Tag: martial arts

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The Blind Men And The Elephant

Steve Rowe

Tai Chi teachers often remind me of the blind men and the elephant. Tai Chi by its very nature is impossible to define and however we try, we will always make it less than it is. We can only lead a student toward their own enlightenment from opinion and let them make their own journey to see what we are unable to fully describe. It’s the same for a teacher in any art. We have to be careful that we don’t let our ego get in the way and give people the impression that only we have the ‘real’ Tai … Continue reading The Blind Men And The Elephant

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Eagle Eye

Steve Rowe

Eagle Eye…. I’ve already broken down what both chi and intention is and the eyes can also lead the intention. In Tai Chi we have the ‘eye form’ where in the beginning we use the eyes to draw the chi to the leading hand in the form, this helps us to develop the qualities of intention helping to keep our awareness, concentration, sensitivity, intensity and emotional content (our mindfulness) in an unbroken thread throughout the entire form. When we have internalised this skill and it becomes a natural part of our form, we can then focus on the secondary hand … Continue reading Eagle Eye

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Signed Books & Tai Chi Programme

Steve Rowe

From ‘Icebergs Instead Of Mountains’ available in the next couple of weeks on the links below….. Preface by Bryan Andrews Chairman of the Governing Body for Chinese Martial Arts in Britain.I’ve known Steve Rowe for over 32 years now, as a personal student of his taking regular private lessons with him and initially training on his courses and then later helping him on those courses. Although holding 9th Dans in karate and kung fu, he’s not like many senior masters. Steve does not follow to the way of ‘monkey see monkey do,’ rather his approach is to teach the principles … Continue reading Signed Books & Tai Chi Programme

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Beautiful Hands

Steve Rowe

In Tai Chi we say that you must have ‘beautiful hands’. The hands are extensions of the eyes, tongue and nose, they ‘see, taste and smell’, in their own way at a distance. The cupped palm is directly connected to the arches of the feet and the fingers are tentacles upon the tentacles that are the hands. The fingers, palms and wrists form bows along with the elbows and armpits to stimulate, store and release energy from the lower body. In Tai Chi the hands constantly flex and change, expressing the nature of each technique, they claw like a tiger, … Continue reading Beautiful Hands

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The Darkness

Steve Rowe

Carrying on with life normallyAnd suddenly, without warningAn overwhelming darkness descendsEverything is wrongYou don’t want to be hereDeath is preferable to lifePeople wonder why others suddenly end their lifeIt’s because the mask slipsThe darkness is always thereDeep down, we know life is wrongWe all have Stockholm syndromeWe’re abducted into a bodyEnergy becomes desireThe thirst of wantingOr not wantingControls everythingWe spend all our timeDriven by that which cannot make us happyWealth and beauty are emptyLook at the wealthy and beautifulSee the snarl on the lipsThe emptiness in the eyesThe bullying satisfactionOr lording their wealth and empty beauty over youThey are the … Continue reading The Darkness

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My Poor Old Vehicle

Steve Rowe

My vehicle is 73 years oldThe paintwork is scarred beyond beliefThe joints are rusted, don’t work and creakThere are essential bits missingIt’s gone round the clock a few timesWouldn’t pass an MOTIn the past was driven way too hardGiven the wrong type of fuelThe driver has been a complete idiotBut it’s served wellYou have to love itSo many memoriesEvery bit of wear and tearTells a storyWould I trade it in for a new modelNot likelyWhen this one goesI’m giving up driving. Steve Rowe Continue reading My Poor Old Vehicle

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Monkey Mind

Steve Rowe

Our body’s ego and physical, mental and emotional needs can be tricky bastards. It’s like being an alcoholic or drug addict, when we’re not being mindful we revert to type. With mindfulness training we can gain insight into our faults and indoctrinations, identify them and change our behaviour to become a wiser person, but we need to be permanently vigilant or we regress. It’s like swimming upstream, if we stop swimming, we go backwards. The Buddha said that once we’ve built a house it’s important to keep the roof in good repair. The ego is a very powerful narcotic. I’ve … Continue reading Monkey Mind

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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