The
art of Tai Chi that is practiced daily in the local playground goes almost unnoticed by the neighbors. Yet every morning
people get up and meet at an agreed upon time, in an agreed upon location, and move their energy, circulate it, make it grow!
Some do the Cha Cha, some dance to pop, or waltz, everyone is breathing and moving. It is the most social time of the
day for some. You can see three or four different classes going on at the same time these days. I often alternate
days with different teachers. Acceptance in a class might be as simple as getting behind someone and just following
or depending on the energy you walk with the selection process by you or a teacher may be necessary.
I saw this man performing in the park, and the form which
he demonstrated during his own personal practice just blew me away. Martial content and applications were very visable
and apparent to me. Balance, focus, potential for power, timing, continuity, grace, all there. The man's body
type was even similar to my own build. I was home.
Now all I had to do was get this man to teach me what I
just saw. How could I become worthy of the investment a sifu makes in a student? I just kept showing up, hot,
cold, icy, humid, dry, weekday, weekend, sunrise, sunset, I was there. Then I started to get there before anyone else.
I would have a complete workout before anyone would show. Then class would begin. I found myself humming these
tunes?
Anyway, that was 18 years ago and I am following in the
footsteps of the teacher. I am still very enthusiastic about each approaching class, and I still practice weekly with
the Master. I want to continue to learn and practice this
art called: "Morning Tai Chi".
The offerring I make here are the expression of the art
I learned, and continue to learn and practice with the same man.
Due to the fact that I have been told "my father no want famous" I will only work
through my own reputation and recognition. My name is Ruben Torres, I have studied other art forms over the past
38 years but I look forward to this journey of investigation into "Morning Tai Chi".
For the past 18 years I have worked on the expression of
the sifu.
The way he executed his postures and transitional movements and shifts while maintaining
a correct posture with relaxed breathe patterns, made me realize my
training had only just begun.
Its easy for me to look back and recollect the events and
know what would have yielded good results. I didn't even know about the concept of empty/solid, light/heavy, these are
basic, even what I thought about circular movement and the arts only skimmed the surfice of this aspect. Without an
understanding of cantonese, I was lost.
Without writing about the year that immediately followed
my meeting with the teacher, I will tell you that most of the beginning postures I learned from watching outside the fence,
outside the class parameters of the class.
The teacher would not teach a student he could not talk
to, share the intent, the history, the concepts behind the forms, and how they were to be used. How could there be a
transmission from teacher to student if they could not talk?
I would like to share the "alphabet" I learned from my
Sifu.
This class is called: Morning Tai Chi.
I am presently working out of Sunset Park on a daily basis.
Of course its cold now, and finding places the wind doesn't go and the sun shines
in, leads me to all the other players.
Through a series of drills of postures and transitions
from form to form, I learned what the teacher was saying to me.
During our private time, Sifu would review my postures and applications, my stepping
and weight distribution/commitment, my ability to flow through the basic drills, then he would use counters, angles, folding,
and unfolding to access escapes and locks, and throws.
For years now, he has continued to surprise me with more
and more forms used in the Push Hands drills.
Every form has an application!
Many have multiple applications.
The drills I learned for developing Stationary and Moving
Push Hands skills-I teach to my students from the very beginning.
Understanding comes in stages.
You always begin again.
We are not fighting. These drills are for training!
We parctice an internal and external art for Self Developement.
The drills may influence the performance and application of the form.
The student first learns the postures and the
stepping, then the form. (a suggestion>)
The student should mimic and mime what is seen during the practice
of the form portion of the class.
This is following from beginning to end the complete form, whether its
a empty hand form, a fan style form, a sword form, etc. Don't forget to keep your eyes on the Teacher!
When you stop looking, you stop learning.
We did three different Chi Kung Sets, depending on the time of year. 18, 28,
and Beat the Drum.
This would always precede the forms.
After the forms, we do the fan, then the sword forms, review is next.
If there is time, we may review Push Hands basics,
Stationary fixed-single hand drills, Double Hand drills,
then Moving Single Hand drills
followed by Moving Double Hand drills.
Cloudhands may follow if the students develop an understanding
