Tag: kung fu

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Think For Yourself

Steve Rowe

It’s too easy to take on the views of others instead of working things out for yourself. You only have to look at your feed here on social media to see martial artists continually repeating the same old tropes that you know didn’t originate from their own critical thinking. It’s lazy, gutless and weak to only repeat the view of others so you don’t stand out from the crowd and attract criticism. Ask yourself WHY you train/study in martial arts. Ignore what everyone else has said and go deep inside of yourself to find the true reasons, is it for: … Continue reading Think For Yourself

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There Were No Kicks Or Punches in Karate Or Tai Chi

Steve Rowe

Let’s use language to give an insight and some depth to our martial arts. There was originally no kicks or punches in either karate or tai chi. The problem with ‘kicks’ and ‘punches’ is that it limits our understanding of the arts. In traditional karate and tai chi before they were ‘sportified’ they were used for health and self defence, self defence started when we reached grappling distance therefore leg and arm techniques were manipulations of the opponents body and usually all limbs were being employed at the same time. We had ‘husband and wife hands, one destroying the opponents … Continue reading There Were No Kicks Or Punches in Karate Or Tai Chi

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Manipulating The Chakras With Tai Chi

Steve Rowe

Manipulating The Chakras With Tai Chi What do the chakras do? Root Chakra – is life and death, a very powerful primal energy driving sex and mortal fear. Sacral Chakra – is instincts, that ‘gut feeling’ you need to learn to rely on. Solar Plexus Chakra – is normal fear, anxiety and anger. Heart Chakra – is patience, kindness, tolerance and compassion. Throat Chakra – is expression, the ability to influence your environment. Brow Chakra – the ‘third eye’ is insight and visionary. Crown Chakra – is wisdom and spirituality. They each have their own emotional colouring and vibration of … Continue reading Manipulating The Chakras With Tai Chi

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Tai Chi’s A Funny Game

Steve Rowe

Tai Chi people can be funnyThere are people with exclusive magicWho look down on the hoi poloiAs pitiable acolyte’sConfusing everyone with terminologyThere are those that leanOn impeccable lineageWith flowery handsAnd embroidered feetSome have silk suitsThat ripple in the breezeThere are hippiesThat heal with ancestral energyThere are formsSo many formsPrayers to the ancestorsCombining meditation and energy workInto fighting techniquesPush hands to testStructural integrityAnd stop practitionersFrom just playing with themselvesBeneath all these facesLies the best structuredMost powerfulMethod of developingMental focusEmotional intelligenceGood health and vitalityAnd self defenceThat I’ve ever encountered Never judge a book by its cover. Continue reading Tai Chi’s A Funny Game

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The Perfect Workout

Steve Rowe

I don’t do short forms in Tai Chi. The Yang Chen Fu 108 for me along with the family neigong and qigong is the perfect morning ‘monk style’ workout that can be explored in a multitude of ways and the afternoon ‘warrior’ workout of the weaponry, Long Boxing and Sanshou set is perfect. Repeated techniques cover moving on the spot (grasp sparrow’s tail) with the 4 major jins (ward off, roll back, press, push), and rolling arms moving forward (brush knee), backward (repulse monkey) and sideways (waving hands like clouds). Other techniques cover the other jins and angles in a … Continue reading The Perfect Workout

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Releasing Energy

Steve Rowe

Understand how the body naturally builds up and releases energy and you understand how to use it in qigong and Tai Chi. This also applies to the internal energy in all martial art technique. Your morning stretch is different to your exercise stretches. This is because you build up your energy in your stretch and then release it to wake up. Notice the feeling that goes with the release. You do the same when you sneeze, yawn, when you go to the loo, when you ejaculate and even when dealing with emotion and pain. Understand this and you go a … Continue reading Releasing Energy

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Soft Front, Strong Back Reviews

Steve Rowe

3 BOOK REVIEWS- When we published this book I bought 300 to do as signed copies and have a few spare as gifts etc but surprisingly, nearly all have gone, so if you are in the U.K. and want one of the remaining copies, order it here on this link https://py.pl/1m5JAm Here are a couple of reviews you might find interesting….. Francis Briers – I got my copy of my long time teacher, Steve Rowe’s book and have started to read it today. What strikes me is how vulnerable Steve has been in writing honestly about himself and his life. … Continue reading Soft Front, Strong Back Reviews

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Use Your Calendar

Steve Rowe

In my 50 years of training I always put the years training and seminar dates in my calendar first and then worked everything else around them where possible. Every year in June I do my following year’s calendar and give the dates out to all my students well in advance so they can do the same. Anyone that trains with me knows that every seminar will contain a lot of information that will never be given again. I view my calendar a month in advance, then each week and each day to remind me of what I’m doing and teaching. … Continue reading Use Your Calendar

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Tai Chi Is A Martial Art

Steve Rowe

Yang style Tai Chi is a ‘standard’ form of Chinese Kung Fu. It is a distillation of other arts and the techniques and principles are clearly recognisable in both Chinese and Japanese arts. Every hand shape in the gold standard Yang Chen Fu form and the internal mechanisms that work them can be found in a good version of Tensho (Rokkishu) kata that also has its origins in White Crane Kung Fu. Every technique in the form can be effectively used through the ‘gates’ of the arms generally can be applied in locking, throwing, blocking, striking, strangling, choking, cavity pressing, … Continue reading Tai Chi Is A Martial Art

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Shamanism In Tai Chi

Steve Rowe

Shamanism in Tai Chi. We focus mainly on the snake, crane and tiger, these 3 animals are within every technique in a variety of ways. Snake is bound to the earth, our primalenergies and reptilian brain. It represents our qi energy, the way we move against the earth, the way we ‘coil’ bonelessly in movement, wrap around the opponent and escape grips and holds. It also represents the ‘spit’ and venom of a sudden attack. Tiger represents our mammalian energies, our powerful intention, qi projection, bone, tendon and muscular power, our structural integrity in framing our body, tearing techniques and … Continue reading Shamanism In Tai Chi