No offense Butterly, and I mean no disrespect to you or your skills, but I'm not too sure creating your own form and then teaching it to new students is such a great idea? Especially since your "martial" practice isn't even up to standards yet? I'm sorry, and I hope I'm not being a jerk but I think this is part of the "watering down of tai chi chuan" problem that seems to be growing today. There are too many teachers teaching what they don't know.
Dude NO! I think you are wrong on lots of levels. Don't be so quick to judge. As the thread says 'OO are ya? why not tell us about yourself.
Well, actually he doesnt teach what he doesnt know, and what he does teach he knows very well. But as stated, this is an "OO are ya?!" thread, so lets hear something about your experience tccstudent.
I also have to jump in here i do not know TB personally but i suggest you read some of his posts i think you will find he knows more than most. What i have read from him makes alot of sense and he certainly puts it alot better than myself.
Well you're entitled to your opinion. This thread was so that we could learn about each other without bitching or criticising - it does specifically request that in my first posting. (though frankly I'm surprised we got this far without this happening in here lol) So if you wouldn't mind deleting your post so can I and the other respondents and then this thread can get back to serving its intended function. In the meantime allow me to respond to your post... With respect: I am not 'creating my own form' any more than any other Taiji practitioner that imprints his/her own personality on their movements. I am actually taking the simplified form I was taught back to a more traditional and practical fighting set. I am basing this on existing Taiji styles I am studying researching and observing. The basic pattern is Large frame Yang style a la Yang Cheng Fu as most persons who do Yang style in the West do. YCF changed the form considerably from what he was originally taught just as his uncles, father and grandfather did too. There are around 20 versions of the Yang style practised today according to BK Frantzis. Set forms are a fairly recent thing - the 'thirteen postures' are the classical yardstick for tjq as are the classics themselves. Everything I do with my form is based on these ideas and Daoist philosophy. I will ask you the questions I ask everyone on this subject: who taught the originators? if Yang Lu Chan learnt from the Chen family, why does Yang style differ so radically from Chen style? At some point someone always has to take an original step... Someone made this stuff up! Others have always changed it. Only the classics can define the essence of Tjq imo. Regarding my martial skills - this is a classical point. Application is traditionally developed from correct form first - that's one of my main reasons for making revisions, to make it work as it is supposed to without being over-flowery and unstable. I changed nothing before I had fully understood the form I was taught and then only to bring the moves in line with the essential principles of the classics where they were not. I am doing quite well at developing in this department now although most of my students do not want to learn martial art anyway. So I just do MA with the few who want to develop that. Well, seeing as you have failed to give us any of your background and experience as the thread asked you to do I'll be forced to view you as a jerk for now! If you delete your post and put your info in as asked I'll gladly change my opinion of you lol Regarding Teachers - how do you know what I do or don't know? Or any other Tjq teacher for that matter? How many different classes have you been to to make such a judgement? What is your qualification (other than hearsay) to make such statements? You name yourself tcc student and yet you are quick to disparage teachers you have never seen or met. Please feel free to come to one of my sessions and have a look anytime. Try the form out then decide what you think of it. The most watering down of Tjq has really been done by the Chinese Sports Comittees who claim to be the official deal. Taiji is about Dao - flow and formlessness - Tjq forms are just a scaffolding to develop the Tjq boxer/student. Once the principles are mastered form becomes meaningless - except as a teaching and preservation of the art tool. The communists do not like ideas of freedom and self-actualisation and have manipulated the art for decades. 'Obey without question' is the insidious poison that has ruined both traditional Tjq and the modern styles. I deeply respected my Teacher and her art and have gained full approval for what I am doing. That, and the feeling in my heart are enough for me. Peace :Angel:
If we follow the fundamentals of Tai Chi movement and breathing to create a harmony within ourselves, then the direction of movement is irrellavant so long as you retain natural flow, hence all the different styles of Tai Chi. Fom is merely an indicater of what is possible from one persons viewpoint [a working tool] that can be used to suit each individual needs. The combat side of movements again is only an indication of what is possible at any given moment in time. Tai Chi is about freeing yourself to the natural rythm of life and takes us away from dogma and routine, we should all experience this during practice and use historical forms as merely an indicater to what is possible. No two people walk or talk the same, they maybe similar but not the same, wisdom is in the application of knowledge. Make your own forms up within the tried and tested formulas of past masters and follow their route not their footsteps.
Thanks for the support Briton - you GROK my plan... :Alien: BUT.... Let's remember where we are... (and the same goes to all reading this who haven't answered the main question...) OO ARE YER?? lol :Angel:
I have not changed the form lol only the way the form is expressed roflmao (seriously, if you look at large, middle and small frames of Yang style they all are done and look different to each other but share common principles) Anyway, he's dead so he won't notice anyway... Now Stop the discussion and answer the question: OO ARE YER?? (Then perhaps we could start another thread about forms, sets and revisions before this goes totally off topic...) which is: OO ARE YER?? lol :Angel:
(happy to remove all my posts as soon as you answer and retract the off topic comments tcc student stop wrecking a very useful thread please ) :Angel:
I have always found this comment of YCF to be slightly arrogant and almost obnoxious... its like Sampras saying that anyone after him who plays tennis or does it differently to him then thats not really tennis... (bad analogy but its early)... It smacks of elitism...
I'd say that Yang Cheng Fu said that to try to stop people changing the form needlessly. As such the Yang form has not fractured apart too much. You can still recognise the Yang movements in CMC style although it is changed in its order, but I don't think the changes were made lightly. Cheng Man Ching has a couple of quote attributed to him that have a similar tone. Its more to emphasize their importance than anything else. Just look at my sig (from Tai Chi Touchstones: Yang family secrets).
Then he should have warned about the dangers of manipulating the form too much instead of claiming that his is the only real taiji... The quote in your sig makes sense to me... it in no way seeks aggrandisement or to "big up" itself... jmho...
I guess he should, and in todays world he probably would have, but given the time and the place that the statement was made, he probably had to use that tone to maintain his authority. Plus he seems to have been a pretty no-nonsense guy and likely to use almost brutal language to get a point across. Just look at the way teachers in general have had to modify their teaching methods over the decades to suit societal changes. For a start you can no longer clout a student/pupil for getting out of line. I think as a teacher you need to have a certain amount of 'arrogance' to get across the notion that you do in fact know what you are talking about. Otherwise all your teaching will be up for debate. Not too condusive to a good learning environment. You have to have a certain amount of authority over the class.
Moony Tell 'em it's important 'body conditioning' training lol That way they come enough times for a really thorough slapping.... :Angel:
Ah no you see for that when they understand a bit more i intend to teach the Go Ju ryu version of Sanchin then do a bit of body conditioning. Before anybody screams it has nothing to do with Tai Chi. I look at is as the Japanese version of Nei gong. Though they do look alittle worried when i mention tiles and sticks being broken across their limbs. I probably wont go that far but its fun to see the faces.
