Displaying posts written by

Joanna Zorya

who has written 13 posts for KaiMen.

Feb
21
2010

Will The Real Reeling Silk Please Stand Up …

Many people evidently have the impression that “reeling silk” merely means that movement is not allowed to cease once it has started.

Dec
28
2009

… One Arm

Zhengmanqing once famously told his students “last night I dreamt I had no arms” and this marked the beginning of an interesting training method within the lineage

Jun
13
2009

What is your Intention? Part Two

I once walked with my brother through the middle of a gang of twenty-one skinheads who would seriously have quite happily attacked either one of us …

May
25
2009

Who, What, Where, When , How and Why?

Although it almost sounds too vague to be useful, comprehensive martial training should concern itself with 6 essential questions…

Apr
22
2009

To Push, to Stick or to Hit?

Initially we differentiate three distinct categories of Sensitivity Drill: Push Hands, Sticky Hands and Hitting Hands…

Nov
27
2008

What is Your Intention?

It is said that you should “practice forms as if facing an enemy and face an enemy as if practicing forms.” The first piece of advice is a safeguard against allowing your solo training to become too abstract to be useful.

Jul
25
2007

Gentle Persistence Brings Just Reward.

Taijiquan is known as a martial art that has hardness within its softness “like a needle wrapped in cotton …

Mar
25
2006

Understanding the Six Harmonies

Here, spirit doesn’t refer to any kind of ethereal or divine spirit. For martial arts purposes, spirit could perhaps be read as martial spirit –

May
23
2005

Purpose, Quality & Direction

In Taiji circles, people get very hung up on shapes and up to a point they are correct to do so…

Jan
25
2005

The Way of Water

One of the most commonly used metaphors within Daoism and Daoist martial arts is that of “being like water.” But what could be meant by this? What is water really like? Firstly, let’s look at the Peng strength of Taijiquan. The Taiji Classics tell us that Peng is like “water that supports a moving boat.” […]

Nov
10
2004

8 Uses for Reeling Silk Power

From my own study of Chen style Taijiquan I can only conclude that this list was meant to be illustrative rather than exhaustive. I have therefore expanded the list …

Sep
25
2004

FA JIN (Releasing Power)

Bruce Lee once said that the difference between a Karate punch and a Gongfu punch was that a Karate punch is like being hit with a crowbar, while a Gongfu punch is like being hit by a metal ball on the end of a chain.

May
25
2004

Five Steps

… it can be seen that the 5 steps of Taijiquan are not specific techniques or prescribed methods, but …