers, spiritual or creative pursuits, hobbies, etc.

The study of T’ai Chi Ch’uan involves three primary subjects, in the following order:

* Health – an unhealthy or otherwise uncomfortable person will find it difficult to meditate to a state of calmness or to use Tai Chi as a martial art. Tai Chi’s health training therefore concentrates on relieving the physical effects of stress on the body and mind.
* Meditation – the focus meditation and subsequent calmness cultivated by the meditative aspect of T’ai Chi is seen as necessary to maintain optimum health (in the sense of effectively maintaining stress relief or homeostasis) and in order to use it as a soft style martial art.
* Martial art – the ability to competently use T’ai Chi as a martial art is said to be proof that the health and meditation aspects are working according to the dictates of the theory of T’ai Chi Ch’uan.

The Mandarin term “T’ai Chi Ch’uan” translates as “Supreme Ultimate Boxing” or “Boundless Fist”. T’ai Chi training involves learning solo routines, known as forms, and two person routines, known as pushing hands, as well as acupressure-related manipulations taught by traditional schools. T’ai Chi Ch’üan is seen by many of its schools as a variety of Taoism, and it does seemingly incorporate many Taoist principles into its practice (see below). It is an art form said to date back many centuries (although not reliably documented under that name before 1850), with precursor disciplines dating back thousands of years. The explanation given by the traditional T’ai Chi family schools for why so many of their previous generations have dedicated their lives to the study and preservation of the art is that the discipline it seems to give its students to dramatically improve the effects of stress in their lives, with a few years of hard work, should hold a useful purpose for people living in a stressful world. They say that once the T’ai Chi principles have been understood and internalized into the bodily framework the practitioner will have an immediately accessible “toolkit” thereby to improve and then maintain their health, to provide a meditative focus, and that can work as an effective and subtle martial art for self-defence.

Teachers say the study of T’ai Chi Ch’uan is, more than anything else, about challenging one’s ability to change oneself appropriately in response to outside forces. These principles are taught using the examples of physics as experienced by two (or more) bodies in combat. In order to be able to protect oneself using change, it is necessary to understand what the consequences are of changing appropriately, changing inappropriately and not changing at all in response to an attack. Students, by this theory, will appreciate the full benefits of the entire art in the fastest way through physical training of the martial art aspect.

Wu Chien-ch’üan, co-founder of the Wu family style, described the name T’ai Chi Ch’uan this way at the beginning of the 20th century:

“Various people have offered different explanations for the term T’ai Chi Ch’uan. Some have said: ‘In terms of self-cultivation, one must train from a point of movement towards a point of quiescence. T’ai Chi comes about through the harmony of yin and yang. In terms of the art of attack and defense then, in the context of transformations of full and empty, one is constantly inwardly latent, not outwardly expressive, as if the yin and yang of T’ai Chi have not divided apart.’ Others say: ‘Every movement of T’ai Chi Ch’uan is based on circles, just like the shape of a T’ai Chi symbol. Therefore, it is called T’ai Chi Ch’uan.’ Both explanations are quite reasonable, especially the second, which is fuller.”
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T’ai Chi training and techniques

As the name T’ai Chi Ch’uan is held to be derived from the T’ai Chi symbol, the Taijitu or T’ai Chi t’u (太極圖, pinyin tàijítú), commonly known in the West as the “yin-yang” diagram, T’ai Chi Ch’uan techniques are said therefore to physically and energetically balance yin (receptive) and yang (active) principles: “From ultimate softness comes ultimate hardness.”

The core training involves two primary features: the first being the solo form or quan or chüan (拳), a slow sequence of movements which emphasise a straight spine, relaxed breathing and a natural range of motion; the second being different styles of pushing hands or tui shou or t’ui shou (推手) for training “stickiness” and sensitivity in the reflexes through various motions from the forms in concert with a training partner in order to learn leverage, timing, coordination and positioning when interacting with another. Pushing hands is seen as necessary not only for training the self-defense skills of a soft style such as T’ai Chi by demonstrating the forms’ movement principles experientially, but also it is said to improve upon the level of conditioning provided by practice of the solo forms by increasing the work load on students while they practise those movement principles.

The solo form should take the students through a complete, natural, range of motion over their centre of gravity. Accurate, repeated practise of the solo routine is said to retrain posture, encourage circulation throughout the students’ bodies, maintain flexibility through their joints and further familiarize students with the martial application sequences implied by the forms. The major styles of T’ai Chi have forms which differ somewhat cosmetically, but there are also many obvious similarities which point to their common origin. The solo forms, empty-hand and weapon, are catalogues of movements that are practised individually in pushing hands and application scenarios to prepare students for self-defence training. In most traditional schools different variations of the solo forms can be practiced; fast/slow, small circle/large circle, square/round (which are different expressions of leverage through the joints), low sitting/high sitting (the degree to which weight-bearing knees are kept bent throughout the form), for example.

In a fight, if one uses hardness to resist violent force then both sides are certain to be injured, at least to some degree. Such injury, according to T’ai Chi theory, is a natural consequence of meeting brute force with brute force. The collision of two like forces, yang with yang, is known as “double-weighted” in T’ai Chi terminology. Instead, students are taught not to fight or resist an incoming force, but to meet it in softness and “stick” to it, following its motion while remaining in physical contact until the incoming force of attack exhausts itself or can be safely redirected, the result of meeting yang with yin. Done correctly, achieving this yin/yang or yang/yin balance in combat (and, by extension, other areas of one’s life) is known as being “single-weighted” and is a primary goal of T’ai Chi Ch’uan training. Lao Zi or Lao Tzu provided the archetype for this in the Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing in pinyin) when he wrote, “The soft and the pliable will defeat the hard and strong.” This soft “neutralization” of an attack can be accomplished very quickly in an actual fight by an adept practitioner. A T’ai Chi student has to be well conditioned by many years of disciplined training; stable, sensitive and elastic mentally and physically in order to realize this ability, however.

Other training exercises include:

* Weapons training and fencing applications employing the straight sword known as the jian or chien or gim (jiàn 劍), a heavier curved sabre, sometimes called a broadsword or tao (dāo 刀, which is actually considered a big knife), fan, staff (棍), 7 foot (2 m) spear and 13 foot (4 m) lance (both called qiāng 槍). Less commonly known weapons still in use are the large Da Dao or Ta Tao (大刀) or Bagua sabre, halberd (jǐ 戟), cane, rope-dart, Three sectional staff and steel whip.
* Two-person tournament fighting (san shou 散手);
* Breathing exercises; nei gong or nei kung (內功 nèigōng) or, more commonly, qigong or ch’i kung (氣功 qìgōng) to develop qi or ch’i (氣 qì) or “breath energy” in coordination with physical movement. These were formerly taught only to disciples as a separate, complementary training system. In the last 50 years they have become more well known to the general public.

T’ai Chi’s martial aspect relies on sensitivity to the opponent’s movements and centre of gravity dictating appropriate responses. Effectively affecting or “capturing” the opponent’s centre of gravity immediately upon contact is trained as the primary goal of the martial T’ai Chi student, and from there all other technique can follow with seeming effortlessness. The alert calmness required to achieve the necessary sensitivity is acquired over thousands of hours of first yin (slow, repetitive, meditative, low impact) and then later adding yang (“realistic”, active, fast, high impact) martial training; forms, pushing hands and sparring. T’ai Chi Ch’uan trains in three basic ranges, close, medium and long, and then everything in between. Pushes and open hand strikes are more common than punches, and kicks are usually to the legs and lower torso, never higher than the hip in most styles. The fingers, fists, palms, sides of the hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, back, hips, knees and feet are commonly used to strike, with strikes to the eyes, throat, heart, groin and other acupressure points trained by advanced students. There is an extensive repertoire of joint traps, locks and breaks (chin na), particularly applied to lock up or break an opponent’s elbows, wrists, fingers, ankles, back or neck. Most T’ai Chi teachers expect their students to thoroughly learn defensive or neutralizing skills first, and a student will have to demonstrate proficiency with them before offensive skills will be extensively trained. There is also an emphasis in the traditional schools on kind-heartedness. One is expected to show mercy to one’s opponents, as instanced by a poem preserved in some of the T’ai Chi families said to be derived from the Shaolin temple:

“I would rather maim than kill
Hurt than maim
Intimidate than hurt
Avoid than intimidate.”

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T’ai Chi styles and history

There are five major styles of T’ai Chi Ch’üan, each named after the Chinese family that teaches (or taught) it:

* Ch’en style (陳氏)

* Yang style (楊家)

* Wu or Wu/Hao style of Wu Yu-hsiang (武家)

* Wu style of Wu Ch’uan-yü and Wu Chien-ch’üan (吳家)

* Sun style (孫家)

The order of seniority is as listed above. The order of popularity is Yang, Wu, Ch’en, Sun, and Wu/Hao.

The five family styles share much underlying theory, but differ in their approaches to training. There are also several groups teaching what they call Wu Tang style T’ai Chi Ch’üan:

* Wu Tang (武當)

The designation Wu Tang Ch’üan is also used to broadly distinguish internal or nei chia martial arts (said to be a specialty of the monasteries at Wu Tang Shan) from what are known as the external or wei chia styles based on Shaolin Ch’üan, although that distinction is sometimes disputed by individual schools. In this broad sense, among many T’ai Chi schools all styles of T’ai Chi (as well as related arts such as Pa Kua Chang and Hsing-i Ch’üan) are therefore considered to be “Wu Tang style” martial arts. The schools that designate themselves “Wu Tang style” relative to the family styles mentioned above mostly claim to teach an “original style” they say was formulated by a Taoist monk called Chang San-feng and taught by him in the Taoist monasteries at Wu Tang Shan. Some consider that what is practised under that name today may be a modern back-formation based on stories and popular veneration of Chang San-feng (see below) as well as the martial fame of the Wu Tang monastery (there are many other martial art styles historically associated with Wu Tang besides T’ai Chi). There is also a modern T’ai Chi style going by the name Wudang as a term of convenience that is fairly well-known internationally, especially in the UK and Europe, originally taught by a student of the Wu (吳) style.

When tracing T’ai Chi Ch’üan’s formative influences to Taoist and Buddhist monasteries, one has little more to go on than legendary tales from a modern historical perspective, but T’ai Chi Ch’üan’s practical connection to and dependence upon the theories of Sung dynasty Neo-Confucianism (a conscious synthesis of Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian traditions, esp. the teachings of Mencius) is readily apparent to its practitioners. The philosophical and political landscape of that time in Chinese history is fairly well documented, even if the art later to become known as T’ai Chi Ch’üan’s origin in it is not. T’ai Chi Ch’üan’s theories and practice are therefore believed by some schools to have been formulated by the Taoist monk Chang San-feng in the 12th century, a time frame fitting well with when the principles of the Neo-Confucian school were making themselves felt in Chinese intellectual life. Therefore the didactic story is told that Chang San-feng as a young man studied Tao Yin (導引, py dǎoyǐn) breathing exercises from his Taoist teachers and martial arts at the Buddhist Shaolin monastery, eventually combining the martial forms and breathing exercises to formulate the soft or internal principles we associate with T’ai Chi Ch’üan and related martial arts. Its subsequent fame attributed to his teaching, Wu Tang monastery was known thereafter as an important martial center for many centuries, its many styles of internal kung fu preserved and refined at various Taoist temples.
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Family tree

Notes to Family tree table

* Short (37) Form (http://www.patiencetaichi.com/aspects.htm)
* Wudang style [1] (http://www.taichichuan.co.uk/information/wudang_tai_chi.html)

Names denoted by an asterisk are legendary or semi-legendary figures in the lineage, which means their involvement in the lineage, while accepted by most of the major schools, isn’t independently verifiable from known historical records.

The Yang Pan-hou lineage is considered senior to the Yang Chien-hou lineage (as reflected by their respective ages), although it may appear otherwise in the formatting of the Family tree table above.

The Cheng Man-ch’ing and Chinese Sports Commission short forms are said to be derived from Yang family forms and appear to be in the Yang family transmission above, but neither are recognized as Yang family T’ai Chi Ch’uan by current Yang family teachers. As well, the “Wudang style” isn’t recognized as representative of their style by the Wu family organisation. The Chen, Yang and Wu families are now promoting their own shortened demonstration forms for competitive purposes.
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T’ai Chi in the present

Recently there has been some divergence between those who say they practise T’ai Chi primarily for fighting, those who practise it for its aesthetic appeal (as in the shortened, modern, theatrical “Taijiquan” forms of wushu, see below), and those who are more interested in its benefits to physical and mental health. The wushu aspect is primarily for show, the forms taught for those purposes are designed to earn points in competition and are mostly unconcerned with either health maintenance or martial ability. More traditional stylists still see the two aspects of health and martial arts as equally necessary pieces of the puzzle, the yin and yang of T’ai Chi Ch’üan. The T’ai Chi “family” schools therefore still present their teachings in a martial art context even though the majority of their students nowadays profess that they are primarily interested in training for the claimed health benefits. T’ai Chi has become very popular in the last twenty years or so, as the baby boomers age and T’ai Chi’s reputation for ameliorating the effects of aging becomes more well-known. Hospitals, clinics, community and senior centers are all hosting T’ai Chi classes in communities around the world.

Along with Yoga, it is one of the fastest growing fitness and health maintenance activities, in terms of numbers of students enrolling in classes. Since there is no universal certification process, and most Westerners haven’t seen very much T’ai Chi and don’t know what to look for, practically anyone can learn or even make up a few moves and call themselves a teacher. Relatively few of these teachers even know that there are martial applications to the T’ai Chi forms. Those who do know that it is a martial art usually don’t teach martially themselves. If they do teach self-defense, it is often a mixture of motions which the teachers think look like T’ai Chi Ch’uan with some other system. This is especially evident in schools located outside of China. While this phenomenon may have made some external aspects of T’ai Chi available for a wider audience, the traditional T’ai Chi family schools see the martial focus as a fundamental part of their training, both for health and self-defense purposes. They claim that while the students may not need to practice martial applications themselves to derive a benefit from T’ai Chi training, their teachers at least should know the applications well enough to ensure that the movements they teach are done correctly and safely by their students. Also, working on the ability to protect oneself from physical attack (one of the most stressful things that can happen to a person) certainly falls under the category of complete “health maintenance.” For these reasons they feel that a school not teaching those aspects somewhere in their syllabus cannot be said to be actually teaching the art itself, and will be much less likely to be able to reproduce the full health benefits that have made traditional T’ai Chi Ch’uan’s reputation in the first place.
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Modern forms

In order to standardize T’ai Chi Ch’uan for its citizens’ daily exercise, and because many of the family T’ai Chi Ch’uan teachers either moved or stopped teaching after the Communist regime was established in 1949, the Chinese Sports Committee brought together four T’ai Chi experts who truncated the Yang family hand form to 24 postures in 1956. They wanted to somehow retain the essential principles of T’ai Chi Ch’uan but make it less difficult to learn than longer (generally 88 to 108 posture) classical family T’ai Chi Ch’uan hand forms. Because shorter forms don’t have the conditioning benefits of the classical forms, they wanted more difficult forms for the purposes of further studies and demonstration that didn’t have the demanding martial requirements of the traditional family forms. In 1976, the Combined 48 Forms were created by three T’ai Chi experts headed by Professor Men Hui Feng. The combined forms were created based on combining and condensing elements of the classical forms of four of the major styles; Ch’en, Yang, Wu, and Sun. The idea was to take what they felt were distinctive features of these styles and to express them in a short space of time.

As T’ai Chi again became popular on the Mainland, competitive forms were developed to be completed within a 6 minute time limit. In the late 1980s, the Chinese Sports Committee standardized the many different competition forms. It had chosen the four major styles and combined forms. These five sets of forms were created by different teams, and later approved by a committee of T’ai Chi experts in China, but not by direct representatives of most of the T’ai Chi families themselves. All sets of forms thus created were named after their style, e.g., the Ch’en Style National Competition Form is the 56 Forms, and so on. The combined forms are The 42 Form or simply the Competition Form, as it is known in China. In the 11th Asian Games of 1990, wushu was included as an item for competition for the first time with the 42 Form being chosen to represent T’ai Chi. It is likely to be the official form in the 2008 Summer Olympics. [2] (http://www.egreenway.com/taichichuan/short.htm)[3] (http://www.ohioshaolin.com/China%27s%20Arts/history_of_tai_chi_42_competitio.htm)

Representatives of some of the traditional families do not necessarily agree with the assessments of the Chinese Sports Committee, however. T’ai Chi Ch’uan has historically been seen by them as a martial art, not a sport, with competitions mostly entered as a hobby or to promote one’s school publicly, but with little bearing on measuring actual accomplishment in the art. Their criticisms of modern forms include that the modern, “government” routines, being what they see as a mostly random combination by committee of some external elements of the traditional styles, have no standardized, internally consistent training requirements. Also, that people studying competition forms rarely train pushing hands or other power generation trainings vital to learning the martial applications of T’ai Chi Ch’uan and thereby lack the quality control traditional teachers say knowing the martial aspect of the art is essential for.
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T’ai Chi as a form of traditional Chinese medicine

Researchers have found that long-term T’ai Chi practice had favorable effects on the promotion of balance control, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness and reduced the risk of falls in elders. The studies also reported reduced pain, stress and anxiety in healthy subjects. Other studies have indicated improved cardiovascular and respiratory function in healthy subjects as well as those who had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery. Patients also benefited from Tai Chi who suffered from heart failure, high blood pressure, heart attacks, arthritis and multiple sclerosis (See research citations listed below).
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Citations to medical research

* Wolf SL, Sattin RW, Kutner M. Intense tai chi exercise training and fall occurrences in older, transitionally frail adults: a randomized, controlled trial. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2003 Dec; 51(12): 1693-701. PMID 14687346
* Wang C, Collet JP, Lau J. The effect of Tai Chi on health outcomes in patients with chronic conditions: a systematic review. Arch Intern Med. 2004 Mar 8;164(5):493-501. PMID 15006825

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See also

* jing
* nei chin
* List of Tai Chi Chuan forms

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External links

* A Chen Family Website (http://www.chenxiaowang.com/)
* Yang Family Website (http://www.yangfamilytaichi.com/)
* Wu Chien-ch’üan Family Website (http://www.wustyle.com/)
* Dong Tai Chi home page (http://www.dongtaichi.com/)
* The World of Taijiquan (http://www.chen-taiji.com/mambo/)
* Tai Chi Directory (http://www.taichifollowme.com/)
* Lee Scheele’s Links to T’ai Chi Ch’uan Web Sites (http://www.scheele.org/lee/tcclinks.html)
* Modern Forms (http://www.taiji.de/taiji/head4e/index.htm) applications, videos, and music from Taiji (http://www.taiji.de/) German site
* Tai Chi and Taiji 37 from Dr Shen Hongxun (http://www.buqi.net/gb/)

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Bagua zhang

April 10th, 2005

Bagua zhang (Chinese: 八卦掌; pinyin: bāguà zhǎng) (also called Pa Kua Chang, Bagua Quan, Pa kua ch’üan, Bagua, Pakua, Pakua boxing) is one of the three major internal Chinese martial arts, the other two of which are Xingyiquan (形意拳) and Taijiquan (太極拳).

The word bagua zhang literally means “eight trigram palm”. The trigrams refer to diagrams from the Yijing, one of the canons of Taoism. These diagrams in turn refer to eight animals, upon which in some styles of Bagua zhang movements or fighting systems are based on.

The trigrams and their corresponding animals in martial arts are:

* Li (離) – Chicken (鷂)
* Kun (坤) – Qilin (麟) (sometimes mis-translated as unicorn or Chinese unicorn)
* Dui (兌) – Monkey (猴)
* Qian (乾) – Lion (獅)
* Kan (坎) – Snake (蛇)
* Gen (艮) – Bear (熊)
* Zhen (震) – Long (龍) (often translated as Chinese dragon)
* Xun (巽) – Fenghuang (鳳) (often mis-translated as phoenix or Chinese phoenix)

Similar types of animal systems exist in other types of Chinese martial arts.

The practice of circle walking is bagua’s characteristic method of stance and movement training. Practitioners walk around the edge of a circle in a low stance, facing the center and periodically changing direction as they execute forms. Students first learn flexibility through such exercises, then move on to more complex forms and internal power mechanics. The internal aspects of bagua are very similar to those of xingyi and taiji. Eventually, many distinctive styles of weapons training are practiced, sometimes including the uniquely crescent-shaped deerhorn knives. In many schools, students study both xingyi and bagua. These may be used together in fighting, as they are often complementary. Bagua contains an extremely wide variety of techniques, including various strikes, low kicks, joint techniques, throws, and distinctively circular footwork.

Bagua was developed by Dong Haichuan (董海川) in the early 19th century, who apparently learnt from Taoist and Buddhist masters in the mountains of rural China. There is evidence to suggest a synthesis of several pre-existing martial arts taught and practiced in the region he lived in, combined with Taoist circle walking. (It should be noted that circle walking appears popular among the shamanic traditions, including a version practiced by Siberian shamans). Dong Haichuan taught for many years in Beijing, eventually earning patronage by the Imperial court. Famous disciples of Dong to become teachers were Yin Fu (尹福), Cheng Tinghua (程廷華), Song Changrong (宋長榮), Liu Fengchun (劉鳳春) and Ma Weiqi (馬維棋). Although they were all students of the same teacher, their methods of training and expressions of palm techniques differed. The Cheng and Liu styles are said to specialize in “Pushing” the palms, Yin style is known for “Threading” the palms, Song’s followers practice “Plum Flower” (梅花 Mei Hua) palm technique and Ma style palms are known as “Hammers.” Some of Dong Haichuan’s students, including Cheng Tinghua (who was killed), participated in the Boxer Rebellion.

One of the most famous Bagua practitioners of the 20th century was Sun Lutang (孫録堂), who studied Baguazhang under Cheng Tinghua. Sun was also a Xingyiquan disciple of Guo Yunshen (郭雲深) and learned Wu/Hao style Taijiquan from Hao Wei-chen. Sun Lutang was reputed among the Taiji professionals of his day to have excelled in his studies and subsequently became well known as the founder of Sun style Taijiquan.

Baguazhang is also known for sometimes practicing with extremely large weapons, such as the Baguadao (八卦刀), or ‘Bagua Broadsword.’

Few good teachers of Baguazhang are available in the United States, and many do not advertise. Many are conservative and in line with Confucian didactic tradition will only reveal internal practices to dedicated students.
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See also

* Jing (TCM)
* Kung Fu
* Nei Jin
* Pushing hands
* Wushu

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External links

* The Pa Kua Chang of Lu Shui-Tian (http://www.pa-kua.com)
* European Yin Style Bagua Zhang Association (http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/bagua.zhang/index.htm)
* AST Yin Style Bagua (http://www.traditionalstudies.org/ysb/)
* Emptyflower Bagua Links (http://www.emptyflower.com/xingyiquan/drilling/bagua_links.html)
* Emptyflower (http://www.emptyflower.com/xingyiquan/index.html)
* Nine Dragon The Gompa (http://www.ninedragonbaguazhang.com/)

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Book References

* Robert W. Smith, “Chinese Boxing”
* B. K. Frantzis, “The Power of Internal Martial Arts: Combat Secrets of Ba Gua, Tai Chi, and Hsing-I”
* Bok Nam Park & Dan Miller, “The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang: The Methods of Lu Shue-Tien As Taught by Park Bok Nam.”

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Kung fu

April 10th, 2005

Kung fu or gongfu (功夫, Pinyin: gōngfu) is a well-known Chinese term used in the West to designate Chinese martial arts. Its original meaning is somewhat different, referring to one’s expertise in any skill, not necessarily martial. Many consider wushu a better term for Chinese martial arts, as it translates directly into martial art.
Contents [showhide]
1 History
2 Spelling
3 Translation and usage
4 Philosophy
5 See also
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History

The term kung fu was first known to have been reported by a Westerner, French Jesuit missionary Jean Joseph Marie Amiot, in the 18th century and was known little in the mainstream English language until approximately the late 1960s, when it became popular because of the Hong Kong films, especially those by Bruce Lee, and later Kung Fu – the television series. Before that it was referred to primarily as “Chinese boxing”.
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Spelling

Part of the confusion around this term comes from the many ways the Chinese characters 功夫 can be romanized, as Chinese romanization systems have evolved much in the past years.

Here are some of the most common versions in use today:

* Kung fu is undoubtedly the most widely spread. It uses the Wade-Giles romanization system; a system that many consider obsolete today.
* Gongfu is the Hanyu Pinyin romanization. With tones included this would be written gōngfu. Even though Pinyin is currently the official system of romanization of the People’s Republic of China, the spelling “gongfu” is not widely used. Pinyin is, however, a popular system used for many other similar Chinese terms, such as Qigong (instead of Ch’i Kung in Wade-Giles).
* Gungfu or gung fu is a Cantonese version using Yale romanization. This spelling was made popular by Bruce Lee during the 1970s.

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Translation and usage

Nowadays, the most common use of the term kung fu is when referring to Chinese martial arts in general. Thus, when someone says they train kung fu, they likely mean they train in one of the many styles of Chinese martial arts. The original meaning of kung fu is quite different, and is hard to translate as there is no English equivalent. In short, 功夫 (gōngfu) means “achievement through great effort” or simply virtue. It combines 功 (gōng) meaning achievement or merit, and 夫 (fū) which translates into man. In Mandarin, when two “first tone” words such as gōng and fū are combined, the second word often takes a neutral tone, in this case forming gōngfu.

Although the term was originally used solely in reference to Chinese martial arts, it refers to excellence achieved through long practice in any endeavor. You can say that a person’s kung fu is good in cooking, or that someone has kung fu in calligraphy; saying that a person possesses kung fu in an area implies skill in that area, which they have worked hard to develop. Someone with “bad kung fu” simply has not put enough time and effort into training, or seems to lack the motivation to do so.

Originally, to practice kung fu did not just mean to practice Chinese martial arts. Instead, it referred to the process of one’s training – the strengthening of the body and the mind, the learning and the perfection of one’s skills – rather than to what was being trained.

There is a curious contemporary twist on this meaning in the hacker culture: there the fu has been generalized to a suffix, implying that the thing suffixed involves great skill or effort. For example, one may talk of “script-fu” to refer to complicated scripting. It is unknown whether this was consciously based on the original, broader meaning of the term or whether it was a simple wordplay on the less general Western notion of “kung fu”.

As many Japanese martial arts have originally evolved from Chinese martial arts, Japanese people use this word in their native pronunciation of “koufu” (Kanji:功夫, Kana:こうふ) to describe a building site laborer.
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Philosophy

There are various philosophies around the term kung fu, suggesting a deeper meaning. The following is an example of such a philosophy:

For a process to truly be kung fu, the following three elements must be present:

* Motivation
* Self-discipline
* Time

Motivation is the basic driving force, and without it, kung fu can never be reached. It means both interest and the will to do something; a person who is forced to do something is not truly motivated. A motivated person, on the other hand, has interest in learning: they have a goal.

It is important to note a difference between the various types of motivation: A person can be motivated to do something, because if they do not they will be punished. Money can also lead to motivation, because you know that doing something will give you more money. However, the motivation kung fu strives for comes from an interest and an inner desire to learn and develop, in which the goal is not an external gain, like avoiding punishment or earning money, but an internal one, with the only reward being knowledge, skill, strength and wisdom. This motivation can be inspired, but not controlled, by other people.

Self-discipline is closely related to motivation, but refers to the effort and patience required to actually get something done, and to get past obstacles that might appear on the way towards one’s goal. While motivation is the mental state of wanting to do something, discipline is required to put motivation into action: A person might want to do something very much, but lacks the required amount of discipline to get started. Without this, motivation will lead to nothing.

It is true that a competent instructor can assist a person by providing discipline, helping that person to get past obstacles. This is good, but will not last forever, and in the end, it is always up to the person herself to put her thoughts into action.

Time is essential for finding one’s motivation and self-discipline, and to actually accomplish something by making use of them, but motivation and self-discipline are also important to make a person willing to put time into accomplishing their goal: to prioritize.

In later stages, once motivation and discipline have become an integral part of a person’s life, it is important not to stop spending time on practice. This is said to be a very important aspect of kung fu: Many ancient Chinese philosophers and martial artists consider time the most valuable commodity in a person’s lives, as time cannot be replaced. It is said that one should use time wisely, and that, to get the most out of life, must practice kung fu in every activity. By finding interest in and putting effort and time into every action, one will make the best use of time, and live a happy and productive life.

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Hsing Yi

April 10th, 2005

Hsing Yi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Hsing Yi (Chinese: 形意拳; pinyin: Xíngyì Quán; Wade-Giles: Hsing-i Ch’üan; lit. “Form and Thought Boxing”) is a northern Chinese martial art tradition attributed to the legendary Chinese General Yue Fei (岳飛) around 1100 AD.

Hsing Yi claims to specialize in deceptively soft, linear, low attacks and quick yet solid footwork appropriate for the battlefield and the military. Although considered by some to be the most simple and linear of the Chinese soft styles (the other styles being Pa Kua Chang and Tai Chi Chuan), Hsing-i is also known as a subtle and sophisticated art form. Its power generation derives directly from the well-known spiraling and circling characteristics of the internal Chinese martial arts. The spiraling and circling movements only appear to be linear in Hsing-i’s “long arm” approach.

Hsing Yi uses five distinct elements or forms as metaphors assigned to represent the details of different combative methods. Usually called, “the five fists” within the context of hsing-i, these Five Elements or Five Phases (五行 Wǔ Xíng or Wu Hsing) are based on Taoist cosmology, and practitioners of the art are taught that reactions to attacks and counter attacks should be conditioned by which of the elements an attack is considered to be coming from. As combatants or “elements” interact their conflict is said come to an end result predictable by wu hsing theory. Proponents also say that in Hsing-i Ch’üan there are at least three outcomes in a combat situation; the constructive, the neutral, and the destructive. Hsing-i students train to react to and execute specific techniques in such a way that a desirable cycle will form based on the constructive, neutral and destructive interactions of wu hsing theory. Where to aim, where to hit and with what technique – and how those motions should also work defensively – is determined by what point of which cycle they see themselves in.

The advanced training forms varies and combines the five fists together. Depending on the lineage, some of these advanced forms includes linking forms, the “eight hands”, the “eight tigers”, and twelve animal forms.

Most practitioners of Tai Chi Chuan, Pa Kua Chang and Hsing Yi consider Hsing Yi to be an internal style, with an emphasis on qi development and coordination in their training. Traditional Chinese weapon training is another feature of Hsing Yi as a martial art.
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See also

* ching
* kung fu
* nei chin
* Sun style T’ai Chi Ch’uan
* Wushu

[edit]

External links

* Emptyflower Xingyiquan (http://www.emptyflower.com/xingyiquan/index.html)
* Mike Patterson’s school of Xingyiquan

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Chi Kung

April 10th, 2005

Qigong
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from Chi Kung)

Qigong (Simplified Chinese: 气功; Traditional Chinese: 氣功; pinyin: qìgōng; Wade-Giles: ch’i kung) is an increasingly popular aspect of Chinese medicine. Qigong is mostly taught for health maintenance purposes, but there are also some who teach it, especially in China, for therapeutic interventions. Various forms of traditional qigong are also widely taught in conjunction with Chinese martial arts.

There are more than thirty three undred different styles and schools of qigong. In general, qigong schools teach their own variations of physical training routines based on coordinating different patterns of breathing with different physical motions of the body. Qigong relies on the traditional Chinese belief that the body has an energy field, known as Qi. Qi means breath or to breathe in Mandarin Chinese, and by extension the energy produced by breathing that keeps us alive; gong means work or technique. Qigong is then “breath work” or the art of managing the breath to achieve and maintain good health, and especially in the martial arts, to enhance the leverage and stamina of the body in coordination with the physical process of respiration.

Attitudes toward the basis of qigong vary markedly. Most Western medical practitioners, many practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine, as well as the Chinese government view qigong as a set of breathing and movement exercises, with many possible benefits to health through stress reduction and exercise. Others see qigong in more metaphysical terms, claiming that breathing and movement exercises can influence the fundamental forces of the universe. An extreme form of the latter view was advocated by some participants in the Boxer Rebellion of the late 19th century who believed that breathing and movement exercises would allow them to ward off bullets.
Contents [showhide]
1 History
2 Uses
3 Beliefs
4 Criticism of Qigong
5 Controversies within Qigong
6 See also
7 External links
[edit]

History

Qigong under various names has a long history in China. The written records referring to qi and its effects are as old as 3,300 years (Shang dynasty oracle bones, Zhou dynasty inscriptions). Numerous books have been written about qigong during the subsequent history of China. The development of Chinese qigong can be divided into three periods:

* In ancient China, people came to believe that through certain body movements and mental concentration combined with various breathing techniques, they could balance and enhance physical, metabolic and mental functions. These movements were worked out over time by exploring the natural range of motion through the joints, as well as drawing on motions in imitation of various animals. This research was passed down and refined according to teacher-disciple relationships of lineage or apprenticeship. This accumulated body of traditional knowledge is known as Chinese traditional qigong.

* In later centuries, these practices became more standardized, very often associated with religious practitioners. For example, incense burning was originally used to measure time and also to repel insects during qigong practice, and eventually became an important part of the meditative process itself. Over time, new forms of qigong were created and passed down through various schools; Taoist, Buddhist, Confucian, Neo-Confucian, Chinese medicine, and the traditional Chinese martial arts.

* In the 1970s, researchers began studying qigong using the scientific method, with peer-reviewed and controlled studies of various techniques to provide a scientific evaluation of claims for the efficacy of qigong.

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Uses

Today millions of people in China and around the world regularly practice qigong as a health maintenance exercise. Qigong and related disciplines are still associated with the martial arts and meditation routines trained by Taoist and Buddhist monks, professional martial artists and their students. Formerly much more closely guarded, in the modern era such practices have become widely available to the general public both in China and around the world.

Medical qigong treatment has been officially recognized as a standard medical technique in Chinese hospitals since 1989. It has been included in the curriculum of major universities in China. After years of debate, the Chinese government decided to officially manage qigong through government regulation in 1996 and has also listed qigong as part of their National Health Plan.

Dr. Yan Xin (嚴新), a doctor of both Western and Chinese medicine as well as founder of the relatively popular Yan Xin Qigong school, suggests that in order for qigong to be accepted by the modern world it must pass the test of scientific study. Without such studies, Yan maintains that qigong will be dismissed as “superstition” (see “Criticism of Qigong” chapter below). In the mid-1980s he and others began systematic study of qigong in some research institutions in China and U.S. More than 20 papers [1] (http://www.accessv.com/~yuan/yansci/time/2002_YanXin_Qigong_JSE.pdf) [2] (http://www1.elsevier.com/cdweb/views/article.htt?jnl=00243205&iss=3&vol=69&pii=S002432050101122) [3] (http://www.scientificexploration.org/jse/abstracts/v16n3a4.php) [4] (http://bst.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/22/5/403) have been published.
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Beliefs

Qigong and its intimate relation to the Chinese martial arts are often connected with spirituality. They have thereby been considered the province of religious practitioners in the popular imagination for many centuries. This link is much stronger than with other techniques in traditional Chinese medicine. Qigong was historically practiced extensively in Taoist and Buddhist monasteries as an adjunct of martial arts training, and the claimed benefits of martial qigong practice are widely known in East Asian martial traditions and popular culture. As well, the traditional teaching methods of most qigong schools (at least in Asia) descend from the strict teacher-disciple relationship conventions inherited in Chinese culture from Confucianism.

In some styles of qigong, it is taught that humanity and nature are inseparable, and any belief otherwise is held to be an artificial discrimination based on a limited, two-dimensional view of human life. According to this philosophy, access to higher energy states and the subsequent health benefits said to be provided by these higher states is possible through the principle of cultivating virtue (de or te 德, see Tao Te Ching). Cultivating virtue could be described as a process in which one recognizes that one was never separated from nature (a Taoist metaphor for this is the “uncarved block” – which refers to a primal, undifferentiated state of being free of artificial discrimination), a process made possible with the energy made available to the qigong student after they sincerely choose and implement what they are taught as positive lifestyle choices, which will include practicing specific qigong techniques for ameliorating the effects of previous choices seen as less virtuous (see karma).

It is claimed by some that the level of an individual’s qigong accomplishment is fundamentally dependent upon the level of their virtue. Therefore in qigong, the practitioner’s focus on virtue is an extremely important technical requirement, especially in the advanced levels. Without such continuous cultivation of virtue, one will not be able to achieve a highly relaxed and tranquil mind/body state.
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Criticism of Qigong

Much of the criticism of qigong involves its method of operation. Both traditional Chinese and Western medicine practitioners have little argument with the notion that qigong can improve and in many cases maintain health by encouraging movement, increasing range of motion, relaxation, blood oxygen saturation and improving joint flexibility and resilience. However, the benefits of qigong become much more controversial when it is asserted that qigong derives its benefits from qi acting as an external non-physical force. Most biologists and physicists are skeptical of these claims and see no reason to believe that qi exists in this manner.

Some proponents of qigong make the controversial claim that they can directly detect and manipulate this energy, but there are those who insist that they can only demonstrate this to fellow believers. Others, including many traditional Chinese practitioners, believe that qi can be viewed as a metaphor for biological processes, and the effectiveness of qigong can also be explained in terms more familiar to Western medicine such as stress management.
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Controversies within Qigong

In the 1980s and 1990s, the increasing popularity of qigong and related practices led to the establishment of many groups and methods in China and elsewhere which have been viewed in a critical light by more traditional qigong practitioners as well as skeptical outside observers. In this view, a large number of people started studying qigong under inadequate supervision, indeed, perhaps the majority of people today who study qigong study from books or video tapes and DVDs without supervision by a teacher. This can lead to several problems, according to those who view themselves as representative of orthodox schools. Most traditional training takes many years of practice under the supervision of someone who has also learned over years, someone who can guide and prevent the student from taking an unbalanced approach to qigong practice. The theory is that unbalanced circulation of inner energies eventually leads to unbalanced effects on the various systems of the body, both mental and physical. Stories of unguided practitioners developing chronic mental and physical health problems as a result of such training are not uncommon. A common term used by English speaking practitioners for one example of this syndrome is “Qigong Psychosis” (Now included in the DSM-IV (Diagnostic_and_Statistical_Manual_of_Mental_Disorders) as a culture-bound syndrome: Qi-Gong Psychotic Reaction: DSM-IV General Information: Appendix I, Outline for Cultural Formulation and Glossary of Culture-Bound Syndromes). Another function of improper training involves frauds and deliberate charlatans who promote themselves as qigong “healers” promising miracle cures of any conceivable affliction for the right amount of money. Traditionally, qigong is considered more of a health maintenance regimen, and any promises of miracle cures should be viewed with suspicion, according to more conservative practitioners.

This recent popularity has also led to increased attention for quasi-religious groups teaching styles of qigong in an atmosphere of New Age-like spirituality. Qigong has been associated in China with Taoist and Buddhist meditation practices for two thousand years, and this association has recently been exploited, according to traditionalists, by many would be cult leaders. Perhaps the prime example of a group promoting a synthesis of overt religiosity with qigong practice is the Falun Gong group, whose worldwide popularity grew to the point that the People’s Republic of China government banned their practice outright in 1999.
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See also

* Buddhism in China
* I Ching
* Jing (TCM)
* mind-body problem
* placebo effect
* Pseudoscience
* Religion
* Tai Chi Chuan
* Tao Yin
* Tui na
* Yoga

[edit]

External links

* International Oriental College for Qigong based studies of Chinese Medicine (http://www.orientalcollege.org)
* Scientific research from the Qigong Institute (http://www.qigonginstitute.org)
* National (USA) Qigong Association (http://www.nqa.org/)
* Qigong Association of America (http://www.qi.org/)
* The Veritas Academy – An online academy for qigong, psi, magick, and spirituality (http://www.theveritasacademy.net)
* Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi – the human body produces “the most profound medicine” within – for free! (http://www.feeltheqi.com/)
* Dr. Yan Xin (http://www.yanxinqigong.net/aboutdryan/index.htm)
* Wu style T’ai Chi Ch’uan (http://www.wustyle.com/)
* Alternative medicine: A Skeptical Look (http://www.canoe.ca/HealthAlternative/home.html)
* Quackwatch: Your Guide to Health Fraud, Quackery, and Intelligent Decisions (http://www.quackwatch.org/index.html)
* Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (http://www.csicop.org/)
* Qigong Association Germany (http://www.tai-chi-zentrum.de/)
* Fragrance Qigong (Xianggong) (http://www16.brinkster.com/xianggong/)
* The Skeptics Dictionary (http://www.skepdic.com/chikung.html)
* Discover Qigong with Dr Shen Hongxun and the Buqi Magazine (http://www.buqi.net/gb/index.html)
* Detailed information about some specific qi gong practices. (http://www.qigongresearch.org)
* Acupuncture, Qigong, and “Chinese Medicine” (http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/acu.html) by Stephen Barrett, M.D. – an article on Quackwatch
* International Sheng Zhen Society (http://www.shengzhen.org/)
* Internation Tibetan Qigong Association

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Aikido

April 10th, 2005

Aikido (合気道 Aikidō, also 合氣道 using an older style of kanji), literally meaning “harmony energy way”, or with some poetic license, “way of the harmonious spirit”) is a gendai budo — a modern Japanese martial art. Practitioners of aikido are known as aikidoka. It was developed by Morihei Ueshiba (植芝盛平) (also known by aikidoka as o-sensei (大先生)) over the period of the 1930s to the 1960s. Technically, the major parts of aikido are derived from Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu (大東流合気柔術), a form of jujutsu with many joint techniques, and kenjutsu　(剣術), or Japanese sword technique. Aikido is also considered to contain a significant spiritual component.
Contents [showhide]
1 History
2 Technique

2.1 Training

2.1.1 Defense
2.1.2 Attacks
2.1.3 Weapons

2.2 Clothing
3 Spirituality

3.1 Ki
4 Styles
5 Aikidoka
6 External links
[edit]

History
Tachi waza nikyo omotei.e. standing technique, second principle, front form
Enlarge
Tachi waza nikyo omote
i.e. standing technique, second principle, front form

The name aikido is formed of three Japanese characters, 合気道, usually romanised as ai, ki and do. These are often translated as meaning harmony, energy and way, so aikido can be translated as “the way of harmony through energy”. Another common interpretation of the characters is harmony, spirit and way, so aikido can also mean “the way of spiritual harmony”. Both interpretations draw attention to the fact that aikido’s techniques are designed to control an attacker by controlling and redirecting their energy instead of blocking it. An analogy is often made of the way a flexible willow bends with the storm whereas the stout oak will break if the wind blows too hard. (The Korean martial art commonly known as hapkido uses the same three characters: some suggest a historical link through Daito Ryu, the main origin of aikido).

Morihei Ueshiba developed aikido mainly from Daito Ryu aikijutsu, incorporating training movements such as those for the yari (spear), jo (a short quarterstaff), and perhaps also juken (bayonet). But arguably the strongest influence is that of the katana (sword). In many ways, an aikido practitioner moves as an empty handed swordsman. The aikido strikes shomenuchi and yokomenuchi originate from weapon attacks, and resultant techniques likewise from weapon take-aways. Some schools of aikido do no weapons training at all; others, such as Iwama Ryu usually spend substantial time with bokken (wooden sword), jo, and tanto (knife). In some lines of aikido, all techniques can be performed with a sword as well as unarmed.

Aikido was brought to the West in 1951 to France by Minoru Mochizuki. It was introduced to the United Kingdom in 1955, the United States in the 1960s, to Australia in 1965 and to many other countries. Today there are many aikido dojos available to train at throughout the world.
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Technique

Aikido incorporates a wide range of techniques which use principles of energy and motion to redirect, neutralize and control attackers. Because aikido techniques allow practitioners to move considerably during their execution, as well as for other reasons, some believe aikido is particularly suited to multiple-attacker circumstances. However, like all martial arts claims, this is debated. At its highest level, aikido can be used to defend oneself without causing serious injury to either the aggressor or the defender. If performed correctly, size and strength are not important for efficency in the techniques. Aikido is considered one of the most difficult of the Japanese martial arts to gain proficiency in.
[edit]

Training

The methods of training vary from organization to organization and indeed even between different dojo in a single organization but typically, a class basically means that the teacher shows techniques or principles and the students imitate. Training is done through mutual technique, not by sparring. Uke, the receiver of the technique, usually initiates an attack against nage or tori, who neutralizes it with an aikido technique. The uke and the nage have equally important roles. Students must practice both positions in order to learn to defend against an attack and to safely receive the defense. When o-sensei taught, all his students were uke until he deemed them knowledgeable enough of the technique to be nage. Movement, awareness, precision and timing are all important to the execution of techniques as students progress from rigidly defined exercises to more fluid and adaptable applications. Eventually, students take part in jiyu-waza and/or randori, where the attacks are less predictable. Some schools, such as Shodokan Aikido, employ training methods wherein uke actively attempts to employ counter-techniques, or kaeshi-waza.

O-Sensei didn’t allow competition in training because some techniques are considered too dangerous and because he believed that competition didn’t develop good character in students. Most styles of aikido continue this tradition although Shodokan Aikido (see #Styles) started with competitions early on. In the Ki Society there are forms (taigi) competitions held, in a small scale.
[edit]

Defense

Aikido techniques are mostly based on keeping the attacker out of balance and locking joints. Much of aikido’s repertoire of defenses can be performed either as throwing techniques (nage-waza) or as controls (katame-waza), depending on the situation. Entering, irimi, and turning, tenkan, are widely used Aikido concepts, as is striking, atemi, although this is mostly performed as distraction rather than to hurt. Manipulation of uke’s balance by entering is often referred to as “taking uke’s center”. It is sometimes said that aikido contains only defense, and the attacks that are performed are not really aikido. From a historical perspective this claim is questionable, but many if not most aikidoka have the defense techniques as the focus of their training.
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Attacks

Although attacks seldom are studied to the same extent as in arts of more aggressive nature, good attacks are needed to study correct and effective application of technique. “Honest” attacks are considered important, although the opinions of how an honest attack looks varies in different schools.

Aikido attacks used in normal training include various stylized strikes and grabs such as shomenuchi (a vertical strike to the head), yokomenuchi (a lateral strike to the side of the head and/or neck), munetsuki (a straight punch), ryotedori (a two handed grab) or katadori (a shoulder grab). Many of the -uchi strikes resemble blows from a sword or other weapon. Kicks are sometimes used, but are not usually part of basic curricula. Most aikido techniques can also be applied to a response to an attack, e.g. to a block, and some schools use this as the “basic” form of a given class of technique. Beginners also tend to work with techniques executed in response to a grab. Grabs are considered good for basic practice because the connection with uke is very clear and strong, and it is easier to “feel out” body mechanics and lines of force.

There is also the matter of atemi, or strikes employed during an aikido technique. The role and importance of atemi is a matter of some debate in aikido. Some view atemi as strikes to “vital points” that can be delivered during the course of a technique’s application, to increase effectiveness. Others consider atemi to be methods of distraction, particularly when aimed at the face. For instance, if a movement would expose the aikido practitioner to a counter-blow, he or she may deliver a quick strike to distract the attacker or occupy the threatening limb. Atemi can be interpreted as not only punches or kicks but also, for instance, striking with a shoulder or a large part of the arm. Some throws are arguably effected through an unbalancing or abrupt application of atemi. Many sayings about atemi (http://www.tsuki-kage.com/ueshiba.html) are attributed to Morihei Ueshiba, although their precise content varies considerably based on the one doing the telling.
[edit]

Weapons

Weapons training in aikido usually consists of jo (staff) and bokken (sword) and/or tanto (knife). Both weapons-taking and weapons-retention are sometimes taught, to integrate the armed and unarmed aspects of aikido. For example, a technique done with a straight punch may be done with a tanto or jo thrust instead, or a grab technique may be illustrated as a way to draw/strike with a weapon while being grabbed.

Many schools, also others than those who are his students in lineage, train versions of Morihiro Saito’s weapons system: aiki-jo and aiki-ken. It contains solo kata with jo, and paired exercises with jo and bokken. In other lines of aikido, paired training with bokken in kata derived from old sword schools is common. Quite a few aikido teachers have also developed weapons systems on their own, such as Mitsugi Saotome’s “two sword aikido.”
[edit]

Clothing

Aikido uses a keikogi similar to most other modern budo arts; simple trousers and a wraparound jacket, usually white. In some places a keikogi of karate cut is preferred, in others most people use judo keikogis. Keikogi made specially for aikido exist, but usually not in the lower price ranges.

To the keikogi adds the traditional garment hakama, wide pleated trousers. The hakama is usually black or dark blue. In most dojos around the world, the hakama is reserved for practitioners with dan (black belt) ranks, but some dojos ask everyone to wear a hakama. Systems also exist where hakama is never worn, worn from a specific kyu rank, and others where women are allowed to wear it earlier than the men.

The belt, obi is wrapped twice around the body similar to in karate or judo. Although some systems use many belt colours similar to the system in judo, the most common version is that dan ranks wear black belt, and kyu ranks white – sometimes with an additional brown belt for the highest kyu ranks.
[edit]

Spirituality

The ending “do” in the word aikido indicates a spiritual path, unlike the ending “jitsu” in the word aikijujitsu, which indicates an art of war. Many people see this difference as important as well as regarding iaijitsu and iaido, jujitsu and judo, and kenjutsu and kendo. Others see this distinction as a historically incorrect and somewhat unnatural division.

Ueshiba taught that, while it was important to become proficient in physical technique, this is not the ultimate purpose of training. He taught that the principles learned through training in physical technique are universal and are to be applied to all aspects of one’s life. He once commented that he was teaching students not how to move their feet but, rather, how to move their minds.

Many agree that Ueshiba’s style became softer, more fluid, and effortless as he grew older. Some suggest this was due to a shift in focus to the spiritual aspects of the art, while others suggest that this was simply a natural result of Ueshiba becoming more proficent in physical technique. Various interpretations have arisen since Ueshiba’s death.

A range of aikido schools can be found, each placing a different emphasis on physical techniques, underlying principles, and spirtual concepts. This is largely a result of at what point the founder of each of these schools trained with Ueshiba–earlier or later in Ueshiba’s life. The former tend to focus more on physical technique, while the latter tend to focus more on spiritual concepts. However, this should not be overstated, especially since there is considerable variance from sensei to sensei, and an “aikido continuum” is quite problematic to actually construct. Some aikidoka view “physical vs. spiritual” as a false separation, or a failed attempt to stereotype branches of aikido.

Ki Society is an example of a school that focuses heavily on the spiritual concepts of aikido, rather than physical technique.
[edit]

Ki
Ki kanji

The ability to harness one’s Ki is an essential part of mastering Aikido techniques. Ki is often translated by aikidoka as ‘breath power’, ‘power’, ‘energy’, or sometimes even as ‘soul’. This ‘ki’ is the same as the ‘qi’ in qi-gong, but not the same as the ‘chi’ in t’ai chi. When aikidoka say that someone (usually a high ranking teacher) is training with a lot of ki, they usually want to express that the person in question has developed a high level of harmony in the execution of his technique. Timing, a sense for the correct distance and a centered (undisturbed) mind and body are particularly important. Most teachers claim to locate ki in the hara, which might be loosely defined as the body’s center of gravity, situated in the lower abdomen, about two inches below and behind the navel. In training it is constantly emphasized that one should keep one’s hara — that is, remain centered — in order not to lose the ki. Very high ranking teachers sometimes reach a level of coordination that enables them to execute techniques with very little apparent movement, sometimes even without seeming to touch their opponent’s body.

Essentially, ki corresponds to the physical concepts of center of gravity, center of momentum, and center of force. However, these centers are not necessarily the same, so Ki also encompasses the biological and mental aspect of training oneself to have exquisite control over motion. Finally, there is a spiritual aspect of how exactly to achieve harmony over these centers.

Of course, the spiritual interpretation of ki depends very much on what school of aikido you study, as some emphasize it more than others. Aikikai dojos, for example, tend to spend much more time on ki-related training activities than do, for example, Yoshinkan dojos. The importance of ki in Aikido cannot be denied — the name of the martial art, after all, can be loosely translated as “The way of cooperation with the ki”, or “The way of harmony with the ki”. But what ki is is debated by many within the discipline. O-Sensei himself appears to have changed his views over time — for example, Yoshinkan Aikido, which largely follows O-Sensei’s teachings from before the war, is considerably more martial in nature, reflecting a younger, more violent and less spiritual O-Sensei. Within this school, ki perhaps could be better thought of as having its original Chinese meaning of breath, and aikido as coordination of movement with breath to maximize power. As O-Sensei evolved and his views changed, his teachings took on a much more spiritual feel, and many of his later students (almost all now high ranking senseis within the Aikikai) teach about ki from a much more spiritual perspective.
Obsolete form of the ki kanji

Regardless, this quote (from the Aikido FAQ) puts it plainly: “you may not believe in Ki, but you sure as hell cultivate it.” Whether you think of ki as breath, spirit, or simply refrain from analyzing it too much, it is clear to any student of Aikido that the martial art makes extensive use of ki. Because of this, and because ki is often associated with spirituality, aikido is considered one of the more spiritual martial arts and has been referred to as “moving zen”.

Some believe that the physical entity ki does not exist, but rather is a concept used to teach spirit, intention, and coordination of the physical and psychological through relaxation and control. These aikidoka tend to frown on the overemphasis of the philosophical and spiritual aspects of ki. On the other side of the spectrum, some spiritually oriented aikidoka believe that ki does exist as a physical entity and can be transmitted through space. These tend to make use of concepts like “the ki of the universe”, “extending ki”, and so on. While the zealous in each group find the existence of interpretations other than their own frustrating, most middle-of-the-road aikidoka consider the disagreement to be a productive one for the greater Aikido community. Some people are turned off by spirituality, but nonetheless appreciate the martial art’s beauty; the existence of non-spiritually minded schools allows these types of people to enjoy Aikido and benefit from it. Similarly, some people are not at all attracted by the physical/martial nature of Aikido, and consider its spirituality to be its most important quality — these definitely benefit from dojos emphasizing spirituality.

Regardless, aikidoka will no doubt continue their ‘quest for ki’. O-sensei famously said that he was just an aikidoka like all of his students, and that he was only beginning to learn.

Ninjitsu

April 10th, 2005

Ninjutsu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

This article is about the Japanese espionage martial arts and techniques known as ninjutsu. Ninjutsu is frequently depicted fancifully in fiction; for these depictions, see the article on ninja.

Ninjutsu (忍術), also called shinobi-jutsu (忍び術), is a collection of techniques originally practiced for espionage purposes. It includes methods of gathering information, nondetection, avoidance, and misdirection techniques. Ninjutsu can also involve training in disguise, escape, concealment, archery, medicine, and explosives. Practitioners of ninjutsu have been seen as assassins for hire, and have been associated in the public imagination with other activities which are considered criminal by modern standards. Even though it was influenced by Chinese spying techniques, ninjutsu is believed by its adherents to be of Japanese origin.

It is properly distinguished from ninpō (忍法) which has its roots in Shintoism and is concerned more with the realms of the mind (noosphere) and spirit.

Although the popular view is that ninjutsu is the art of secrecy or stealth, actual practitioners consider it to mean the art of enduring – enduring all of life’s hardships. The character nin carries both these meanings.
Contents [showhide]
1 A sample curriculum of a ninjutsu school
2 Schools of ninjutsu
3 Other schools
4 External links
[edit]

A sample curriculum of a ninjutsu school

This lists the 18 fundamental skills of the Togakure-ryû school of ninjutsu. (忍び術)

1. Seishin-teki kyōyō (spiritual refinement)
2. Taijutsu (unarmed combat)
3. Ninja ken (sword fighting)
4. Bōjutsu (stick and staff fighting)
5. Shurikenjutsu (throwing blades)
6. Sōjutsu (spear fighting)
7. Naginatajutsu (halberd fighting)
8. Kusarigama (chain and sickle weapon)
9. Kayakujutsu (fire and explosives)
10. Hensūjutsu (disguise and impersonation)
11. Shinobi-iri (stealth and infiltration methods)
12. Bajutsu (horsemanship)
13. Sui-ren (training in water)
14. Bōryaku (military strategy)
15. Chōhō (espionage)
16. Intonjutsu (escaping and concealment)
17. Tenmon (meteorology)
18. Chi-mon (geography)

[edit]

Schools of ninjutsu

The Bujinkan Dōjō headed by Masaaki Hatsumi is one of three organisations generally accepted as teaching ninjutsu. Hatsumi’s Bujinkan Dōjō consists of nine separate schools of allegedly traditional Japanese martial arts, several of which contain ninjutsu teachings.

There are three other organisations teaching similar martial arts. These are the Genbukan headed by Shoto Tanemura, the Jinenkan headed by Fumio Manaka, and the BBD headed by Brian McCarthy. All three are ex-students of Hatsumi.

Other extant traditional martial arts such as the Katori Shintō-ryū contain some aspects of ninjutsu in their curriculum, but are not ninjutsu schools per se.

The espionage techniques and the like of ninjutsu are rarely focused on these days, since they are strongly bound with the circumstances and culture of feudal Japan.

It must be noted that Mr Hatsumi’s credentials, seriousness and the quality of his teaching have come under attack by various sources – most of the vocal and vicious attacks coming from people that claim to be practitioners of ninjutsu traditions that cannot be found in Japan. Some express doubt of his really having been a student to Takamatsu sensei – despite the certificates he has from Takamatsu, the interview Takamatsu did for Tokyo Sports News naming Hatsumi as his successor and the full DVD of them training together that is available. Others claim it is impossible that Takamatsu would seriously have managed to become sōke to nine different schools, even though most of the schools are closely related and had been transmitted together for generations. More point out the fact that Hatsumi seems overly generous with high ranking titles: he did grant a tenth degree black belt to Stephen K. Hayes after the latter had studied under him for barely 18 years. However, traditional martial arts do not use the dan grading system, and there are accounts of people being granted certificates of full mastery in arts within a few months. The debate is largely conducted overseas. Inside Japan the subject of his authenticity is rarely talked about. Masaaki Hatsumi was invited to join the Nihon Kobudo Kyokai and Nihon Kobudo Shinkokai but he declined. However he is a frequent subject of martial arts articles, books, documentaries and has received a prestigious cultural award from the Imperial Household Agency.
[edit]

Other schools

Several other schools of Ninjutsu exist, some of which can be traced back to legitimate Japanese origins. Stephen K. Hayes studied under Masaaki Hatsumi but teaches an americanized system, To-Shin Do, in his Quest Centers.

In Israel, one of the first places where Bujinkan ninjutsu was practiced outside Japan, the A.K.B.A.N organization uses the Bujinkan curriculum the way it was used when Doron Navon, the first foreign Bujinkan shihan, practiced under Hatsumi sensei.

However, there are several persons and organizations claiming to teach “ninjutsu” whose validity and lineage have come under question. Such arts may still be “effective,” but many hold that they should not accurately be named ninjutsu.

For example, Ashida Kim is an American who claims the specifics concerning his teacher (whom he calls Shendai) must remain secret. Another self-proclaimed grandmaster whose authenticity is questioned is Frank Dux.

Other schools, which may or may not directly relate to the genuine Japanese ninja traditions, have different paths. For example, the Temple of the Full Autumn Moon, which teaches Saito Ninjitsu (and defines ninjitsu as something very similar but different from ninjutsu), follows the Wu Shan Fa or “Five Mountain Principle” (a Chinese name). However, there is no independently verifiable proof to back up the claims of the man who suddenly announced he was a master of this system in America. As with many of these schools, there is no documentation in Japan to back up their claims, and no proof of the existence of their instructors has been provided. As with the Temple of the Full Autumn Moon, many of their claims cause people knowledgeable in matters Japanese to raise their eyebrows.

It should also be noted that some historians do not believe that any ninjutsu ryūha that can verify their lineage back to feudal Japan exist today, but not all agree with this view. The fact remains that of all the schools available overseas or mentioned on the internet, the only styles (Bujinkan, Jinenkan, and Genbukan) to be known and practiced or able to show a link to Japan are the systems tracing back to Takamatsu Toshitsugu.
[edit]

External links

* Essence of Ninjutsu by Masaaki Hatsumi (ISBN 0809247240)
* Ninjutsu: History and Tradition by Masaaki Hatsumi (ISBN 0865680272)
* Ninpo: Wisdom for Life by Masaaki Hatsumi (http://www.kihon.com/ninpo/)
* Ura & Omote Article Iga Ryu Ninjutsu by Peter Carlsson (http://www.oniko.de/archiv/uraomote/1996/96february.html#igar) February 1996
* Article on Koga ryu ninjutsu [1] (http://www.bujinkanwakodojo.com/bwd_kogaryu_history.html)

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Short History of Korean Martial Arts

April 10th, 2005

Korean Martial Arts consist of a mixture of indigenous and imported styles.

Many Korean martial arts trace their lineage to both outside influences, and to several historical styles of boxing, wrestling, and kicking arts. Korea’s close relationship to China, and occupations by Japan, brought a variety of martial arts to the country. There is also much historical evidence of ancient wrestling and boxing contests in Korea. Many of those techniques and influences are said to survive even in modern Korean Martial Arts styles.

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Short History of Chinese Kung Fu

April 10th, 2005

Chinese Kung Fu (GungFu) is as varied in style and character as China is geographically. These other names have also been used as names for China’s martial arts: Guoji (National Skill), guoshu (National Art), Wushu (War Art), zhongguoquan (China Fist), quanfa (the Way of the Fist), and quanshu (Fist Art).

Generally, the styles of martial art in the North (aka Northern Fist) involve more kicking. The so-called Southern styles focus more on close range fighting techniques using the hands, etc.

Most arts are generalized into two categories: Hard and Soft. These are also known as External and Internal. External martial arts are said to focus primarily on physical strength and conditioning, improving the practicioner’s power from the outside of the body. Internal martial arts are said to improve the practicioner’s power and skill from the inside out – improving their organs and structure first.

Most Chinese martial arts fall somewhere between the two extremes, and cannot be held as one or the other extreme.

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