Tag: kung fu

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How Deep Can You Go?

Steve Rowe

How deep can you train your body? How well can you manipulate the spine and myofascial core that moves it along with the vagus nerve? This, along with plumbing beyond thought and emotions to finding the deepest parts of yourself that connect you to nature are what give you a health and inner peace beyond what any modern ‘health guru’ can. Good Tai Chi, layered from meditation to neigong (inner work) to qigong (energy work) to form, push hands and weapons carefully layers these skills, training body, emotions and mind at depths that I don’t see anywhere else. It was … Continue reading How Deep Can You Go?

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Were The Ancients That Good?

Steve Rowe

Were the ancients that good? No internet, travel was really difficult, most couldn’t read or write, what little video is available was made when they were old and most didn’t move that well. Of course we respect them as they were the founders of what we practise today and some obviously were really good, but how many? The lineage carriers were often bloodline and to be honest that doesn’t mean the talent of the originator was passed down, often, non family students were better. I’ve often heard people say that the masters ‘hide’ techniques from students but in my experience … Continue reading Were The Ancients That Good?

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Closing All The Windows

Steve Rowe

Closing All The Windows The computer was designed by and is like the human mind. When you close all the active windows, what’s left? It appears to be nothing, a blank screen, but it’s actually the potential to do anything the computer or its programmer can do. When we sit still, breathe deep and close all the activity of our mind, the mind appears to be inactive but is in fact in a state of readiness to accept the insight and wisdom that our ‘windows’ (thinking mind) has been blocking that has always been there in the background. Closing the … Continue reading Closing All The Windows

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Old Was More Effective

Steve Rowe

What’s lacking in most modern marts? Power. People are derisory toward 70’s and 80’s Karate and Kung Fu because of their simplicity and training methods, but the truth is that the good practitioners of those days would smash straight through most of the modern technicians. They may have been raw but they had the components that worked for real and they tested it every bloody, bone crunching training session and in security work where there was no badges or cameras, only hard earned reputations. Why were they so much more powerful? Because they practised hour after hour of rock solid … Continue reading Old Was More Effective

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I Am Beautiful

Steve Rowe

I am beautiful. That’s not a ‘guru’ style bogus affirmation, at 74, with a barrel rather than a 6 pack, riddled with arthritis, a missing leg, more wrinkles than a crumpled crisp packet and more scars than a Russian gangster my body is my best friend and a record of an exciting life. I am beautiful. Because despite its battering my body is suffused with chi (life energy), alchemised and educated into geng (warrior energy) and then shen (spiritual energy) by trained emotions and a mind that has trained and meditated twice a day for over 50 years. I am … Continue reading I Am Beautiful

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2026 Shi Kon Tai Chi Coaching Programme

Steve Rowe

No Previous Experience Necessary.This one day a month for 10 months programme will be taught personally by Steve Rowe 9th Dan and his team of assistants, Steve is an internationally renowned Tai Chi teacher, Chairman and founder of Shi Kon Martial Arts International.  The programme has been running for 9 years and has qualified over a 100 coaches, it is designed to certificate and give Tai Chi Students the ability to teach Tai Chi and run and administer a club to a basic level standard. Participants will be registered with Shi Kon Martial Arts International Association and the British Council … Continue reading 2026 Shi Kon Tai Chi Coaching Programme

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Trust Your Gut

Steve Rowe

Over the years, I’ve learned the hard way to trust my gut. The moment I meet someone I know whether they are a ‘wrong ‘un’ or not. Unfortunately I’ve not always listened to it, only to discover in the end that I should have – and sometimes it’s cost me dearly. It’s important to meditate and learn about your instincts and how important it is to rely on them. Your head and heart can mess you up, but your gut never does. Continue reading Trust Your Gut

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I’m Not To Blame!

Steve Rowe

There’s nothing worse than having walked the road and got to the destination in the martial arts to watch those that want to get to the same destination, but you know that what they’re doing won’t get them there and they are convinced that it will. The irony is that if you try to tell them they will be offended and defensive, they’ll come to you for instruction in the art but then not believe you if you try to tell them why what they’re doing won’t get them there. We’re not always right, but with the experience we have, … Continue reading I’m Not To Blame!

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Emptying Hearts & Stuffing Bellies

Steve Rowe

Lao Tsu talks about a wise leader ‘emptying the hearts and stuffing the bellies of the nation’, and this has many levels of understanding. The word ‘karate’ often translated as ‘empty hand’ Funakoshi explained the ‘Kara’ part ‘empty’ as empty of (violent) intention and ‘te’ (hand) is generally understood as a term for martial art. Therefore an art of peace. Draining the chi (ki) from the heart to the belly calms the body, emotions and mind. Filling the belly is to retain and store power instead of losing it. This gives an absence of negative energies like fear and anger … Continue reading Emptying Hearts & Stuffing Bellies

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Demons Dressed As Martial Artists

Steve Rowe

Watch carefully. There are people in the martial arts world that will worm their way in to your world to try and control it to suit themselves. They will be very ‘gollomy’ and try to blow smoke up your backside calling you ‘Master’ or whatever they think will please you. They will do you ‘favours’ even when you haven’t asked for them and do anything to get in a position of power or control and get their name associated with yours. When you finally realise what they’re up to they will turn and try to use everything possible against you. … Continue reading Demons Dressed As Martial Artists