“Follow the rules but be flexible in applying them, and remember, nothing is absolute.” Chen Shaoxing.
In the West, our system of logic teaches us that something is either A or B, correct or incorrect and that it cannot be both. However, traditional Chinese philosophy teaches that something can be partly A and partly B simultaneously. This is seen in the theory of Yin/Yang. In the West, many people believe that Yin and Yang are polar opposites- dark or bright, soft or hard, heavy or light, female or male. In reality, Yin and Yang are infinitely divisible. Each contains part of the other within it. Therefore there is Yin within Yang and Yang within Yin in varying degrees. When one attains complete fullness, it transforms into the other. The theory of Yin/Yang is central to the make up of Chen Taijiquan. Today we want to focus on a practical application of that theory when practicing the forms of Chen Taijiquan. How to tell whether what you are being taught is correct and why so many practitioners do the forms differently.
Many Western Chen Taijiquan students have been taught to believe that there is only one correct way to do the movements in a given routine. Fortunately or unfortunately, this is not the case. For the dedicated student who want to learn as much about the art as possible, using resources like books or videos can often cause more confusion than clarity. A quick survey of Chen Taijiquan videos on YouTube will reveal that almost every practitioner does things differently. Your teacher may do some movements differently. Does that mean he is right and the others are wrong or is it the other way around?
Answering this question can be more complicated that it seems. If you compare videos of the four living Grandmasters- Chen Xiaowang, Chen Zhenglei, Zhu Tiancai, and Wang Xian - you will see that each one of them does many of the movements very differently from the others. Which Grandmaster is correct? Should I follow my teacher’s instructions or copy the way a Grandmaster? And which Grandmaster should I follow.
Even more confounding is that if you compare past and present videos of a given Grandmaster, you will see that they often did movements very differently in the past. This begs the question; if they were doing the movements correctly in the past, why did thy change them? If they were not doing them correctly back then, does that mean that they were practicing and teaching them incorrectly for most of their career? And what about their more recent videos? Are they performing the movements differently now because they corrected their mistakes or is it simply because they are older? Furthermore, what time period should I be studying? Should I imitate a Grandmasters older videos or the newest ones?
The simple answer to these questions is that they are all correct. All of the current Grandmasters studied under the same teacher, Chen Zhaopei, who reportedly refused to advance a student to the next movement until they had mastered the current one. Some Grandmasters remember having to practice a movement for up to six months before Chen Zhaopei was satisfied with their performance. Why then do they all do the movements differently? The answer is because at its highest level, Chen Taijiquan is a form of self-expression. Each Grandmaster’s journey has been different and their personal style reflects that. What you are seeing is the result of their personal development, the culmination of a life time of practice, growth and insight. Merely trying to copy them is pointless.
When performing the routines, each Grandmaster tends to emphasize movements and qualities that they believe are the most important and therefore each will emphasize something different. They also perform in a way that is most suitable for their personality and body type. Compare Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang and Chen Zhenglei for example. Chen Xiaowang has a powerful build. His movements are simple and clean with no extraneous movements. His fajin movements are explosive. Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei on the other hand has a slimmer build. His movements are elegant and beautiful to watch, His fajin movements are like a whip cracking. Each is expressing their own inner selves. The difference in their personalities can easily be seen in their calligraphy- Chen Xiaowang uses broad powerful strokes that produce striking compositions, while Chen Zhenglei’s characters are firm yet elegant and reveal an unbending inner strength. So which of them is correct? Of course the answer is that they both are. The question that you should be asking is which one’s style is right for you?
Of course, you may not have a choice. Your teacher may be the only one in the area or may be doing a style that is not the best for your personality or body type. In the beginning it is best not to worry about these issues But how do you know if you are learning the movements correctly? The honest answer is that in the beginning you can’t. The movements are so complicated that you simply have to trust your teacher. The first stage of Chen Taijiquan practice is to learn the entire routine from beginning to end and do the individual movements as best you can. Assuming that your teacher is properly trained and knowledgeable, it is best to simply follow his or her teaching exactly A good teacher will make sure a given movement is basically correctly before advancing you to the following movement.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt to take advantage of some of the useful resources that are available. Take a look at some YouTube videos. You have the combined teachings of the greatest practitioners in the world at your fingertips. To get the most out of these videos you first have to make sure you are looking at the right routine. Chen Taijiquan has two routines done in two very different ways. There is the First Form Old Frame (Laojia Yilu) and the Second From Old Frame (Laojia Erlu). The First and Second Form are also done in the New Frame method (Xinjia Yilu and Xinjia Erlu). The second form is also often called Cannon Fist whether in the Old or New Frame (laojia erlu paochui or xinjia erlu paochui). The Old Frame and New Frame look quite a bit different from each other so make sure you know which form you are watching to avoid further confusion.
There are also many shorter forms- 18 Movements, 19 Movements, 32 Movements, 56 Movements. Many of these were developed to make Chen Taijiquan accessible to those that don’t have the time or ability to practice the complete forms. Also many are used in Tai Chi competitions. Tai Chi competitors use deeper stances and more elaborate arm movements. They may look very different from what you are learning but unless you are planning to enter competitions, stick with studying the traditional forms.
Be aware that there are also quite a few fakes and charlatans out there. Once you’ve accounted for the variables listed above, if what you are doing doesn’t remotely resemble what the top traditional teachers are presenting, you might be studying with the wrong teacher. Chen Taijiquan is still rare enough that many people don’t know what it looks like and some folks out there will take advantage of people’s ignorance. I encourage my students to look at other teachers and will often explain the differences they are likely to see. My knowledge and performance are no where near the level of a Grandmaster but I vow to my students that what I’m teaching is authentic. I also constantly review the available teachings to make sure that I am giving my students the best information I can.
I learned Chen Taijiquan at the Chen Taijiquan School in Chenjiaguo in 1988. The school has always been administered by Chen Xiaowang’s brother Chen Xiaoxing. I also studied privately with one of Chen Xiaowang’s top disciples. After I returned to America however, I was on my own. Since Chen Taijiquan was so rare at the time, I was never able to find another instructor. Before YouTube came about, I was lucky to find some Chen Taijiquan DVD’s featuring Chen Zhenglei and I immediately bought them. As I watched them however, I was confused. Many of the movements were performed very differently than I remembered. I assumed the differences were due to my poor memory. However, when I tried to practice them, they just didn’t feel right. Had I been doing things wrong all these years? With the advent of YouTube, I was able to find some videos of Chen Xiaowang. His performances were much more the way I remembered but there were still some confusing differences. Eventually I came across a video of Chen Xiaowang performing in 1984 and to my surprise and relief, saw that he was doing the forms exactly the way I had learned them. I realized that over the years (in which he also was without a teacher) changes had naturally come about as he reached deeper levels of understanding on his own. To understand what he had changed over the years and why, one would have to study directly under him for an extended period of time. So I usually tell my students that we are traveling back in time to 1988 when I learned the form. I’m sure as my knowledge and insight continue and grow, the form I teach ten years from now may look very different from what I teach now.
Though I am from the lineage of Chen Xiaowang and find that his way of performing the movements suits me, I also understand that each of the other Grandmaster’s methods are equally valid. My apprentice began her studies under one of Chen Zhenglei’s top students, Yue Liming, who is also slim and elegant in his movements. She is much more suited to their way of performing the movements than to Chen Xiaowang’s. In her own practice, I do not try to force her to do things the way I do. I encourage her to perform the movements the way she was taught. I view my duty as trying to help her reach the deeper levels of Chen Taijiquan practice. As far as my students go, I pass on to them what I was originally taught, along with whatever insights I may have gained along the way. Ultimately, I know that if they continue on their Chen Taijiquan journey, they will one day reach a point when their practice will become a form of self-expression which may end up looking very different from what I originally taught them.This is the extraordinary beauty of Chen Taijiquan. Ultimately, these differences don’t really matter.
So does this mean that there is no right or wrong in Chen Taijiquan and everyone can do whatever they want? No, it’s actually just the opposite. In the beginning, you must follow the rules exactly; proper posture, proper stances, complete relaxation, flowing from one movement to the next, etc. You should have faith in your teacher and follow his or her instruction even if this means that you will be making the same mistakes that he or she makes. Mistakes are unavoidable and a teacher can only teach what they know. However, a superior teacher will constantly be correcting and refining their abilities and understanding. They should freely pass that knowledge on to you and encourage you to investigate other instructors and teachings. A superior teacher should also have a good understanding of what is important in a given movement and what is not and be tolerant of small variations that are ultimately unimportant. This can relieve some of the pressure of striving to be perfect all the time. I will discuss this concept in the next blog entry.
As we can see then, performance of the movements in Chen Taijiquan can be both correct and incorrect at the same time. A solid understanding of the concept Yin and Yang can help in understanding your own practice of Chen Taijiquan and that of others as well. Know the rules and follow them and you will be able to understand why everybody does Chen Taijiquan a little bit differently.
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