Chans Martial Arts News
CMA 23-02 22 May 2023
Tai Chi Camp & Auckland Seminar
We had a huge attendance at our Christchurch Tai Chi Camp. Tai Shi (Professor Yek) explained three fundamental points: 1) the importance of defining Yin & Yang for stability and relaxed movements. 2) the harmonisation of breathing to have balance, round, continuous and natural movement. 3) using ‘Yi’ to motivate ‘Qi’ and the body. He also discussed the three sounds used in discharging ‘Jin’ energy.
Although this topic had been discussed many times before, Tai Shi talked about ‘movement & stillness’ at a deeper level at the Auckland seminar. He explained how breathing should be practised for skill advancement and enhancing good health. He made it very clear that we should not exert ourselves excessively once we are passed our youth if we want longevity.
I found the information most timely, as it is just what I needed to take me to the next level of Tai Chi Chuan.
Women Self Defence Course
We had over a hundred participants at this event, not counting the Black Belts who came along to assist. Special thanks to Mr Dave Joker for the advice as an experienced ex-Police officer, and Dr Mairin Taylor for her Clinical Psychology input regarding bullying and harassment.
We are considering organising a follow-up session soon, just for practising the various self-defence techniques.
Annual Seminars & Tournament
At the upcoming annual seminars on the 3rd of June, we will practice some of the Fixed Pushing Hands exercises and the 42 & 37 Forms at the Tai Chi Chuan seminar.
The Tai Chi Chuan Instructors will work on Sword Form, Broad Sword Basics and Free Pushing Hands.
For Shao Chi Chuan, we will follow up with the side kick and rhythm. The techniques for breaking at gradings and preparation will be covered in this seminar.
For the Black Belts, we will work on trapping hands and pressure points. We will address the unnecessary fear with pressure point training, and how to train without hurting your partners.
Please enrol for the seminars:
Saturday 3rd June
9:00am to 11:00am - Tai Chi Seminar
11:00am to 12:30pm - Tai Chi Instructor Seminar
2:30pm to 4:30pm - Kung Fu Seminar
4:30pm to 6:00pm - Kung Fu BB Seminar
Attendance for 1 seminar - $35
Attendance for 2 seminars - $60
Attendance for 3 seminars - $85
Attendance for 4 seminars - $100
All Seminars will be available to be attended online via ZOOM.
If you are attending seminars and do not intend on participating in the tournament then please send a message to HQ to sign up. Notify us of ZOOM attendance if you intend on joining that way.
Payments can be made to HQ directly: 03 0866 0381094 00 Chans Martial Arts Limited. Use your name and branch as a reference.
Tournament 4th June. We had a very successful tournament last year and this year should be even bigger and better. Your instructor will prepare and invite students that are suitable to participate in the Patterns or Fighting competition.
Tournament entries will be by invitation through your branch instructors.
Sunday 4th June
9:00am Weigh-In
Patterns Competition - $30
Fighting Competition - $30
Both - $50
Register
Sign up for the tournament through your Chief Instructor by the 26th of May!
Tournament Fighting Rules
Joints Health
As martial artists, we need to keep our joints healthy to be able to sustain our training. Unfortunately, martial arts is an activity that often wears out the joints prematurely. We have evidence that kicking hard and forced stretching can damage the joints.
It is important to change to performing striking and kicking techniques with the best biomechanics, without jarring and hyperextension (use the looping recovery). Avoid swinging the leg ahead of the body (body and leg should rotate together), and avoid using the weight of the leg like a club (make the leg light). Refrain from unnatural twisting actions, particularly with the knee joints.
Stretching must be practised without force. Following ‘the traffic light method’ can avoid excessive stress on the joints. Listen to the body, check the activity and rest when it is sore. Do not carry excess weight as they load the knee joints three or fourfold.
The synovial joints of the body are lubricated by fluids. Therefore, it helps to be well-hydrated at training. Turmeric is useful in supporting healthy inflammation after exercise and reducing pain. Glucosamine helps the production of proteoglycans which bonds with collagen fibres to form cartilage. Collagen supplementation is therefore very beneficial. Vitamin C also is important to the biosynthesis of collagen in the body.
Training Tai Chi Chuan
We must review our training direction periodically to make sure that we are on the right path.
The first thing we must work on is keeping calm and focused. We then check our posture and feel for our centre in all our exercises, forms and drills. We breathe slow, long, fine, relaxed and natural.
We then separate, ‘substantial & insubstantial’ and various Yin & Yang. The next is the continuous changing of Yin to Yang and Yang to Yin, in the various exercises and features of the forms. We follow with the cultivation of the flow from our centre to the feet and the fingertips.
We have to use the exercise and any moves we know to further refine the feel for our centre, breathing, relaxation and Yin/Yang. With a strong grasp of the fundamentals, learning more moves, drills and pushing hands will be comparatively easy.
Try to understand new moves, rather than trying to memorise them. It is not very useful trying to remember and practice moves when we cannot understand them. When we can understand it, we only need to follow someone who knows the moves repeatedly to memorise them. We can also make more useful notes when we understand than just making descriptions of movements.
The most important thing is to enjoy your training. You also need to train constantly to develop the feel necessary for making the gradual adjustments to improve. When you train regularly, flexibility, health and skill targets can be achieved progressively.
At the higher levels, we can generate Qi with Yi and send it throughout our body for better health or martial applications.
Sydney Camp
https://forms.gle/AdrJue2if7tZBgKT7
Check out the details for the Sydney seminars. 24th - 25th of June.
Annual Kung Fu Camp
Check the enrolment form for more enrolment details:
https://forms.gle/FJKPJN3xbsxRPdkTA
It should be a great camp on August 25th, 26th & 27th, the previous camp in Nelson was a great success and no doubt this one will be too!!
The confirmed camp list is already starting to grow: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PfNwZkZNcgHI28vSOz9_OIjRC0s-TRQV3VEnGfjTjyY/edit#gid=0
May Qi be with you,
Grandmaster Chan
Chans Martial Arts