2009 Advanced Combined Shaolin-Taijiquan course

[Chiahua]

Sihing Paul, I had to look up "craic", but I'm glad I did!
Your enthusiastic description was infectious, I couldn't help have a smile on m face reading it! Sounds like an awesome time!

Best,
Chow

[Zhang Wuji]

Still on Day 1

Glad to see there are people reading this thread.

I will now go on to the second session of Day 1. Like I said, the events kind of merged into one another, and Day 1 was a 8-hour session, so I may have mixed up certain sequences (yes, even my combat sequences).

We continued with our review of the basics. As Sifu said at the beginning, these are all things we already know, but he has improved his methodology and we would be approaching the familiar ground in a different fashion.

And so, we went on to the rest of the combat sequences, where Sifu emphasised the importance of complete movements. For example, students may get lazy and not move into their proper stances at each stage of the sequence. Without paying attention to this and other essential details, the foundation of one's skill would be severely undermined. I had to re-do a sequence several times, as SIfu corrected the placing of my Hand Sweep. A few of us, including myself, found ourselves resorting to hard force when dealing with very powerful attacks when the correct way is to thread away with minimal force and follow the momentum, as taught in the sequence. Sifu next reminded me of something I first learnt in my last Special Course, that each sequence is built on the previous ones and reflect a progression in skills. I had a tendency to see some sequences as distinct from the other, when upon closer reflection, they are intimately linked. For example, Sequences 5 to 8 show all the possible ways of dealing with an out-fate and in-gate attack, in a right Bow Arrow. When asked about the relative advantages of an in-gate strike/counter versus an out-date one, Sifu posed the question back to us for us to work out. I won't write about the discussion here because it would be more beneficial for the reader to go through the same thought and experiential process on his/her own.

He also stressed the importance of defence or safety when attacking, which has also been a recurring theme in Sifu's webpages and video clips. He then took us through two areas which were not specially highlighted in courses until the Jan 2009 intensive course - flowery hand and surprised counters. It was interesting to see many initiators fall prey to the occasional surprised counter, which underlines the importance of proper coverage or taming when initiating a strike. But the moment we were aware of our weaknesses and were prepared, the surprises became "expected" counters.

We then went through the same sparring progression that an intensive course or a regular class participant would go through, using addition, subtraction, modification, and also "follow through", which had hitherto only been mentioned in passing. The difference is that we went through the entire process in under an hour, which would be taught in a full day in an intensive course and over many months in regular classes. For most of the participants, the sequences are very familiar so it was not difficult to add one sequence after another and for the responder to counter. So, some instructors heavily modified Sequences 1 - 8 with leg sweeps and more "exotic" strikes. One memorable occasion for me was being swept to the ground by one of our most accomplished fighters. I hit my head on the floor and immediately, it was like a dam had burst in my head. A blockage that had been bothering me for weeks suddenly dissolved at the sudden impact, and I had to run to the toilet to continue clearing the um, outpouring. My mind felt clearer after the rubbish was out.

At the end of the session, Sifu said that some participants may be asking, "but what about kicks and felling?". Then Sifu paused dramaticaly, and replied ot his own question, "But this is only the first day!" And indeed, it was a very intensive first day, with bruises already beginning to form for some people. And off we went for dinner, which was a really cosy affair. For the first time in memory, all of us were at the same table with Sifu, in a small room reserved for us. And questions flew fast and furious throughout the dinner. I liked the one about one's last thought before death. I am not that well-versed on Buddhist teachings so I will leave my fellow participants to share some of their questions and the answers from Sifu.

[Darryl]

Hi Wuji et al,

Thank you for your posts, they are appreciated.

All the best,

[Mark CH]

Dear Shaolin Wahnam Family

I would very much like to thank Sifu for passing on so much more of Genuine Traditional Shaolin Kung Fu to us all. It is always so wonderful to be in Sifu presence and even more wonderful to learn the full syllabus directly.

A huge thank to you to all my brothers at this course, it was truely an honour to be with you all. I will cherish the memories forever.

Also a big thank you to TaiSiheng Chun Nga and Sije Wei Foong for everything.

Wuji thank you also for writing in detail and I will let you continue the great work you are doing on the daily account.

On a finishing note one of the highlights of the course was seeing Sifu demonstrate Cloud Hands, certainly one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. We are all so lucky to have Sifu and his teachings. I feel very blessed.

Happy training to all my brothers

Best wishes
Mark

[drunken boxer]

special thanks

I would also like to say a special thanks to Wei Foong for video recording the course which is a very important job.
It became apparent yesterday as I was going over some material from the course with my training partner and couldn't remember quite a few details. It is invaluable to have the dvds so I can check this out. The videos will be a great help to those not on the course but also those who were on it. It reminded me how crucial this job is in the preservation of our Kungfu, so thanks again Wei Foong.

[GreggH]

Hi i would also like to say what an amazing course the Advanced Combined Kung Fu- Taijiquan was.
From all the courses i have done with Sifu this was by far the one of the best. just watching Sifu showing us cloud hands was worth the trip itself.

And one of the best things of the course is meeting friends and making new ones.
And i just want to thank Sifu for giving us the opportunity to learn these traditional arts.

[Josh]

Ha ha, yes indeed I agree with all descriptions of the course so far: great, fantastic and amazing.
If I have to pick one word to describe this course that will be FUN!
......it was so much fun all the way through.

It really was, wasn't it! I always enjoy ("enjoy" being a massive understatement) courses with Sifu, but this one truly was a blast! Even with the incredible amount of material, the subtle detail after subtle detail that came all day long, each training session was so much fun. Not to mention our free time!

On a finishing note one of the highlights of the course was seeing Sifu demonstrate Cloud Hands, certainly one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.

Oh, my word, wasn't that incredible? Truly one of the highlights of the whole course. Sifu was so smooth and flowing and obviously massively powerful for that demonstration. Wow. Even with my slight Shaolin bias, I have to admit that was every bit as impressive and powerful as any Shaolin I've seen.

All my best,
Josh

[Josh]

Dear Wuji,

Thank you for finishing the rundown of that incredible first day. Was this when we worked on really proper covering/controlling while moving in, or was that day 2? It's a bit of a blur still! Maybe I'm jumping ahead, but this was one of my favorite parts to the course. Yes, an "advanced" level course, and one of the best things for me was working on one of our basic skills! But I'll wait until Wuji's next post to comment further in case this is day 2 material.

All my best,
Josh

[Mark CH]

Oh, my word, wasn't that incredible? Truly one of the highlights of the whole course. Sifu was so smooth and flowing and obviously massively powerful for that demonstration. Wow. Even with my slight Shaolin bias, I have to admit that was every bit as impressive and powerful as any Shaolin I've seen.

It sure was incredible Josh. It was like you could see Sifu throwing his internal force across the room. And it seemed so effortless. Truely wonderful.

[SimonR]

Wow! it was definetly a great course.

I am enjoying and learning a lot form your posts, thank you Wuji Sisook for your detailed descriptions, the time and effort you are putting into it is greatly apreciated.

Best wishes,

Simon

[Zhang Wuji]

Day 2 (Part 1)

I know everyone is waiting for Day 2, so let's not waste time.

The session began in, of all places, a KTV lounge called Memories, which was fortunately empty at that time of er, shall we say, wordly distractions. The first thing we did was One Finger Shooting Zen (OFZ). Again, to anyone who has been for an intensive or Special course, it may seem like we were traversing old ground. But one had to be there to appreciate how doing the "same old thing" can be so refreshing. For one thing, we had all been doing OFZ for a long time, and Sifu was there to correct the fine points. There were many subtle variations among the instructors and as I recall, Sifu did not correct those variations. Could it be that the practice of OFZ is manifested differently in each practitioner?

I would like to share some fine points, even though these are secrets, the reason being that some of our students may be practising OFZ without supervision and making a few very common mistakes. I know this for a fact because some of my own students were making those mistakes even after I alerted them. The first is that a gentle thought of the qi movement or just being aware is sufficient. Do not make the mistake of actively visualising the qi flowing from the source to the finger, or chasing the sensation of the qi flow. The second key point is to make the appropriate sound gently and not forcefully imagine the sound coming from the particular organ.

In our Shaolin Cosmos qigong, there is no need for such visualisation - remember, our key word is "gently". In Sifu' own words, be gently aware, and from visualising, you simply realise. Finally, the OFZ is not piercing forcefully; doing so would go against the essence of the exercise. For elaboration of the fine points, do check in with your instructors if you are interested - they cannot be communicated by the written word.

After that, we reviewed the kicking and felling sequences. Again, the fun was in making variations of our counters, this time to kicks. I must thank my sparring partners for slowing down, and re-doing the sequences as I tried out new counters.

Sifu reminded us of an important principle when countering a felling technique (he also mentioned this the previous day). "To lose the stance but not the waist" (败马不败腰) I am not sure how much I should say about this principle, so let me leave it at that for now.

And Josh, taming and covering were covered on both Day 1 and 2 - no wonder you are confused. I had to check my notes and the DVDs to make sure myself. I will go into that in my next post.

[Luo Lang]

Thanks again Wuji for the most valuable information! Much apprectiated!

Could it be that the practice of OFZ is manifested differently in each practitioner?

I think it does! Because all genuine Shaolin Kung Fu force methods are alive.

Though I never have done those modifications by intetion, rather as a result by my practice, and of course by the relulted Qi flow! I think that this is the case with all modifications. It is a manifestation of the priciple:
from formless to form, from form to formless

I have seen quite a few different variations, the essence always was kept alive.

[Ray]

Wuji Sihing,

Thank you for taking the time to write such meaningful posts especially for sharing your understanding of One Finger Shooting Zen, I found it very helpful for my own training.

Shaolin Salute,

Ray

[Adam Kryder]

Gratitude

Dear All,

So much gratitude to express!


Thank you Wuji for being so excellent!

Thank you Sigong for everything (the whole package)

and Thank you Sifu for showing me the path and your
continued dedication.

Thank you brothers and sisters all.


Best Wishes,

Adam

[Steve Clarke]

Great post Wuji, and nice reminders of the course.
It was a great course to be apart of and I feel has lifted me to a higher level.

Learning the applications of the weapons and defence against multiple attackers, has bought my respect of the past masters to an even higher level.

Thank you Sifu for such an in depth teaching and sharring even more Shaolin secrets.
And introducing me to my new sparring friends, The Army of Brick Warriors and Bamboo Man.

Warmest Regards,
Steve.