Category Archives: taijiquan

Mutual Resistance and Double Weighting

Posted on May 9, 2015 by

The Taiji classics warn against creating a situation of mutual resistance, also called, less clearly, double weighting. What is mutual resistance? A simple illustration would be when in pushing hands one partner is pushing and the other is responding with … Continue reading →

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Functional meditation, continued

Posted on December 3, 2014 by

Our discussion of how we can use the wisdom mind to control the emotional mind to reduce stress and achieve a calm state of mind has helped develop and refine the principle we discussed two weeks ago.  I am going … Continue reading →

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Change in Second Sunday Class Format

Posted on November 23, 2014 by

We tried something new with our 2-3 PM Sunday class today.  Instead of devoting the whole hour to Qin Na, we worked on techniques from all four categories of applications:  Qin Na (joint locking), Da (hand and elbow strikes), Ti … Continue reading →

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Comparison and Competition

Posted on November 22, 2014 by

American culture can be very competitive.  Advertising media, to take just one example, constantly entice you to compare yourself to others and to acquire newer, flashier or more expensive things to catch up and get ahead of others.   There … Continue reading →

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It’s fight training not a waltz

Posted on October 1, 2014 by

Often when I see video of people performing moving pushing hands routines such as Peng Lu Ji An or Da Lu and even performing the taijiquan fighting set, it looks as if they are waltzing. The moves are smooth and … Continue reading →

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Standard Application of Apparent Close-up (Yang, Chengfu’s Outdoor form)

Posted on September 23, 2014 by

There are several important points to watch in the standard or teaching application of this movement.  We begin by having the opponent grab your right wrist and attempt to pull you toward him.  Here the first important point is the … Continue reading →

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Taiji Ball Patterns

Posted on July 24, 2014 by

Learning point from this week’s taiji ball practice in pushing hands seminar.  Make the ball pattern three dimensional by turning the body from side to side.  There is also another stepping pattern where you step to center and root and … Continue reading →

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Refinement of double pushing hands

Posted on July 24, 2014 by

Several points came out in today’s practice.  In Da Lu with large roll back #2, do not forget the weigh shifting, forward on attack and backward on neutralization.  In the Yin-Yang symbol tracing, Peng Lu Ji An and other sets, … Continue reading →

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Misunderstanding or misleading conception of “double weighting”

Posted on July 21, 2014 by

In yesterday’s lecture, Master Yang talked about the concept of double weighting.  The concept is sometimes misunderstood as having equal weight on each leg.  The Chinese words can be confusing.  He pointed out that the correct understanding of the Chinese … Continue reading →

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Second Day of Pushing Hands Seminar

Posted on July 21, 2014 by

Yesterday we reviewed double pushing hands and single pushing hands moving.  Nothing much to say new about techniques 1-6 and yin coil in double.  In single pushing hand and coiling practice it is important to remember that the neutralization of … Continue reading →

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