Here's the latest edition (with the emphasis on late!) of the North West Newsletter, bringing you up-to-date with the happenings of the late Spring and Summer, and introducing a new schedule of events for the Autumn season. There is also Part One of an excellent and informative interview with Master Koh

The past few months have been extremely full, including a rare visit to Manchester in June from His Holiness

Chhimed Rigdzin Rinpoche, whose presence attracted many visitors from across Europe - most of whom mysteriously seemed to find their way into John's kitchen! Our grateful thanks go to Colin Hoddes, for his kindness in also accepting so many houseguests at this time.

The amount of dedicated work required in order to make this event possible, together with John's subsequent travels to Europe, have meant - by necessity - fewer taiji workshops during the year so far. It is also necessary for John to travel to the Far East for two months in December and January to attend the inauguration of his teacher's new monastery building, and so the new Autumn programme is quite busy in order to provide plenty of training opportunities before he leaves.

If anyone has articles of any interest for inclusion in the next issue of the Newsletter, such as reviews of any events you may have attended, all contributions would be most welcome!

The boys of Zhong Ding España pulled out all the stops to organise an International Festival of Taijiquan from 3rd - 8th June, which took place in Gijon, in Asturias, to the north of the country. And a huge success it was, being extremely well attended by students and instructors from across Spain, and other European countries.

The main event took place over what proved to be a very full weekend, the first day comprising 18 different workshops and a free pushing-hands session, and the second day featuring an international competition devoted to Chinese internal martial arts.

On Day One, six instructors of various nationalities conducted three workshops apiece at intervals throughout the day, teaching side-by-side in a large gymnasium. John Higginson, Vicky Holden and Wudang's Steve Ford represented the U.K., Pedro Valencia and Jose Seco Pintos represented Spain, and Fernando Chedel represented Argentina. The workshops were popular, many being booked to capacity, and at the end of the day all the participants joined in a two-hour session of free pushing-hands, with a partner-change every ten minutes to add plenty of variety to the proceedings.

It was therefore a very tired contingent of students and instructors that adjourned to a Sidreria that evening to sample the local brew, poured at arms' length (for maximum aeration) by expert waiters - and poured on the floor (for maximum laughs) by Colin Hoddes at his first attempt! (At a party held later in the week, both Colin and John - after partaking of a few beverages - finally managed to get more in the glass than on the floor, although they never did get the hang of it whilst sober!)

On Day Two, the competition saw some skilled performances in both form and pushing-hands categories. Particularly notable was the number of entries in the Cheng Man-Ch'ing form category, which was so large that competitors performed in small groups instead of singly, due to pressure of time. There were also some lively demonstrations of hand form, weapon work and combat applications to entertain the spectators in between the categories.

The event was efficiently organised, with some nice touches, such as the presence of several masseurs who were on duty all day for the benefit of the competitors, to treat any sprains and strains.

Colin Hoddes, flying the flag for the U.K., took joint first in the Open Cheng Man-Ch'ing hand form category, and a medal in his pushing-hands weight category - Congratulations Colin!!!

A medal ceremony concluded the event, and then it was off to sample some more of the local hospitality (and we didn't need much persuasion!)

The next few days were given over to workshops, held at various locations both indoor and outdoor, commencing each day at 8.00 a.m. These seminars were conducted alternately by John Higginson and Fernando Chedel, and gave the students a chance to sample a variety of different disciplines from different perspectives.

The weather was relatively kind throughout the week, it can be extremely changeable in this region. The hotel was close to the beautiful beaches in Gijon which are famous for their surfing, and we enjoyed walks and swimming at all hours. The hospitality was - as always - most generous, so it was with great reluctance that we headed south for Madrid and our flight home.

David, Eduardo and Javier (with the support of Carmen and Cristina, and all their students) deserve enormous praise for a hugely successful first event, which deserves to become a regular feature on the internal taiji calendar.

Congratulations to the Instructors from the 1999 Instructors Course who, in addition to gaining their St. John's Ambulance First Aid Certificates, have now also earned their British Sports Trust Community Sports Leaders Awards under the auspices of Huddersfield College.

Enormous thanks go to Colin Knightley, the Course Director, for all his hard work, and for patiently guiding us through both courses.

Nigel Sutton, head of Zhong Ding in Europe, made a welcome visit to the U.K. this summer from his home in Malaysia, conducting seminars in Devon, London, Birmingham, Nottingham, Manchester, Huddersfield and York.

The main focus of training was to explore different approaches to training the empty hand form, with innovative ways of working on stances, weight distribution and relaxation, amongst others things. Follow-stepping (both solo and in partner-work) also featured highly, and a rooting exercise with nautical overtones (?!) had one or two participants actually feeling sea-sick! (Yes, really!)

Giles Busk and Walter Haller, two of our instructors from Germany took advantage of Nigel's visit to Europe, and flew in to attend his U.K. seminars. During their stay in the north, they conducted a memorable class for some of the Manchester students, who got the "Sticky Rice" experience! (Although most have now recovered after counselling)

Happily, Nigel will be making a return visit in November, accompanied by Master Lau Kim Hong, to conduct a weekend seminar and national grading. Full details of this event will be available shortly.

Jong Deok Kim, who is visiting the U.K. from Korea, and currently attends Stretford class, had some notable successes at the recent "Eurowirral" Chinese Martial Arts Tournament (the only one in the North west), winning several medals. He took Gold in both the Chen-style and 42-step Hand Form categories, and Silver in the Sword Form category. Congratulations Kim!!!

This year, instead of making the annual journey to the French "Rencontres Jasnieres" Taiji Meeting in the Loire Valley at the end of July, (which the Ferry Companies decided to make a rather expensive time to travel!) we decided to hold two four-day camps here in the U.K.

The first took place in the Scottish lowlands and the second in the Peak District - and we were blessed with perfect summer weather for both events.

We were joined by a contingent of Spanish students (who had originally been due to train with us in France), as well as a number of students from around the U.K., who attended both camps and stayed with us in between, making it a ten-day training experience!

The peaceful setting of Samye Ling Buddhist Monastery at Eskdalemuir provided the ideal backdrop for an intensive weekend's training, concentrating mainly on the study of San Shou - the traditional Yang-style fast forms of taiji. Students of all levels enjoyed training both indoors and out as they got to grips with the choreography of the two-person form - one student had been learning taiji for only four months, but still managed to complete a sizeable part of the routine, to her considerable credit!

The ample vegetarian food provided at Samye Ling was supplemented, (rather too often!), by carrot cake and coffee at the monastery's small café which was open throughout the weekend. The temptation of the Sunday Afternoon Teas in the local village hall also proved too much for all participants, who more than made up for the few calories lost that day in training, in the form of shortbread, scones and chocolate cake!

Samye Ling is situated at the intersection of two rivers, and the scorching weather provided the ideal excuse to go swimming and cool off in some of the deeper pools.

Everyone who visits Samye Ling takes many memories away with them; the peace and quiet of the monastery, the wind-chimes gently sounding on the breeze, the peacocks roaming freely around, or the magical sight of hundreds of butter-lamps glowing in the darkness. All these things and many more combine to make this a special place, and it is always a pleasure to return to the tranquillity of this remote valley and its small community.

The following weekend saw us camping just outside the Spa town of Buxton, as students from Manchester, Huddersfield, Nottingham, Birmingham, London and Spain came together to train. The day began early with "Flying Crane" qigong, and after breakfast, continued with form practice. The focus was again on San Shou two-person form, and those who attended both weekends made considerable headway with their training.

However, it wasn't all hard work, as we visited one of the famous Peak District caverns, where Blue John stones are mined, and spent an hour "training" in Buxton Swimming Pool, learning to "root" in the water! An excellent Chinese Banquet rounded off an enjoyable day.

The local village hall provided refuge from a brief downpour one morning, but overall the weather was hot and sunny, and added to the holiday atmosphere.

The summer camps continue to be an enjoyable part of the taiji calendar, bringing together students from all around the country (and even abroad!) with their families, for some intensive training, but most of all for a lot of fun! Why not join us next year?

The latest workshop schedule is now out, and application forms are attached at the end of the newsletter. Please remember that, as usual, the reduced price offered is for Zhong Ding Members who have booked at least seven days in advance of the course.

Several new classes in the Manchester area will be appearing shortly, both in the daytime and the evening. The emphasis will be on qigong and hand form, and the pace will be leisurely and relaxed. Existing students are welcome to attend any of these sessions as their second class of the week, at the reduced rate of £2 per session.

The times and venues for these classes will be announced shortly, so please ask your instructor for details.

There is also a new Chen-style class, led by Jong Deok Kim, which will focus on the 36-step Chen-style short competition form.

We are currently giving away GOLD and SILVER TAIJI SWORDS at £110 and £95 respectively, and TWO ENGLISH BATTLE SWORDS at £45, all made by the sword-smiths of Toledo, Spain. All have well-balanced steel blades, which are even capable of cutting stone!

We also still have some of the heavyweight ‘ Telescopic’ straight swords at £17.50, as well as a couple of the ‘silk boxed’ Deluxe chromed ornate enamel swords (£70). We also have Wooden Fans in various colours (£12 & £15).

APPLIED TAI CHI CHUAN [2^nd edition] N. Sutton £ 9.99 ** Basis Of The Zhong Ding School

Searching for the way N.Sutton £12.50 * Meet Nigel (Mr. ZD’s) Teachers!

We have added a category of North West membership for people who are not actually members in our region, but who wish to receive our newsletter. This is because a significant demand has developed for our excellent news-sheet from other Zhong Ding regions (and also from non-Zhong Ding members!). It will cost £5-00 per annum to receive the newsletter for the year (usually three or four issues), to cover the cost of production and postage.

Instructor Insurance: Please Note: In order to qualify for insurance through the Association, all instructors are required to attend a minimum of two instructor-level courses each year with a technical panel member or overseas technical adviser.

Tai Chi Chuan - The Evolving Art
(A 2nd Interview With Master Koh Ah Tee)
by Nigel Sutton - Part 1

NS: Master Koh, thank you for giving me this opportunity to interview you today. I know you are very busy. It has now been several years since I last interviewed you, and I notice watching your class that your movements and emphasis seem different compared to the last time.

KAT: Of course, because in the art just as in life, there must be continual progress. The world and society progress; today is the age of the computer and people's thinking progresses and improves, so that the way we think about things nowadays is different from twenty years ago, or ten years ago or sometimes even yesterday.

For example, Zheng Man Qing talked about the yin yang cross-connection between the weighted foot and the opposite hand. Nowadays I don't emphasise this, instead I concentrate on the Taiji ball, but I'm sure that if Zheng Man Qing were here today he would be very happy.

KAT: We must remember that Zheng Man Qing was a man not a god or an immortal; what he could do we can do. Just because we admire somebody doesn't mean that we should take everything that they say as the absolute truth. We must research for ourselves; make it true for ourselves.

As teachers we can tell our students how things should be done; we can show them how things should be done. But how many of those students actually do what we tell them or show them?

To return to my previous example, that of the yin yang cross-connection. I believe that this is not as important as making every part of the body into a small taiji ball. We don't do the yin yang cross-connection in the sword form - it's impossible.

NS: You seem to be suggesting that the role of the teacher is not as important as that of the student?

KAT: The student must rely on himself and must honestly and bravely check himself. You cannot rely on the teacher.

Many people train for decades but gain no results. This is because, at the most basic level, they have not developed the ability to be self-critical; to listen to their own movements, to listen to what their body is telling them. When you are "song" and you listen to whether your body is balanced, whether if one part moves everything moves; then you can make progress.

Too many people practising taijiquan are like shoppers in a supermarket. One minute they are attracted by this bargain, the next by that offer. They don't stop to think what they really want and then set out to get it.

How often have you heard disgruntled students saying that they have wasted ten years with this or that teacher? These people are stupid. Whatever experience you have you can use to improve. Such students must develop and use their powers of discrimination.

KAT: Everything comes from form; your form represents what you have learnt and trained. If your form is not correct then your pushing hands and fighting will not be effective.

Form is the most important thing. Pushing hands is to train "ting jing" and "dong jing". It is not as important as form when it comes to training the usage of the art.

I used to say that if you train form but don't train push hands, then you have only half the art. Now I firmly believe that the form is the most important. Definitely, if you only do pushing hands and don't do form then you will never get taiji's real skills. But if you do the form correctly then everything else will come from it; push hands - applications, sword, everything.

How then do you know if your form is correct? This is a question of looking at what your emphasis is in practising the art. If you want to do beautiful movements then this kind of aesthetically pleasing form will not lead to the real taijiquan. But if you know what you really want and you constantly check whether your form is correct in the light of your expectations, then form becomes the basis of everything.

What exactly is this real taijiquan? Well this is when your centre of balance feels so small, so smooth that your arms and legs, your body seems to disappear. In taijiquan, the smaller the circle the better. The smaller this point is, the greater the skill.

Another name for taijiquan could well be "mistake-correcting" boxing or "intelligence boxing". The latter doesn't mean that you have to be a PhD or good at studying, but rather that you have to be intelligent in following your aims and correcting your own mistakes. Do the form correctly but keep asking yourself why it is that by doing the form correctly taijiquan works. You must find the answer for yourself.

Zheng Man Qing said that taijiquan was for health. He did not go to great lengths to explain how it was to be used this way or that way, yet he was able to use it. Therefore if you are able to practise the correct taijiquan, if your form is correct, then you will find that you can use the art. But if your form is just an empty shell then you can train for a hundred years and still not get it.

NS: Master Koh, I notice that you have referred several times to "using" taijiquan. Could you elaborate?

KAT: If you can't use taijiquan for fighting then you can't call it taijiquan. When an opponent's fist is coming towards you, you must feel happy. Taijiquan as a martial art must be the opposite of what other martial arts are.

This means that you don't want to know what your opponent is going to do to you, and you don't want to have any idea of your own response.

What is real application? It means that there is no shape and no form. You needn't think what you are going to do. Instead it automatically comes out. If you have to think your reactions are slow; you are not "song".

Your mind, your awareness must be very "song" and without fear. The word fear must not appear in your mind. There should be no such word in your vocabulary.

A mind that is "song" is more important than a body that is "song" because everything comes from the mind. What in Chinese martial arts is referred to as "dan liang" (guts) is trained by repeatedly practising the form - in this way it comes naturally. Repeated practise in this manner develops a kind of calmness.

In taijiquan, fighting is waiting relaxed for the opponent to come, not knowing what you are going to do, just letting it happen.

People who take up a stance and clench their fists tightly have fixed themselves into a state of rigidity.

Real taijiquan in application is like lightning, not like thunder which makes a loud noise and arrives late. I'm always going to be faster than my opponent, because I am where he wants to be; he has to cross a distance to get to me, I am already here.

To continue using the imagery of nature, in taijiquan zhou and hua (yielding and neutralising) are like the wind, while da (striking) is water; but it is the water of deep and dangerous currents.

When I was pushing hands with Huang Hsing Hsien and he was unable to push me over he started to hit me. I pointed out to him that this was dangerous and that I too could do the same to him. By hitting me he was giving me a shape or form which I could use should I choose to. This is because as soon as you have the idea of attacking anything then you are straying from the taiji principles, which require that the attacker's force be used back against him.

The moment the opponent uses force against you he is lost because this is force that you can borrow.

Taijiquan is like the sea but it is not the beautiful noisy explosions of the waves beating on rocks, rather it is the deep, deadly undercurrents. (To be continued…..)

PS I need a laptop computer urgently, If you have one to sell please ring John on 860 4111

Monday Altrincham 7.30-9pm. St. John’s church, St. John’s Road Colin Hoddes

Tuesday Stretford 7.30-9/9-10.30pm Firswood Com.Ctr. Greatstone Rd John Higginson

Wednesday Altrincham 10.30-12 St. John’s church, St. John’s Road Vicky Holden

Hebden Bridge 7.30-9.School Foundation. Birchcliffe Ctr. Birchcliffe Rd Anne Whitehead

Stretford 7.30-10.30 Ring for information John Higginson

Registered Instructors: John Higginson (4^th Duan); Vicky Holden, (3^rd Duan)

Also:- Private tuition available - Individual or group. Ring: John H. on (0161) 860-4111

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

East Midlands (Notts; Lincs; Staffs; Derby) Steve Johnson (01623) 758647 / Ian Cassetari 489739

For other areas of U.K. and abroad (Europe, Far East, USA) please ring 0161 860 4111

AUTUMN 2000

Also:- ALSO LOTS OF OTHER THINGS GOING ON SO ASK IF YOU'RE INTERESTED.(Including trips to far east and other destinations).

Qualified instructors may be provided for courses, seminars or demonstrations on all

"TAIJI "BACK TO BASICS"

A series of workshops which will provide the opportunity to get "back to basics" with the 37-posture Cheng Man Ch'ing empty hand form, and obtain detailed form correction.

N.B. All three workshops are independent, looking at different principles that go with the form.

Throughout the course we will be checking the basic choreography of the form, looking in detail at foot and hand placement, weight distribution and body mechanics, including many helpful visualisations to encourage relaxation and correct focus.

For complete beginners, this will be an ideal opportunity to learn the next few movements of the form; for the more advanced student, it is a chance to iron out any personal difficulties with any aspect of your form practise.

Cost: £15 Saturday - Zhong Ding members – booked in advance (£25 non-members)

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Please return to: Mr.J.HIGGINSON 74, GREATSTONE RD. FIRSWOOD, MANCHESTER M16 0HD

[SPARE] BOOKING FORM ZHONG DING TAIJI COURSES – MANCHESTER

[Date] _ [Course] ____________________

I (name) ________ Tel No. would like to reserve

places and enclose a deposit of £5 per class. Address___________________________________

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BOOKING FORM Winter 2000

TAIJI FORM COURSES – MANCHESTER

Sat 23^rd Basics - 1 Fri 6^th Basics - 2 Fri 20^th Basics - 3

I (name) ______ Tel No. would like to reserve _

places andenclose a deposit of £5 per class. Address_____________________________________

The simplest and often the first taught of the taiji weapons, the study of which enables one to take the principles, awareness and energy learnt in the empty hand form beyond one’s own body.

The 32 movement form will develop your strength and whole body co‑ordination, in particular honing the tremendous power made available by efficient use of the waist and 'rooting'.

Ø for more advanced students to study/practise the broad sword forms and principles - the

Ø how to use more advanced techniques to deepen and check your basic understanding of

Cost: £55 (Zhong Ding members £45 + extra discount for 3rd time attendance)

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BOOKING FORM Sat 14^th/ 15^th October

ZHONG DING TAIJI QUAN BROADSWORD COURSE 2000

**** Please book early as places will be limited. ****

I would like to reserve ........... places for the courses and I enclose £10 deposit per course.

NAME .......................................................................... Tel No ...............................………………..............

ADDRESS ......................................................................................................……………..……..........................

Please return to: J.Higginson 74 Greatstone Rd. Firswood, Manchester M16 0HD

This short form is designed to give students the opportunity to become familiar with handling the sword with its different grips and techniques. It is particularly appropriate for those intending to learn the 54 jian form and also excellent for those already familiar with sword work. Beginners or advanced students are invited to get to grips with the intricacies of this part of the tai chi curriculum.

APPLICATIONS OF THE TAIJI FORM

1pm – 5pm Sat 21^st October 2000

To have some idea of the meaning of the moves of Taiji hand forms is essential. The ideal of the form is to focus and harmonise the mind and body, whether for good health or self-defence. So “if one does not have some understanding of the postures how can one have correct focus in the form?” This day will give a good understanding of both the simplicity and the intricacies of Taiji applications.

Cost: One day £35 (£25) (There will be a discount of £10 on 7th October for those also booked on the 54 Jian Form course)

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BOOKING FORM ZHONG DING TAIJI COURSES – MANCHESTER Autumn 2000

[Please tick] Sat 7^th Oct: 13 JIAN FORM Sat 21^st : Oct APPLICATIONS

I (name) ______________________ Tel No. __________________ would like to reserve ____ places

and enclose a deposit of £5 per class. Address____________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

Please return to: Mr.J.Higginson 74,Greatstone Rd. Firswood, Manchester M16 0HD

These one-day workshops will provide the student with an opportunity to learn the complete Yang-style two-person fast form.

This flowing sequence, which could even be described as “Applications in Action” is most helpful in guiding the student to a deeper understanding of the applications of the empty hand form.

You will learn, with the aid of your partner, how to guide forces without going “force against force”, the necessity for flexible footwork, and the importance of ranges. The study of San Shou is particularly appropriate to those wishing to improve their understanding of the practice of “pushing hands”.

Ø for more advanced students to study in depth the forms, applications and principles.

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BOOKING FORM (cheques payable to J. Higginson) Autumn 2000

San Shou courses

Sun 24^th Sept Sun 22^nd Oct Sat 18^th Nov

I (name) ____________________ Tel No. __________________ would like to reserve ____ places

and enclose a deposit of £10 Address __________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

Please return to 74 Greatstone Road, Firswood, Manchester M16 0HD. Tel. (0161 860 4111).

Presents

With Master Instructor John Higginson

Through hundreds of years of Chinese history, the Jian has featured prominently as a symbol of office and position for scholars and the gentry, as well as a magic instrument for

China

’s Daoist magicians and exorcists.

The form presented on this weekend seminar is that handed down by the Yang family to Grandmaster Cheng Man Ching and consists of 54 postures. Study of this form provides a solid foundation for further study of this fascinating weapon and gives the exponent an understanding of the graceful way in which the thirteen sword secrets are embodied in its practice. Study of the straight sword develops and enhances the exponent’s agility, sensitivity and ability to use flexible footwork, all of which are vital to the taijiquan practitioner’s overall development.

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BOOKING FORM: YANG STYLE 54 step Jian course 4^th/5^th November 2000

I (name) ____________________________________ Tel no: ____________________________

would like to book ____ places on the course and enclose a £15 deposit. Address: ____________

________________________________________________________________________________

Please return to J. Higginson, 74 Greatstone Road, Firswood, Manchester, M16 0HD