When practicing Chinese martial arts, especially the Neijia (Internal Styles)and Qi Gong, you become acquainted with the Dantian. You will hear instructions such as “Concentrate on your Dantian” and “Sink Your Qi to the Dantian” For a practitioner of the Neijia, as well as other Chinese martial arts, it is imperative to know what the…
In the philosophical teaching of the Doctrine of the Mean, a book of classical Chinese philosophy, there is a passage by Kongzi (Confucious) which reads, “In archery we have something like the way of the superior man. When the archer misses the center of the target, he turns round and seeks for the cause of…
While studying Taijquan, also written and Tai Chi Chuan and Taiji Quan, you will often hear about relaxation. This English translation of the Chinese character 松 – Song, in my view does not properly describe the feeling that we strive for in practice. Loose, or to be Loose, is far more descriptive and appropriate than…
In times past, when someone wanted to learn Chinese martial arts from a master, the master would ask, “Can you eat bitter?” Chi Ku (吃苦), or Eating Bitter, refers to being able to endure both physical and mental hardships. While we can be enthralled by the artistry of outward movements, explosive skills, and flashing swords,…
Zheng Manqing (鄭曼青, 1902–1975), also written as Cheng Man-ch’ing, was born in 1902 in Yongjia (present-day Wenzhou) in Zhejiang Province, China. Known as the Master of Five Excellences, he was highly accomplished in Calligraphy, Poetry, the Chinese Classics, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Tai Chi Chuan (Taiji Quan). A college professor, he became known to his Tai Chi students as Professor…
The posts on this Blog reflect the knowledge I have received from my teachers, and the volumes of information I have accumulated while doing research and conducting interviews with many masters, during the years of publishing the Wu Gong Journal and the Journal of Chinese Martial Arts. All the material published on this Blog is copyrighted. — Nick Scrima
