Tag: martial arts

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Belief and Faith

Steve Rowe

This is an important difference that I think a lot of people miss. If you ‘believe’ something, it means that you don’t know, are going to guess if it’s true and cling to it. You can’t get past the first limited stage of learning. I try to avoid that. If you have ‘faith’ in something it means that you yield to it and let it do its work unhindered. Blind faith is not good, but faith in a tried and tested idea or system means that you won’t get in the way of learning. Faith in a good teacher, a … Continue reading Belief and Faith

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Our Inner Animal

Steve Rowe

Our inner animal. If untrained, when it escapes, it controls us in the wrong way at the wrong time. Just like a puppy it needs to mix socially and be trained, educated and alchemised, the best way to do this is with quality martial arts training from a good teacher. In a good club we let it out to play with the other students for wrestling and play fighting. Club camaraderie is an excellent environment for this to happen. This is how all animals learn to hunt and fight. Any other method (aggressive and fear-mongering clubs and teachers) creates a … Continue reading Our Inner Animal

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Psychic Vampires

Steve Rowe

Watch out for toxic people. Often they try to ingratiate themselves into your life very quickly, being over friendly and start by doing you favours you never asked for. They will begin by ‘bigging you up’ with exaggerated titles like ‘master’ ‘shihan’ and so on to get reflected glory. When they don’t get what they want (grades, certificates, acknowledgement and recognition for example) they start blaming you for everything that’s wrong in their life usually exaggerating or downright lying. You need to recognise these signs as soon as possible and cut them out whatever the cost. Others are the negatives, … Continue reading Psychic Vampires

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Everyday Training

Steve Rowe

Some days I feel fatigued and unwell so my morning training is slow, small frame and deliberate to recharge my system. Some days my arthritis is bad and I need momentum and small frame to carry me over the pain points, excite my system a little and ease the stiffness. Some days I feel good so I move and stretch my core to the max with large frame letting my enthusiasm enjoy, excite and move my body and energy. Some days I want to carry my deep meditation on into the form so move with great intensity like I’m underwater … Continue reading Everyday Training

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Mindful Training

Steve Rowe

I teach the opposite. Too many people think that their way is the only way. Everyone is different, and ‘one size to fit all’ is for people that are unable or too lazy to think for themselves. We need to understand ourselves, our body, emotions, how our mind works, and listen to our body, energy, instincts and emotions, set our goals and plan a routine with expert advice if possible on how to achieve them and be prepared to alter it if it isn’t working. An 80 yrs old arthritic sufferer, a 40 yrs old mum, someone rehabilitating from illness … Continue reading Mindful Training

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Lineage and Secrets

Steve Rowe

One of the things we discussed today was ‘secret teachings’ and ‘lineage’ emanating from some of the silly posts that crop up on social media. Who has ‘the secrets’ and who doesn’t is an incredibly childish argument and understanding by narrow minded people. Firstly there’s good and bad teachers and they can come from all sources, some with family lineage and some without. There’s also good and bad students taught by the good teachers. How can you tell who is who?Simple.Get hands on with them and feel for yourself.Look at their character, track record and development.Look at their senior students, … Continue reading Lineage and Secrets

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Tai Chi With Closed Eyes?

Steve Rowe

Should you practice Tai Chi with your eyes closed? Yes and no. The eyes direct your intent and the intent directs the chi. By looking at the yang (husband) hand you are cultivating the chi to that point for striking and pushing etc. By looking to the yin (wife) hand you are cultivating it for yielding, pulling or shaking etc. By looking at the opponent you are cultivating the technical combative use. By closing them you are cultivating the internal use for sensitivity and allowing the chi to use its own intelligence and give you insight to its use for … Continue reading Tai Chi With Closed Eyes?

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Kime and Fajin

Steve Rowe

Kime and FajinWords are always inadequate and can only point the way to a much deeper meaning. If you say ‘kick’ to a non martial artist, they’d think of kicking a football or a tin can, a martial artist would think of something far deeper and a senior martial artist even deeper still. Translating from one language to another confuses it even more. I often see heated discussion between people looking at the same thing through different windows that can’t see it’s the same. The literal translation of Japanese or Chinese words is insufficient for the martial arts. The word … Continue reading Kime and Fajin

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Get Real

Steve Rowe

Doesn’t matter how much you imagine it, it’s never the same as direct experience. Be it violence, cancer, enlightenment, mental health problems, amputation, or penetrating the shell to get that spontaneous freedom within your art. I feel sorry for the people that have an ‘easy life’ because without that essential hardship and paying their dues, they never get the essential insight and wisdom. So many are just travellers in life, wearing the masks and having an easy time, and it makes me wonder, WTF are they doing here? They’re like the ‘copy and paste’ internet version of humans. If you … Continue reading Get Real

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Chi Is Like Chewing Gum

Steve Rowe

Chi is like chewing gum.Chewing gum is hard and stiff but gets softer and can change shape the more you chew it. When I start my Tai Chi in the morning my chi is cold and stiff so I have use my mind, sensitivity and intention in slow careful movements to give it time to move around the body. It’s like an army sitting in my abdomen waiting to move, it sends out the scouts, then the army moves and finally the stragglers. As my body, mind, sensitivity and intention warm up and connect, the army eventually moves as one … Continue reading Chi Is Like Chewing Gum