Month: August 2009

10 Exercises #1

At a recent Bagua Zhang class Sifu leads the group through the ’10 Exercises’.I learned this set from Master Leung Kay-Chi in the park in Boston during the summer of 1979, when I first started to study Bagua Zhang.These 10 Exercises are shot in real time (with 10 repetitions each exercise) and will be published one per post. This is the first of ten posts: #1 Exercise, nine more posts to come. I have a number of variations that I use for the various martial arts and classes that I teach. This particular set of posts will be the originals (as I remember them) that I learned from Master Leung.Many thanks to Master Leung for sharing these very special exercises with me all those years ago. I’ve been practicing them regularly now for three decades and have taught them a few thousand times. I have seen excellent results, especially for those that have practiced them regularly (daily), over an extended period of time (decades). Lesson 1:The 10 Exercises are excellent calisthenics! Do 100 repetitions each and see what I mean!!They are also an excellent set of Qigong exercises….With T’an T’ien Breathing..Do them slowly with mind intention…They will help you to develop correct inner and outer principles and feelingsthat lead to excellent martial arts skills, balance and whole body power!They will help you to cultivate robust health: A strong, flexible, coordinated body and….. a calm and centered mind……

How to tie a Karate or Arnis belt

Sifu helps his grand daughter Genna R. learn to tie her White belt. Thanks to Dylan R. for his excellent camera work!Lesson 1:Starting at the T’an T’ien (Hara – Middle) of the belt, place it on the T’an T’ien of their body (Belly button).While holding the belt at their middle, take the left side all the way around first and put that end under.Then take the right side all the way around, on top, (no twists please) and keep that end on topAdjust the tightnessThen take the ‘right’ side which should be on top and go under bothFlip the bottom one overTake the top one over the bottom and up through the middlePull side way’s carefully,to ‘set’ the knotadjust the ‘ears’ downwardThe opening in the knot should be facing to their right sideat Black Belt we change the knot so that the opening goes to the leftLesson 2:Originally, all belts were white they were what held the Samurais underwear together it’s called a Gi (sounds like key with a softer K)belts should not be washedafter each workout the Karate-Ka would wipe their browthe new knowledge would then go into the beltthe sweat, tears, blood and dirt from the workout becomes part of the beltas time goes on….eventually the belt would turn yellow…then green….brown and finally would be BLACK! If you saw a Karate-Ka with a Black Belt you knew that they were a serious practitioner having earned that color belt by actually practicing!Lesson 3:After their belt turned black and the Karate-Ka continued on the path to masteryThe black outer casing would wear out and the inner white part would show through…The Karate-Ka had made a full cyclereturning back to the beginning!Lesson 4:If you see a Karate-Ka with a Black Belt and the outer casing is wearing off and the inner, white part, is showing throughIf the belt is ragged and wornYou know that they have practiced a lotcontinuously, for decades and decades……You’re now looking at a Master!