Prince...

A serious question that should be raised: If they were able to support their claims, would you still accept it as being valid or would you be the one crying foul? In the last month I have had everything I basically understood about Taiji and all this "energy cultivation stuff" turned upside down by 2 of my new teachers. Ironically one of them is a former student of Mr. Michael Phillips. I am going to say this as it was said to me-- Michael can fight. All the 18 pages of posts saying he would probably get his teeth knocked out? Unless you have a higher level of skill than he has, I suggest not sharing your opinion with him. I interact with Michael Phillips, Adam Mizner, and a number of other people considered to be "high level instructors" all of the time on Facebook, and I've seen Michael get really nasty with people even for an old man with some injuries. Is what he's doing real? He pushes people, they jump back...sure. How is he generating the power to do so? That is above my paygrade right now. Will it work on everyone? Not if you're above his paygrade or at least know how to neutralize what he's doing to issue his force. I'll submit a video of me "trying" to push with one of the best people I've ever met. Physically I'm much stronger and faster than this person, but there was nothing I could do to him. His words were,"I'm only going to play at your level and not use any energy at all." So this is just something for those people searching for answers concerning whether or not all of this "Taiji stuff" is real or not.

http://www.thetaobums.com/index.php?/topic/4088-lama-dorje-number-two/

Sums up basically every Dr. Oz episode. My best friend graduates from med school in 2 weeks and begins residency. She gets her laughs listening to me talk about what was on Dr. Oz every day. I love that he tries to make people aware of alternative healthcare, but he goes too far to the point that sometimes I wish he would really just stop.

"Bapak Muhammad" is like saying Sigung Jeff-- it's just a title, not his actual name. You're probably not going to find anything about him on the net which is why I said to contact Santiago if you are interested in traditional Sufi healing/energy work. So just a short anecdote-- a middle-aged Chinese guy comes to my Taiji class on push hands day to play with the club. He easily tosses my teacher around who easily tosses us around. No one can touch this guy, but he barely touches everyone and sends them flying. He says,"I'm just a student with very little skill compared to my teacher." Someone asks who his teacher is-- he says no one that anyone has ever heard of. That's just something to think about whenever these posts come up about who is the best to train with/study under-- the best is probably someone not teaching big seminar/retreats in Hawaii and creating fancy websites to talk about what they have to teach.

If I had the money, I would check out some of the seminars held at Esalen in Big Bear, CA. Or I would contact Santiago about going over to the UK to study with his Sufi/Silat teacher. One of Bapak Muhammad's students in the UK described him as,"Bapak has BIG energy...BIG!"

There's really no need to go out looking for "original Gnostic" teachings or groups. Think about what Gnosticism actually is-- inner knowing/knowledge. Why do you need to be taught anything? Why does there need to be groups practicing? You can be in "The Church" and be a practicing Gnostic. Don't think it's possible? When I was a 3.5 student at Seminary, I was studying Taiji from a Yang Family disciple, Yiquan, and taking KAP with Tao and Santiago. I never exeperienced persecution-- it was more just bad experiences with some of my classmates. After awhile you get tired of being the "weird guy." Do you want to go to chapel and get hit with kriyas that last for hours? Try explaining to your classmates why your body is shaking uncontrollably. Anyway, my original point-- when you notice trends that exist in all the contemplative traditions, you will realize that it's possible to do all this stuff within a Christian context. What is the difference between a Catholic praying the rosary beads, an Orthodox saying the Jesus prayer with their prayer knots, and a Buddhist meditating with their beads? There really is not a whole lot of difference. Anyway, there are Gnostic groups out there, and there are Christian groups for opening up kundalini. I was contacted by a group in Cyprus which practices an early Byzantine form of Christianity. A lot of their practices are similar to things taught in KAP, but much more detailed. They even get into how to bilocate, healing the sick, and travelling to other dimensions (plane of emotions, spirit plane, etc.) There is also Phillip St. Romain who has a book called "Kundalini for Christians" where he talks about his Kundalini Awakening that took place in the 80s following a Catholic Pentecostal Revival.

It depends on what exercise you're doing. I tell everyone considering studying Master Wang's material to learn to sit and breathe naturally. If you can't do that, you really won't get much out of the other stuff. That bears repeating numerous times on this board for just about every practice worth doing. I assume that you study Southern Preying Mantis? I did Jook Lum for a little while-- there is a lot of reverse breathing for power generation in this style. All the "suck & spit" stuff, developing the mantis body requires reverse breathing. It would make sense to me to practice this every chance I got... when I was doing Southern Mantis, my Qigong, my sitting practice, my standing practice--everything was done using reverse breathing. If you just picked the name for no other reason, then my bad.

It's been just over a year before I remembered to get back to your question, hope you're still around! I'm curious about what style of kettlebell lifting are you doing? I learned Hardstyle from a Master RKC in my city 4 years ago. I'm a certified Hardstyle Kettlebell instructor. I've spoken with a few martial artist who loved doing hardstyle, but it made things difficult when it came to practicing their art. As it pertains specifically to Zhan Zhuang, it has been more difficult for me to not carry tension in my joints after really intense kettlebell workouts. I am recently experimenting with soft style and competition style lifting. The soft style swing isn't as explosive as the hardstyle swing where the hips and knees lockout at the top of the swing. I'm hoping to attend a seminar on softstyle and competition kettlebell lifting to get my mechanics down, but I will most likely focus more on softstyle lifts--although hardstyle has it's uses too as far as burning up calories fast and really elevating the heart rate. Having said all that, I guess it's apparent that I enjoy training with kettlebells. I'm an NSCA certified personal trainer, and I hope to eventually train all my clients using only calisthenics and kettlebells-- unless I'm working with athletes, then I might require a few additional pieces of equipment.

Just my impression of Kostas from his writings: I don't think he gives a shit one way or the other what people on the net say about him or his writing. Isn't this the same guy who basically pissed off ninja fanboys and girls all over the world? Greece is in enough shit as it is already with the economic problems. Good on you for sticking up for your friend, though.

At no point have I ever made it sound as if Kathy was going to teach anything. The only thing I ever said was that it was announced that Master Wang might have a seminar in the US. There are a large number of things that may or may not happen. What HAS happened is an apparent misunderstanding by everyone who made plans in advance to attend a seminar which was never announced. Of course I find it amusing that you're making demands on what Dr. Li ought to do on a message board where I see her being name bashed continuously. So yes, Dr. Li should take time away from training with Master Wang (since she's in China right now) to answer everyone's questions about a seminar they have been wanting to do for how many years now?

Exactly, because this is exactly what happens. Dr. Sun said, "we hope to bring Master Wang here for a retreat next year." His wife posts online that there may be a retreat at a location that I may have helped pick while I was with Dr. Sun. Keep in mind that all of it is tentative-- what people who are not planning anything hear-- "Master Wang is coming in December!" Guess what? I was planning to host Master Fong Ha for a seminar last Fall. I contacted him, informed him that he is kungfu brothers with my Sitaigung, he agrees to come. So we have an agreement on both sides for a possible seminar-- sometimes shit happens. Seminars are hard to plan. Anyway, like I said in a previous post-- Ms. DragonGate, you need to meet with Dr. Li with some other teachers present and settle whatever issue you have face to face. As for those of you who feel misled-- you only have yourself to blame. Until you know that Master Wang is definitely going to be in Columbia, New York, or somewhere in between you need to chill out and just make plans to go to Europe or China. man...this is why I rarely come here anymore

I'd be pretty upset if I came to a seminar that hasn't been announced,too. Reading is a fundamental,but comprehension is even more important. I suggest you try it.

Students are contacting you about an event that Kathy is promoting...pause. Think about what you just said. I'm a personal trainer. Some of my clients want to study Taiji with me, but don't want to train with my Sifu for whatever reason. If one of my classmates is promoting some seminar where my Sigung is supposed to be teaching, and these people studying under me ask about what my classmates are promoting, I send them to my classmates. You see how that works? If you want to clear up some bullshit, you need to have a meeting with Kathy and some of the other Longmen Pai "leaders" to get things out in the open. You don't act like a baby on an open forum where people you hope to recruit can see. This bickering online really is not professional.

How about Laozi Academy promoted a possible seminar in December 2012. The possible dates of a possible seminar would depend on Master Wang's Visa. I've spoken with Dr. Li by phone and spent time with Dr. Sun last spring. They are nice people. It's not cool that your post is implying that they do things without the wishes of Master Wang. Nashville is a small town compared to NYC, but there are a lot of people in my city practicing Taiji because of me.I know people with money totally committed to their Taiji, Mandarin lessons, and hillbilly Taoist retreats who could be practicing the Ling Bao arts, BUT when they see this back and forth crap, they lose all interest. I'm only going to say this once...whatever beef exists between you and Dr. Li's group needs to be squashed. People on the outside (and inside for that matter) are getting tired of this bullshit, and I seem to recall Master Wang's real wish was to create interest in Taoism in the U.S.

Thanks for your reply. I'm actually friends with one of Sifu's students-- he is the person who introduced me to Qigong and Taoism! I used to email Sifu's wife regularly about his touring schedule, but I think the best thing for me to do is wait for an opportunity to attend one of his fall workshops that my friend advertises on Facebook.

It's cool to see that someone is here teaching the Tao Ahn Pai. I first came to TB when I was leaving California and hoping to find someone teaching Tao Ahn Pai. Unfortunately I never got a chance to meet Sifu Lew. A friend of mine is his student. Honestly, if I could train under anyone, it would be Sifu Lew. I hope he and Mrs. Juanita are doing well!

Do you like the tree energy exchange thing? All I could think about when I learned it was that I'd rather just be doing Yiquan.

I also attended the retreat with Dr. Sun last spring that Shawn mentioned. The best thing you can do to prepare to see Master Wang is to learn to sit. It doesn't have to be in full lotus. If you can sit and stand for long periods, you will be just fine. I can't share details of the practices, but they require a lot of concentration. The longer you can sit without feeling pain and the ability to concentrate, the better prepared you will be. I would also doing something to keep yourself physically fit. Your body is simply more efficient when you are in good shape. This doesn't really have anything to do with the practices, but if you're a high risk of developing CAD, all the chi in the world won't save you from having a heart attack.

How are they going to build a body up through western style dieting and fitness regimes? Well, I am a personal trainer. So if I ever teach students interested in competitions, they will be doing the same fitness regimes that MMA fighters are doing-- if not better. I'm HKC certified and training & saving money for RKC. I am studying for NSCA-CSCS. When it is all said and done, I will be qualified to train professional athletes anywhere in the world. Not every traditional kungfu/internal MA school trains the same. In my school, we often do push hands looking to get into a clinch and throw the other person. Our Taiji has a strong Shui Jiao influence. We also do Sanda/SanShou. William CC Chen has produced a number of fighters, namely his son Max Chen and his daughter. I've taken lessons at an MMA school that is teaching Sanshou in place of Muay Thai because Sanshou includes takedowns so that the BJJ guys (this is mostly a BJJ school) can roll right into their ground game. Isn't Cung Le a traditional kungfu guy? Isn't GSP a traditional karate guy? They seem to be doing well where they are. As for the mixing kundalini, MCO, and all that other stuff with zhan zhuang-- my teacher would say,"sounds like a definite way to fuck yourself up." Personally, I would just refer a person to Santiago Dobles or Tao Semko to fix them...after they fuck their self up.

If you feel that his form is bad, that is okay. I said that I have never met this man, nor do I even know who he is. The original poster called him an old man, not me. What he is doing is a variation on what we call "the young man's form." My form looks different.It is also possible that the other styles he does have some influence on his form. Guang Ping has elements of Yang style, Chen style, Hebei XingYi, and Bagua. My form has a strong XingYi influence because that is what I like. It's possible that he studied Master Guo's Shaolin material in addition to the internal styles. Considering the age of most of the people who learned the "young man form" from Master Guo, this man would be old enough to at least be my father right now (making him 50+), so yes, I am pretty young compared to him. If people don't like someone's form, my feelings won't be hurt. I like this style. It introduced me to Yiquan, and with some luck, I will be going to study it in China soon.

While it is true that it may not necessarily mean you are any good, but your teacher, as you've stated, is a top notch fighter. The statement was that kungfu/taiji guys cannot fight. http://www.polariswushu.net/halloffame.html Also the "long haired ballerina" is one of my kungfu uncles. I've never met him, nor do I know who he is. There are "Taiji" guys who I would not want hitting me. Does it mean they can fight? Not really, but would you want to pick a fight with an amateur boxer with great knockout power?

I know quite a few "Kung Fu" boys who can hold their own in MMA fights. Did you know the top MMA fighter in China comes from an Yiquan school? Also, the "long-haired male ballerina" comes from the lineage that actually brought Yiquan to America. His teacher supposedly tossed Bruce Lee out on his ass when he came to visit his school in China Town. Isn't he considered the father of modern MMA? Just sayin'...

I was just watching this exact video yesterday. Interesting variation of the Guang Ping form. I'd be interested to hear at what point he trained with Master Guo, and what age he was when he trained under him.

Have you ever stopped to consider that no one gives a shit about your opinion on who represents what is Buddhism and what is not Buddhism? Here is some helpful information-- stop stalking people on forums and reading all of their posts. Sit your ass down somewhere, take a deep breath, and then take a long walk. It would be much more productive.

I don't come to TB very often, so just my thoughts on the last 18 pages that I read (because I'm bored and am resting up for HKC tomorrow morning) In a number of those Taikiken v/ Kyokushin bouts, the karatekas just look stronger. As my teacher says,"sometimes you just have to be fuckin' strong." Someone mentioned full contact tai chi fighters? Ever hear of Max Chen-- William CC Chen's son? He and his sister have both been world champion amateur sanshou fighters. I've just started sanshou, and every punch, kick, or throw is in one of the two forms that I practice-- Yang 108 & Guang Ping Yang style. I think Stiggie's energy in this thread is really coming from a bad experience in "The Kwoon," a group of internal martial artists on Facebook. I am also a member of that group. For the most part it has turned into "Let me show how much martial theory I know that you don't!" Michael Phillips lives in San Diego. I wrote him last year about coming to my city to do a seminar. He did not reply. I've only been a Taiji player for 2 1/2 years. I used to tell people that I do it because it is calming or whatever, but fuck that...I like punching people in the face. If I'm not going to learn some type of combat skill then I'm done with Taiji. I've already said that I only plan to teach it for the health aspects when I do eventually develop some skill. And I can hear many a poster on Rum Soaked Fist groaning right now as they prepare to toss the bullshit flag. My Sifu has fought in the Baltimore tournament a number of times-- he is training his girlfriend and myself to fight next year. We don't kick trees, but I have a nice thai bag. My workouts consist mainly of pistol squats, pullups, hindu pushups, and whatever kettlebell circuits I decide to make up-- but I'm also a personal trainer. Did I mention I have a kettlebell certification in the morning? But yes, you're right-- which brings me back to something my teacher always says-- Sometimes you just have to be fuckin' strong. If you've been to the Baltimore tournament, then you know my Sigung, Dug Corpolongo. He teaches this--as a training tool-- basically to demonstrate how if you have a person tensed and putting all their weight on you that you can basically do whatever you want. I pushed a 300 lbs guy across a basketball court. Doesn't mean I have any skill, just means in a drill where a 300 lbs, over-compliant person loads up all their weight on me, I might be able to push them really far. Sigung says the trick is learning how to detect the half a second when a person is off balance like that to do whatever you want to do to them. That's the hard part, though... At 30 we begin losing muscle and continue to do so as we age. The more active a person is will slow down the loss of muscle. I cannot dunk a basketball like I could when I was 16. Being only 5-7 and relying on my athleticism so much basically means I would really struggle playing basketball now. It would almost be like playing with one less sense. At the same time, I can also see a play developing on the court 5 steps before it occurs. Unfortunately in some of these sports, becoming smarter just is not enough when the body is no longer there. Sorry for the long post...I do love IMA, but I believe Taiji is too watered down. Even now I am dealing with the Taiji teacher at the local YMCA who teaches people that he can cause light bulbs to illuminate by everyone focusing their chi on him. I like to call him Captain Planet. Oh yeah, Mal-- Paul Dong's book on Empty Force is basically Yiquan as taught by Han Xingyuan. He mostly uses postures 1,3, & 7, but instead of visualizing something pushing on you, he shoots mind bullets into the air. I thought it was pretty silly, but I have recently read something on Yiquan teachers in China projecting energy-- even though they deny this type of thing. I'm planning to study Yiquan overseas soon, mostly because I like it more than anything else I've learned. My school is actually Taiji/Yiquan/XingYi/Bagua, but I would like to do Yiquan exclusively. This is why I said that eventually I will only teach Taiji as a health practice. If my future students want the goods, they will have to do Yiquan-- if they want to go back and apply that to Taiji, I will not stop them. I would love to know that maybe I will have played a part in Taiji becoming a respectable art in the future.