Things people say...

I've heard people comment that tai chi chuan cannot be used in self defence... or that the bagua palm changes are a training method rather than martial...

These comments/opinions tell me two things:

1. The person saying them cannot personally apply these arts
2. They have not attended our school

It is dangerous to generalise about martial arts; applicability rests in the hands of the instructor. The better your instructor, the more they can do with the tools they have been given.

Business address

Newcastle Tai Chi
St Andrew's Church
Station Road
Benton
NE12 8AW
0750 3604568
http://www.newcastletaichi.co.uk
newcastletaichi@hotmail.com

Child-like

After long years of practice, your body will regain the qualities of a baby, and you can respond to everything around you with the simplicity and naturalness of a child.

(Yang Jwing-Ming)

 

Distraction

Concentration is the act of focussing. It is a narrowing of perspective.
Extraneous distractions are blocked out and the attention is directed towards a limited target.

Keeping your mind on what you are doing is excellent. It improves quality.

Sometimes, it is good to be distracted, to notice unexpected possibilities, to wander off in new directions.
However, there is a danger with distraction: the more distracted you become, the less competent you are.

Is tai chi chuan dance?

Tai chi chuan may look like dance and move like dance but it is something else - something far more complex than dance.

The art has many facets.
It is a healthy form of exercise, a system of self defence, meditation training, the physical embodiment of taoist insights and a spiritual journey.

The student

A dedicated student aims to steal their instructor's art.
This is akin to acquiring a trade secret.
Only by taking responsibility for their own learning can a student hope to learn the true depth of the art.

Motivation, commitment, intelligence, enthusiasm - these are all relevant factors.
To quote the proverb: You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.

Flitting

Some beginners want to collect forms. Instead of learning one form thoroughly, they want to accumulate.
As a consequence, superficial knowledge is sought, and the beginner never penetrates the art.

Collecting forms and drills is not a good thing. It leads to an attitude of flitting.
The untrained mind becomes goal-oriented and skips around.
By doing more, we accomplish less. Do not spread yourself too thinly.

Thinning our time and our attention leads to a watered-down outcome, rather than a richer one.

Ozzy

Lineage students

Taking private lessons and/or training with an instructor for many years does not make you an 'indoor student'.

If a class member wants an indoor relationship with the instructor, the process is quite formal.
The student must become a 'lineage student' and this entails meeting certain criteria and fulfilling specific obligations.

Steal My Art by Stuart Alve Olsen

How long will it take to pass green belt?

This is entirely up to you.

A student who attends weekly classes, trains at home and uses all available resources may be capable of passing the grade within 6 months.

It may take a less committed student a little longer.

Jason

Compassion

If we recognised that animals have emotions, we might not treat them the way we do.

(Paul Ekman)

Pure

This was what we were cultivating - purity of being and pure attention to each other's being.

(Ron Sieh)

Neigong

Tai chi chuan students do not need to perform press-ups, sit-ups, weight training or cardiovascular work.
Strength can be gained without straining the body.
A more gentle approach is practiced.

Seduction

Advertising and mass media use 'pretty people' to sell everything and anything to you.

Slim, muscular, healthy-looking models munch on cake and pout as they take each bite. Their clothing, hair, make-up and body language suggest that a deeply sensual experience is taking place, and you are missing out on it.

Meanwhile, articles in magazines tell you that chocolate is better than sex. And films like Chocolat really sell the product.

Let's get real.

Imagine Chocolat in the real world. Instead of the lithe Juliette Binoche we would have a flabby, obese person weighing 15-20 stones, with bingo wings and a face swallowed by fat. Hardly romantic.

Consider the adverts? An obese person munches on cake, with chocolate smeared around their face and on their hands. They talk to you whilst eating. Who would buy the product?

You are being manipulated. That is what media does.

Give it a chance

The first lesson you have in tai chi chuan will be hindered by your own personality.
Even if you have trained tai chi chuan before, you are unlikely to see past the veil of your own self-consciousness and fears.

It is usually worth trying a few classes.
That way, you can settle-in a little and really observe what is taking place in class.
Pay particular attention to the more skilled students: what are they training? How adept do they seem? Are they having fun?

Democracy

People are occasionally reluctant to follow instructions. They get smart with the instructor or seek to debate the issue.
Martial arts classes are not democratic.

Emotional investment

A lot of martial arts instructors are emotionally invested in what they teach. They are adamant that their system is the best.
Sifu Waller is not like this.
He sees the tai chi chuan and baguazhang as being the best thing for him.

For Sifu Waller, these arts are vehicles for the exploration of self defence and sophisticated body use.

Authority in martial arts

The student must decide to what extent you are prepared to accept the instructor's authority.
If you wish to remain in the class, then you must accept it unconditionally.

If you are unwilling to acknowledge the worth of the instructor, then you should leave.

Valentine?

If your partner needs a bunch of flowers, teddy bear or chocolates one day per year to remind them that you care, something is probably amiss with your relationship.

Your love should be apparent in your everyday treatment of them.

Insincere greeting cards containing messages of phoney sentimentality (written by someone else) aren't romantic. They're kitsch.

Don't cheapen your partner with trite verses and tinsel. Show your feelings all year round.

Valentine's Day kitsch

Susan

Characteristics

Yang tai chi chuan and Jiang baguazhang share certain characteristics (which is why we chose to study and teach them):

1. Stances are rounded and natural
2. High stance
3. Martially viable
4. Good vehicle for chin na, jing and shuai jiao
5. Nimble footwork
6. Alive, agile body use
7. Energy based (jing) not bone/muscle (li)

Juggling

Focussing can cause anxiety. You address one concern and ignore another. The more concerns you have, the harder it is to address them all skilfully.

This approach is like juggling.
Instead of going with the flow and feeling what is happening, you are trying desperately to catch one ball whilst keeping all the others still up in the air.

What is the answer?

There is no fixed answer.
Sometimes it is beneficial to look at the individual details and address them in depth.
At other times, you must consider the overall event and feel the essence of what is happening, the flow.

Tai chi chuan instructors

A tai chi chuan instructor needs at least 10 years of experience and a serious commitment to home practice.
Martial instructors must show clear evidence of ability in all 8 areas of skill.

An expert has 20 years study and 10,000 hours of practice.

A master should have 30-40 years martial arts experience, with at least 30,000 hours of tai chi practice.
They are capable of teaching other instructors.

A grandmaster must have taught an extensive number of high-level instructors.
They would be in a position of significant responsibility within a school and have influence within the wider tai chi/martial arts community.

Clarity

Your awareness and perceptions of things around you must be clear and not distorted by emotions or preconceptions.

 (Yang Jwing-Ming)

Every school is different

No two martial arts schools are the same.
Every instructor teaches according to their own values, interpretation of the material, and personal preferences.
Ask yourself:

Does the class teach a 'complete martial art'?
Do you need to supplement the training with gym work, running or weight training?
How concerned is the class with health and wellbeing?
Are the students friendly and relaxed?
Is there a macho atmosphere?
Can smaller students use the art effectively?

Shen

Obstacle

Force on force alerts the nervous system. A block or a tense strike represents an obstacle and the attacker's body automatically stops and resists.

This does not happen when the counter is soft.

Versatility

Our syllabus is very versatile.
It offers a wide range of skills, including kicks, punches, grapples, floor work, weaponry, joint manipulation, energy projection...

There is also a significant health component, and very little risk of injury despite vigorous self defence work.

Umeshu

http://www.choya.com/

Emotion

In combat, you cannot be overwhelmed by your emotional mind. If you fight only with your emotional mind, you will lose control of your self spiritually and physically. When the emotional mind is calm, your mind is clear and the judgement will be accurate.

 (Yang Jwing-Ming)

The rabbit and the fox

This excellent story comes from the book Zen in the Martial Arts:

A zen master out for a walk with one of his students pointed out a fox chasing a rabbit.

"According to an ancient fable, the rabbit will get away from the fox," the master said.

  "Not so," replied the student. "The fox is faster."

"But the rabbit will elude him," insisted the master.

"Why are you so certain?" asked the student.

"Because the fox is running for his dinner and the rabbit is running for his life," answered the master.

(Joe Hyams)

The same lesson can be applied to fighting and self defence.

A fight is a mutual conflict - about something.
Self defence is when somebody assaults you - and you must protect yourself.

When you are defending your wellbeing (and possibly your life) the stakes are high.
You have everything to lose.

Form

If we take taoism as our starting place, we can find the most comfortable, nature position to be in throughout the movement of each and every posture. No strain, no tension, no imbalance. Optimal comfort and optimal power. Without effort. Without force.

Effort-to-reward ratio

What makes the training appealing is the fact that the applications are simple, direct, subtle and effective.

There is no struggling, sweating and straining.
No forcing.
If you are using obvious strength, you are doing something wrong.

In fact, once you possess neigong, the less effort you use, the greater the effect.

Keep it simple by Nick Page

High kicks?

You are trying to kick higher.
Why?

High kicks are not encouraged in tai chi or bagua, and kicking will not be taught until 2nd dan.

Aging

Conventional martial arts favour the younger, stronger, fitter student.
By contrast; the neijiaquan encourage a mature mind.
Instead of retiring from combat at the age of 40, a student can look forward to spending the rest of their life training the art.

Tai chi chuan is the gentlest of the internal arts, and works the body in a very safe manner.

Second-guessing

Second-guessing the instructor is foolish.
Inevitably you are lacking the entire picture.
You are making a judgement from an incomplete perspective.

Playful training in class

Self defence students do not need to beat one another senseless in the pursuit of self defence skills.
This seems somewhat counter-productive.

We adopt a playful attitude - like children who exuberantly throw one another around, without aggression, without malice and without harm.

The joy of learning

Gaining skill is an occasion for enthusiasm and fun.
If you are studying something you enjoy, it should not feel like hard work.

As your abilities improve and your insight deepens, you recognise how much you have learned.

Neutral

Be smooth. Do not prepare. Do not suddenly counter. Do nothing. Then act as if not acting. Do not alert the attacker by being abrupt or jerky. Think of the I Ching. Think of being in a neutral state.

True learning

She did not consciously think, "Ah, today I learned this and that; I gained this much." You do not do it step by step that way, by adding on coatings of varnish, or new paint. When learning becomes you, then it appears as you need it, when you are being you. Sometimes true learning surprises you when it emerges.

(Chungliang Al Huang)

Adding new material

The syllabus was designed to teach you what you need to know at each stage of your development.
It is a massive, comprehensive syllabus.
It is very well thought out.

Adding something from the outside is unwise.

Lessons

There are many aspects of the tai chi practice that cannot be conveyed on-line, via DVD/video or a book.
We have no intention of illustrating form on-line, teaching gravity strikes or attempting to explain neigong in detail.
If you want to understand these things, you will need to take lessons.

This is not a commercial decision. It is a functional one. Tai chi chuan requires direct transmission.

Just do it

When instructed to do something, just do it.
If the directions are unclear, ask for confirmation. But refrain from argument, discussion or debate.
Just act.

Peter Southwood's tips #5 High repetition

High repetition is used to encourage the student to pass the threshold of self-consciousness.
To become so fatigued that they can no longer think clearly.

Worn out, struggling and clumsy... the student finally lets go and begins to produce spontaneous, natural, honest responses.
The applications may not be skilful but represent what the student is capable of under pressure.

Teaching experience

Sifu Waller has considerable experience teaching tai chi chuan:

1. Bradford Yang Style Tai Chi Association (1995 - 1999)
2. Dynamic Balancing Boxing (1999 -2004)
3. Newcastle Tai Chi (2004 - present day)

Swift feet

Considerable balance is acquired through learning baguazhang.
Walking the circle requires the student to sink their root deep into the ground in order to become stable in motion.
Evasive footwork is vital.
The feet must be agile, alert and swift.

Circle walking needs to be smooth and natural, casual and comfortable.
Awkward stepping cannot be used in self defence.

Test your teacher

If your taijiquan teacher has groundpath, you should be able to put your hands on their arms at any point during practice and ‘bounce’ their structure.

When they are halfway through form, ask them to freeze. Then test their posture. Is it substantial? Is it stiff? Are they tensing-up against you?

Be vigorous. Feel for gaps and weaknesses.

They should be springy like elastic, yet internally connected. They should feel relaxed but strong, with absolutely no conscious effort required.

If your teacher crumples in a heap or pushes back into you, find another instructor. Yo-chi and kara-chi are not the way.

Suitability

Most martial arts are pretty effective. The question really is: which system suits you?

What are your criteria?
Are you looking for kicking, punching, grappling?
Do you want to fight? Or do you want self defence?
Are you seeking a more philosophical component?

See what is on offer.

Does the class teach a 'complete martial art'?
Do you need to supplement the training with gym work, running or weight training?
How concerned is the class with health and wellbeing?
Are the students friendly and relaxed?
Is there a macho atmosphere?
Can smaller students use the art?

Instructor

An instructor should have an in-depth, extensive syllabus, good teaching skills and the ability to perform all aspects of the art spontaneously and easily.
The lessons should be stimulating; challenging and thought-provoking.
The instructor should be articulate, calm, composed and skilful.

Energy

Your movements will be agile and your spirit of vitality will be high. You will begin to feel that your tai chi practice goes beyond simple form training, and you will be able to perceive things as energetic combinations rather than as static physical bodies.

 (Yang Jwing-Ming)

Personal trainer?

Your instructor is not a personal trainer. They are not in 'the service industry'.
They are not obligated to please you or give you what you ask for.

Tai chi cannot be taught piecemeal. You cannot pick and choose how and what to study.

Instructor levels

There are 5 levels of Tai Chi Instructor in the UK these days:

1. Tai Chi for Health & Fitness Teacher
   - 10 years experience
   - these are the majority
2. Tai Chi Chuan Instructor
   - equivalent of 3rd dan black belt in any martial art
   - 10 years experience
   - these people are less common
3. Tai Chi Expert
   - 20 years experience
   - 10,000 hours tai chi chuan practice
   - 10 years teaching experience
   - fewer to be found
4. Tai Chi Master
   - 30,000 hours tai chi chuan practice
   - 20 years teaching experience
   - pretty rare
5. Tai Chi Grandmaster
   - extremely rare

Peter Southwood has graded Sifu Waller as being a Tai Chi Expert based upon his practice quality and experience.

Adapt, change, improvise

Intelligence is all about awareness. About seeing and moving with what is happening.

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.

(Charles Darwin)

In self defence, it is not enough to learn by rote and then churn out techniques.
This simply will not work in reality.
You need to proceed with no techniques, no formulas, no methods.

Intelligence is not about planning or being prepared in advance.
It is about 'thinking on your feet', making the best use of what is available and being capable of instantaneous change.
Appropriateness is entirely contingent upon your ability to keep adapting, changing and improvising.
You do what is necessary, and you keep on changing as the situation demands.

Awake?

Those who lack wisdom are convinced that they are truly awake;

they think they understand what is happening;

they think that the king is really the king,

and the servants are really servants.

(Chuang Tzu)

Security & confidence

Self defence is the practical application of your art. This means that you should be capable of handling:

1. Punches
2. Kicks
3. Grapples
4. Multiple opponents/gangs
5. Armed assailants
6. Unexpected attacks
7. Going to the floor

It is necessary to maintain composure, stay calm and apply a wide variety of pragmatic skills in combat.

These skills cannot be learned overnight.
You need them to work spontaneously and comfortably.
You must pressure-test them with different situations and variables.

Sifu

The instructor does not exist to please the student.
Their role is to teach the system, and to re-shape the student into somebody capable of performing the art.

The student is incapable of seeing where this journey will lead or what steps are relevant and necessary.

Incapacitation

The self defence approach taught by Sifu Waller aims to incapacitate the attacker.
We are not interested in 'beating' anyone up or winning contests.
Self defence is all about escaping injury, not causing it.

If you can escape without inflicting pain, that is good. You have nothing to prove to anyone.
Self defence is not about payback or vengeance.

Finding out for yourself

Figuring things out for yourself is an important component in learning.
An intelligent mind does not have to be 'told'.

You should have the capacity to make connections and associations, have insights and discover things for yourself.

Learning from mistakes

People frequently fail to learn from their mistakes. They just keep on doing the same thing again and again and again.
There is far more to intelligence than acquisition. We must be alert.

If something does not work, it is necessary to determine why it failed and try something else.
This capacity to change is a key factor.
A dull mind is doomed to repeat the same error continually. An intelligent mind adapts and moves on.

Learning

Learning is a complicated process.

People tend to think of learning in a very formal way. They go to school, college or university and they learn.
Or they are taught something at work.

Setting time aside in order to learn is a wasteful use of our brain. Ideally, we want to be learning all day every day.
This is not about making time to study. Or 'bettering yourself'. It is about absorbing things informally.
Instead of sitting down and studying, we can learn things constantly - by interacting, by observing.

You do not even need to try.
There is a difference between looking seeing, listening and hearing.
A healthy mind is like a sponge. It learns constantly. It is passive but receptive.

Learning is not simply proceeding from a condition of 'not knowing' to 'knowing'.
That is merely acquisition, the collecting of information.
What good is that?

Craig

Boycott Christmas?

If you have no desire to waste hundreds of pounds on pointless gifts - in a celebration of greed and obedience - then you could boycott Christmas altogether...

http://www.xmasresistance.org/
http://www.buynothingchristmas.org/
http://adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd/bnxmas/

Is boycotting Christmas the answer?

Well, it is one option. But there are others.

Why not consider a return to the essence of Christmas?

Give to those who are genuinely suffering and in need.
Give freely and without any need for gratitude or recognition.

Re-discover Christmas through your kindness and your generosity...

Letting go of anxiety

What is anxiety?
Is it not a state of worry in which the mind considers various future possibilities and attempts to avoid problems by anticipating what will happen?
Let go of anxiety.
Worry comes from fear of failure.
If you fail, so what?
What is the worst thing that can happen?
Be spontaneous.
Be alert and alive, capable of moving in any direction without anticipation.
Respond to what is happening in the world, not to the worries of your mind.

Appropriateness

Whether an application works or not depends entirely upon whether it is the right thing to do at the time.
If you think about what to do, it is already too late.
After practising form applications and drills, the student must forget everything in the face of an attack and just move.
The body will know what to do.

Contemplation

Your own study and experience, during which you ponder silently in your own mind, is the main source of improvement.

 (Yang Jwing-Ming)

Sake

http://www.hakutsuru-sake.com/

The role of qigong in the internal martial arts

Taijiquan, baguazhang and xingyiquan use forms to practice combat movements, build strength and gain agility.
The forms are highly intricate, with many different levels of skill.

Yiquan (mind fist)/dachengquan (the great accomplishment) - an offshoot of xingyiquan - does not use forms.
Instead, it uses static standing qigong postures in lieu of form.

Xingyiquan uses form(s) for power development.Dachengquan uses standing qigong.
See the difference?
What should a tai chi school do?The answer is somewhat self evident, isn't it?
Taijiquan is not dachengquan.
It uses forms, not standing qigong postures.
Read The Tai Chi Classics... There is no mention of standing qigong but a whole lot of information about movement.

Habit

If you slouch and the instructor told you not to slouch, most likely you would over-compensate.
This now creates a new problem; equally as bad as slouching.

Habits are deeply ingrained.
When wrong feels right, your own nervous system will provide unreliable information.
You gauge how your body feels in terms of what is familiar, rather than what is correct.

Hakutsuru sake

http://www.thecheeseandwineshop.co.uk/products/hakutsuru-sake-70cl-13-5.asp

Learning

To learn, a person must let go of what they already know and be prepared to embrace the unknown.
Everything that you know is in the past. The unknown cannot be known.

Learning must begin by letting go.
There is nothing to be afraid of; it is natural to be uncertain, to have doubt, to be ignorant.

7th dan

A 7th dan exponent wears a red belt with a black changshan.

Criticism?

Corrections are not criticism.

An instructor corrects the student because they care about the student's progress.
Suggestions, possibilities and alternatives all serve to broaden your horizons and open the mind to new possibilities.
A reminder encourages the student to remember the basics, to focus upon the underlying principles.

The student should be grateful when corrected, because the correction offers an opportunity for change, for improvement.

Training

The training methods taught in class were designed to gently encourage you to use your mind and body in a different way.
Your existing habits will actually impede you.
Instead of performing an exercise comfortably, you will find the drill awkward... until you relax and do something unfamiliar.
Slowly, you learn to recognise the benefit of moving in the internal way.

Obviously, this process takes time.
It also requires the student to engage physically and mentally with the art.

Strain

Strain slowly leads to damage over time.

Prolonged imbalance can result in injury as the small strains gradually wear away at the body.
Like cracks, they cause very subtle damage.

Most people impose very slight strain on their bodies all day long.
Hunching over a computer.
Sitting badly.
Reaching to do something rather than stepping closer.

Education

This 'disconnected' approach is also evident in our educational system which still over-emphasises examination results at the expense of real learning. Our children are fed vast quantities of discrete and often unrelated information which they must parrot back on demand. They are drilled and judged on their performance in a series of disconnected topics.

(Michael Gelb)

Being corrected

One of the obstacles facing a student is the experience of being corrected.
A good instructor can easily illustrate how one methods works and how another method does not.
It is their duty to help you to recognise the difference.

Relax

How can you do right when everything you do and feel is wrong?

This is a good question.
The trick is to relax; physically, psychologically and emotionally.
Relaxation will not remove your bad habits, but it will help your mind and body become more receptive to change.

Niwa (pure place)

The training hall is a place where you can relax, have fun and learn.
It is not a place of violence and machismo.

The challenge of learning tai chi chuan removes conflict, macho urges and aggression.
A student learns how to move in a graceful, balanced, harmonious way whilst maintaining composure at all times.

Spiritual component

Tai chi chuan practice does possess a spiritual component.
This may be experienced through studying taoism and zen, along with meditating, and practicing qigong, the form and application.

An earnest student of tai chi chuan becomes calmer, more harmonious.
They have a sense of deep connection with all things.

Individual priorities

Not everyone wants to commit themselves to weekly lessons and daily practice. Nobody says that you should.
It is important to do what feels right for you.

Similarly, you must not resent the progress of others in the class who are dedicated and skilled.

Each student is free to proceed at a pace of their own choosing.
If you want to attend once or twice a month, that is fine providing you accept that you will need plenty of revision and your progress will be slow.

Form application: one posture

We look at one posture of the form at a time, with attention upon the ‘power’ component. How the body movement reveals martial possibilities.

Visualise attacks, and potential counters. Pay attention to timing, distance and positioning.

Do not change the posture to suit an application.

Do not be hampered by thinking that the final position is the posture.

Do not distort your new awareness by exaggerating the posture during form practice.

Remember that form application is not about self defence.

Train as often as you can manage

Concentrated practice in the early stages of an endeavour dramatically improves the value of future practice.

 (Michael Gelb)

Shaun

Skill

How long does it take to learn to play the guitar? How many lessons are needed to speak Japanese? Obviously it depends upon your purpose.

 Do you want to be the next Segovia or Clapton, or just to play a few simple tunes? Do you intend to translate haiku, or are you simply preparing for a two-week vacation?

 Although the skill of your teacher and your talent level will certainly influence your progress, the duration and intensity of your study will be determined ultimately by the level of expertise that you seek.

 (Michael Gelb)

Feedback

I am writing to say how inspiring I find your website and blog. Calm and inspiring.
 I only found it last week but I hope to be a regular visitor from now on.

 (Maria)
 

Body trauma

Our reaction to disturbing events throws our bodies into chronic imbalance. We tend to hold the 'memory' of a traumatic experience in a particular part of the body. This muscular memory in time becomes part of the total pattern and is incorporated into an individual's use of himself.
  (Michael Gelb)

Tai chi master

Mastering tai chi requires the following:

• A lifelong commitment to the furtherance of the art
• Spontaneous demonstration of every and any aspect of the art
• The ability to train other people to become tai chi instructors
• An embodiment of the principles outlined in the Tai Chi Classics
• Highly accurate rendition of every exercise/form/drill/application
• Extensive knowledge of every facet of every subject in the syllabus i.e. 'jing'
• An in-depth understanding of every facet of the exercise/form/drill/application
• How the exercise/form/drill/application links to other aspects of the curriculum
• The ability to dismantle and explain how and why the different components operate
• Grace, ease, subtlety, sensitivity, nimbleness, appropriateness, simplicity are all a given
• The willingness to train disciples to acquire every aspect of the teaching and perpetuate the art themselves
• Unselfconscious, skilled and utterly effective application of the art in combat employing chin na, jing and shuai jiao
• The ability to develop, improve and deliver a thorough, fully differentiated syllabus suitable for all ability levels and all ages
• The ability to dismantle and explain how and why every form posture operates and how it can be applied in at least 7 different ways
• Comprehensive theoretical knowledge and the ability to discuss and explain how taoism, martial theory and actual practice all tie together
• The ability to apply the tai chi principles (yielding, stickiness, peng, jing, composure, connection, 4 ounces etc) in every situation with absolute ease and certainty