cloudz: in out, shake it all about log

Discussion in 'Training Logs' started by cloudz, Jan 19, 2017.

  1. cloudz

    cloudz Valued Member

    Just over 3 years!
    wow how time flies away from us eh.

    a lot has changed for me personally, but still plugging away at 'the training' (tm)
    lockdowns really curtailed my class/ group/ teacher interactions a fair bit.

    to give an idea.. I booked 10 privates with my tai chi teacher in early 2020 and have just completed them.
    My main achievement from this was finally learning the full 24 neigong set from my tcc teacher (HK Wu style through CTH)

    the last group training I did was a meet up in Oxford just before the first lockdowns, organised by Nick Osipzcak.
    that was set to be a regular thing, but lockdowns happened and now he moved all the way to Cornwall.
    A shame as he's someone I definitely would have continued working with.

    I recall driving back from there feeling fairly happy with my level of tai chi/ mma.
    Now I feel like a bit of a scrub with some work to do to regain that level.

    In that couple years I think I only managed meeting up a couple time with a long time training partner.
    and then my last couple privates switched from solo work to partner work.

    that feels like a lot of missed partner work to make up for!
    Today marks my first foray back to a public indoor class (TCC).
    maybe have been too cautious, myself and my wife have somehow not caught covid yet, where seemingly so many of the folks we know have had it.
    I said to my my wife now all the precautions are out the window we'll be sure to get it this year.

    I'm excited for it, have missed it for sure. I think I'd enjoy coming back to this blog, my plan class wise is get back to a regular weekly no gi bjj and tcc class maybe monthly or bi monthly as it's not local to me. I'll see how the travel works out tonight etc.
    so if I can I may fill in with a local MMA/MT/Boxing or training partner.
    something twice a week would be awesome for at least 2-3 months.

    Another bit of big personal news is I had a second child in 2020, August.
    A great little boy who's a little over 1.5yrs now. Things seem to be getting a little easier, can see the path opening ahead to get back to pursuing martial arts non solo..
    where before it felt too difficult - and with covid so prevalent feeling like not worth the risk..

    thanks for reading.

    regards
    George
     
    Last edited: Apr 6, 2022
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  2. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    This post has such a nice positive vibe :) It looks like you're really happy about going back to classes and I can totally understand well. I hope you'll be able to find nice training opportunities.
    As you mentioned Taiji isn't local to you - is it that there's no Taiji school or that you simply want to stay with the teacher who moved?

    Belated congrats for your child! :)
     
    cloudz likes this.
  3. cloudz

    cloudz Valued Member

    Hey, thanks Nachi.
    Was good, really enjoyed the class; all 2.5 hrs of it!

    Warm up exercises; neigung and solo forms
    Moving step tui shou pattern; '7 star' (diagonal stepping)
    Pad work/ technique training: this was a little like building out on basic regular kind of padwork (striking based) with more tcc techniques.

    Pad holder would offer various target and feed attacks

    Hand strikes/ deflections and parries
    Add; elbows and backhand/fists - and doubling them up (ie. throw a right elbow to your left - strike the right pad on your way back
    Add; level change/ leg shot/seize/ 2 types of finish
    Add, a basic arm lock/ spin away from an arm at the shoulder - then blending this onto a classic defence from a double hand push.

    Lastly some free pushing - a stayed on the fix step, was looking to try moving but ran out of time really.

    This class is in town so I got the tube in, My teacher though lives local to me however. So when i first got back to training with him, I discovered he was doing a Sunday class/ group session in my local park - literally on my doorstep. For me that was perfect, but unfortunately didn't last forever. That prompted me to book privates with him, which we continued over lockdown, again at the park.

    When these park classes were running was more or less cycling through training at a bjj class, tai chi and sometimes with a long term training buddy.
    Will try and get a similar kind of thing going over this spring/summer. There is a Combat Academy close enough to me, where I took bjj. I will do the no gi this time, but also want to try out the Boxing, MT and MMA classes - they even have an MT for over 35's... like 35 is old lol !!

    But I think the main attraction there is the no gi, I just find it the most enjoyable fun to do now MA wise. I have a special affinity to Boxing, just not mad keen taking heavy head shots anymore though. Will see, it may not be that it would be a problem - looking forward to feel these things out at the Academy.

    What can i say, I have missed it. I guess absence really does make the heart grow fonder. If there's one takeaway from all this lockdowns and restrictions business is not to take such things for granted, those simple little freedoms. I was especially wary of a gym environment - I was considering returning last summer but just put it off - mostly fearing Covid - which blatantly sucks.

    regards
     
  4. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    Awesome all round, and particular congratulations on the birth of your son :)

    Re covid, I'm assuming I will catch it and honestly surprised I haven't yet. I've been working in schools or with the public in classroom situations during the day, and teaching groups of adults and kids in gyms during the evenings. It will happen sooner or later, but there seems little rhyme or reason to it for now, and I'm not sure how much to worry about it now. I'm pretty much back to teaching as normal.
     
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  5. cloudz

    cloudz Valued Member

    Quick update

    This week I'm hoping to check out a really local boxing class next to me, no more than ten minutes walking distance it's at a boxing gym that's been here a while so should be good. five years in this house and still not checked this out, shame on me!

    Since my last post have gotten in a BJJ morning class, the one I went to before as well as meeting up again with my long term training partner after a pretty long gap. The BJJ class was a double edged sword, I'll explain..

    New regular instructor which is cool as before it was usually chopping and changing who took the class. At that time it was a beginners class, but that's not the case anymore, that's fine though..

    However, it just so happened the instructor chose that week to change up the class a bit to being rolling heavy. rather than the regular warm up - technique drills - sparring roughly in thirds maybe sparring less so quite often. We went warm up, one technique drill and straight into sparring from stand up position (before we started on the floor).

    I was ok for about 10- 15 minutes perhaps.. took as much break between a round as i could. Was in a great position on top at one point, I think mount and the nausea started to strike, then came the gag reflex!

    Needless to say I had to disappear to the bathroom to sort myself out.
    The joys of training eh. :)
     
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  6. cloudz

    cloudz Valued Member

    so was out in the garden last weekend, in the lovely hot weather, doing some training.

    here's my tai chi
    hope you enjoy
    this is not a fixed form
    a framework really where different things can instinctively and intuitively come out

    like a culmination of sorts. Also much more fun than following a fixed form every time.:)
    (not that I'm very capable of doing that these days)

     
  7. cloudz

    cloudz Valued Member

    am seeing about muting the music in the background - copyright stuff
    meh, that's slightly annoying
     
  8. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    It says the video is private. I can't see :(
     
  9. cloudz

    cloudz Valued Member

    yea, my apologies - reloaded now, new link
    enjoy :)

     
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  10. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    Thanks for reuploading :
    The filter looks interesting, almost like a moving painting :)
    What style of Taiji does this originate from? Is is Yang? There are probably influences from other martial arts, too, right? In some techniques, especially at the end, it seems more moving around and you being light on your feet.

    My Taiji teacher says that it is also one of the goals to be able to use Taiji in any move and be able to move freely with Taiji principles in it, so I think something like you do here. I haven’t been able to try that, yet, I don’t feel I am at the level to do that, or that I am just bad ith iprovisation. So what I mean to say is that it’s good to see what a free form may look like, so thanks :)

    And also, wow, you have a nice home gym!
     
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  11. cloudz

    cloudz Valued Member

    Thanks Nachi

    You pose some interesting questions.. I have to say the base style I have used is Chen Pan Ling taiji, and the inspiration for this style of practice is Yang Shao Hou. He was a teacher to Chen Pan Ling; who synthesised his form based on Yang S Hou; as well as Wu style and Chen style teachers/ forms.

    As well as Chen Pan Ling - 2 variants, I also picked up some other Yang style, Wu style and some Sun style along the way.
    What you're seeing, in my view, represents, broadly speaking, and older style of taiji practice. The uniform slow, steady state form of practice has become the mainstay in tai chi. I don't think it should be the goal, rather a stepping stone.

    Some styles have kept more advanced forms, many haven't.

    So yes, mobile stepping, agility, greater physicality(jumps/leaps), force issuing, changeable techniques, changing pace is good practice - I believe, that should find its way into your 'final expression'. With the caveat being, my idea of (what is optimal) taiji is based on 'old yang' - more specifically what's been written about the style of YSH. Of course not all agree, or they may prefer other kinds of styles etc.

    When I do this kind of practice it will never be the same river twice; all taiji forms more or less have the same framework - so within that, freedoms emerge, so to speak. Once you find a certain wu wei in the form practice - what emerges and how, well thats a lovely thing for sure.

    happy training
    regards
     
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  12. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    Thanks for the explanation. I am not knowledgeable in the various Taiji style, as I have only tried one... You probably have more insight this as you've tried several. It's good to know!

    That said, my style is Chen, so the way I learn certainly isn't only uniform slow movement. Mostly it is, but there are either fast moves, kick, turns, jumps, etc., and sometimes we would try a whole form relatively fast etc. I do like it that way. To change the pace and not always do everything slow.

    Since you mention you see "optimal taiji" in "old yang", do you perhaps have a video example? And why do you think it's optimal (again, I don't really know what "old yang" looks like).

    That sounds like a nice and enjoyable thing to do :)
     
  13. cloudz

    cloudz Valued Member

    Hey

    yea, other styles, Chen being one, do have these elements in their practice. Likely Chen has it more than most.
    it's tricky to generalise about TCC as it's such a broad church, didn't really mean to do that.

    think we've had a miscommunication:

    "mobile stepping, agility, greater physicality(jumps/leaps), force issuing, changeable techniques, changing pace"
    this kind of thing is what I meant by 'optimal taiji'.

    and that I've used 'old yang' (of yang shao hou) as my model/ inspiration - for want of a better terms.
    not that old yang is optimal per se.

    there's a few forms I've seen over the years that I've really liked.
    don't have all the links handy, but this one from YSH lineage that's really nice and is a good example.


    the Dong style fast form is also pretty cool - I put up a copy of this bit of film on youtube myself years ago, so yeah love this! Dong/Tung learnt under Yang Cheng Fu, and developed this himself as I understand it. Not the best bit of film but there's just something about it..


    something to note is that these guys are doing fixed forms, so not really the same as what I'm doing in the video, which is pretty much 'on the fly', so to speak. I think when you do the same exact form over and over it gets a lot more polished.

    regards
     
    Last edited: Aug 16, 2022
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