Moving with kwa

If you can feel the kwa moving, it is possible combine a number of neigong for the second stage of uniting upper & lower.

In a bow stance, use the kwa to spiral the lead leg back towards the centre.

This serves to draw the thigh bone and squares the pelvis; it leads the energy up from the ground and into your hands.
It also lays the foundation for what may someday become centre-directed jing.

External strength

The conventional use of strength involves the application of force at a given, specific moment in time. If the aim is to break an arm, the individual exerts for a moment and the effect occurs.

The problem with this is that it is tiring. It wears you out.
Exerting the muscles is not very energy efficient because most of the effort accomplishes nothing; it feeds back into you when resistance is encountered.

'Internal power' is altogether different. Exerting never occurs.
The limbs are imbued with strength at all times, so an arm break would be performed with no more force than raising a glass of water to your mouth.

Where does the power come from?

It comes from unifying the body and projecting a wave of kinetic energy (jing) throughout the entire structure as and when necessary.
It is the wave that breaks the arm, not the local muscle strength.

Kung fu attitude

I teach in the UK and my wife is from Kuching, Borneo (Malaysia). We are continually surprised at the bad attitude we encounter from modern students in our own classes and other UK classes we hear about.

My wife is used to the Asian way and is appalled by how English students treat their teachers.

Reading Sifu Kenneth Ware's Kung Fu Instructor Facebook group (and others), it is great to hear that there is such a good kung fu attitude in the US: http://kungfukntc.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/students-with-honour.html

http://rachelwallertaichi.wordpress.com/

Power?

Consider Newton's third law of motion: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

The more force you apply, the more resistance you will encounter.
This is clearly counter-productive.

Slow, smooth, soft movements are a sure indicator of skill.

Why become a member?

• There is no membership fee
• The opportunity to study chin na, shuai jiao, baguazhang, taijiquan, hard qigong, neigong, self defence, san da, san sau and weapons
• The option of grading or not grading
• New members receive 2 free DVDs
• Work through the full curriculum
• Receive regular corrections, tips & pointers
• Request bespoke tuition
• Have an on-line personal progress page
• Use weapons 
• School database
• Seek training guidance and advice from Master Waller
• Wear a uniform
• Access to highly detailed school DVDs
• Pass belts (optional)
• Discuss theory and related philosophies with Master Waller
• Attend workshops, boot camp and class social events

Betrayal

One theme that Master Waller has been talking about with female self defence students is the idea of being taught to 'betray ourselves'.

Consider school or work:

Our body says that it is uncomfortable. Our minds are bored.

Yet, we are told to remain motionless and endure.

We know we don't want to be there but we are are forced to remain.

Always at our own expense.

The damage to the body is small but incremental.

In many facets of life we are conditioned to suppress our genuine, natural, healthy responses in favour of somebody else's agenda.

This is one reason why the tai chi and self defence in our school puts such emphasis upon healthy, comfortable body use and easy, familiar-seeming martial arts responses rather than blocky, confrontational options.    

What is membership?

Membership is about being part of the school.
It involves committing to monthly tuition fees, regular attendance and some measure of progress through the syllabus.
A member helps to keep the school open.

In return, a member has access to training opportunities, knowledge, skills and resources not available to non-members (i.e. members of the public or casual students).

Kung fu syllabus

http://newcastlema.co.uk/syllabus.htm

Wanting something more?

Students seeking to explore our full curriculum are required to apply for school membership.
A school member can study either:

1. Kung fu
2. Taijiquan
3. Tai chi for health

Members gain a deeper comprehension and discover the proven benefits of the art for themselves.
On-going tuition ensures consistent improvement. 

There are so many different dimensions to what Master Waller's class offers, it is hard to know where to start. The main thing for me is that it is great fun - I never expected that learning to hit and be hit, escape holds and put each other on the floor would make me laugh so much. 

This comes from Master Waller's unique approach, sharing his vast knowledge in a down-to-earth and non-macho way, which I think leads to the whole class being a warm and supportive place to be. 

The key thing is that it works, such simple things that have a really dramatic effect on your body, not a spiritual, abstract set of moves but real 'I do this, he falls down' stuff.  I can feel my own body responding now too - getting firmer, more balanced, more in control - and I think the qigong exercises are making my mind much calmer as well.
(Robin)

10 years in the North East

After 10 years of compromising standards in the face of a changing society, I celebrate 10 years in the North East by restoring my kung fu syllabus back to its 1995 format:

http://dynamicbalancingboxing.wordpress.com/kung-fu-syllabus/

My only concession is that I have kept the coloured belts:

http://newcastlema.co.uk/syllabus.htm

Pay-as-you-go students

Pay-as-you-go students focus upon qigong, form and partner work exercises.
The benefits will affect your everyday life:

• Get fit
• Increase stamina and endurance
• Gain an unusual form of strength 
• Stress-relief 
• A calm mind and composed emotions
• Mobile joints, relaxed muscles and natural movement• Boost energy
• Improved balance
• Use millennia old Chinese wisdom in functional new ways    
• Meditation 
• Confidence and resourcefulness
• Improved skeletal alignment, poise and coordination

The exercises are low impact, do not strain the body and can be practiced by people of all ages.
The training starts simple but becomes more challenging as you progress.

Feedback

Master Waller,

For more then a year now, I regularly read and study, think, feel and muse about your very, very clear notes in the A - Z you made on your website. I enjoy the A - Z tremendously. It is a big help for me in my bagua and qigong training.

I am a women of 47 living in Haarlem, a city near Amsterdam in The Netherlands. A good two years ago I started bagua training; it came unexpectedly on my path. I had been practicing qigong for a couple of years and felt by then that I wanted to develop and learn much more about the world of inner feeling. I didn't know that bagua existed. A small flyer I picked up somewhere brougt me to my present teacher.

Bagua took me of my feet. For 8 months I searched the internet feverishly for information about this (for me) appealing and fascinating, strange and difficult, profoundly philosophical art, reading every night. That is how I found your site. For me it still is one of the most excellent and clear sites that the internet has on offer about tai chi and bagua. It is because you give a lot, but no advice.

It took me work, yes indeed, to get back to understanding that you have to do it yourself. My way of living has changed completely. Besides training qigong and bagua, I am now also a student of TCM. Now that I am becoming calmer and clearer (and sweating a lot less!), I begin to comprehend the meaning that every master can only show you the way. Here, in Holland, I am very lucky to have found two very good, traditional teachers in bagua and qigong. Your A - Z has become a kind of 'screen teacher' for me.

Just wanted to let you know. Thank you.

With my best regards,
(Saskia Wolda)

Structured training

We offer kung fu students a clear path of progress through our syllabus. 
They know where they are, what they should be working on and have an idea of what comes next.
Everything is taught in easy, simple, bite-sized pieces.

At each stage of the curriculum the student possesses clearly defined skills that can be proven in practice.
We know how to organise material in a structured manner and teach it systematically. This way, each student is free to progress at their own pace.

What is the induction course for?

The induction course is for people who are seeking to practice with our school.

These 3 introductory lessons prepare the inductee for the training ahead; teaching basic skills and insights pertinent to our curriculum.

3 week induction course

New students undertake the course in order to gain an introductory understanding of the training.

• £7.50 per lesson or £20 for the 3 week course 
• 3 consecutive classes
• Explore new skills every week
• Receive corrections, tips & pointers
• One-to-one help throughout the course

The perfect exercise

In modern life, time is in short supply and a person wants to get the best possible benefits from any new endeavour they undertake.
Harvard Medical School suggests that taijiquan may indeed be the perfect exercise.
It combines 8 crucial ingredients:

1. Awareness (including mindfulness & focussed attention)
2. Intention
3. Structural integration
4. Active relaxation
5. Strengthening & flexibility
6. Natural, freer breathing
7. Social support
8. Embodied spirituality (including philosophy)

These 8 taijiquan components offer a multi-layered approach to the cultivation of health, vitality and wellbeing.
The depth of study available within a bona fide system of taijiquan is incredible; a student can quite literally explore the art for their entire lifetime and still discover new mysteries, secrets and skills.

As a martial art, taijiquan is unparalleled in its sophisticated biomechanics, diversity of combat skills and variety of application.

Not talking

It is good to talk, yet talking is also a problem.
If your mind is never still and quiet, you cannot possibly feel relaxed and at peace.
For many people talking is a compulsive habit, serving to mask the silence within.
Without the chatter, people feel alone and isolated.

Try this: become aware of your own need to talk.
When you feel the urge to speak arise, let it pass again.
Gradually, you become quieter inside and begin to notice more.
You speak when necessary but your sentences shorten, you are more succinct and direct.
You feel calmer.