ZenMindSword
T A I J I K I N E S I S
eBOOKS
TaijiKinesis Vol 1
Navigating the Taijiquan Maze
Why do you want to learn Taijiquan? Do you know if what you are learning is TaijiQUAN, TaijiWUSHU, TaijiFITNESS, TaijiHEALTH or TaijiDANCE? Are you confused by what you are learning? How do you know if you are on the right learning path? Why is it that you are unable to use your push hands skill when you touch hands with friends from other styles that also practice tactile sensitivity contact training? These are just examples of questions that a serious student of Taijiquan can have.
For the serious Taijiquan learner there will be many times that he has questions on his learning but the only answers he seems to be getting is “Teacher says”, “The style is like that”, “My friend says”, “Master X says”, “The book says” and so on. Giving answers without explaining them clearly and in a logical manner don’t really address the concerns of the serious learner. Instead, these vague non-answers merely serve to confuse the student further and work against the long term survival of the art.
The eBook TaijiKinesis Vol 1 : Navigating the Taijiquan Maze hopes to plug this gap in the serious student’s learning of Taijiquan by asking thought provoking questions that will teach the student to think for himself and in the process learn how to better evaluate the information that he receives.
TaijiKinesis Vol 2
Learning the Taijiquan Form
This eBook TaijiKinesis Vol 2 : Learning the Taijiquan Form continues where Vol 1 : Navigating the Taijiquan Maze leaves off by examining the study of an abridged Taijiquan form and how its practice as a solo linked choreographed exercise can contribute to the development of combat skills.
In this respect the intention of TaijiKinesis Vol 2 is not so much about teaching the reader how to do a form as opposed to making the reader aware of how useful form practice can be in building a good foundation and understanding the principles of combat in the absence of a training partner.
To achieve this objective, three key topics will be touched on namely Intention, Qualia and Biomechanics. Intention covers the study of the use of the mind to control the body (mindmechanics), Qualia is about the sense and feeling of your body moving through space (proprioception) and Biomechanics goes into the use of various scientific methods to leverage the natural strengths of the human body. One key difference here is that instead of relying on mathematical models which are cumbersome and difficult to understand for those who are not scientifically inclined the explanations will rely on the use of Imagery and Intuition which is how many Chinese martial arts were originally taught as can be gleaned from the use of imagery rich names given to the techniques.
The Ip Man Koans
Seeking the Mastery of Wing Chun
In 2008 a movie titled simply "Ip Man" was released to box office success. With that the martial art of Wing Chun which had been overshadowed by the rise of other martial arts styles in recent years received a tremendous boost in popularity. The sequel entitled "Ip Man 2" saw even more ticket sales at the cinemas and paved the way for a slew of movies on Wing Chun.
The demand for learning Wing Chun picked up and martial arts students were once again crazy over the art. This phenomenon had been observed once in the seventies during the box office reign of the late kung fu movie superstar, Bruce Lee, who was himself a Wing Chun practitioner.
No doubt many students will pick up Wing Chun on the fantasized premise that they too will become a Kung Fu superman like the screen version of Ip Man. When their training fail to pan out they will become disillusioned. The mastery of Wing Chun is 90% of your effort with 10% from your teacher. However, this effort is conditional on proper learning. So if you fail to master the art do not despair.
Instead, stop and analyze your learning, examine your practice further in-depth, think critically about it and you can then see what it is that you are missing out on. Many times the missing elements are not secret training methods or secret techniques but merely your inability to understand your learning. In this respect, The Ip Man Koans is not an eBook about how to learn Wing Chun but a breezy walk through of the author’s thought process to analyzing his failure to master the art and how he eventually made the breakthrough.
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The Ip Man Questions
Kicks, power & strategies
in the martial art of Wing Chun
It is commonly known that Wing Chun is an art that is famous for the use of rapid chain punching and short range inch power. What is lesser known is that the real life Grandmaster Ip Man was very skilful in the use of kicks and long range striking techniques.
This book opens up a different perspective and approach to Wing Chun that is contrary to the popular notion of the art. It is a must read for those who want to know more about the Wing Chun that Ip Man was known for rather than the art that he taught.
Internal Power of Wing Chun
Exploring the Wing Chun Force Model
of Grandmaster Chu Shong Tin
The late Grandmaster Chu Shong Tin, nicknamed the King of Siu Nim Tau by Grandmaster Ip Man is the foremost proponent of the use of thoughts to generate a tremendous amount of power through the use of natural movements.
Grandmaster Chu considers these principles to revolve around the core idea of what is known in Cantonese as Nim Tau which can be translated as thought, idea or intention.
In this book we explore the fascinating ideas behind Grandmaster Chu’s power generation methods and how they can improve our personal development in the art of Wing Chun.
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Six Learning Steps for Mastering Wing Chun's Kicking Model
In The Ip Man Questions : Kicks, power & strategies in the martial art of Wing Chun a model of the art as a soft style emphasizing long range striking and using no-shadow kicks was presented.
This follow up eBook presents Six Learning Steps covering 13 essential solo exercises for those who are interested to learn and master this little known model of Wing Chun.
The reader is taught how to develop the body structure that is essential to the ability to unleash powerful whipping strikes and perform no-shadow kicks including the ability to quickly seize advantageous positions from which to carry out these techniques to fulfil the central strategy.