There's a sucker born every minute, and they apparently enroll in classes with chi masters like this one. Want to laugh your head off? Take a look at the videos on this guy's blog.

This is the type of "teacher" that gives the internal arts a bad name. I would write him a check for $5,000 ON THE SPOT if he could stop me from hitting him by using his "chi" without touching me, "condensing" my energy or using his little finger, or motioning with his hand to direct my chi away from him -- video cameras rolling, news media present, no excuses. I'd allow him to wear head gear because there is no way he can possibly use his chi to prevent me from hitting him.

I can't believe the lack of ethics of the poor schmuck who is dancing and jiving and hopping while the "master" motions his hand. Talk about being a puppet on a string.

In a world where ethics are harder and harder to find, every internal artist with integrity should call people like this guy out. People like this make all internal artists look bad. And if you're the type of person who says, "You shouldn't say it's impossible because how do you know?" I can only answer, "Yes, I know, and so do you."

Displays like these -- no ethics, no character, no morals, and definitely no chi.

The sad thing is -- the "master" looks like he's in really good condition. He should stick with authentic kung-fu instead of this fantasy he's perpetrating on the weak-minded people who laugh and applaud -- or the weak-minded students who play along with the fantasy so their teacher doesn't lose face in front of an audience.

Master Chen Bing, considered one of the best young masters of Chen family Tai Chi, will begin his 2009 U.S. Tour next month, and will be in the U.S. from May 18 until July 28.

Chen Bing is a powerful and talented master in his mid-to-late 30's. He is college educated, with a good sense of humor and a generous style of teaching. He is willing to teach advanced principles and fighting techniques that some older masters are reluctant to teach.

Unfortunately, I have the cities and the dates of his tour, but I have no idea who most of the sponsors are and their contact information. If you know any of them, let me know and I'll revise the list:

***May 18-June 1 -- Columbus, OH -- (weekends of May 23/24 and 30/31.

***June 1-June 8 -- Miami, FL -- (weekend of June 6/7)

***June 8-June 15 -- Dallas, TX -- (weekend of June 13/14)

***June 15-June 22 -- Houston, TX -- (weekend of June 20/21)

***June 22-June 29 -- Seattle, WA -- (weekend of June 27/28) -- Contact Kim Ivy at kim@embracethemoon.com

***June 29-July 6 -- Chicago, IL -- (weekend of July 4/5)

***July 6-July 13 -- Phoenix, AZ -- (weekend of July 11/12)

***July 13-July 20 -- Orange County, CA -- (weekend of July 18/19)

***July 20-July 28 -- San Diego, CA -- (weekend of July 25/26) -- Contact Bill and Allison Helm at tao@taoistsanctuary.com  

The April issue of my monthly internal arts e-zine is available for downloading. It's in pdf format.

Articles include Chen Bing's 2009 U.S. tour schedule, information on a fighting technique that captures an opponent's center (photo at left shows me working with black sash student Rich Coulter), plus photos to illustrate connecting drills to work with a partner, and much more.

It's available on the right side of the blog on the E-zine page, or you can download it here:

Download InternalFightingArts-Issue3 

You know, sometimes a teacher is more proud when his students do well than he would be if he had done it himself.

Three of my hard-core students went to a big tournament in Chicago three days ago, on March 29--the 40th Annual AKA Grand Nationals/WSKF World Finals.They represented me very well. The tournament included internal arts competition, with Chinese judges who knew what they were looking for.

I'm very proud of Chris Miller (first level brown sash on left in photo), Kim Kruse (blue sash second from left) and Kim Miller (first level brown sash next to me in photo).

Chris Miller won gold in tai chi forms, gold in internal forms, and silver (second place) in weapons forms. Internal forms included Hsing-I and Bagua. Weapons forms included all internal styles.

Kim Miller won silver in weapons, bronze in tai chi forms and bronze in internal. She also won a gold medal in northern forms with one of our tournament forms called "Mountain Storm."

Kim Kruse swept her division, winning three gold medals -- gold in tai chi forms, gold in internal forms (hsing-i or bagua) and gold in weapons forms.

I had planned on competing, but the recovery from pneumonia has sidelined me so far this year. But when you hear that the judges tell your students that their skills are higher than they should be, considering the time they've studied, it's a great feeling, and a great reflection on the dedication of these three. When Nancy and I moved to Florida in June, 2007, these guys showed their dedication. They organized practice sessions. Kim Kruse donated a building for practice. They kept it going until Nancy and I returned last October.

Congratulations, guys. All three of them are also preparing for their promotion tests this Saturday. Better be ready. :)

I love watching Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang perform. I found this video on YouTube. He's performing the Chen tai chi straight sword form in 1985.