Zhong Ding North West Newsletter Spring 98

ZHONG DAO

ZHONG DING NORTH WEST

[ SPRING NEWSLETTER ’98 [

Congratulations to Miles and Carol Craig of Derby on the birth of their son, Samuel Francis. Also to Nigel and Fong best wishes and prosperity on the opening of their new language school in Malaysia, and also best wishes and prosperity to Mrs. Ma and her family in all their future endeavours, as our favourite eating-and-meeting place ‘The Canton’ is no more!

A hearty welcome to 1998 C.E. (2542 B.E.) EARTH TIGER YEAR

It has been a very busy and exciting beginning to this, the 10^th Anniversary year of Zhong Ding in the U.K.! I arrived back from the cool clarity of the Himalayas of Sikkim and the heat of tropical Malaysia, to walk straight into an up-tempo San Shou course in Birmingham, which was attended by students from Wales, Manchester and Birmingham as well as Giles, one of Z.D’S instructors from Germany.

A frustrating couple of weeks were then spent attempting to get to grips with a new computer system (sort of!). If you have an E-mail address (or a mobile number), please could you let me have it A.S.A.P., as this will cut the cost of sending newsletters and should also enable us to keep you better informed of any sudden events or visits (such as Nigel’s).

Next came the Broadsword course, which was well attended by students and instructors from East Midlands, West Midlands and the North West and also featured Jamie, our second German instructor of the year, together with three Zhong Ding instructors from Spain. This was the beginning of 10 days of intensive training for Eduardo, Javier and David whom many of you met in class or in the extra sessions held that week – and they have promised "They’ll be back!" The end of their stay coincided with the course held in Manchester featuring Masters Liang He Qing and Nigel Sutton, whom we were very happy to host during the week-long Northern leg of their national tour, which included Huddersfield, York, Lancaster, Nottingham and Birmingham. It is always a pleasure to give our students the opportunity to meet some of the old masters who have truly lived their art, and who in there sixties are so full of life and vigour. A big thank you to all those who rallied round to give much-needed assistance during that week.

The Xmas meal and raffle 1997: The usual good time was had by all (!) and the drawing of the main raffle resulted in some happy faces amongst the party-goers. The results were: (1^st) Dick Hunter (Stockport) who won the broadsword, (2^nd) Colin Hoddes (Altrincham) who won the Qigong 18 poster, and (3^rd) Ian Cassettari (Mansfield) who won the book. [The prizes were drawn by Joan (81) our oldest member, Andrew (4) our youngest, and Alistair from Cardiff who travelled furthest for the meal].

The instigation of a free draw for North West members, with their membership numbers being put into a hat, saw Alison Hutton (Stretford) winning the last Cheng Man-Ching poster brought over by Master Lau Kim Hong [the prize was drawn by Annie Tara].

Thanks for donations; A big thank you to everyone who sent a donation towards the monastery building project in India. The land has been purchased, quite a lot of agriculture has been initiated, and the foundations and first floor meditation hall should now be underway. If anyone would like to see pictures, receive further information, visit the site, or take part in the retreat over Xmas, please let me know. I have also been asked about sponsoring some of the young Lamas in the college, so if you’re interested in helping any of these extremely poor people, please get in touch. Thanks - John.

Tom’s Bike ride:- Tom Cahill, from Z.D. Lancaster, underwent a life-saving kidney transplant several years ago, and now organises a sponsored bike ride in aid of kidney research, which is held annually in the beautiful countryside around Lancaster. This year’s event falls on the 7^th of June and provides an excellent opportunity to benefit both your own and other people’s health. I plan to take part with my daughter, and it should be a great event! For information, call Tom on 01524 - 37931 or E: Mail t.cahill@lancaster.ac.uk

BOOKS

The Way of Qigong by Kenneth Cohen. An excellent book packed with information about the whole subject, and quite cheap for its size and quality. Nice one

Taiji Chin Na by Yang Jwing –ming, and Practical Chin Na by Zhao Da Yuan, are both good books on this aspect of the art.

KNOW YOUR INSTRUCTOR! Instructor profiles

In an on-going series of Instructor Profiles, we hope to highlight some of the instructors who make up Zhong Ding. We first take a look at Nigel Sutton, Z.D.’s Chief Instructor and founder in Europe

Since one can read Nigel’s article ‘The spirit of Zhong Ding’ later in this newsletter(ZD members),as well as the many other articles and excellent books he has written - and also meet him on one of his numerous teaching visits to the U.K. - we have restricted his profile to relevant facts regarding his training history.

Nigel has spent more than two decades intensively studying and teaching oriental martial arts, both in Europe and the Far East, and in 1986, he was the first non-Chinese to win a gold medal in an international competition in China.

Nigel commenced his martial arts training in 1973, studying first Karate. In 1979, he began his study of Taijiquan with his first teacher, SIMON WYARD. In 1984, Nigel went to BEIJING as an English teacher, where he studied Meihuaquan, Xingyiquan, Baguazhang and Taijiquan. In 1985, he started training the YANG and WU styles of Taijiquan with HUANG JIFU, and in 1986 captained the BRITISH WUSHU TEAM at the TIANJIN DAILY CUP INTERNATIONAL INVITATIONAL COMPETITION in CHINA, winning gold in Baguazhang and bronze in Taijiquan.

In 1987, Nigel became a disciple of both Master Tan Swoh Theng of Malaysia and Master Tan Ching Ngee of Singapore, later also becoming a disciple of Master Lee Bian Lei (1991) and Lau Kim Hong (1995), both of Malaysia.

Nigel has had many articles on taijiquan and other martial arts published around the world, in such publications as the Journal of Asian Martial Arts, Martial Arts Illustrated, Tai Chi Magazine, Tai Chi International and Combat, and has written many excellent books on the subject of taijiquan including APPLIED TAI CHI CHUAN; ROOTS AND BRANCHES; TAI CHI CHUAN - FROM FORM TO FUNCTION; SEARCHING FOR THE WAY: A MARTIAL ARTS ODDYSSEY and THE INNER WAY.

Memberships:- Pro-rata Payment. As many of you may know, we reverted to the B.C.C.M.A. (British Council for Chinese Martial Arts) for our membership licences at the end of last year. The BCCMA is a Sports Council-recognised body, and the most recognised body representing Tai Chi in the U.K. Some local council are now beginning to insist on membership of this organisation for groups using their premises. As Zhong Ding central funds had to re-license some of our members in October and December last year, at some point those members will be requested to pay a proportion of their membership to cover the period leading up to their new renewal date.

If this box contains a cross, your membership is due.

Things to come:

We are starting in April and May with three courses of ‘Something for everybody’, the first in Br’hm on 18/19^th April, with a chance to hone and improve your slow form(am), followed by the ‘Taiji Qigong 18’ (pm). The Sunday is one of several days being staged allowing people to focus and hone the Dao(broadsword) and San Shou fast forms[or to start learning them- as we will be split into two groups]. [The first of these days(29^th March) was excellent, with both ‘fine tuning’ of the forms, and for those who wanted to step it up, the Fencing equipment that ZDNW now owns really came into its own.]

The 25/26^th April in Manchester is similar with various Qigongs (am), and Ting Jing – sensitivity(pm)on the Saturday and Form(am) and Applications(pm) on the Sunday. In the following three weeks there are six different courses on various aspects of Taiji in Espana, if anybody would like to join us they are most welcome! The 30/31^st May again in Manchester is Saturday - Qigong(am), Forms work(pm), and Sunday the next Dao / San Shou day!

On June 13^th there is a chance to ‘have a look’ or go over all the Beginner, intermediate and advanced Syllabus - whether just for interest, or to get written feedback and a beautiful certificate(ZD members).

Then this years chance to learn the exquisite Taiji Fan will be on 27/28^th June in Br’hm.

July 11/12^th will be the first of two weekends to learn the San Shou Two Person (Yang) Fast form, taught by Master Lau Kim-hong, which is excellent for a deeper understanding of Taiji in action – taught for the first time in Birmingham!

Camps There are two excellent opportunities in the middle of this year to join in our camps:-

Jasnieres - the annual opportunity to holiday and train with like-minded people from all over the world! The main event is being held from 24-26 July, with 16 instructors providing a variety of workshops each day. In addition, you can spend the three days prior to this (21–23) learning the complete Yang-style two person San Shou form, and all this for about £75! Jasnieres is situated thirty miles south of Le Mans in France, and the camp is well worth a visit - not just for Taiji but as a complete holiday for the family - whether they practise Taiji or not!

UK Taiji Camp - our annual camp in Derbyshire will be held over the August bank holiday weekend (28-31). In previous years there have been requests for a longer camp, and this can be arranged if you let me know in advance. Camping is no problem, but if you want a guest-house or hotel - book soon!

Malaysia 10^th ZD anniversary fun in Malaysia
The tenth anniversary Zhong Ding "Train With The Masters" tour is to be staged from the 3-18 September in Malaysia.
This promises to be a unique opportunity to train with many of ZD's leading technical advisers and masters, including Masters Lau Kim Hong, Liang He Qing, Tan Swoh Theng and Wu Chiang Hsiang and Nigel himself.
Daily training will take place in a Daoist temple, with auxiliary training in meditation and Qigong tuition available in one of the numerous Buddhist temples.
"Train With The Masters" includes 15 nights accommodation in a comfortable, fully air-conditioned hotel in Batu Pahat, all training costs, transport from and to Kuala Lumpur, plus free tickets to the spectacular tenth anniversary banquet and celebrations.
Cost per person, based on two sharing a room, are: £700 for non-members, £650 for ZD members, £550 for 1^st Duan Assistant Instructors and £500 for 2^nd Duan full instructors.
Senior instructors, 3^rd Duan and above, price available on application.
If you or your students are interested, do register for the trip at the earliest opportunity, as Nigel needs to have a good idea of the number of people to expect ASAP. Also, be aware that the Commonwealth Games are being staged in Malaysia next summer so flights need to be booked now.
Also, please note that Nigel asks if those going to Malaysia can give him a £100 deposit when he's here in May help secure hotel rooms, taxis, etc.

October competition:- A major competition is being planned, to be held in Birmingham, to celebrate the tenth year of Zhong Ding. (More news later - or see the Z.D. web site).

Master Lau visit
Master Lau Kim Hong, one of Zhong Ding's best-known technical advisers, may be returning to the U.K. later in the year. The visit will probably be sometime late in September or October. Confirmation and further details should be available in the near future.

And finally …
Don't forget this is YOUR newsletter. It needs you to provide stories, training tips, event reports and up-dates to the calendar. Also, if you have access, do use the Z.D. web site. It can be reached on: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/zhong_ding.

There is information on Zhong Ding’s technical advisers - and much, much more! Try it!.

LIST OF N.W. CLASSES AND INSTRUCTORS

Classes (N.W. area) Instructor

Monday Altrincham 7.30 - 9pmSt. John’s church, St.John’s Rd. Colin Hoddes

Stretford 7 – 8.30 pm N. Trafford College, Stretford Vicky Holden

Tuesday Stretford 7.30 - 9/9-10.30pm Firswood com. ctr. Greatstone Rd John Higginson

Wednesday Bacup 7 - 9pm A.B.&D.Ctr. Burnley Rd. John Higginson

Thursday Bury 7 - 8.30/8.30-10pm Holy trinity school, Cecil St. John Higginson

Stockport 7 - 8.30/8.30-10pm Sacred Heart, Stockport Rd. Cheade ,Peter Hinde

Burnley Monday Geoff Taylor Tel.0161 764 1379

Buxton Monday Tommy Trueman Tel. 01298 25621

St. Anne’s Imelda Maguire Tel. 01253 782208

Lancaster Wednesday Chris Kaighin Tel. 01524 847528

[Please ask for DAYTIME CLASSES]

INSTRUCTORS:[ John Higginson (4^th Duan); Vicky Holden(3^rd Duan)

Geoff Taylor, Damon Townsend Chris Kaighin( 2^nd Duan); Colin Hoddes, Ben Jones(1^st Duan); Tommy Trueman, Imelda Maguire, Pete Hinde (Adv.students)

LIST OF AREA CONTACTS (Z.D. classes for those away from home)

S. West(Devon, Somerset, Cornwall, Dorset) John Fowler 01803 613267 Colin Stephens 01803 558523

S. Coast (Sussex, Hamp; Surrey) Glenn 01903 715286

Home Counties(London, E. Anglia, Kent) Ben Clarke 0181 998 8028 Brian 0181 841 1054

East Midlands(Notts; Lincs; Staffs. Derby) Miles Craig 01332 735740 Steve J. 01623 750472

West Midlands -(Leic; Staffs; Shrop; War;) Bob Wesley 0121 344 3679

North East(Yorkshire) Ian Gillespie 01484 655429, Craig Jackson 01484 318463

Other areas and abroad ring the N.W. Secretary or Senior Instructor 0161 860 4111

The Spirit of Zhong Ding
By Nigel Sutton, Chief Instructor

This year, as you should all know by now, is the tenth anniversary of the founding of our Association. From humble beginnings in a school gymnasium in West London, Zhong Ding has spread across England, into Wales and also out into Europe. Over the last decade it can be fairly stated that Zhong Ding instructors have taught thousands of students. Furthermore many of the people attending courses have been instructors from different martial arts groups and have gone on to spread aspects of the art they have learnt from us in their own clubs and classes (not always, unfortunately, acknowledging from where they learnt!)

The first class that we started had twelve beginner students and only one was left at the end of the initial course, Ben Clarke. During the first five years on average our students in class numbered between five and twelve, although on one notable occasion in the summer twenty seven people turned up.

Out of that original club (and the adult education classes that we also taught) Ben, John Gardiner (who had helped to teach the first beginners' group) and Dave Spencer are still active in taijiquan. During the latter part of those early years I began to teach seminars that were open to instructors from different associations. We soon began to be joined by other clubs that liked what we were doing and wanted to be a part of it.

Thus we "collected" John Fowler and his band of West Country warriors; Vinnie Jones and his Celtic clansmen (of both the northern and western variety); John Higginson and his Lancashire lads and lasses; Steve Johnson and the martial Midlanders; and finally, albeit in an off and on sort of fashion, Rob Wesley and the Birmingham braves.

Outside the UK, we also have Jamie Dibdin and Giles Busk in Germany and John Higginson is busy making friends in Spain. In France, ZD has strong links with our sister Association, Le Meridien, with the inimitable Bill Nelson at the helm.

Zhong Ding has therefore come a long way in a comparatively short space of time and I believe we have laid the foundations for a successful future.

We established Zhong Ding with its prime aim being to provide to others the opportunities, enjoyment and experiences I myself have enjoyed during the course of my martial arts career to date. I wanted everybody who had an interest in the art to be able to study with my teachers and, wherever possible, to be able to travel to the Far East to see the art practised in its native setting.

During the last ten years we have sent teams to Taiwan to take part in international events; have had association members participate in competitions in Europe, Asia and America; students and teachers have attended international courses and events all over the world; and we have ourselves sponsored and run courses for many teachers both from the UK and from Asia.

Master Tan Ching Ngee has visited the UK three times under the auspices of Zhong Ding and recently returned to the UK at the invitation of ex-Association member Mark Peters. Masters Lau Kim Hong and Liang He Qing have taught in the UK twice, Master Tan Swoh Theng, Master Wu Chiang Hsing and Master Fu Chang Hui have all also made successful and enjoyable visits.

But more importantly, Zhong Ding instructors up and down the country have all played their part in teaching authentic taijiquan of a high technical standard to all who came to learn.

This brings me to the title of this article - the Spirit of Zhong Ding. For it is the spirit of Zhong Ding that the art we all love should be made available to all who want to learn it without unnecessary mystification, window-dressing or ego gratification.

Although we have had our ups and downs we are still here and people are still making progress. The standard of our martial arts, both in terms of teachers and students, is high. Our instructors are comparable and in many ways superior to many teaching in Southeast Asia and even in China. I have yet to be ashamed of the standard of any Zhong Ding student who came out to visit Malaysia.

Indeed my masters are now so used to our standard that they can spot non-Association members when they come out to Malaysia to train.
Lest you think this is all big talk on my part, I recently returned from a stay with my shixiong (elder brother), Master Koh Ah Tee, and he waxed lyrical about the standard of the Zhong Ding students he had met. He was particularly impressed with Ian Cassettari's vertical break-falling skills and Glen Pelham-Mather's hair!

But, seriously, congratulations are in order to all our students and instructors. The only reason this Association exists is to give all of us the chance to meet and train with like-minded people and to continue to make progress on The Inner Way (copies still available from all good Association instructors!)

The Spirit of Zhong Ding then is one of enjoying our art, making new friends all over the world, and ensuring that the standard of taijiquan wherever there are Zhong Ding members continues to improve.

I hope to see all of you at some time this year (I hope to be in the UK in March and June) and especially look forward to greeting those of you who will be coming out to Malaysia in September for the tenth ZD anniversary celebrations

Wishing you all Gong Xi Fa Cai for the Chinese New Year
Nigel Sutton
Chief Instructor, Zhong Ding