EFFORTLESS POWER Any one got it?

[diego]

http://chenghsin.com/chenghsin-main.html

did peter ralston really win tournaments? they got his book @ the library, any one read it...

[dirtyrat]

http://chenghsin.com/chenghsin-main.html

did peter ralston really win tournaments? they got his book @ the library, any one read it...

its not an easy read, and the author said so at the start. if you can understand it i believe it can help you understand 'effortless power'. but it requires you to change the way you see things which you will find is a lot easier said than done. take for instance the tai chi push demonstrated by someone like cheng, man-ching. if you had ever been at the receiving end, you would see/feel that the quality of the push is different from almost everybody else (effortless). but change how you approach the push and you would be surprise how easy it really is.

[KTS]

effortless power, doesnt feel like much of anything.

not that i am all that good at it, but, when everything is right, it really doesnt feel like anything.

edit: i like what mr tim cartmel said about throwing.... should not require more effort then when you practice a form.
that is a nice measuring stick IMO.

[TenTigers]

I remember reading about that full-contact tournament that Ralston won, and being amazed it was a Tai-Chi guy. If I recall Peter Ralston said he scored with mainly a front thrust kick. This is going by memory, and I think it was in the early 80's.-correction, I just read the site-1978.

[Xiao3 Meng4]

Just as an aside, you might want to look up Sam Masich and/or Liang Shou Yu.

Masich used his Tai Ji to win at the Tiger Balms.

[KTS]

i dont remember ralston's records or anything, but i have heard pretty good things about him. so, it wouldnt surprise me that he did well in formal tournaments.

im not a ralston student, but, his book was an intricate read, and fairly different than most books published on martial arts.

if i find it, i will have to give it another read as i havent read it for many years.

as for the beginning question, yes, i believe ralston does indeed have formal tournament experience.

i almost thought u were asking about the actual level of effort while throwing. haha. i must read more carefully!

edit : and, if u just thumbed through the book, it is worth a read IMO.

[David Jamieson]

Relax, sit straight and loosen up.

It'll just slide out with that relaxed power! :D

[Xiao3 Meng4]

Remember to breathe...

[cerebus]

One of my long-time instructors studied with Ralston from the 70s through the 80s and was actually an instructor at his school here in Oakland. One of Ralston's various instructors included William C.C. Chen, whose school he was training at in 1978 when he saw the poster for the Taiwan World Championships on the wall there.

Ralston's book "Principles of Effortless Power" is really an Excellent text, but I have to admit that if I hadn't already trained extensively with a former student of his I might not have understood or at least might not have accepted much of what he says in it. I've only recently (in the past year or two) begun reading the Tai Chi Classics, and much of what Ralston says can also be found there in different words.

It was actually my study of Ralston's book that got me further into my Tai Chi practice, specifically the Cheng Man Ching style which works extremely well with his concept of ultra-relaxation. And I can definitely attest to the fact that, if properly done, this level of complete relaxation can lead to tremendous striking power as well as the ability to be very fast and hard to hit.

[cerebus]

Its based on structure.

One of the first arches was created in China, its actually an intersecting octagon that functions as an arch. The octagon is half circle and half square. Understanding circles and angles is the key to effortless power. This is the basis of every marvel of human achievement from the pyramids to the golden gate bridge.


www.kungfuchengdu.com

Very true....