Push Hands Workshop Sept '07

Tai Chi Push Hands Modules 1) Standing: root, structure, line, energy The key and cornerstone of Tai Chi or any internal Martial Art is the daily practice of “Standing”. It develops root, builds internal energy, structure and contributes to overall good health. We will focus on mechanics, imagery, and sensations and explore how it relates to push hands practice. 2) Contact: Upon contacting your partner, don't push or pull them, simply stay neutral. This is where you use the “structure” you develop by standing. It will feel like “iron wrapped in cotton”, or like a spring. You must cover any “lanes” so that your partner cannot hit you. During this process, sense yourself, be comfortable, and constantly come back to your standing practice. Avoid being single weighted and ensure exits so you are not jammed into a “corner”. We will practice 1 and 2 hand push hands to explore the many facets of “contact”. 3) Connection and Chi Ball: Your daily standing practice enables you to acquire the skill to expand and contract your “chi ball”. Think of your chi ball as an energy sphere. With time you will learn how to control the size and shape, and use it to find your partner's energy holes. In this module, we will develop listening skills, while at the same time explore how to produce a chi ball and learn how to direct it at a partner. 4) Aim: concept and applications of aiming at a person. Without “Aim”, you cannot affect a person with your contact. Unless you affect them, they will continue to affect you, thus pushing you around. If your partner has good aim, it will feel like they are constantly “on” you, like you are always in the sights of their “gun”. The best tai chi players never take their aim off of their partners. Through whatever movements are taking place, they are constantly adjusting their aim. They can easily uproot and make their partners “fly”. This is not because they are stronger, it's because their aim is so good, most of their energy is directed on their partner's “center”. We will spend this module learning to develop this very important skill.

5) How to work “The Point”: The point is the physical point where you contact your partner. NEVER push or pull the point. This is one of the hardest practices for people to learn. You work around the point, thru the point, put never push or pull it directly. The best “push” will feel very light to the pushing partner, and unstoppable to the partner being pushed. In this module, we will learn to recognize and produce a skillfully used “point”. 6) Neutralization/Direction: How to neutralize your opponent. When your partner “aims” at you, you must do something to take their aim away. NEVER push back against them. This is probably the hardest thing for people to learn. You must “join” their direction, aim or point them away from yourself ( your center ), and then aim back at them. In tai chi, it is often said that you don't want to “eat” or “absorb” more than 4 ounces of your partner's force. When you are “expanding” or “searching” with your energy, you don't want to “push” or “connect” with more than 4 ounces of force. 7) Shoulders/keeping structure: While trying to neutralize and aim back at their partners, most push hands players go through a stage where they are moving their arms without connecting their movements to their centers. This is easily seen by watching the connection of the arms to the torso. There should be very little movement at the junction of the shoulder joint and chest. If the arms are moving without a connection to your center, you will lose your structure and connection to the ground. At that point all you are left with is muscle and your use of energy is greatly diminished. Usually there is very little arm movement necessary to neutralize an opponent's aim. Most of the movement is internal, with a slight adjustment in the direction of neutralization. The best tai chi players almost appear to be standing still. They are simply adjusting their direction and chi ball, while their partner feels like they can't find them and also can't get away. In this module, we will develop the ability to get the “most”, from the “least” amount of external movement.

8) Balance: The concept and practice of “balance” is essential in 2 hands practice. If there is too much energy on one “side”, the other side will be empty and can easily be uprooted. Without balance, it will be very difficult to affect your partner. Whether on “offense” or “defense”, a balanced contact and connection is crucial. In this module, we will explore the creation of balance and the consequences of not being “balanced”. 9) “An” Power: This is one of the four powers most often practiced: peng, liu, ji, and an. An is the “sinking” power, the connection to the earth through the push hands players root. Development of this power is essential to the push hands player. Without it, there will be very little connection to the ground, and the player is easily uprooted. Some degree of an power is used in every move and is especially necessary when “bouncing an opponent”. In this module, we will explore the development, sensations, and use of “An” power. 10) Elbow: Ddevelopment of the elbow is essential in push hands. The elbow is rarely discussed by most tai chi practitioners. For push hands players, it is not the striking power of the elbow which we will focus on, but how to move energy to the elbow in order to cover an opponent's aim, and also how to direct one's aim through their elbow. In this module, we will focus on the development of energy and use of one's elbow. 11) Intention: Intention is the use of one's “will” to direct energy towards, through, and around one's opponent. It is accompanied by the mind and internal movement. The higher the level of the push hands player, the less you see any external movement. One can control one's partner simply by “thinking” their energy in the appropriate places. This is the highest level of attainment of the tai chi push hands player. In this module, we will begin to explore the development and use of intention.

About Chris Vogel

Fees & Inquiries

Chris has studied Tai Chi for many years and has had the good fortune to learn from a number of very high level teachers. A few of Chris' more well known teachers include: GrandMaster Chen Xao Wang, GrandMaster Chen Zhang Lei, GrandMaster Li Shu Dong, George Xu, GrandMaster Zhu Tain Xi, GrandMaster Ren Guang Yi, and Zhang Xu Xin.

Worshop Fee: P1,500* including Materials *30% Discount for DV residents

Dasmarinas Village Association In cooperation with

Specializing in the fiery Chen Style, Chris also practices Yang style and has been exposed to several other styles. Chris believes that which style a student chooses is of little importance compared to the quality of teacher. All styles are just different expressions of the quest of learning how to build, move, and issue energy. Chris teaches the 4 "treasures" of Tai Chi: Qi Gong, Silk Reeling, Forms, and Sticky Hands and offers a very unique teaching method. Chris' basis for sticky hands practice and teaching comes from the lineage of Cai Songfong, the teacher who was the inspiration for the book "Warriors of Stillness".

Reservation Required: P500 reservation down payment is needed to ensure participation since the Workshop is limited to 14 Participants For Inquiries: Ed Sevilla Mobile:0917 549 1949 Land line: 823 0750 E-mail: [email protected] Chris Vogel Mobile: 0917 547 8900

Still Mountain Tai Chi Kung Institute presents

Tai Chi Push Hands Workshop Series by Chris Vogel !An Introductory

4-hour workshop !Sept 23, 2007 (Sun) or !Sept 29, 2007 (Sat) !10:00AM-3:00PM (1hr Lunch Break) !At the Club Hall CampanillaSt., Dasmarinas Village, Makati City Push hands is a seldom covered branch of tai chi that is often mystified by its teachers. Push hands is the pinnacle of tai chi, the practice that tests and solidifies all the other tai chi practices. In this intensive hands-on workshop, we will cover all the major facets of push hands and break them down into digestible modules. Push hands is rarely revealed in this manner, where we will demystify the “internal secrets” of tai chi.