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

I first heard of Gerald A. Sharp when I bought his Xingyi instructional VHS tape, "Five Fists of Power," back in the 1990s. For years, I have wondered what happened to him, and recently decided to track him down. I found him online. He is living and still teaching in Granada Hills, California.

In my latest podcast -- the 72nd episode -- I talk with Gerald about his long history in martial arts. Among the teachers he has trained with are Wu style Taiji Master Ma Yueh Liang, and he studied Chen and Yang style Taiji with Zhou Yuan Long. He studied Chi Kung (Qigong) with Ju Beng Yi (a top disciple of Guo-Ling), and Gerald studied Bagua, Xingyi, and Nei Jia Kung Fu with Zou Shuxian, the top disciple and adopted daughter of Jian Rong Qiao.

Enjoy the interview!

I was listening to a podcast last week when I heard a well-known Tai Chi teacher say there are chi masters in Asia who we have seen ignite paper with their Qi. Some other fantastic claims were made on the interview. 

Here is the truth: noboby can ignite paper with their Qi. 

Some charlatans pretend they can ignite paper with their Qi. But it's a trick.

When an adult goes to a magic show, and a magician saws a women in half, and you see the woman's body being separated, and then in a moment the body is reconnected and the woman is walking off the stage, no rational adult walks away telling everyone, "Did you know you can be sawed in half and then you can be reconnected? I saw it happen!" 

If you tell them, "Hey, man, that's just a trick," the believer will say, "You just don't understand. You have to open your mind!"

Nobody with an ounce of intelligence says that after seeing a magic show. What they actually say is, "I'd like to know that trick."

However, demonstrate a magic trick and call it "Qi powers" (or Chi Powers) and you will have millions of people believing it. 

When I heard this Tai Chi teacher talk about igniting paper with Qi as if it were true, I decided to show you how it is done. Here is my video. Enjoy and please share this with those unfortunate souls who have lost their critical thinking skills. A mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Let me show you how to focus your chi energy, and then I will teach you step-by-step how you, TOO can be a chi master.

Tony Wong is a long-time instructor in San Francisco, but I had never met him until we spoke a week ago for my Internal Fighting Arts podcast.

His birth name is Wong Wai Yi, but he goes by Tony. He grew up in Hong Kong before moving to the United States. Tony has trained with some outstanding teachers. He studied Wing Chun with Kenneth Chung, Wuji Qigong with Cai Song Fang, and he studied Chen Taijiquan with Zhang Xue Xin, Chen Xiaowang, Chen Xiaoxing and Chen Qingzhou. He also studied Yiquan with Chen Zhengzhong.

In this interview, Tony has interesting stories to tell about his teachers and other experiences, including what it was like to train for push hands competition in the Chen Village. 

Listen to the podcast online or download the episode by following this link.

You can also listen or download the podcast here:

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.

Getting some coaching from Nabil Ranne while Ryan Craig looks on.

I spent a few days training with Nabil Ranne in Philadelphia a week ago. I met Nabil through an email exchange in 2020 and interviewed him for my Internal Fighting Arts podcast.

My journey with Chen style Taiji began in 1998 and focused primarily on the Chen Village branch of the art as taught by Chen Xiaowang, Chen Xiaoxing and others. In recent years, I became intrigued by the differences in the Chen Zhaokui/Chen Yu branch in Beijing, so after the interview with Nabil, I did a couple of private lessons with him and then signed up for his online classes. 

What impressed me most about Nabil's teaching was the level of detail. And there were differences -- in the shorter stances where feet are parallel most of the time, in the shifting of weight, in the awareness of different jin in each movement, the fullness of the dan t'ien and the coordination of the mingmen, the opening and closing of the chest and back, the folding of the chest and stomach, the closing power in the legs, the grounding from the heels, the stability of the knees and the spiraling through the feet, and connecting it all in each movement; and peng -- always maintaining peng, which I have worked on for over two decades but still learn new aspects. These are just a few differences, and they are difficult to address in a blog post.

This was my second workshop with Nabil. Like last year's workshop, it was hosted by Ryan Craig, instructor at Philly Chen Taiji. Ryan has game, my friends. He has good people associated with him, too. It was good to see people like Caleb Arnold, Ted Brodkin, Sanja Martik, Joe Zane, Kent Kreiselmaier, Matt Brownlee, Tony Demma and Rufus Grady, among others..

The workshop was held over four days -- Friday through Monday. We started with some body mechanics and how they work in applications and joint locks. We worked on the expression of peng and the connection through the body, utilizing the mingmen and the grounding from the heels. We worked on the Yilu form each day, receiving excellent hands-on corrections. 

Push hands was an important part of the workshop, and I was looking forward to experiencing how Nabil does it. One of the exercises involved the legs. You put your right leg against your partner's right leg and do circling exercises similar to single-hand push hands. After a while, you switch to the other side. There was a leg exercise where you do the same, but this time, you raise your knee so your foot is off the ground. It was a great way to work on your balance and a tough leg workout. Connecting with an opponent's legs is an important part of breaking his structure.

Push hands is done differently than what I am accustomed to -- the peng is heavier and you keep your weight on the front leg instead of moving back and forth between the front and rear legs. It was eye-opening. I always enjoy "emptying my cup" and exploring different ways of doing something. The worst thing you can do to yourself is to be shown something new and react with, "That's not the way I do it." 

After studying with Nabil online, and seeing other students in the online classes, it's one of the year's highlights to see everyone in person. Nabil is a highly skilled, humble man with a great sense of humor, and he draws people to the workshop with friendly, cooperative mindsets. There were no egos on display or cliques being formed.

I have been teaching Chen Taiji for a long time now, but there is a lot to learn, and even teachers need a teacher. Attending workshops helps me take another little baby step forward, and that's one of the goals in these arts -- getting a little better every day.

The deeper you dive into Chen Taijiquan, the deeper it gets. The body mechanics are fascinating, and how those gentle movements enable you to generate relaxed power in a self-defense situation, and the health and fitness benefits that come with the activity -- it's an endlessly rewarding pursuit. That's why I practice, why I teach, and why I study with great teachers like Nabil Ranne.

--by Ken Gullette

Ken with Zhang Xue Xin at Golden Gate Park.

Taiji master Zhang Xue Xin passed away in China surrounded by family on February 25, 2023. He was 94 years old.

He began studying Chen style Taiji in 1963. One of his teachers was Chen Zhaokui. Later, he studied with Grandmaster Feng Zhiqiang and became an indoor disciple. 

Master Zhang moved to the United States and began living and teaching in San Francisco. His classes were held at Golden Gate Park. He emphasized silk-reeling spiraling movements and applications, particularly chin-na (joint locks). He retired in 2013.

My first Chen style teachers, Jim and Angela Criscimagna, studied with Master Zhang for around eight years. I never studied with him, but I visited San Francisco on business a couple of times in the early 2000s and stopped by to visit his class.

We have lost a great one with Master Zhang. I heard of his passing from his indoor disciple, J. Justin Meehan, who lives and teaches in the St. Louis area. I asked Justin if he would do a video podcast interview about his teacher. Here is that conversation as Justin remembers Master Zhang Xue Xin.

Years ago, I saw a DVD on Christian Tai Chi and I thought it was interesting because some people have asked me in the past if they can study Tai Chi if they are Christians. I assured them there is nothing inherently religious about Tai Chi.

But it made me wonder, what if I made up a Tai Chi form for Christians? After all, I grew up in a Christian church and I am intimate with the Bible. I think I could convert some movements from a Tai Chi form into something that would satisfy the faithful. 

Instead of trying to become One with the Universe, students could become One with God's Word.

Here are some of the top movements in my Christian Tai Chi form:

One -- Grasp the Dove's Tail

Two -- Part the Red Sea

Three -- Strum the Harp

Four -- Step Back and Repulse Satan

Five -- White Minister Spreads His Word

Six -- Snake Creeps Down the Apple Tree

Seven -- Ascend Hands Into Clouds

Eight -- Single Roman Whip

Nine -- Golden Idol on One Leg

Ten -- Turn, Deflect, Parry and Pray

I think we have a new Tai Chi style here, although we should stop calling them styles. Students and teachers would be part of the Yang denomination, the Chen denomination, etc. I also think it would be easy to find some unscrupulous Tai Chi "masters" who would pretend to walk on water. Adam, I have an idea for a new YouTube video for you. :)

--by Ken Gullette

I had an idea. Instead of demonstrating a form just showing the movements, how about doing the form from start to finish using fighting applications?

I have never seen this done, and since I love exploring the self-defense meaning and mechanics behind each movement I do, I figured I'm just the man for the job. The sword has been part of my practice since 1987, and I feel strongly that if you are going to learn a weapons form, your art is empty if you don't know how to use it.

So here is the Chen Tai Chi Straight Sword (Jian) form, shown through applications. If you know the form, you'll recognize the moves. If you don't know the form, you can learn it through my DVDs on the Chen Straight Sword Form, or you can become a member of my website and study it with me. In the meantime, I hope this video helps you understand the form better. My student Colin Frye is helping me, and since we are using metal swords, we are being careful. This is not a "cutting" video, but it should give you plenty of ideas to work with -- deflections, angles, and cuts, including a variety of targets, both thrusting and cutting.

--by Ken Gullette

The holiday season can be a stressful time. Beween buying gifts, going to work parties, and reuniting with family, it can knock you out of harmony with the universe.

In fact, compared with the summer months, statistics show that Tai Chi practitioners at this time of year are 37% more likely to rip out an irritating family member's heart and show it to them before they die.

That's why I recommend stopping for a few moments to breathe, calm your mind and center yourself by doing a short Tai Chi form designed to relieve your holiday stress and prevent your hand from striking out with five fingers of death.

Whether you're dealing with Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or Festivus, this form will help you remain One with the Universe during the hectic days between now and the first of the new year.

Here are the Top 10 Tai Chi Movements for the Holidays:

1. Buddha's Warrior Attendant Pounds Egg Nog
2. Grasp the Elf’s Tail
3. Part the Wild Reindeer’s Mane
4. Hidden Spiked Punch
5. Fair Maiden Works in the Kitchen
6. White Ape Offers Cranberry Sauce
7. Lazy About Wrapping the Gift
8. Wave Gift Receipt Like Clouds
9. Golden Turkey Loses Two Legs
10. Step Back and Repulse the Fruitcake

Happy Holidays!

--by Ken (and Nancy, who came up with #7) Gullette