Taiji - 14 posts
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Six Levels of Song
Within the traditional teachings of the Yang family, Song is divided into 6 levels. Each level dependent on the one before it and inclusive of all before it. It’s important to understand that Song i...
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What is “Internal” Anyway?
For as long as I have been an enthusiast of the “internal arts,” a passionate debate has been raging on, as to what exactly qualifies as an “internal art.” With no consensus in sight! And often accomp...
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Interview with Sifu Adam Mizner - Tai Chi Chuan Magazine
Adam Mizner recently appeared on the taiji scene, predominantly via a few well-placed videos and links to websites containing minimal information other than video film. The films seemed to focus on pu...
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Relax the shoulders in Taiji and Qigong
One of the fundamental principles of Taijiquan for martial arts and Taiji for health is to relax and sink the shoulders. It is so fundamental that it is listed in Yang Cheng Fu’s famous ten points and...
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Yang Family Fajin
The idea of fajin is highly debated in Taijiquan circles, where some consider it the be all and end all of taiji quan skill, while others who have never experienced it, consider it a fallacy. In truth...
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The Workshop Works!
Last month I was fortunate enough to participate in Sifu Adam Mizner’s workshop in Athens, Alabama. This was the third workshop I’ve attended with Sifu Mizner, and once again, his teachings left me (a...
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The good, the bad and the bitter standing
The following is an observation of a daily internal dialogue that often rambles its way through my mind (I never get lonely). I remember a guy wanting to learn taijiquan once when I was in Miami. We ...
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Taijiquan - Finding the right teacher
You shall know them by their fruits When a new student of taijiquan is searching for a teacher, it can be a daunting and confusing time. There are many claims by students and teachers alike, so who sh...
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Self Defense
Defense against the self Self defense in modern times: is it practical? In ancient times, before the invention of firearms, the practicality of being skilled in hand to hand combat was very clear. The...
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Will the Real Slim Shady Please Stand Up?
After trying some hard styles and suffering inevitable knee injuries from poor teaching, I was left no choice but to learn taijiquan if I wanted to stay in the kung fu domain. Slow, stability-based mo...
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Sifu Michael Phillips
Instructor of Taiji since 1977 "Let me say this very directly: Some people think my own abilities are pretty good, but you ain't seen nothin until you've touched hands with Adam – his abilities are t...
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Steve Sharkey, 5th Dan
Former Detective & Special Branch Bodyguard to HM Queen Elizabeth & His Holiness The Dalai Lama After 39 years of training and searching for the best in martial arts I have finally found it in Sifu A...
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The Three Hands of Taijiquan
Within my training and teaching of Tàijíquán, I emphasize two primary areas that must be developed and balanced. On the one side we have technical skills or ‘Quan’ – born from ting, timing and having ...
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