Like a lot of xingyi practitioners, I am intensely curious about how xingyi was actually trained in the early days of the style, i.e. the second and third generations of practitioners who really made the Read more…
As regular readers of this blog may know, since around the middle of last year I have been investigating (actually starting over completely afresh as a beginner in) Hao style taijiquan, particularly the current branch Read more…
I recently received Byron Jacob’s comprehensive reference book on xingyiquan “Dragon Body, Tiger Spirit” as a birthday gift. The more I read through the book, the more I realised how thorough the book is, certainly Read more…
The Yang style taiji teacher Fu Zhongwen, through the efforts of his students and family, is well-known throughout the taiji world. What is less known is that he had a brother, Fu Zongyuan, who also Read more…
One thing that is fascinating to me about traditional CMA is discovering connections between teachers from traditions that were ostensibly separate but were around the CMA scene at the same time. One such connection I Read more…
The week-long National Day (ε½εΊθ) holiday is one of the longest public holidays in the mainland Chinese calendar, and traditionally is both a time when people make longer trips at home and abroad. Also in Read more…
As part of my ongoing quest to improve my pushing hands, at the tail end of the summer I made contact with a teacher named Liu who is well known for his push hands and Read more…
After a long summer hiatus, I have to admit my goal of posting at least once a month has fallen by the wayside. After all, it only makes sense to post when there is actually Read more…
In early June I sat down for a fun conversation centering on Song style xingyiquan in Beijing with Raphael Smith (dialling in via Zoom), ably hosted by xingyiquan lover Byron Jacobs, who is an accomplished Read more…
In lieu of my May training update, I’d instead like to share a fun interview between myself and Robbie Coons, a long-time practitioner of the 3 internal arts (taiji, bagua and xingyi) and also a Read more…