Hello everyone,

This week, I’m going to talk about my first months of training. I hope this will help people get a good start in China.

As I said in the previous article, I arrived in Dengfeng and I started my first day of training in a very large kung fu academy. (How i came to china)

We started training every morning at 5:30 am, usually running for physical exercise.

7 am, breakfast. At first, it was difficult, their breakfast was very different from ours in France.
I used to drink chocolate and eat bread, but at school, the breakfast consisted only of vegetables and weird soups. It took me a long time to get used to it

8:30 am it was time for the next training to take place until 11:30 am and lunch. We rested in the afternoon and at 3 pm, we resumed training until 5:30 pm for dinner.

6:30 pm it was the last training of the day until 20h30. Then we could rest.

This was the program every day, except Sunday, our resting day.

When I arrived, I chose to start from beginning, to rework the basiques, even if I had practiced martial arts for more than ten years in France, i knowing that it is very different, here, in China.
I wanted to be treated like a Chinese student and be able to improve my basics.
I still remember when the other students asked me how long did I practice, I always answered: “I’m just starting, only  few days ago …”

I chose to forget everything I had learned before to study in their own way.
It was a good choice because I could correct so many basic techniques that I did not do very well and learn all the details ….

Every day we practiced Ji Ben Gong (basic exercises), stretching and physical reinforcement. From time to time we also work basic taos.

Since I was a child, I have always heard that it was impossible to train, physically, like them, that the body could not follow … In fact, this is not the case. Of course, the first month was difficult and I thought that my whole body would break, but after a while, we get used to it and it becomes a daily routine.

So, for all the people who are afraid of not being able to hold physically, rest assured, it is not the most important thing and everybody can do it (in our new school it is an important point for us, we want everyone to progress at their own pace regardless of their physical condition)

The most difficult part is to do the same things every day, the same movements, 8 hours a day … Training becomes a real job, so it’s more difficult psychologically (these are the old methods used in most of the big academies, in hindsight, and from my point of view, it only works when you want to spend many years in big kung fu academies and it’s not the most optimal way to progress and improve your knowledge)

This is one of the reasons we wanted to open our own school with new teaching methods. We want to propose to everyone to learn more varied things so that you can use them to improve your skills (internal, external, combat, technique … everything is linked). It is by bringing them together that we progress even more.
By learning from your skills and training adpated to your need, you can learn faster, have the opportunity to deepen your notions, because doing the same movement every day without explanation is not the best way to improve your skills …
We want everyone to progress (Chinese and foreigners together) faster without having to stay 10 years here, this is one of our big challenges in this new school!

Let’s go back to our history, we were training hard every day and as the only foreigner in the school, a lot of eyes were fixed on me. So I wanted to do my best, never miss the training, I even continued to train during the rest … I finally realized my dream, I had to give everything !

As for daily life, I was really surprised because the Chinese were very friendly to me, even if I did not speak good Chinese, they always tried to talk and if we did not understand each other, they used their hands to try to explain, it has created a lot of strange and funny moments.
My classmates, roommates … often invited me to play Chinese card game, football, basketball …
I always accepted and I tried to speak only with them in Chinese.
In fact, I was trying to look like them even though there were sometimes things that I never thought I would do in France, that it was not the best way to do it, or that some things were not correct in our culture …
I was in China and by respect, I had to do everything like them and on their ways.
It allowed me to get integrate very quickly and they no longer saw me as a foreign student.
My Chinese has also improved very quickly. In just a few months, I could speak fluently.
(So ​​of course now, I’m trying to improve things here, in my own way and bring a touch of Western pedagogy … but it’s a very good advice for people coming to China, do not be afraid to do things differently, exchange and share with locals … These are the best ways to improve your Chinese and integrate you)

   

A few months later, the school leader invited me to take tea. We discussed my progress and daily life …  then proposed to join their show / demonstration team. It was so amazing to me that I would never have imagined, even in my wildest dreams, to have such an opportunity coming to China.

I of course accepted and the following week, I joined their second team of “Shaolin zen music ritual show”.
I discovered a lot of amazing and different things with them but this is another story for another article !!

Hello everyone !

Today, a Tai Ji Quan tutorial, we will learn the second sequence of Tai Ji Quan 24 of Yang Style.

Here is the link of the first article to learn the first sequence, you will also find a small introduction on this form: Tai Ji Quan 24 First part

13 . 右蹬脚 ( You Deng Jiao): Right Heel Kick

This Ji ben gong allows you to work on your balance and flexibility.

It is done in the same way as a direct kick in kung fu, with the difference that the support leg is slightly bent. He must also hit with the heel and tiptoe back to his body.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve the capacity of your lungs and is considered a yin movement

14. 双峰贯耳 ( Shuang Feng Guan Er) Strike to Ears with Both Fists

This movement is in continuity with the previous one, once after hitting your heel strike, you go into a gong position up high then hit double inverted punches on the face.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve your liver and is considered a yin movement

15. 转身左蹬脚 ( Zhuan Shen Zuo Deng Jiao) Turn Body and Left Heel Kick

As the name implies, one pivots by alternating the weight of one’s body on the left leg then on the right leg (support leg) once the rotation is completed to make the same kick as the movement 13 but of the left leg.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve your spleen and is considered a yin movement

16. 左下势独立 ( Zuo Xia Shi Du Li) Left Lower Body and Stand on One Leg

The left kick is done, we bring the leg back, we move to the po po dr position and we go down the body like a snake and then put ourselves in the gong bu position (beware the difficulty is to keep the same height between the po po bu and the drunk gong, one must not do the elevator with one’s body)

Finally, you raise your right leg to move to the position of the li

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve your kidneys and is considered a yin movement

17. 右下势独立 ( You Xia Shi Du Li ) Right Lower Body and Stand on One Leg

It’s exactly the same movement as on the 16th, but on the opposite side

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve your kidneys and is considered a yin movement

18. 右左穿梭(  You Zuo Chuan Suo )Shuttle Back and Forth

A very interesting exercise to work his tai Ji because we work with a “ball”
Keep the round shape of the balloon to “roll” to block and hit.
We can imagine a woman weaving in the era of ancient China

The movement will require a lot of work because it must be very fluid, very round, without any constraint

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve your bladder and is considered a yang movement

19. 海底针 (  Hai Di Zhen ) Needle at Sea Bottom

In the continuity of the movement, we imagine that the woman who wove lost her needle and that it must be picked up

All the weight of the body is on the right leg, we are in position Po Bu

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve your gallbladder and is considered a yang movement

20. 闪通臂 ( Shan tong Bi ) Fan Through Back

The left foot is lifted so that the hands meet and then we go drunk drunk so that the hands move apart as if we were opening a fan.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve your spleen and is considered a yin movement

21. 转身搬拦锤 ( Zhuan Shen Ban Lan Chui ) Turn Body, Deflect, Parry, and Punch

One reverses one’s body weight to make a blocking while turning around then one goes in gong drunk to strike

Leg / arm coordination is relatively difficult during this exercise

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve your kidneys and is considered a yin movement

22.如封似闭 (Ru Feng Shi Bi) Appears Closed

In the Gong Bu position, we just pass the weight of the body on the back leg as if we were absorbing and then pass it on the front leg, while pushing

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve your small intestine and is considered a yang movement

23. 十字手 ( Shi Zi Shou ) Cross Hands

In this exercise, it is important to move your body weight on the back leg and then refocus while crossing your hands. When changing body weight, it is important to keep the pelvis at the same height

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve your large bowel and is considered a yang movement

24.收势 ( Shou Shi ) Closing

Exercise found in most forms of tai chi since it comes to finish your form

We just do the reverse of the first position to get back to where we started

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve your stomach and is considered a yang movement

Hello everyone !

I prepared a little tutorial but this time a little more theoretical.
I know that there are all levels among our readers, so I will try to explain with very simple words and in the most clear and precise way (maybe for some purists the terms will not be accurate but for those who wish to have the terms in Chinese, the very scientific point of view … you are welcome here for further explanations)

1. Introduction

In this tutorial I will explain the 1st ji ben gong (basic exercises) that we teach to those who want to learn Tai Ji Quan.
This is valid for most styles, Master Zhang (Shi Heng Ye) is our specialist in Tai Ji Quan, he practices many different styles and continues to study others … He explains that all styles share the same basis with a few different interpretations and variations, so it is good to see all these interpretations and to draw the good points of each.

My explanations today will therefore be based on a very broad point of view so that all practitioners of Tai Ji Quan whatever their styles can find their account.

We consider Tai Ji Quan in 2 main aspects the side “yang sheng” (health – well being, the best known in the West) and the martial side. These 2 aspects are complementary.

We will see how to perform this basic exercise, what it brings from a martial point of view …
There are very good articles on the health side, well being … So I will stay mainly on this very martial side and you learn to use it in your external martial arts … because we must not forget that the external arts and internal do not go one without the other.

2. 浑圆桩 Hun Yuan Zhuang

This is his name, there are many possible translations …
I will rather give you an interpretation by the fact of working a force / energy released by the entirety of its body, I will call it by my own words “circular forces” it is not the exact term but it will allow to all to understand more easily.

Now, let us ask the question of how is formed the representation of yin and yang, we can divide it into 3:

– The circle that contains yin and yang
– The yin
– The yang

It can be interpreted as Tai Ji is also composed of 3 essential Ji Gong Gong that must be transcribed in each of its forms.

Today, we will be interested in the first who is The circle. It is always considered the first because without the circle, you can not build yin and yang.

3. Le Mouvement

This Ji Ben Gong is extremely simple because it is indeed a simple posture.

This posture, most practitioners of Tai Ji Quan know very well, it is often called the posture of the tree (Zhan Zhuang).

Here are some pictures of the posture:

Since this Ji Ben gong consists of simply holding a posture, it must be done correctly:

– The body must be released
– Open and release the joints
– Tuck your chest
– Feet slightly wider than the pelvis and slightly open to the outside
– Legs flexed
– Hips relaxed and open basin
– Arms flexed at shoulder height
– The head should be hung as if pulled by a wire
– We stick the tongue to the upper palace

So now that we know how to put ourselves in the position, we will mainly see how to work this position so as to develop this “circular force”.

I drew on these photos 3 circles:

 

– at  legs
– at  arms and the ribcage
– The back and the floor

These circles symbolize the different “circular forces” that must be exercised by your body.
There are others that can be found in the books but these are the 3 Principaux, Master zhang also used to say “when we manage to exercise these 3 circular forces at the same time, our body becomes the circle “

3. Why a Circle ?

Chinese philosophy, Chinese martial arts have always used the image of the circle for their practice / interpretation … You can find very good articles on the subject.

As for me, I will explain it from a martial point of view with a simple example.

Take the stone bridges, we notice that most bridges are vaulted or arcuate simply because it is much more solid as well (I am not a specialist in physics, I will not explain why but we can easily find it on the net) and therefore the bridge is much more resistant and gives off a very strong force.
We also note that the bridge constantly withstands the force of gravity, it exerts a constant force, whether or not there is a car running through it, the bridge does not move.

We can therefore interpret this circle as a constant force that is always present and extremely powerful / resistant.

A very good exercise is to put yourself by 2, one executes the position while the other pushes it at the level of the arms and the legs. The one in position must resist but without pushing (the bridge does not push the car towards the sky when it crosses it).

 

4. Circular forces and martial applications

I repeated several times the same vague term of “circular forces”, we will see what it means concretely.

First of all, one must simply say that a circle is nothing more than a series of small dots behind each other.
Specifically, the power that is released in these strikes is based on the same principle, we use a sequence of micro movements to be struck or perform a physical effort.

When you give a punch, the force does not just start from the forearm or the shoulder … it starts from your foot and then goes through the knee, the pelvis … go out by the fist.
This may seem obvious but I see very few people able to do it because it requires to synchronize each part of his body to the thousandth of a second to execute a movement.

We can simply imagine:

Your car breaks down and you have to push it. Are you going to push her as in picture 1 using just the strength of your arms or as in picture 2 using your whole body?

In this example, the answer seems obvious and there are still many examples of the same type (wear something very heavy …)
This way of using force in everyday life is already used naturally, but since martial arts are not natural movements (let alone the complexity of certain movements) that we have been practicing since childhood, it is very difficult to use it within our own practice.

That’s why working on this exercise can help you both in your Tai chi forms and in the outer arts and will improve the way you hit in combat …

Take a simple form that you practice regularly and try to practice it by applying this principle of Tai Ji, you will quickly see that you win both in speed and power (attention is very difficult to get to apply it it will take a lot of practice)

For those who want to improve their martial forms, I recommend a simple training:

Take a half an hour on your training, run this Ji Ben gong 1-2 minutes thinking all these explanations, then run your form by applying this Ji Ben Gong inside the form and so on !

This is only a summary of how we teach this first exercise, there are still many nuances and terms in Chinese that I did not address to avoid overloading at once, you are however the welcome to our school in Shaolin to learn more!

Hello everyone,

Often, students ask me how the training is going in summer, if it is not difficult because of the weather and the heat.

I will not say that it is not hot, Shaolin is very hot and humid during the summer, but students should not be afraid of it. Personally, I prefer when it is hot than cold for the practice of martial arts.
I sometimes say that it may be better to come to another time, but only because there are a lot of people during the summer, so if you want to enjoy Shaolin National Park and be alone, it’s more difficult. (But now we have opened our own school at the top of Shaolin Village so you can enjoy and live in Shaolin without being disturbed by tourists.)

As you know, I do not only want to promote Chinese martial arts, but also Chinese culture, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
I therefore exchange regularly with teachers and students of traditional medicine university of Henan.
This week is China’s National Day and one of their teachers and friends came to visit us.
We were talking about summer camps in Shaolin and the heat … he told me that he was involved in writing various articles about the benefits of martial arts during the summer, so he gave me some points keys to share with you all, I translated them to be able to share it today !! (I hope my Chinese is good enough to allow everyone to understand)

1 -The perspiration promotes the detoxification

The different medical studies show that perspiration is one of the ways of rejecting harmful substances such as arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury …. Martial arts are one of the first choices for aerobics and therefore promote sweating in the summer.

2 – Moisturizing skin care

Sweat removes toxins that clog pores and eliminates acne. Summer alone is not enough to sweat, nothing better than training, but together, you will sweat more. You immediately feel that the skin becomes firm and delicate, shiny and that acne is reduced.

3 – Weight loss

The fat reduction effect is remarkable. In addition, sweating can also consume excess energy from the body, which helps to promote the breakdown of fat and has some weight loss effect. In summer, the cells themselves will be more active and the exercise will be strengthened. The effect is many times that of normal times. It is more beneficial to lose weight, improve fitness and prevent chronic diseases such as “three highs” (hypertension / cholesterol / sugar). In summer, choose to practice the martial arts for a light weight loss!

4 – Strengthen the immune system

Many people consume drugs regularly to improve their immunity. Some of these products contain unknown ingredients. Some even contain hormones, which inhibit the immune system. The best scientific way to strengthen your immune system is to sweat naturally. For example, every day a martial arts practice of 1:30 to 2 hours, 5 days a week, your body will sweat a lot and in the long run, your immunity will be improved.

5 – Promotes digestion

The best way to promote digestion is to sweat through physical exercises. Sweating speeds up the metabolism of the whole body, helps intestinal peristalsis and improves digestion. After practicing martial arts, eat!

6 – Improved memory

Sweating allows human cells to be more vigorous, to maintain mental focus, improve memory, so that the brain is more dynamic. In addition, studies have confirmed that exercise sweat has a positive effect on the brain and that memory and concentration of people can be greatly improved.
The martial arts are made up of an impressive number of techniques, movements … which requires a lot of work of reflection and memory, which appeals as much your body as your brain.

7 – Protects bones

Due to the high heat the metabolism becomes stronger, the blood supply of the bone improves, as well as the morphology and the properties of the bone: the bone density thickens, the bone thickens and the Trabecular bone disposition is sharper and regular as a function of pressure and pressure differences. The protrusion of the muscle of the bone surface is more obvious
These changes make the bones thicker and stronger, which improves the resistance to flexion, compression and torsion of the bone.
It becomes more difficult to get injured during the practice of martial arts. For practitioners who want to improve their acrobatic techniques it is almost essential to work in these conditions, that’s why when the weather gets cooler we prefer to practice traditional kung-fu rather than artistic kung-fu.

8 – Preventing diseases

Sweating helps to fight TB and other dangerous pathogens. The antibacterial peptide contained in sweat is effective against viruses, bacteria and fungi: it can penetrate the cell membrane of bacteria and break it down.

Hello everyone,

This week, I’m going to tell you about my preparation for coming to China and the trip I took.
I hope this can help some people to come here, I will also take advantage to give some tips!

First of all, it was not really my very first time in China because I had the chance to come on tours before but it was the first time I came alone and I was doing a so long trip without accurate return.

By dint of coming to China for internships, I had sympathized with several local and school representatives. What has helped me a lot to come here, otherwise I would never have been able to come and I would not be telling you today my experience.

The first step was that of the visa, a must when you come to China and extremely heady when you want to stay very long.
I had never done it alone before, so I went through a lot of negotiations and negotiations with a Chinese interlocutor.

After struggling for several weeks to gather all the documents on the French side and the Chinese side, I was able to obtain a student visa of very long duration.

Then was the moment to find a plane. And on that, I’ll give you some tips!
First, try to book your ticket well in advance, several months in advance especially if you expect to come in periods of high attendance, you can find great offers!

Then take a flight that goes directly from Paris (or a city with an international airport) to the city of Zhengzhou, now it’s what will be the cheapest. The difference in price is almost non-existent according to the companies. In general, there will always be a stopover by a big Chinese city, so when you check in your luggage, do not forget to ask that they arrive to zhengzhou, so you will not have to deal with it during the change. In general, if you take a Chinese company, your luggage will be automatically directed to Zhengzhou (except for exception)

Once everything was ready, I would finally take off to live in China and make a dream that I had been preparing for years.
The departure was very difficult between the fear, the excitement, the sadness of leaving his relatives without knowing when I will come back …. but hardly the time to realize it, I was already in direction of Paris to take my first plane.
Follow 11 hours of flight to Shanghai for a small stopover and a flight change to zhengzhou.

   

After a total of twenty hours of travel, I finally arrived in Zhengzhou but it was not yet the end of the journey. I still had to go to Dengfeng City (right next to the Shaolin Reserve).
To do so, there were 3 possible choices open to me:

– Take a taxi from the airport to Dengfeng, the most convenient but the most expensive solution (it takes about 300 yuan, usually you have to negotiate)
– Take the shuttle from the airport to Dengfeng, the price is much more interesting (50 yuan) but there are very few (I enclose the schedule of shuttles)

– Take the intercity train that goes from the airport to the station (today you can even do it by metro) then take a bus to Dengfeng, this solution is the longest and the least convenient when you have luggage but there are buses and trains that leave every 30 minutes or so.

For my part, I chose the 3rd solution because my schedules did not correspond to those of the shuttles.
Today, if you come to our school in Shaolin, you do not have to worry about this part since we take care of you as soon as you arrive at the airport at no additional cost until Shaolin.

I finally arrived in Dengfeng, it was the real end of the trip for me because I had already spent several months here, so I knew the city and the locals well. One of my friends came to pick me up at Dengfeng Station, we had lunch, then he accompanied me to the big academy with whom I was in contact to meet the student representative.

That’s it I was finally arrived in a big academy of Dengfeng, my dream would finally be realized !!

But soon the first disillusions appeared and yet I had already come several times for short periods. I quickly realized that between photos, organized trips and real life here, there was a real gap.

The living conditions were very spartan. Not bad at all compared to other schools but far from being like in the photos.
We were 4 per room, a wooden board with a thick sheet as a mattress. The hardest part was the hygiene, the rooms were very dirty.
But I did not come for comfort, I knew what to expect when I came, just a little disappointed that we did not explain how it really was.

 

   

So the next day started my first day of training!

This is the beginning of my great adventure, I will continue my story in future articles. I hope that by sharing with you my experiences, whether good or bad, I could lead you to understand the reasons that led me to open my own school. See you soon.

Hello everyone,

I am glad to tell you after 1 year running Wudang shaolin Dream, i have opened my own school with Master Zhang ( shi heng ye) inside Shaolin.

So today i am going to introduce to everyone our  Martial art school:

    

1/ Introduction and concept of our school

what does this really mean for the future and for all the students who want to join us?

– Adaptation to the needs of international students and a great openness to the West.
We are aware many foreigner haven’t time to come here for long time, that’s why we are working hard to adapt ourself to your different needed, indeed we going to plan personnal training  depend of your objectives, time you stay, your past experience in martial art… in that way we hope many people can progress faster and improve their skills.

– Our motto is “high quality Training”. We will not be the school that will offer you living conditions as good as a Super Hotel (although currently in the village we are among the best in terms of accommodation and meals) but we have drastically selected the best masters / instructors and continue to train them regularly, not only on their level in martial arts (we are in China, experts, great masters with an incredible level that’s not what is missing) but mainly on their quality of teaching and their pedagogy.

– All new training methods combining the knowledge / science of sport / pedagogy that can be found in the West with the mastery / perfection of Chinese teaching and the theory of Chinese martial arts.

– Traditional training: “back to old time”. Twenty years ago, Chinese martial arts suffered a real split between beauty (technique, demonstration, wushu sports …) and efficiency (traditional, self defense, Chinese boxing …).
Currently, there are in China very great technical experts but who are not able to defend themselves in real situations and conversely, very great fighters but who do not know how to perform “complex techniques”.
We want all our students to be able to defend themselves, to compete, demonstrations, great acrobatics … they are as complete as possible and we therefore offer trainings in which you will work as well. the technical side that fights.

– Specialized training for those who want it and who already have some experience or specific objectives:
competition training (sports wushu, tai ji sports, sanda, traditional shaolin), technical and theoretical training for those who aim to open their own school, training for demonstration, training in the internal arts ….
For the bravest, we will even propose preparations in order to participate together in Chinese competitions / Chinese exams in Chinese federations such as the Duans … (that’s also why in the beginning year I went to Beijing, to meet different federations)

– To master the Chinese martial arts, being very good physically is not enough. Making one’s mind work is also very important. As we say here, “the body and the spirit”.
Thus, we offer complementary lessons such as calligraphy, Chinese philosophy, learning the game of Go, tea preparation …

– To guarantee a high quality of teaching, we have teachers specialized in different fields. It is impossible for one person to excel in all areas, styles.
We have different instructors specialized in specific areas such as technical, sanda, modern wushu, modern / traditional taiji … and more in the future as we continue to expand our panel of teachers.

– For real authenticity, you will live, stay, train with our Chinese students. No difference in treatment, it will allow you a total immersion.

Here are some small points, there will be many more that you can discover as we evolve.

2/ Accomodation

Our school is located in the village of shaolin at few meter from the temple,

We are at the top of the village,  place is very peaceful and there is really few tourist knowing this spot so we are very quiet for training.

                     

Room are for 6 people but often in lower period you can have 1 room for 1 or 2 people. Every room have his own bathroom and toilet.

There is lot of other common room for have rest, play piano, chest, drink tea….

   

We are managing our school like a big familly so our masters are cooking the food for everyone, they are also willing to share with everyone and they can teach to everyone how to prepare some chinese meal !

Our accomodation going to evolve lot in future, with some boxing bag, weights and musculation stuff… some other common room…

3/ Training and schedule:

  

We principaly train in the village, in the mountain, other small temples because it is more quiet (we avoid every tourist zone) than the main shaolin temple, but sometime we train inside the shaolin temple or in front of / also in pagoda forest… (principaly in very early morning so we can avoid tourist)

Schedules and trainings are not always same because we adapt it to your objectives and training period…

But usually a normal day is like this:

• 6h / 6h20: Get up
•  6h30 to 7h30 / 8h : Training
  
• 8h : Breakfast
  
•  9h30 to 11h30: Training   
• 11h30 / 12h: Lunch 
• 15h to 17h: Training or study Chinese culture (calligraphy, tea classes , Chinese philosophy, games of go …)
  
• 17h30 : Supper 
• The evening it is variable is free quarter with revision, training, or activities with the pupils …

In the next few week i am going to follow our student so you can have a typical day view with more precision with their lifes here

We going to offered plenty of course with different master:

• Traditionnal kung-fu
• Traditionnal shaolin kung-fu
• Demonstration Shaolin Kung-fu
• Competition Shaolin kung-fu
• Modern Wushu (changquan,nanquan, competition …)
• Sanda Traditionnal/competition
• Chinexe boxing and self defense
• Tai Ji quan Traditionnal / Modern (competition form, chen…)
• Qi Qong
• Calligraphy
• Chinese Philosophy
• Martial art theorisis
• Chinese culture
• Chinese lesson

And there will be more and more course in the future with new Master/teacher.

Hello everyone !

Let’s have a Tai Ji Quan Tutorial

Today we will learn the first sequence of Tai Ji Quan 24 Style Yang.

Why did I choose this form? First, it is one of the most famous and gives the beginner an introduction to the essentials of Tai Ji Quan.

But in reality, the form is not important. I chose it because inside we can find basic exercises / basic techniques (in China we call them “Ji Ben Gong”). Whatever your level, beginner or advanced, these exercises are very important.

Indeed, you will find these Ji Ben Gong in most forms of tai ji whatever the style. There may be variations, small details depending on the style but the movements, balance, direction … are always the same.

I always tell my students that training a form / Tao is not the most important and will not improve  your kung fu / Tai Ji skills. Of course, learning this will improve your knowledge but if you really want to master it, you have to work and repeat every Ji Ben Gong or sequence (one by one, not together) that compose the form, this is the only way to actually improve your skills.

That’s why in this tutorial i separate each movement 1 by 1 so you can learn and perfect each ji Ben Gong and as a bonus in the end, you will have learned a new form (half one).

1 . 起式 ( Qishi ): Starting

You will find this exercise in most shapes and styles of tai chi (it can vary in balance and body position)

It can be summed up by: “Stand up, raise and lower your hands”, However there is a certain order to be respected at your arms: it is said that the shoulder makes move the elbow, the elbow makes move the wrist, the wrist makes the hand move

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve your stomach and considered as a yang movement

2. 左右野马分鬃 ( Zuo You Ye Ma Fen Zong ) Left and Right part the wild horse’s mane

In the form, you must repeat this movement 3 times in this order (left – right – left)

For the exercise itself, the most important is to keep the pelvis at the same height, as if you had an imaginary line at the top of your head, after having positioned it at a certain height, you can not cross it anymore. .

In TCM, we say that this exercise will improve your small intestine and considered as a yang movement

3. 白鹤亮翅 ( Bai He Liang Chi ) White Crane Spreads Its Wings

The most important thing is to put all your body weight on your right leg. In Wushu, we call this position: 虚 步 (Xu Bu)  empty stance.

In TCM, we say that this exercise will improve your heart and considered as a Yin movement

4.1 左右搂膝拗步  1 ( Zuo You Lou Xi AoBu )   Left and Right Brush Knee and Push Forward view 1

4.2 左右搂膝拗步 2 ( Zuo You Lou Xi AoBu )   Left and Right Brush Knee and Push Forward view 2

These 2 gifs describe the same movement, it is only 2 different points of view

Like movement 2. you have to repeat it 3 times in a row and keep the pelvis at the same height.

Brush the knee of the front leg (Blocks) and then push with the opposite hand.

In TCM, we say that this exercise will improve your large intestine and considered as a Yang movement.

5. 手挥琵琶  ( Shou Hui Pi Pa ) Playing the Lute

We move to position 虚 步 (Xu Bu), your arm is positioned as if you were playing the guitar. The arms slightly bent

In TCM, we say that this exercise will improve your liver and considered as a Yin movement.

6. 左右倒卷肱(  Zuo You Dao Juan Gong )Step Back and Repulse Moneky

Like movement 2 and 4, you must stay at the same height

To continue the form it is necessary to repeat it 4 times (2 left / 2 right), A hand goes down to describe an arc of circle then to join the other hand in order to take its place. The left foot is lifted at the moment when the hands begin to ascend.

In TCM, we say that this exercise will improve the capacity of your lungs and considered as a Yin movement

7. 左拦雀尾 (  Zuo Lan Que Wei )Left Grasp Sparrow’s Tail

8. 右拦雀尾 ( You Lan Que Wei )Right Grasp Sparrow’s Tail

These 2 movements are considered in 2 separate parts but they are exactly the same, you have to do it a first time on the left and the second time on the right

The most important thing is to alternate your weight in the front and back successively following the movements of the hands

In TCM, we say that this 2 exercises will improve your pericardium and considered as a Yin movement.

9. 单鞭 ( Dan Bian ) Single Whip

We find this technique in many forms and style of Tai Chi.

The transition is quite difficult, so I advise you to work several times to thin it.

In TCM, we say that this exercise will improve your heart and considered as a Yin movement.

10.云手 (Yun Shou) Wave Hands Like Clouds

This exercise is very important, you will find it in most forms of wushu, not only in tai ji quan, but also in kung fu shaolin and other styles.

The most important thing during this exercise is to keep your knees bent and relax your shoulder, your arm moves as your whole body moves. The look must follow the movement of the hands.

The synchronization feet / hands is a delicate point.

In TCM, we say that this exercise will improve your triple heater and considered as a Yang movement

11. 单鞭 ( Dan Bian ) Single Whip

Lets do it again, just like 9.

12.高探马 ( Gao Tan Ma ) High Pat on Horse

Be careful not to bring the feet too close to each other, then go to position 虚 步 (Xu Bu)

In TCM, we say that this exercise will improve your small intestine and considered as a Yang movement.

This exercise is the last of the first 12 moves, if you chain the movements together as a result, you already get half of the form.