Leading a workshop on body mechanics.

When I teach, I try to give a lot of detail, especially about the body mechanics that make the internal arts so powerful. Sometimes, however, it's not good to overwhelm students who are just learning a form. We all occasionally need to take it one layer at a time when it comes to complexity.

I spent many years studying Taiji, Xingyi and Bagua without being taught some crucial details. The reason I wasn't taught it? Because my teacher didn't know the details. A lot of times, we think our teachers are masters because they say they are. Especially before the internet, there was no real way to know for sure. We just took a teacher at his word. That's not enough anymore.

The truth is, the internal arts can be as simple or as complex as you want them. If you want to do them for health and fitness, you can just learn the choreography and that might be enough for you.

I try to start every student's learning with the six key body mechanics that I identified after studying Yang style for more than a decade and then studying Chen style. In Yang style, there is a famous list of ten requirements for tai chi, but in my opinion, they are not the most important things at all. Let's face it, does it really matter if your head feels as if it is suspended on a string if you have no ground path or peng jin? It might be important in the overall scheme of things, but in my opinion, if you don't have ground and peng working together, it doesn't matter at all. But the ground path and peng jin are not included in the list of top ten things that are taught most often in Tai Chi.

I think at the bare minimum you need to know how these mechanics and principles are used in each movement:

1. The ground path
2. Peng jin
3. Opening and closing the kua
4. Dan T'ien rotation
5. Whole-body movement
6. Silk-reeling.

If you understand these six, you can begin doing quality internal arts. And you can step into any teacher's Taiji class and you might even know more than the teacher. But these six concepts are just part of the big picture. When you keep learning, you keep peeling back more layers of the onion. You learn how to be in a relaxed state of readiness. You learn to sink your "chi." You learn how to close the legs. You can also get deeper into the kua, and learn the subtleties of shifting weight. You learn how to lift the energy to the crown of the head.

Something might seem like a "small detail," but it could have a big difference on quality. For example, when you see someone shift their weight from one leg to the next, are their hips moving a lot in space, or are they using the kua to shift weight? The difference between those two concepts just might be a big difference between "external" and "internal" movement. Look at YouTube taiji videos and you see a lot of hips moving in space. You see hips turning in ways that throw you off-center. You see knees swimming in space, too, and knees collapsing during movements. You see stress being put into the knees when the person is stepping or shifting weight forward.

If you want to get deeper still, you can start thinking of the jin that is in each movement -- the "energy" and the intent that particular movement has. Within one movement, such as "Buddha's Warrior Attendant Pounds Mortar," many different "jin" can manifest from one part of the movement to the next.

That's one of the reasons I think it's important to learn the self-defense applications of movements. It's a great way to learn the true intent of a movement, and the energy and body method used.

"Flash the Back" from the Chen 19 is a movement we worked on in class yesterday. Now, if you just learn the choreography, you step the left foot back and chop the right hand down between your legs. But if you go a bit deeper, you feel the movement in the body, including the closing of the torso and ribs, that you would feel if you were doing a hip throw on an opponent.

Go a little deeper and you feel the legs closing and you connect the movement of the hand with the turning of the Dan T'ien with the closing of the torso and the spiraling/closing through to the foot.

So I tend to teach the movements first in a simple way, but soon I fill in details. I do this for two reasons. For one thing, I am interested in the detail, and when I teach, I'm also practicing.

Reason number two is because maybe a few months from now, you'll be working on a movement and suddenly "DING!" -- the lightbulb will turn on in your mind, and you'll think, "Oh, THAT's what he meant." And you will take another step forward in your insight. This has happened to me many times. The steps forward often happen when I am alone, practicing a movement and "feeling" through the body mechanics.

Actually, there is a third reason I teach the details: because it took so long for me to find teachers that knew those details. I want to save my students a little time and a lot of money.

But it doesn't matter what depth you learn if you don't practice. All these mechanics are difficult because they disrupt the way we have learned to move. Of course it's difficult. As Chen Xiaowang says, "If Taiji were easy, everyone be master!"

It doesn't really matter why you study these arts. Fitness, self-defense, self-discipline, goal-setting, health -- there are plenty of reasons. And sometimes your reasons might change. I didn't realize Taiji was such a great fighting art when I first began studying. The more I learned, the more fascinated I was at the self-defense applications of these gentle movements.

But step one was simply learning the movements -- one by one, in order, and knowing where my hands go and where my feet go without messing up. Just practicing the movements can be good for your health, flexibility, leg strength and concentration.

And if you want to go forward after learning the basic movements, this is a pool that gets deeper the farther you dive down. I have been practicing Taiji, Xingyi and Bagua for 37 years and I'm still working, trying to learn more, and trying to improve as I practice and teach. And sometimes, when I learn something of higher quality, I change the way I have been doing things. It's what you have to do if you are going to develop your skills. It's all part of the process of peeling back the layers of this internal onion.

Contact me if you have any questions about practicing or about what you should study next.

--by Ken Gullette

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In my live online Taiji classes this week, I focused on the first two or three movements of the Laojia Yilu form and focused on what it takes to avoid "leaking energy."

You can leak energy throughout the form. When you step, or when you shift your weight, it's very common to see even people who call themselves "master" leaking energy and going "outside the frame."

When you leak energy during your movement, you have a break in your structure, and you put yourself in a vulnerable position, making it easier for an opponent to control your center.

Let's look at the very first movement in a form -- the Opening movement when you start with feet together, then you relax, sink, and step your left foot to the right. Then you shift your weight to the center before your hands rise.

Here is a Taiji instructor who will remain unidentified (this is about principle, not shaming). There are many instructors I could have chosen. In Image 1, he is preparing to step out. Notice the angle of his right leg.

Now, look at Image 2. When he steps his left foot to the side, his hip shifts to the right, breaking his structure immediately. It doesn't even have to be very much of a shift.

I see a lot of people doing this. When their left foot steps to the left, their hip moves to the right. When this happens, they are automatically losing their center from the very beginning of the form.

And it doesn't have to be much of a movement. When your left foot steps to the side, if your right hip moves to the right, you are breaking your structure in the very first movement.

Take a look at the next two images. When I step out with the left foot in Image 4, I try to stay "in the frame" and not let my structure break.

Watch yourself doing this part of the movement in a mirror. You are probably doing the hip shift unless your teacher has already corrected you on it. If you are doing the shift, here's how to fix this problem: 

First, have a partner push into your left side as you step the left foot out in the Opening movement. The first time your partner pushes in as you step out, allow your hip to move slightly to the right. It will not take much of a push to take you off-balance because your center is moving, you are breaking structure, and you allow your partner to control the center.

Now, the next time your partner pushes, using the same amount of force, ground from the right foot to the left side of your hip. Use peng jin in the hips, connected to the ground through the right foot. Drop your weight straight into the ground through the right foot and don't let your hip move to the right as you step the left foot out. As your partner pushes, you will feel the difference -- and so will your partner -- if you have knowledge of the ground path and peng jin.

It also helps if you "close" your right leg internally when you step the left foot out.

Throughout the form, it's easy to leak energy. You can break structure and leak energy several times in just one movement. We focused in my Wednesday early class on leaking energy in the movement "Buddha's Warrior Attendant Pounds Mortar." One of my students renamed it, "Buddha's Warrior Attendant Takes a Leak." I thought that was pretty funny.

One of the "secrets" in movement is in the proper use of the kua. But it's not really a secret. Plenty of people know it. The problem is that movements are a lot more physically challenging when they are done properly. Maintaining your center while even stepping out in the Opening movement is more demanding on the right leg than simply stepping out without giving body mechanics any thought. 

Leaking energy also happens in movements such as Yang style's "Part the Wild Horse's Mane." When you are doing the main action of the movement, when your left arm is moving out over the left leg, you'll see the left leg moving a bit to the left as the arm comes out. The left leg shouldn't move outward. It should be closing in, providing an "immoveable object" to knock your opponent over. If you are trying to knock someone over your leg, and your leg is moving outward, you are leaking energy and will not be as strong or as rooted.

The same is true in Chen style with a movement like "Lazy About Tying the Coat." As the right hand moves across in the final part of the move, your right leg should not have its energy moving to the right. It should be closing, providing a base to split your opponent's energy and take him down.

These principles also apply to Bagua Zhang and Xingyi Quan.

If you have not been told to avoid shifting your hip or if you have not been taught how to close the leg, or how to avoid leaking energy, the next time you see your teacher, give him/her a roundhouse kick to the head. Then watch them do the movement and correct your teacher's form. It will impress the teacher. :)

--by Ken Gullette

The 68th edition of the Internal Fighting Arts podcast features an interview with Nabil Ranne, who lives in Berlin and is a disciple of Chen Yu.

Nabil was first on the podcast in 2020. Shortly afterwards, I began studying with him. 

Two weeks ago, I attended my second workshop with Nabil in Philadelphia. He focused on body method, the Yilu form and push hands.

In this interview, I wanted to "go into the weeds" and discuss some concepts that are difficult to talk about in an audio interview because things have to be shown, but I wanted to give it a shot and discuss details on body method that might stimulate the listener's curiosity.

You can listen to the podcast or download it here.

There are valuable concepts in Taijiquan that make it a powerful art for self-defense. One of the interesting ideas is "taking the energy where it wants to go."

Last week, Colin and Justin and I recorded several escapes from Chin-Na joint locks. A longer version with more techniques and explanations is on my website for members, but I put together a shorter version for YouTube.

We are very serious about the internal arts but we have a lot of fun when we practice. I think it shows a bit on the videos we do. Please watch this and you'll learn something about how to escape from a joint lock. Silk-Reeling energy is very helpful against joint locks, and silk-reeling relies on other internal body mechanics, too. This is a narrowly focused video. It doesn't necessarily show how to "soften someone up" before escaping, or what to do as a follow-up, but the information here will be helpful in the real world.

Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan) is a lifelong journey. It can take years to develop skill. That's why it helps to have a teacher who has skill and will coach you in a constructive way.

One of my goals as a teacher is to save time for my students and help them discover information that took me many years to learn.

Here is a video I made last week about a common mistake we all make until a good teacher tells us to stop doing it. 

It's the problem of swimming knees. I encourage you to watch this video, then watch yourself in a mirror or record your own movement to see if it is something you need to work on.

Silk-Reeling exercises are forgotten by some Chen style Taiji students after they practice forms, but I believe these exercises should be included in everyone's training routine.

I first learned Silk-Reeling exercises from Chen Xiaowang and my first Chen Taiji teachers, Jim and Angie Criscimagna. Silk-reeling is known in China as chan ssu chin. As I understand it, the exercises were created in recent decades. They are not part of the traditional training in the Chen Village. I went through a silk-reeling workshop with Chen Xiaowang back in 2000 but was already working on them at that time.

When I began teaching, I tried to organize material in easy-to-understand pieces for my students (and for me). For the past 23 years, I have taught six key principles of body mechanics to beginning students:

1.  The ground path

2.  Establishing and maintaining peng jin

3.  Opening and closing the kua

4.  Dan T'ien rotation

5.  Whole-body connected movement

6.  Silk-Reeling energy

New students who are being taught in-person or through my website (www.InternalFightingArts.com) study these concepts first. They are not difficult to understand intellectually, but it takes years to ingrain them into our body awareness and movement. That's one of the reasons you don't become highly skilled in Taiji very quickly.

The silk-reeling exercises, as I teach them, help students combine all six of these body mechanics. If you do the silk-reeling exercises well, you are doing Taiji well.

Working on silk-reeling applications with Colin Frye.

I also teach the self-defense applications of each exercise. There are several applications in each movement that show how the movement is used and how the mechanics give the application more power. It's a real eye-opener for new students.

Unfortunately, most students ignore these exercises after they begin working on forms. That's understandable, because forms seem more exciting. But I would urge you to pull the silk-reeling exercises out, dust them off and practice them from time to time. 

Let's face it -- every movement in a Taiji form is a silk-reeling exercise. But are you practicing the movements with that in mind?

With every movement I do, I am thinking of the body mechanics and how they are all working to create internal strength and relaxed power. 

But forms take space, and silk-reeling exercises can be done in a very small space. Sometimes, if I am relaxing at night with Nancy and watching TV, I'll jump up and do a silk-reeling exercise such as two-hand spiraling, small arm circle or up/down diagonal arms just to practice and focus on the mechanics, the peng, the ground path, the spiraling through the body, creating relaxed power that flows like a wave. Internal strength ain't mystical -- it's all about body mechanics.

If you have never studied silk-reeling exercises, I'll be crassly commercial here and tell you that as a member of my website (check it out here) you can not only study these skills but also get direct personal feedback from me live on Zoom. But you can also learn the exercises through two of my DVDs -- Internal Strength and Silk-Reeling Energy. Click this link to check them out.

In my two live Taiji classes for website members on Zoom this Wednesday, we will be going over two silk-reeling exercises and discussing how the body mechanics work within the movement. I'll coach each person who joins in on the class. I'm also doing this tonight in the practice with my in-person students here in the Quad Cities.

You can never work on the basics enough, in my opinion. These exercises are perfect for new students because they incorporate the most important movement principles that get students off to a good start. They are important for teachers who are trying to drive home principles to new students. But even if you have been in Taiji for decades as I have, you can still find nuggets of gold if you practice and really focus on the mechanics in these great exercises, so don't neglect them. Don't forget them. That's the bottom line here.

-- by Ken Gullette

Everything about martial arts changed for me the day I met my first Chen Taiji instructors, Jim and Angela Criscimagna.

On a Saturday morning in early 1998 I drove to their home in Rockford, Illinois, about two hours from my home, to find out what some of these "body mechanics" were that I had recently read about in an internet chat room -- terms like "ground path" and "peng jin."

Jim worked with me for an hour, explaining the difference between the Yang style Taiji I had studied up to that point and the Chen style that he was studying and teaching.

In one hour, I knew I had to start over. What I had been studying was empty. It was based on "chi cultivation" and not on body mechanics.

After 25 years in martial arts and more than a decade in the internal arts, I couldn't find my kua with both hands. This was a problem, considering I had a "black sash" and was already teaching. My students and I were already making a splash at area martial arts tournaments. Now, my style of Taiji had to change.

For the next few years, I drove regularly to Rockford to study with Jim and Angela. They introduced me to Ren Guangyi and Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang, who they hosted for workshops.

My career up to that point had been in the news industry as a reporter, news director, anchor and producer. Every day, I tried to explain news stories and events in an understandable way. A complex story had to be broken down so the general public could make sense of it. As the reporter or story writer, I had to understand it, too.

That is how I approached my teaching of the internal arts. As I began learning the internal concepts, often in a roundabout way, I asked myself how I could explain it to my students and to myself in a way that made sense.

Over time, I broke the body mechanics down into six main concepts that beginning students needed to at least know about:

One -- The Ground Path -- If someone pushes against any part of your body, they must feel as if they are pushing into a steel rod that is connected to the ground. That needed to be maintained through all movements.

Two -- Peng Jin -- An expansive quality in your body and limbs that works with the Ground Path to give your relaxed movements an internal strength that is not evident on the outside.

Three -- Whole-Body Movement -- When one part moves, all parts move, and your internal strength unfolds like a ribbon from the ground through the body. All styles talk about this, but it is clear when watching even Taiji people that many do not achieve it.

Four -- Opening and Closing the Kua -- The crease at the top of the legs, along the inguinal ligament, acts as a buoy in the ocean. Used properly, it helps you adjust to incoming force and rebalance yourself.

Five -- Dantien rotation -- They say the "Dantien (sometimes spelled Dan T'ien) leads all movements," but I believe all movements start with the ground and the Dantien is part of what leads the internal strength along the ground path.

Six -- Silk-Reeling Energy -- The word "energy" can be misleading. It means "method" in this context. Silk-Reeling energy is a method of spiraling the body, from the ground through the limbs, that helps provide additional power to your movements. I teach the Silk-Reeling exercises to guide my students on the proper way to combine all six of these concepts into their movements.

When students begin learning from me, the first thing they learn are these six body mechanics, and from there, they study the art they want -- Chen style Taiji, Xingyiquan or Ba Gua Zhang. On my website, there is a section devoted to many videos breaking down these skills, and I also teach them in my Internal Strength DVD and Silk-Reeling Energy DVD.

As you continue learning, there are many other concepts and skills to be learned, but in my experience, a lot of students are just kind of thrown into classes and simply follow the teacher for a long time, as they slowly develop a sense of what they are trying to achieve.

I believe it is much more difficult to reach your destination without a road map. Understanding these six principles and how they factor into your movement and self-defense applications will be a revelation, like firing up a brand new updated GPS device.

If you read this list and do not understand how to translate these into your internal movement, save some time and check out either the DVDs above or my membership website at www.InternalFightingArts.com. 

Here is a true fact about many internal arts teachers: It is a lot easier to pretend to be teaching something mystical than it is to put in the hard work required by the internal body mechanics that produce real quality.

My goal in teaching is to cut years off the time it takes someone to go from novice to skilled by providing information that I did not have for decades as I tried to feel my way through the thick jungle of misinformation, hacking through the tall weeds of mysticism and magical chi powers in search of something true. I am still learning.

Internal energy, and the relaxed power of Taiji, Xingyi and Bagua comes from good body mechanics, not mysticism. If you don't fully understand the principles you should be working on, the road ahead is much longer and much more expensive.

-- by Ken Gullette