Many people think that taijiquan (tai chi) uses yielding as a primary strategy for self defence. The truth is that tai chi strategy is much more direct. Read More...

It might be theoretically possible for a punch to travel faster than the speed of sound* for a very short distance. (*about 355m/s or 1130 ft/s or 1230 km/h or 770 mph) But this would only be possible if one could conserve the momentum of the whole body and transfer it efficiently to the fist.

In classical mechanics momentum is equal to mass times velocity. P=mv Read More...

It was with great dismay that we learned of the attack on Sunday morning by assailants who are alleged to have used “nunchucks” in the attack. 

But we were also appalled to read the article describing the attack as a “Martial-arts-style beating” and claiming that the alleged assailant, who is charged with attempted murder, “tore a page form a martial-arts textbook”

There is no such thing as a “martial-arts-style beating!”, and there is no martial arts textbook that advocates such a beating. Read More...

How essential really is push hands? Can we not learn or advance in tai chi without it? Are we not doing real tai chi without knowledge of push hands?

Push hands is a defining characteristic of taijiquan. Along with qigong, forms and application practice, push hands contributes to the physical, mental, spiritual and psychological development of a taiji player. It is seen as a continuation of the practical development that begins with the solo routine and qigong. Read More...

Pushing hands, (推手, tuī shǒu), is a name for two-person training routines practised in internal Chinese martial arts such as baguazhang, Xingyiquan, Taijiquan and Yiquan.

Tuishou is the gateway to the martial aspects of taijiquan. It teaches students the methods and strategies for neutralising an attack without resorting to brute force. Pushing hands counters the normal tendency to react to force with fear and aggression, and allows one instead to respond with natural instinct, softness, and emptiness.

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Tags: tuishou, push hands, pushing hands, peng, lu, ji, an, taijiquan, tai chi

Important points:
Training is not Fighting

During practice, some element of real combat is always put aside, in order to enable students to practise safely. We may regulate speed, or accuracy, or intent, or power, or some other aspect. This is a matter of respect and common sense.

Your goal should be to develop profound skill and awareness. This can only be done in a relaxed state. Part of training is learning how to maintain this relaxed awareness in the face of increasing levels of conflict. Read More...

The Warrior's Peace - Part I
by Ian Sinclair

“I am not a pacifist. I don’t believe in passive anything.”
- Mahatma Gandhi

When I tell people that I teach “martial arts - not violence,” it becomes clear that few people truly understand the nature of martial arts, just as few understand the real nature of peace. Read More...