Chén shì tàijí quán

[Xue Sheng]

陳式 太極拳 (Chén shì tàijí quán) aka Chen Style (or family) Taijiquan

After 30 years of Traditional Yang Style Taijiquan, I am officially retired from Yang style, I just can't get myself to do it anymore. I have toyed with Sun 73 form and was working with the Beijing 24 form again. But I can't even get myself to do the 24 form these days and I have had it with the Sun 73. There is a Sun short form I know and I still do, but that is all for Sun at the moment.

But I did decide to start Chen again, it was actually my first choice as far as taijiquan goes when I started looking for a teacher 30 years ago, but there was no internet to help me, at least I did not have access to it, and there were no teachers close. So long story short, I ended up traditional Yang. It was good training, my teacher was, and is, rather skilled, but I just do not want to do it anymore it just is not me. Of course I figured this out now that I have fake joints and arthritis in many of the rest

I leaned Silk Reeling, Chen 18, Laojia Yilu and puh hands before and I am going to get back to Laojia yilu, but at the moment I am working on the Chen 19 and I truly enjoy training again. Note my 18 form and silk reeling all come from Chen Zhenglei, either directly or from a student of his. But my laojia Yilu and Chen push hands come from my first Shifu. The 19 form I am currently working on comes from Chen Xiaowang, via one of is students.

After the 19 I will likely contact a Chen guy who lives a bit north of me, and is in the Chen Zhenglei lineage, and see if I can work on Laojia Yilu with him. I have done puh hands with him, pre pandemic, and he is very good. I had a few sessions of looking up at him from the floor actually I got knocked down.

Been training about 45 minutes to an hour every night, and I only have the first few postures. of the 19 that I repeat and I'm only working on some of the silk reeling at the moment

The forms I mentioned above

Chen 19 (Chen Xiaowang)

Chen 18 (Chen Zhenglei)

Laojia Yilu (Chen Zhenglei)

 

[ChenAn]

I’m originally came from Chen Zhenglei lineage, I also studied with Zhu Tiancai, Chen Xiaowang, Chen Bing and Chen Ziqian (with last two I sparred ) After about 7-10 years of that I have switched to Chen Yu line and have never looked back . There not many good Chen teachers out there but I got lucky to meet Borys Chen . After our first meeting I was very impressed with his practical skills (and have seen and experienced a lot before that )

Our group is small but very robust. We have been practicing through pandemic. And now we are practicing through the war . I believe our version of Chen actually tested under stress

 

[Holmejr]

Beautiful forms. Thanks.

 

[ChenAn]

Beautiful forms. Thanks.

And out of four “ jingans “ of Chen taiji supposedly only Wan Xian was a bad ***. And his form doesn’t look that beautiful- go figure lol

Chen Zhenglei once shocked me by saying “may be in ancient times taijiquan was used in combat “ I respect his honesty and I do appreciate health aspect that comes with taiji. Yet words “may be” carries some heavy meaning of doubt.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

may be in ancient times taijiquan was used in combat ...

Yang Taiji has most of the striking tools that can be used in combat. It's a personal issue. It's not a style issue.

- Front toes kick - left/right separate leg.
- Front heel kick - turn around kick with heel.
- Outside crescent kick - lotus kick.
- Reverse side kick - cross legs.
- Jab - single whip.
- Cross - fair lady works on shuttle.
- Hook punch - striking tiger, twin peaks to the ear.
- Uppercut - snake extend tone.
- Back fist - fetching arms.
- Hammer fist - turn around hammer.
- ...

 

[Teapot]

And out of four “ jingans “ of Chen taiji supposedly only Wan Xian was a bad ***. And his form doesn’t look that beautiful- go figure lol

Chen Zhenglei once shocked me by saying “may be in ancient times taijiquan was used in combat “ I respect his honesty and I do appreciate health aspect that comes with taiji. Yet words “may be” carries some heavy meaning of doubt.

From what I've heard, Wang Xi'an is the only one among those four who quietly became Feng Zhiqiang's disciple.

 

[Silverback]

If I could go back and conflate my studies in taiji.. Chen would be the one I would choose.

 

[Xue Sheng]

If I could go back and conflate my studies in taiji.. Chen would be the one I would choose.

At this point I don't plan on going too far in to Chen, getting back into Silk reeling and then working on the 19 that is the goal at the moment. After that, I will see if it goes further.

 

[Xue Sheng]

And out of four “ jingans “ of Chen taiji supposedly only Wan Xian was a bad ***. And his form doesn’t look that beautiful- go figure lol

Chen Zhenglei once shocked me by saying “may be in ancient times taijiquan was used in combat “ I respect his honesty and I do appreciate health aspect that comes with taiji. Yet words “may be” carries some heavy meaning of doubt.

Chen Xiaowang said, a few years ago, as far as taijiquan as a martial art goes, he feels it is dead. Not that no one does it as a martial art any longer, just that there are so many doing it that know nothing about it as a martial art, and so few that do. And if you divide a very small number by a very large number it is so close to zero, it might as well be zero.

But then a few years later Chen Xiaowang was giving a seminar in Europe and, out of no where, one of the students attacked him. He responded and the guy that attacked him literally left in the ambulance, I believe he had a heart arrhythmia from the hit in the chest he received. Chen said he felt very bad about what happened, but he had never been in a real fight and wondered about his actual skill. Apparently, it works for him, his response was a reflex to the attack.

 

[windwalker099]

But then a few years later Chen Xiaowang was giving a seminar in Europe and, out of no where, one of the students attacked him. He responded and the guy that attacked him literally left in the ambulance, I believe he had a heart arrhythmia from the hit in the chest he received. Chen said he felt very bad about what happened, but he had never been in a real fight and wondered about his actual skill. Apparently, it works for him, his response was a reflex to the attack.

Always liked his practice although, do not share his views on some things

Unfortunate someone decided to attack him, injured in the process.

General question:


In most Instances when people talk about "fighting", it's mainly in reference to the combative sport events of today..
Not random attacks or events by unknown people with unknown skill as in self defense labeled "fighting"

If one talks about a "real fight" as opposed to combative sport events..
Are combative sport events not "real" fighting

There are other videos, of him interacting with a person of near or equal skill where the "reflexive" response was not there..
No interest in posting the clip...just wondered how some view "testing" of skills and "fighting" said to be based on skill
Is there a difference ?

In some arts like hop gar for example they cultivate a mindset
used for "fighting"

cruelty

1. When hunting a tiger, destroy it. Otherwise, a wounded tiger will return to harm you.
2. When weeding a garden, pull up the roots. Otherwise, the weeds will grow back.
3. Whether the lion is hunting an elephant or a rabbit, the lion always uses full force.”

Is there a similar mindset cultivated by taiji practitioners ?

 

[Xue Sheng]

Always liked his practice although, do not share his views on some things

Unfortunate someone decided to attack him, injured in the process.

General question:


In most Instances when people talk about "fighting", it's mainly in reference to the combative sport events of today..
Not random attacks or events by unknown people with unknown skill as in self defense labeled "fighting"

If one talks about a "real fight" as opposed to combative sport events..
Are combative sport events not "real" fighting

There are other videos, of him interacting with a person of near or equal skill where the "reflexive" response was not there..
No interest in posting the clip...just wondered how some view "testing" of skills and "fighting" said to be based on skill
Is there a difference ?

In some arts like hop gar for example they cultivate a mindset
used for "fighting"




Is there a similar mindset cultivated by taiji practitioners ?

There is sport’s fighting and there is street/combat fighting. All are fighting, just the goal is different
Sports - you are fighting a guy you will likely see again, either socially or in the ring

Fighting, non-sport, you are fighting someone you hope never see again. Also there is the possibility you are fighting to survive

This is not saying a fighter for sport cannot fet in a plain old fight and come out on top, likely they can, if for nothing else their fitness level

It is just the difference i see

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Unfortunate someone decided to attack him, injured in the process.

He did that according to the CMA tradition. The best way to deal with an unfriendly challenger is to hurt him so bad that will scare away any future challengers. Most people will train a set of "black hands" to deal with unfriendly challengers.

 

[Xue Sheng]

He did that according to the CMA tradition. The best way to deal with an unfriendly challenger is to hurt him so bad that will scare away any future challengers. Most people will train a set of "black hands" to deal with unfriendly challengers.

Per Chen Xiaowang, his response was automatic, he did not think, only acted in response to the attack. It was also at a seminar in Europe

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Per Chen Xiaowang, his response was automatic, he did not think, only acted in response to the attack. It was also at a seminar in Europe

I have that experience many times. It seems to me those kind of challenge gets less and less today.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I have that experience many times. It seems to me those kind of challenge gets less and less today.

Happened to a wing chun teacher i know, about 10 years ago. He was teaching as oart of a group of short seminars. And he was attack by one of the students in the seminar. Not directly, but by complete surprise and from behind. The attack tore some his ligaments and damaged his knee