I have truly had a ‘Love, Hate’, or rather ‘Hate, Love’ relationship with the short 24 pattern Tai Chi set. I first learned the set over ten years ago in China. At the time I had travelled to China with the express intention of learning Shaolin Kung Fu and wasn’t even clear on what Tai Chi was. At the academy I was training at in Northern China, an hour of Tai Chi Chuan before dinner was part of the syllabus and all students were required to take part. Initially, I found the slow movements very frustrating and learned the 24 pattern set begrudgingly. It was never explained to me what the purpose of the moves were but many of the students said there were many benefits to practicing Tai Chi, I just assumed the subject was too profound for me to understand at that time.

A few years later when I was in China, probably in around the year 2002, a young Kung Fu practitioner showed me some applications from the 24 pattern set for the very first time and my whole opinion of Tai Chi changed. I was intrigued by this slow but seemingly combat efficient art, it seemed so soft but could also put you into a lot of pain with the use of a joint lock. The 24 pattern set was my entrance to the combat application side of Tai Chi and I began to love the 24 pattern set.

A year or so later again around 2003 I was studying a ‘traditional long form’ Tai Chi set (as opposed to a government developed set like the 24 pattern set) and my attitude towards the 24 pattern set changed again. I began to think it was a deviation from ‘real’ and ‘authentic’ Tai Chi and thought that it was debased and a waste of time. At that time practicing long forms was the only way to practice Tai Chi.

A year or two later again and I had met my current Tai Chi Chuan Master ‘Wong Kiew Kit’ (Sifu), and the first set that Sifu had me learn was… the 24 pattern Tai Chi set. It was after training with Sifu that I realized that ‘Forms’ were just a tool of Tai Chi and not the complete art in itself. It is the health, combat and spiritual aspects of Tai Chi Chuan that make the art complete, not simply forms. However, once you know the correct path, like the force training methods, footwork, applications and mind training techniques any Tai Chi form can be used to gain huge life benefits. Once again my love for the 24 pattern set had returned and again I loved to practice it.

Now, I see 24 pattern set for what it is, an incredibly useful tool for training Tai Chi skills in short space of time, in fact in can be practiced in as little as three and a half minutes.

I will be teaching this set in Switzerland in March.

Please check out the video below.

Best

Robin

The Cloud Hands Tai Chi set

This set was developed by my Sifu to impart the essential points of Wahnam Tai Chi Chuan in a short time. It’s an excellent little set that is easy to learn and quick to practice. It’s actually the little sister set of the ‘White Crane Falps Wings’ set (which is my all time favourite Tai Chi set) being just slightly shorter and easier to learn. Although it’s a fundamental set it can be practiced on many different levels with the option of adding Fa-Jing or explosive movement to any of the patterns. It can also be practiced at speed. Of course, all of the patterns have a martial applications that span strikes, kicks, throws and Chin Na as well as counters.

I’ll be teaching this set in workshops in the U.K. and Germany this March.

Robin

Please check out the video below!

Last year I travelled to Europe from Thailand to teach Wahnam Tai Chi Chuan workshops in London, Zurich and Switzerland, and I am really happy to be doing the same this year. Teaching the workshops for me is a great chance to pass on the art that I am so passionate about and also to spread the benefits of the art.

The schedule looks like this

Switzerland-Zurich 10-11 March

• 24 pattern Set with applications and more

• Contact Sifu Andrea for more info info(at)taichichuan-wahnam.ch

I am really looking forward to teaching the 24 pattern set in Zurich, it’s actually one of my favourite Tai Chi sets.

Sifu Andrea’s page   http://www.taichichuan-wahnam.ch

U.K.-London 17- March

• Tai Chi Chuan- Cloud Hands Set course

• Day Spar- Sparring for competition workshop

• Contact Sifu Fleur for more info fleur_chapman@yahoo.co.uk

It’s great to get a chance to visit home and do some excellent workshops organized by Sifu Fleur. The Cloud Hands set is a fundamental set in our school that contains all of the important patterns and is great for beginners. The Sparring workshop should also be a lot of fun too, participants can get to grips with using traditional patterns while wearing protective equitment.

Germany-Frankfurt 23 – 26 March

• Tai Chi Chuan workshop- material, times etc. TBC

• Participating in the Sparring weekend hosted by the Frankfurt family

• Conact Si Tai Heng Kai/ Karo for more details wahnam@operamail.com

Always a joy to visit my Si Heng Kai and the Frankfurt family, the sparring weekend organized by Anton should be fun too.

Check our Frankfurt’s website     http://www.shaolin-wahnam.de/

A video of the fundamental Wahnam Tai Chi Chuan set “Cloud Hands” with commentary

A video of the fundamental “24 pattern Tai Chi set” -Wahnam Style, with commentary

What is Tai Chi? This video hopes to answer that question.

Our school’s Wudang Tai Chi set, performed by my Sifu, Grandmaster Wong kiew kit-Part 1

Our school’s Wudang Tai Chi set, performed by my Sifu, Grandmaster Wong kiew kit-Part 2

Our school’s Flowing Water, Floating Clouds Tai Chi set, performed by my Sifu, Grandmaster Wong kiew kit.

'Fisherman casts net'-an excellent Taijiquan felling technique.

Have you ever see a Taijiquan practitioner dodge a kick, swiftly jump forward, strike the would be kicker, capture him in a joint lock all before felling him forcefully to the ground!!!??

It’s fair to assume that you probably haven’t

But if you have, you are very lucky, because you may have seen Taijiquan as it really would have been practiced around 80-100 years ago, as a traditional, effective and respected martial art, this is also how we aim to use our Taijiquan in Wahnam. Today, unfortunately, Taijiquan is mostly thought of as retirement activity mostly practiced in the parks of Asia by the elderly, or as a ‘new age’ dance practiced by hippies! Incidentally, I have nothing against hippies, who are generally very sweet people and I certainly have nothing against the elderly or their practice of Tai Chi as a recreation activity that helps them relax and socilize but what they do is quite different from high level Taijiquan practiced for healthy vitality, combat and spiritual cultivation.

In fact if you mentioned you train Taijiquan as a genuine martial art to many hardened martial artist nowadays they may laugh at you! Indeed this has happened to me! Even if Taijiquan is practiced as a martial art more often that not traditional Taijiquan patterns and tactics are thrown out of the window when the art is used under pressure, (like in sparring) in favour of boxing, wrestling or just random fighting.

Even when we see beautiful traditional Taijiquan training taking place, the training normally reaches its limit at pushing people away and ignores the fact that when faced with other trained opponents, they will not simply be pushing you in combat, but punching, kicking and picking you up and slamming you into the ground if they can, Oh dear!

This of course leaves the modern Taijiquan practitioner who aims to use traditional Taijiquan (and who is just trained in pushes) at a huge disadvantage.

Was this the case in the past, when Taijiquan masters were noted for their skill in combat?

No. Of course not, Taijiquan masters of the past could handle and counter all types of attack, and here is why.

Chen Fake- A Chen style Taijiquan master who lived in the first part of the 20th century defeated many skilled martial artists using Taijiquan.

Genuine Taijiquan as practiced in the past was and still is a complete martial art. As such it includes with in its repertoire, attacks and defenses in the four main categories of combat, as do all Chinese martial arts. These four categories are; hand strikes, kicks, felling techniques, and Chin Na. Chin Na includes the gripping, breaking, dislocating of limbs, bones and joints and also the tearing of muscles, tendons and skin.

That Taijiquan includes these four categories of attack and defense is not by any means new information, it’s actually a many centuries old fact, but how often do we actually see the evidence of it in the Taijiquan practiced today?

This is what I intend to have fun with in this up coming series. In this series I will give three examples of traditional Taijiquan applications in all four of the categories of attack and defense. In fact some of the techniques are genuine favorites of mine, and I can honestly say I’ve used 80-90% of the techniques to be shown in friendly un-cooperative sparring, and also some of them in rough and un-friendly sparring! I should add I much prefer the former of the two!

Sifu Wong Kiew Kit, 1st generation of Wahnam Taijiquan, teaches Taijiquan as a complete martial art.

I hope you enjoy the upcoming installments.

Robin

Taijiquan application of Swinging Fist.

First we will have a look at some basic hand strikes in our school. In our school of Taijiquan the power required for hand strikes comes from internal force training and is “soft” and internal in nature. With dedicated daily training over a relatively short period of time quite a bit of power can be developed, so that within a year or two (of dedicated daily training) enough force should be developed to deliver a ‘knock out’ blow or to break a brick for example. It should be stressed again that hard conditioning of the hands is not required to develop this power, and the increased energy from this type of training will greatly benefit daily life, giving you vibrancy and vitality.

Strike No.1 Fierce Dragon

Fierce Dragon

The first pattern shown is ‘Fierce Dragon’ it is a beautiful pattern and very effective, with sufficient training this pattern can be executed with some speed to overwhelm an opponent. It is especially effective when applied with the Taijiquan tactic of “The opponent initiates, but I arrive first”. Below you can see I am sure to cover on the way into the attack.A mid level attack.

A mid level attack.

Mid attack is countered with 'body movement'.

The attack is countered using body movement. Then the palm strike is executed.

Two more hands strikes will be coming up next.

Swinging Fist.

The next pattern is ‘swinging fist’. This pattern has many excellent applications, and works very nicely when executed with some speed. Below it is shown as a counter to a mid level punch. Using body movement it is possible to avoid the mid level attack and use the left hand to parry the attack to the side then swing the right fist over to strike at the temple or nose. It is important the striking arm is relaxed when striking to make use of the whipping motion of the attack.

A mid level attack.

Mid attack is countered with 'body movement'.

Swinging fist is aimed at the head.

Taijiquan application of Swinging Fist, from another angle.

Still another Taijiquan Strike to come. Keep posted.

White Snake Shoots Venom-Form

Surely a favorite of many Wahnam Taijiquan students, White Snake is an excellent and potentially dangerous technique. This means when you train it with a partner you need to be very careful and exercise the safety first rule, as the strike can potentially damage a persons sight. Actually this technique is a good indication that Taijiquan is a genuine martial art, and not a ‘martial sport’ as is often the case with many modern day ‘martial arts’, where rules prevent strikes to vital areas of the body, in Taijiquasn there are many strikes aimed at such areas but a skillful practitioner would avoid using these techniques because due to the peaceful nature of genuine Taijiquan training, not causing harm to people is a quality that is valued. Below Mark executes a mid level punch at my chest. I then use body movement to avoid the attack and strike. I ensure that my fingers are at least a couple of inches away from Mark’s eyes for safety.

Mid level attack

Attack is countered with body movement, White Snake is then executed.

That concludes our basic strikes of Wahnam Taijiquan, next up is Kicks!

'Double Lotus Kick' of Wahnam Taijiquan

Kicks may not be the most famous part of Taijiquan’s repertoire but it may surprise you to know that there are many excellent kicks in traditional Taijiquan. The kicks in Taijiquan are interesting for a few reasons. Firstly the kicks do not rely on body weight for power, but on force built from stance training and flexibility exercises. Also high kicks tend to be avoided in Taijiquan as they can expose the groin and vital areas, indeed the highest kicks in Taijiquan are aimed at chest level.

Kick No.1 Side Kick

Taijiquan 'Side Kick'

Some purists may say that there are no sidekicks in Taijiquan, However I have seen them performed in Chen Style Taijiquan many times and believe that they were also part of the original Wudang Taijiquan, they are certainly in Wahnam Taijiquan. Indeed it is such an excellent kick it would be silly not to make use of it. It is important to remain balanced when kicking so as not to expose yourself unduly to attack during the kick. The sidekick below is shown as a counter to mid/high attack. I like to think of the kick as similar to a stamp which can be aimed at the hip.

Side step away from high attack.

Side kick into opponent

detail of the side kick from a different angle.

Two more Kicks coming shortly!

Cross Hands Thrust Kick

The ‘thrust kick’ or ‘cross hands thrust kick’ is surely the most recognizable kicks in all of Taijiquan, and so logically thinking should be a very effective kick, well, it definatley is. Strange then they we see it so rarely actually being applied. Personally I have found the kick very effective in sparring. Below it is very easy to see ‘Cross hands thrust kick’ is being used as a counter attack to a punch. Many people are at a loss as to why the arms extend as they do in the the pattern, maybe you can see one of the answers below?

A mid level attack

Side step and thrust kick.

Thrust Kick applied.

Another Kick is coming.