CloudHands

I replied here because I don't want that post to be fully public. I'll probably delete it in the next days. I feel you don't get my point. No hard feelings but lot of respect

You got me

(IMO) The same way your body still has an appendix.

OK don't get me wrong, I agree with everything said before. Tai chi ultimately is design to kill. I wanted to say that you will probably never find a teacher that is a REAL fighter too. So my opinion on what is tai chi now is very mixed... if what you want to be an ultimate fighter (is that truly interesting ?) high level tai chi practice will help you for sure but before anything you will have to fight A LOT of deadly fights...

Exception made of the true depth of tai chi. Which is probably not how to kill people the best but how not to fight against yourself (whatever you do). (For what I think I have understood ...)

If it's important to know the origin to keep something of the spirit, if you don't practice it for real it fades away, at least it evolves. What you said about war and violence is pretty sharp, the western world is still violent but less physically (in it's bigger part) so we face other kind of violence. I agree on the fact it's the same world different time. This topic is pretty related to another recent topic about MA, I think if someone practice all his/her life in a dojo the day you will be confronted to real violence (not a pocket thief...) it will not help a lot. What's a singer that doesn't sing ? a cook that doesn't cook ? a warrior that doesn't fight war ? For sure tai chi is not what it was. It doesn't mean that you can't develop many things doing so, that's an Art but on the fighting side, it's on its past. It's not because you don't use a knife to fight that you can't use it to cut something else, it's still a knife (that gives you right ^^) but fighting is a only a part of the spectrum of the tool. I understand what you say and that's correct but you can't define tai chi as exclusive to kung fu anymore, Yang style tai chi is not Chen tai chi which is not shaolinquan everything changes.

and did your teacher kill someone (using tai chi) ? Ok that's an unfair question. Originally it was, but we don't live the world it was when these MA were created, so it's normal that both practice and objectives evolve.

About real world what I can say is that training (with rules) and fighting for real, to face a real injury, the vision of losing your life is pretty different. I did learn MMA with a former national top level karateka and he told us once that if he had to fight in the street with someone much bigger than him he would run... In a street fight you have to deal with craziness, anger, hate, brutality, weapons (the violence in all its power!) more than technique. It's not the law of the stronger but the crazier. For sure someone that keeps his/her skills and inner strength/calm, in the most stressful situation is obviously a master but I don't think much schools want to provide this kind of experiences and experimentations. Nowadays we fight with guns drones and samurais are over. Staying master of yourself is already challenging enough.

Almost fractal perspective.

I think that's very complete and a nice remember About finances I can't agree more, and if I may add something I think money is the main way to vote, since voting is a joke : mastering your desire and spending money (or not!) into the world (you wish) is seriously tied to being responsible.

Yes I agree. Very confident. Almost boring Netherlands did great too, Robben is crazy.

thanks to the mods, users, servers and have a nice sunday

Actually (and to go further with my back thought) your enthusiasm for a website may be scary. The best advice for a newbie here may be Friend, on 08 Jun 2014 - 23:41, said: It was advised to take everything said taken with salt as well to consider a teacher with a traceable lineage. Things presented are consideration and relative possibility and pointers for ones own common sense and understanding. Even someone said the truth the one who get this information can do it wrong. Edit : - to remove "(never trust online people !)." it's slightly too strong.

-> what made you smile today thread. I did

Hi Zenyogi, have a nice week end

Idealists

I kept working this "sinking breath" this afternoon that's really interesting even I'm not sure this is the way my teacher expect me to practice. Until now I thought relaxing the shoulders and waist, feeling the weight of the elbows was the primordial stuff to practice to sink. Anyway thanks for that tip, I learnt a new way to practice my solo form

I just did 2 forms in that spirit. I think it helps a lot sinking, maybe that's even a big step for me to realize I can practice this way. -You know this move at the end of the form "bend the bow and shoot the tiger" I used to have a rush in the shoulders because I made the flow run up from ldt to the shoulders, arms and hands. But like I said before (at my level -3y) I can't be aware of everything so I have to focus on things (and focus is exclusive). And for now I work on issuing qi (applying the push hand spirit to my form). Conclusion -to end this selfish incursion in your OP Xunzi-. I have been told to listen, breath, my upper body part tensions but not to exclude the bai hui and the feet and legs out of my attention (which are priorities). Honestly I can lead and choose only for myself so I don't allow myself to advice. Still I have a question how do you keep the bah wui, your feet, your pelvis, your shoulders in mind while you have to sink through breath ? I think for a beginner keeping in mind to keep every part of your body relaxed (just listening to) is already a pretty hard job when you are learning the right way to perform the next movement... I was sometimes confuse by what I red here, know I why... You already have to teacher maybe you should trust him. (maybe, that's not sure ) Seriously... that's a lot of fun.

Interesting. I tend to put more emphasis on the bai hui when I inhale and compressing the ldt on exhale. I have 2 questions, were you still a beginner when he told you so ? Why didn't he say it sooner if this is important ? I ask that because more I practice and more my practice incorporate elements but I never have been told so. I tried it briefly this is quiet an exercise Once my teacher said to me "If you work on everything at the same time it's gonna be hard".

Be welcome

A good try is to ask some people recognized by the community in the field you're looking for (ex : sifus, lineage heads) if there is high leveled students in your area. There's generally a list on their websites.

Kindly but firmly. Well, I maybe should not care about but I have seen way too many newcomers generally beginners -giving few information about who they are-, and asking for advices, how to... And even more users in a hurry to give them their personal opinion. Ok that's great but not so great when they bring it like a dogma and even less when you realize they have no idea who they're talking to... You can't even feel the person presence, energy, his/her history and actual problems, and so on. My humble opinion will always be, go find a (real and in person) teacher that know and cares about you. There is so many schools and many contradictions how is it possible for you to be so confident talking to a stranger ?! And on the opposite (please) be careful playing masters. I think very few (to no one) know how good they really are. I respect the kindness, the knowledge of many but if you think you're really high you might as well start your own school and look at what happens after you gave your advice...

Yep, I knew. They must be totally frightened to lost their position... Poor rich bankers !