Traditionally, a martial art can be the cure for violence and a path to enlightenment. Few other types of meditation can offer the same sort of immediate biofeedback that a martial art can provide. But it is important to realize that enlightenment is not merely the goal of the martial art. Enlightenment is the path . . . read more

Tai chi sword practice can be very helpful in refining skill and understanding of biomechanics and empty handed combat principles. This is NOT a sword lesson as much as it is a tuishou lesson. Nick, the student in this video, is a much better fencer than the teacher is. The lesson is not about superior . . . read more

Pedagogy, tuishou, space-time, philosophy, the standard model of particle physics, and the Dao…. But I digress. We can take advantage of our opponent’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as our own. Good and bad choices are often measured by their results, which goes to show how there are variables that we cannot see. These are . . . read more

Effortlessness in CONTEXT Teaching from first principles helps to avoid the pitfalls that plague many martial artists. Sparring, tuishou, competitions, and the myriad competitive exercises cause students to forget the context of real violence. Non-competitive training can be just as bad as competitive training, if and effort is not made to remind the student of . . . read more

Most people do not seek balance. We tend, rather to seek conflict. The proprioception afforded bt such conflict provides us with a sense of our existence, even while it undermines it. We end up fighting ourselves and giving the enemy the means by which to defeat us. Our own effort hastens our journey toward entropy. . . . read more

Energy doesn’t matter, and matter doesn’t energy Now that we are talking about yin and yang, let’s address the standard model of physics, and get this “qi” power thing out of the way. Fair disclosure: I teach qigong and neigong. There is a context for talking about “qi”, breath, energy, proprioception, calories, joules, and all . . . read more

“Doing” meets “not doing” or “Ippon” meets “Koka” Martial sport is about winning. Self defence is about not losing. Hence, there are different (but overlapping) strategies and tactics. “Upper and lower mutually follow” refers to one’s own body. But the concept can be extended to include strategy and tactics. Being still when the opponent is . . . read more

An important tai chi principle is called “Upper and Lower Mutually Follow” In this video we talk about how this applies to power and footwork.