Tai Chi Karate

[Bill Mattocks]

Ok, just kidding. I usually do not post youtube videos here. However, I stumbled across this one and found it amazing.

To a traditional Okinawan karateka such as myself, this resembles nothing so much as kata and bunkai, and suddenly many of the tai chi movements make perfect sense. They even resemble, to an extent, some of my favorite bunkai from isshinryu. For example, the wrist control and what appears to be a discussion of dantien or hara. Beautiful to see. Nerve bundle strikes, very nice.

Anyway, thought I would share. Perhaps some other students could further the discussion with information I clearly lack.

 

[Xue Sheng]

That is Wudang Taijiquan, in China, where they can hit students. Bit of a side story; my first shifu and I were talking once and I asked him what the biggest difference was between teaching in America and teaching in China. His response "I can't hit my students here... not even when they are wrong"

Approx 7:00 diagonal flying do you know how many people do that wrong and then say it doesn’t work. That was one version by the way, there is another I know that I like better and I'm more familiar with

Approx 10:00 fair lady works at shuttles, Which has another application that could break an arm, or at least hurt it severely. Could also become a hip throw

Approx 14:00 White Crane spreads its wings, it is also a throw or takedown

Approx 20:00 Rollback, My Yang shifu threw me on the floor with that a few times

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

For Taiji application, this video is better.

If you just compare the "cloud hand" at 2:20, you can see the difference.

 

[Oily Dragon]

Approx 14:00 White Crane spreads its wings, it is also a throw or takedown

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Approx 14:00 White Crane spreads its wings, it is also a throw or takedown

Agree! The Taiji "white crane spreads wings" can be use as

- hand harmony,
- hand block, or
- fancy leg block.

But it requires your both arms to rotate much more.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Agree! The Taiji "white crane spreads wings" can be use as

- hand harmony,
- hand block, or
- fancy leg block.

But it requires your both arms to rotate much more.

Can also work stepping off the line forward or backward

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

That is Wudang Taijiquan, in China, where they can hit students. Bit of a side story; my first shifu and I were talking once and I asked him what the biggest difference was between teaching in America and teaching in China. His response "I can't hit my students here... not even when they are wrong"

Approx 7:00 diagonal flying do you know how many people do that wrong and then say it doesn’t work. That was one version by the way, there is another I know that I like better and I'm more familiar with

Approx 10:00 fair lady works at shuttles, Which has another application that could break an arm, or at least hurt it severely. Could also become a hip throw

Approx 14:00 White Crane spreads its wings, it is also a throw or takedown

Approx 20:00 Rollback, My Yang shifu threw me on the floor with that a few times

My Sigung hit me with a stick very hard on my very first visit. My Sifu would not hesitate to kick us if we did not “sit down on the legs”. Even my new teacher Dr Yang told me not to bring anyone to his house who is afraid of pain or Chinese spankings. None of these guys injured me but they certainly inflict pain as discipline and as a teaching aid.

 

[Oily Dragon]

Even my new teacher Dr Yang told me not to bring anyone to his house who is afraid of pain or Chinese spankings.

What did you mean?

Northern or southern spanking?

A river changes many things.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

That is Wudang Taijiquan, in China, where they can hit students.

In karate, we would not consider that 'hitting' students as if it were a punishment or method of gaining attention. We would call the person receiving the technique as the 'uke' and the person applying the technique as the 'tori' and it's perfectly normal. We don't use full power when teaching/learning, but sufficient power to make it clear that the technique works.

I was seldom bruised as an uke, but sometimes I said "ouch." Part of the game.

The reason I posted the video was that I was struck at how clear the teaching was, even to someone such as myself who does not study Chinese arts and does not speak Mandarin. I consider that a very well-done video. Clearly I know nothing about the quality of the art being taught, except to say that it resembles things we do in karate and I believe I understood the principles behind the moves. I would even go so far as to say I could perform those techniques with some practice.

 

[Xue Sheng]

My Sigung hit me with a stick very hard on my very first visit. My Sifu would not hesitate to kick us if we did not “sit down on the legs”. Even my new teacher Dr Yang told me not to bring anyone to his house who is afraid of pain or Chinese spankings. None of these guys injured me but they certainly inflict pain as discipline and as a teaching aid.

Dr Yang can hurt you, did me when I was trainig push hands with him....

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Among those 3 Taiji cloud hand application, I like 3 better because the opponent's left arm is controlled. In both 1 and 2, the opponent's left arm is free.

1. Cloud hand application 1 at 14.44.

2. Cloud hand application 2.

3. Cloud hand application 3.

 

[Xue Sheng]

In karate, we would not consider that 'hitting' students as if it were a punishment or method of gaining attention. We would call the person receiving the technique as the 'uke' and the person applying the technique as the 'tori' and it's perfectly normal. We don't use full power when teaching/learning, but sufficient power to make it clear that the technique works.

I was seldom bruised as an uke, but sometimes I said "ouch." Part of the game.

The reason I posted the video was that I was struck at how clear the teaching was, even to someone such as myself who does not study Chinese arts and does not speak Mandarin. I consider that a very well-done video. Clearly I know nothing about the quality of the art being taught, except to say that it resembles things we do in karate and I believe I understood the principles behind the moves. I would even go so far as to say I could perform those techniques with some practice.

I liked it, thought it was rather good... I was just adding my 2 cents. I like Wudang style, if I were younger, more flexible and both knees were both OEM, I'd have gone to train it a long time ago

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

What did you mean?

Northern or southern spanking?

A river changes many things.

Well Dr Yang is from Taiwan, James Wing Woo was from Canton, Paul Gale was from Ohio. I guess I’ve had all three versions now.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

In karate, we would not consider that 'hitting' students as if it were a punishment or method of gaining attention. We would call the person receiving the technique as the 'uke' and the person applying the technique as the 'tori' and it's perfectly normal. We don't use full power when teaching/learning, but sufficient power to make it clear that the technique works.

I was seldom bruised as an uke, but sometimes I said "ouch." Part of the game.

The reason I posted the video was that I was struck at how clear the teaching was, even to someone such as myself who does not study Chinese arts and does not speak Mandarin. I consider that a very well-done video. Clearly I know nothing about the quality of the art being taught, except to say that it resembles things we do in karate and I believe I understood the principles behind the moves. I would even go so far as to say I could perform those techniques with some practice.

That particular teacher has a lot of videos. He is very entertaining and has a good sense of humor. He is very skilled, but he does punish with a switch.

 

[Oily Dragon]

That particular teacher has a lot of videos. He is very entertaining and has a good sense of humor. He is very skilled, but he does punish with a switch.

That comment just made me think of my Shototkan master. Switched me for having poor karate "horse" stance. I cried, in front of other students. It felt like the worst, at the time.

If only he could see me now!

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

That comment just made me think of my Shototkan master. Switched me for having poor karate "horse" stance. I cried, in front of other students. It felt like the worst, at the time.

If only he could see me now!

You haven’t been punished until you have been lifted off the ground by your skull. My Sifu Paul Gale did that to me once, it was terrifying. He was 6’5” and 260 lbs. with absolutely giant hands. I am 6’2” 210lbs and I wear a size 9 glove. He dwarfed me in every way. He could be gentle and kind and cruel and ruthless. He always knew how much spice to add to a meal.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

RIP Sifu Paul Gale.

 

[Oily Dragon]

RIP Sifu Paul Gale.

What happened?? He was a young guy, I've seen some of his videos.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

What happened?? He was a young guy, I've seen some of his videos.

Videos? He didn’t make any that I know of. Please share. He was my best man at my wedding and I loved him dearly. I trained with him from 1996 until he passed in 2013. His Sifu, James Wing Woo, passed in 2015. If you know of a video he made, I want to see it!

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

What happened?? He was a young guy, I've seen some of his videos.

He was born in 1948.