Updates

Taijiquan is getting very interesting now as we continue to build upon our push hands foundation. Every day for 30 minutes during Taijiquan training, we practice centering and rooting.

I'm really diggin all this Taijiquan training. Push hands is an incredible experience. Farai, our guest from Southern California, like I posted before is a push hands freak. I've pushed with him several times, never once knowing what I'm doing (Like I said we're in the most basic foundational stages)! Pushing with Farai usually results in me getting pushed off center. Oh well. Next year Farai when you come back, and I actually know what I'm doing, the rematch is on Homes!

We are in the process of developing a Traditional Kung Fu Body Conditioning Training DVD. As the name suggests the DVD will demonstrate the traditional methods of foundational body conditioning that we have trained here at the center. This is a really exciting project as this will be our first DVD.


Lastly, our guest Jeff decided once again that the Retreat Center was not his path. I took him to the airport early last week. I got along with him very well and will miss our deep conversations.

Questions and Answers Invitation

Usually at the end of every training day we all sit together with Shifu for 1 hour of questions and answers. We talk about Qigong, Taijiquan, Kung fu, life and whatever else may be on our minds. Some pretty interesting topics and discussions come up. If anyone following my blog or the YMAA CA Retreat Center has any questions they would like me to bring up during this discussion period, please feel free to email me them and I'll email or post Shifu's response.

Whats New

We have 2 guests Farai and Jeff staying here with us. Jeff was here once before as a hopeful candidate. He helped Shifu move from Boston last year. He left shortly after arriving having decided that this was not the life for him. After a year went by he decided he wanted to give the kung fu life a second try. He called Shifu, made arrangements and arrived a couple weeks ago. Well, after being here for a second time he’s once again decided that this is not the life for him. I can understand…the kung fu life is not an easy one. Jeff’s a cool guy and will be missed when he leaves this Tuesday morning.

Farai is from Southern California like me. He’s taken some Taijiquan seminars with Shifu in the past. He’s a push hands freak. He’s always trying to push hands with everybody which is cool. My classmates and myself have only just begun learning the basics of push hands and so our experience is very limited. Farai offers a fun challenge and a good opportunity to get experience. When he and I push, I am usually the one that gets tossed around. Enjoy it while you can Farai! Ha Ha Ha (demented laugh)!

Training is progressing. My hugest areas of improvement are in running and jumping. I’m now jumping like the rest of the guys and also running up the mountain with 50 lbs of pain (also known as rocks) in my backpack.
2 more months of running and then we ditch that for Long Fist and White Crane techniques and sequences. We’re all excited about that.