1000 Post Special - 5000 gold chain secret.

[Stumblefist]

1000 post special is coming up!!!
..
I think i'm going to do something really popular like flame a minority group
... or maybe something like "****sexuality in Shaolin Monks: Where do those sex urges go?" :D
...
No, ok i won't waste it. I'll reveal the secret for which a Chen Tai master paid 5000 USD.

[HuangKaiVun]

Or how about you post something that has nothing to do with controversy for once - and stick to kung fu for a change?

[Kristoffer]

outch :eek:

~K~
"maybe not in combat..... but think of the chicks man, the chicks!"

[Stumblefist]

(Side note): Huang I think it's been well documented that you have no sense of humour. Not only that you are very sour, and even at that about nothing. I HAVE posted many technical posts recently an for my 1000 post i intend to post something about kung-fu as i just said which your sourness caused you to miss.
Also as for your dislike of controversy i should think your world must be very dull. Anyway why don't you just take a break and follow your own advice and only talk about kung fu!!! :)
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Now back to the celebration:
...
...Once upon a time in Taiwan there was a Tai Chi master who had studied Zhou Castle and Chen Tai and excelled in many push hand competitions. He decided to back to the Tai chi's ancient homeland and research Tai Chi's foundations and maybe discover some secrets.
He armed himself with a video camera, a suitcase of American dollars and about $5000 US worth of gold chains to give away as presents. He also hoped no one would recognize him, because he felt he would certainly have been challenged and i guess not given any information.
So he went to Henan province pretending his head was full of straw and presenting himself as a rank amateur. This was about 10 years ago...

[Stumblefist]

Ok -Huang-go - ahead, i change my mind, post all you want about violins, violence or personality whatever. After all you are one of my biggest fans :) I glad someone's watching over me!!
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So the Chen master journeyed to Henan. When there he used to practice Taiji in the morning, and since he was a master he only made very small internal movements. When a master does this nobody can tell what he's doing, it doesn't look like taiji at all. He said the people at one hotel thought he was sick or spastic or something as he walked along!!
Well he passed out a lot of gold chains and got a lot of countryside footage. I saw most of it. it was all quite intersesting, old forgotten taiji spears, push hand demos and explanations to him, a push hands competition where they actually threw their opponents, bagua performances, and gold medal winners practising at home.
But for the most part he said "They gave me garbage!", interesting but not worth the money.
..Except for one experience he had when he met Chen Zhen Lei's Bad Boy Son.
Now when i say bad boy i mean like he was like real bad. When he took a taxi ride, the driver asked for the money and the son said :"What! Don't you know who i am?" and manhandled him.
Well anyway, they ended up in a hotel room and payment passed and BadBoy performed for the camera. ;)
The master was somewhat pleased...He said "Now this is worth knowing!"
Now before you all say "so what!" or "I know that already!", don't shoot me i'm just the messenger...

[This message was edited by Stumblefist on 10-29-01 at 06:25 AM.]

[Kristoffer]

yeah??? :confused:
can u show this stuff here or are u really gonna let us down now?

~K~
"maybe not in combat..... but think of the chicks man, the chicks!"

[Stumblefist]

Well hey Kristoffer, i couldn't tell you until post # 1000, could I? Sorry for the hiatus, i've relocated to Hubei, just a few hours away from Wudang Mountain.
...
The "secret" was about breathing. In the Chen Tai form in the long movements particulary in "Yan Shou Hong Quan" (Hidden Thrust Punch and Whirling Upper Arms), take an extra breath, a small one, or rather get some extra air just before power explosion. (I usually only do the breathe out on strikes method, although i've sometimes practised the other for deception).
Also generally in kung fu practise, I prefer the following method: as fast as possible and let the body breathing naturally adjust, then later refine breathing. I think the controlled step-by-step and just through the nose in the beginning is too inhibiting for free and fast movement. And kiai releases the neural pathways and enzymes.
...
This was translated to me 10 years ago. When i see the tape again back home, I'll catch up on any details i've forgotten.
...
Well, it's good advice but actually so long as investigative and analytical thought (ie. creativity) is applied to basic movements i think we can discover all secrets or find our own secrets.
The real secret is constant and creative practice.
Blind following will take you where the lemmings go.
Most teachers have told me something like "I give you the recipie, you bake the cake",
or "you have to be your own coach and teacher". Even one aid "You shuld practice for years until you can figure out the applications yourself!"
...
But then again it's nice when someone goes through a form for you that you have practiced for a long while, and shows you modifications and applications for every move that you never thought of or practiced. It's giving you the results of years of experimentation and practice.
...
My favorite addage is "The more you pay, the less it's worth".

[Wongsifu]

that is the most brilliant story ive ever heard, coudl you give us more background on the taiwan master? and more background in general .
thanks

what do bin laden and general custer have in common????
They're both wondering where the fu(k all of those tomahawks are coming from. - donated by mojo

[RAF]

That's a great story.

How about the guy from Taiwan who studied Chen's taiji for 20 years and went back to the village and found old Chen players doing a very simple but powerful form. No flowery movement and worse, they knew no deep theorems or philosophy. They just knew how to play. And yes, playing with power expression was their grand achievement. All done with little written knowledge of the taiji classics or indepth philosophy. Country style not city style. Viewed with contempt for the ignorance of the country folk, city dwellers never got it.

Something's been lost or hidden but its not as complex or deep as everyone thinks.

Stumblefist, you have got the most interesting posts around. Your street take of China is right on target and I bet so is your take on Chen's taijiquan. Tell us more of your journeys, please.

[Qi dup]

Cool story stumblefist. you the man

[RAF]

Sounds like a Winner, Stumblefist:

I had the pleasure of competing against one of Ma Hong's students in Qingdao, 2000. He is a professor of martial arts at a University in Jiangsu.

Although our forms are different in flavor, Ma Hong's tapes are very good. His applications tape is worth studying and his big pole and other auxilliary training was highly illustrative but not instructional. I am sure he probably only showed a very small amount of what he knew on these tapes. You are in a great position to learn more.

If being a black sheep is anti-collective, then pass on the genetic coding.

I am not headed for China this year. My wife's job limited her vacation and we need to stay in Beijing for about 2 weeks or so with family. Not possible this year, however, Tony Yang and a small group will be traveling to Qingdao on July 3. If you are at the tournament, look him up. He's my teacher and great guy at that.

Hasta luego, hombre!