MA HONG ON YOUTUBE

My sifu, Dr. Johnny Jang, greatly admires Ma Hong, and has adopted many of his smaller movements (in the following clip for instance, Ma Hong adds a sliding step to the hidden punch movement).
This was taped (as I understand it) while the man was in his 70's. He still goes very deeply into his stances.



Here is a great interview with the Hsing-i magazine, also featuring George Xu. For those of you unfamiliar with George, he's a no-nonsense martial artist, who made his reputation fighting in the mean streets of Shanghai. Short version: he's definitely NOT a paper tiger. And if George backs up a martial artist, that guy had better be DAMN good. Ma Hong was the first artist that George brought over to the US.
I've heard a tale or two about Ma Hong: he's a very humble fellow, but if you talk smack about his art? He's been known to call people out.

Anyways, watch, enjoy, study.

FUNCTION FOLLOWS FORM, FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION

My apologies to anyone, for not having updated this blog in many a moon. It’s been very busy for me lately.

One of the ongoing issues for many Tai Chi players is that of keeping the routine fresh. While it is by far much more entertaining than the treadmills we see in the gyms (the image of guinea pigs on an exercise wheel pops into mind), a year or more of doing the same routine over time can become a tad too routine, and so, the player is encouraged to do some experimentation.

(NOTE: it is perhaps best for the player to have a very firm foundation in the basics and principles, and to have been doing their routine for at least a year – this is advice only.)

Some items to spice up your routine:
A. Practice with your eyes closed. This is far more difficult than it seems. Once you get to what I refer to as a ‘kick’ section (i.e., Separate Left Foot, Separate Right Foot, Rooster Stands on One Leg, etc.), you will likely find that your balance isn’t QUITE as good as you’d thought.
B. Practice in your head. While this is one of those ‘mystical’ levels (Cheng Man-Ching was rumored to have reached it: the story Ben Lo told, was that as they went up a tall hill for practice, Ben did his, asked the Professor if he was going to do likewise, to which the Professor responded: “I already did.”), it is an interesting exercise. When learning the Chen style, I’d lie in bed and close my eyes, and do the 24 or 37 movement form. Amusingly enough, each time I came to Hidden Punch, my body would try to respond by throwing a punch, roughly corresponding to a myoclonic twitch – “Myoclonus also occurs normally, as a person falls asleep or while sleeping. This type of myoclonus is not associated with disease.”
D. Deepen your stance. This is definitely a leg-burning sweat-inducer.
E. Learn a new form.

As to this final item, I admit freely: I’m a bit ‘forms crazy’. I originally did the 37-movement (CMC) form for eight years. I went on to learn; the 24 Yang, the 42 Compulsory (combined), the Chen 24, 36, forms one and two, Fu style 42 and 108, the Yang 108 (I never do this anymore), Chen 56 sword, Chen 18 spear, Chen 36 broadsword. I have since taught myself the Chen 56 form, via a book and youtube.

I recall many years ago, when I was at my five-year mark. I began to branch out a bit, learning Hsing-I from Peter Ralston, some Pa Kua and Kali. I spent nearly a year learning the Yang Long Form from Wilson Ng. After six months or so, I dropped in on Pat Kelly (I would occasionally pop in for a visit). After watching me do the 37 CMC form, her response was: “Your Tai Chi’s improved! I don’t know how you did it, but it has!”

Rich in context, intertwining the mind with the body, Tai Chi is one of the most enriching aspects of one’s life. It has been observed, that exercise is an integral part of any adult’s life: in this case, if you love it, you’ll do it. The other nice feature is that you don’t require a gym – you can take it with you, anywhere you go.

And of course, my favorite maxim is, as always: “Practice, practice, and practice.”

Good playing to you all.