What is Genuine, Traditional Taijiquan?

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WHAT IS GENUINE, TRADITIONAL TAIJIQUAN

Sifu Robin Gamble

Sifu Robin Gamble took part in an All Britain Taijiquan Full Contact Sparring Competition where he won, but which Kaitain commented that “someone with 6 months of kickboxing would have killed him”

These interesting and informative posts from Sifu Robin Gamble are the result of Kaitain, a Taijiquan instructor in UK, coming to our our forum proclaiming that our Taijiquan is not Taijiquan, and that our techniques are useless against his takedowns.. He also offered to show us what he claimed. Sifu Ronan, Sifu Robin and Sifu Jamie, all from Shaolin Wahnam UK, accepted his challenges. The challenges did not take place as Kaitain backed away, but the debate continued.

What is Genuine, Traditional Taijiquan?

1. What is Genuine, Traditional Taijiquan
Many of the statements Kaitain made are in disagreement with what we teach. From what I have read in our forum and seen in the videos he provided, my impression is that Kaitain is doing some sort of Boxing and Wrestling although he calls it Taijiquan. Paradoxically, he emphatically says that our Wahnam Taijiquan is not Taijiquan. As a Wahnam Taijiquan instructor, I feel duty-bound to respond to his statements. Hence, I would like to start this thread on "What is genuine, traditional Taijiquan" and invite Kaitain for a public debate.
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2. And Now You Back Down
I am really disappointed in you. After coming to our forum and telling us that our techniques are useless and that you would be ready to show us a real shoot, you back down when we accept you offer. Nevertheless, it doesn’t matter. As I have said, if you change your mind about meeting us in sparring, that is fine. Let us continue the debate.
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3. Shen-Fa or Body-Movement and other Principles of Genuine, Traditional Taijiquan
Much about Taijiquan body-movement has been revealed in the Yielding thread, where a Taijiquan practitioner using an appropriate combination of footwork, body-movement and hand-movement in one continuous process, yields, deflects and counter-strikes an opponent. This use of Taijiquan body-movement or “shen-fa” also demonstrates the Taijiquan principles of “using minimum force against maximum strength” and “flowing with the opponent’s momentum”.
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4. Calling a Cow a Horse
While form is not everything in genuine, traditional Taijiquan, it is still very important. It is the visual aspect, and often called the “body” of the art. Just as your physical body is not everything you are (your mind and how you conduct yourself are also important parts of your personality), it is usually by the appearance of your physical body that you are known.
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5. The Reality of Chi and Internal Force
Making statements at this forum such as that chi doesn’t exist, or that internal force is just a manifestation of muscle/joint co-ordination, is a bit like going to a yachting club to try to convince sailors that sailing has nothing to do with the wind. It is both very amusing, and also serves to remind us how lucky we are to be practicing the real thing.
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6.Could Yang Lu Chan Defeat Modern Ultimate Fighting Arts Fighters?
Yes, he absolutely would have been able to defeat modern fighters. How can I know this if Yang Lu Chan is long deceased, and I never met him? Because I can do the maths. Sifu Wong thinks that he would be like a child compared to Yang Lu Chan. I know how powerful my sifu is, so I can do the math and figure out roughly how powerful Yang Lu Chan was. If Sifu can kill with one gentle strike (which he can), then imagine what Yang Lu Chan could do.
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7. Chi and Internal Force in Genuine, Traditional Taijiquan
From what Kaitain has written, he does not believe in internal force and chi kung, and he emphasizes working on sandbags. From what he has shown in his videos, he uses muscular strength. In direct contrast, Wahnam Taijiquan uses internal force, not muscular strength. And Wahnam Taijiquan practitioners use chi kung in their force training. We do not favour hitting sandbags and lifting weights.
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8. It is Amazing Some Instructors would Miss an Opportunity than Learn from Another Master
At first I was amazed at the generosity of my Sifu. Now I am more amazed at the ego of some instructors. They talk about overcoming ego, but their ego is so big that they rather miss a rare opportunity than learn from another master.
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9. On Principles, Stances, Force and Age in Taijiquan
Taijiquan is a complete Art. As such, as with the Shaolin Kung Fu which I practice, it does not need to borrow techniques from other arts (such as boxing, wrestling, BJJ) to make it complete. Does this mean that a Taijiquan practitioner may not use techniques from another martial art or martial sport? Of course not. Does it mean that he may not apply the principles of his Art to techniques of other styles? No. But if he has enough understanding of the Art he practices and the depth of skill required, he has no need to borrow from these other styles.
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10. In Genuine Kungfu, Size, Weight, Age and Sex are Not Decisive Factors in Combat
Your general view that a bigger-sized, heavier, younger person would beat a smaller-sized, lighter and older person is actually common. And with due respect to our fairer sex, most people think a man would beat a woman. All these factors are based on muscular strength. But for those trained in genuine internal arts, size, weight, age and sex are not decisive factors in combat. Indeed, anyone who doubts this reveals his lack of exposure to genuine, internal arts.
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11. How to Improve your Mental Clarity
I would like to conclude this post by sharing with Shaolin Wahnam students as well as other forum members some advice Sifu (Sifu Wong) has given us. Our forum is a place not just to improve our arts, but also to improve our mental clarity in understanding what others have written and in presenting our points clearly and coherently.
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12. Boxing is Boxing, Taijiquan is Taijiquan
If Kaitain is ignorant of Taijiquan combat application, and admits it, we would have much respect for him. If he keeps quiet but uses Boxing and Wrestling combat techniques, that is his prerogative. But he comes to our forum and arrogantly tells our students that our grandmaster does not know Taijiquan, that his internal force is not internal force, that his combat application are useless, and that all of us are fools without exposure to other martial arts so as to compare how combat ineffective our arts are. Hence, we are duty-bound to right wrongs.
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13. The Benefits Students Get from Practicing Kaitain’s Taijiquan and from Wahnam Taijiquan
As genuine, traditional Taijiquan is an internal martial art, the two most fundamental benefits are that we can use it to defend ourselves, and that the internal force of Taijiquan gives us good health. Genuine, traditional Taijiquan also gives us mental clarity and spiritual cultivation. Let us now look at how Kaitain’s Taijiquan and Wahnam Taijiquan relate to these benefits, and hence which is closer to genuine, traditional Taijiquan.
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14. Harmonious Chi has a Place Everywhere, and Internal Force is Real
Chi and internal force are often mentioned in kung fu schools, particularly taijiquan schools. Sadly, many schools have little or no experience of them. Some of these people, including instructors, may have spent years searching for a genuine experience of chi or internal force. After spending 10 or 20 years searching, they eventually conclude that "chi" and "internal force" are just poetic Chinese phrases to describe body mechanics and blood flow.
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15. Some Interesting Questions on Internal Force
I used to buy a magazine called “Tai Chi Magazine”. it's a very famous magazine about Tai Chi Chuan. It has interviews and articles written by famous masters and grandmasters. I stopped buying the magazine because it was rare to find an article mentioning internal force or chi. The majority of masters and grandmasters resumed all to body mechanics and kinetic energy.
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16. Internal Force is an Essential Part of Genuine, Traditional Taijiquan
I am sorry to hear you have "never been graceful in any encounter" as this is actually a hallmark of 'Internal Kung-fu' particularly Wahnam Taijiquan. It is also interesting to note that this does not just apply to combat, but to all aspects of life and is just one of the many benefits of practicing genuine,traditional Taijiquan. I am not talking fancifully but from actual experience.
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Is Kaitain’s Taijiquan or Wahnam Taijiquan Genuine, Traditional Taijiquan?
These posts are a response to Kaitain’s insinuation that Wahnam Taijiquan is not Taijiquan. To decide whether Kaitain’s Taijiquan or Wahnam Taijiquan is genuine, traditional Taijiquan, I proposed to list the features of genuine, traditional Taijiquan, and to compare Kaitain’s Taijiquan and Wahnam Taijiquan against these feaures.
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18. Cloud Hands, Silk Reeling and Grasping Sparrow’s Tail
I believe we in Wahnam practise “Cloud Hands” the way we do as this is how Sifu honestly thinks Taijiquan was practised in the past. I must say that after practising this way for a couple of years I too honestly believe this was how masters trained in the past. Why? Because in Wahnam Taijiquan we often have our own experiences confirmed when we read the classics of past masters. The texts are no longer abstract or difficult to understand because we have felt many of the things mentioned, and for this we are very thankful.
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What is Genuine, Traditional Taijiquan?

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