Self-Defense Rescripted

Last night we recorded a new video. This is an updated version of my already successful Self-Defense Made Ridiculously Easy. We were able to make two significant improvements. First, I have updated the conceptual material, the way in which we talk about what we do. Instantly, it becomes clear how the principles of self-defense transfer into principles of successful living. And, second, the quality – oh my, the quality. We shot in a studio with HD cameras. This means the image on the DVD will be crystal clear, and we will be able to offer an HD version, and maybe also down-loadable versions..

I am really grateful for the people who helped, April Taylor, Chris Martingilio, Barb Baran and Steve Schriener, because they did such a great job, and also for a nice group of folks who came and acted as "studio audience" So the video would have a nice "live" seminar feel.

Now, please be patient. It will take some time to edit this together because I want it to be really great. In the old days, I just set up a camera and taught, then called it a video. Later, when I started using a lapel mike, I thought I was really doing well. But, if you've seen the most recent of my DVD's, you know that I have been investing the time and expense to produce good quality material. Brandyn and Paul, from Requisite Video Productions have been great partners in this. Their professionalism and knowledge has really encouraged me to embrace quality of presentation to enhance quality of content.

So, be patient. I'll let you know when this is done.

Now, go train.

Chris Thomas

Tai Chi Is Just Ordinary Boxing

In the early 80's, I wrote some articles about tai chi. After one of them, a letter to the editor from a tai chi master criticized me for treating tai chi as if it was "ordinary boxing." Since the editor of Inside Kung Fu assured me that the the letter-writer was a respected expert (and he had a Chinese name, which certainly implied legitimacy) I concluded that I didn't really understand tai chi. After that, I no longer wrote about tai chi, and concentrated solely on discussing karate. However, I continued practicing tai chi.

After years of practice, I began asking pragmatic questions about tai chi. I started asking, "How can this actually be used." And I began to notice that the knowledge I was acquiring in my other areas of training, appeared directly relevant to my tai chi practice. In particular, when I applied the art of pressure point fighting (called dim mak or kyusho-jitsu), it revealed the deep knowledge which underlies and informs tai chi. Consider this, one of tai chi chuan's fundamental principles is "move 1000 pounds with 4 ounces of force." Most tai chi practitioners seek to do this through the process of yielding, drawing, unbalancing, uprooting. But, a light tap to a pressure point will accomplish the same thing. In fact, pressure point fighting is the very definition of "move 1000 pounds with 4 ounces of force."

So, I started doing my tai chi based on my knowledge of dim mak. And my tai chi changed, it became more alive, more real, more firm, more full, and more satisfying. I went from waving my arms to actual training. And, visualizing actual use for the movements as I performed them enabled me to move my chi in ways that I had never been able to do by just thinking about my chi.

I also came to understand something else – I found that my karate spoke to my tai chi, and my tai chi spoke to my karate, until I saw that they are, at the heart, the same. Tai chi, it turns out, is just ordinary boxing – so is karate. But, when done with understanding and knowledge ordinary boxing is extraordinary!

If you want to see how I do my tai chi, you can check out my Practical Tai chi chuan DVD, or find my article "Practical Taijiquan" in Inside Kung Fu, March, 2007.


Now, go train.

Chris Thomas

You Kung Fu Guys Are Too Tense, You Need To Relax

I practice karate (Ryukyu kempo and Isshin-ryu) and tai chi chuan. Most people think of me as a karate guy. So, I find it amazingly entertaining to be teaching kung fu practitioners. You may not know this, but, the usual criticism of karate practitioners by kung fu practitioners, is that karate practitioners are too stiff. So, I am so entertained when I teach kung fu guys, because what I usually tell them is, "You're too tense. Relax."

Reading this, you are probably thinking that I learned how to relax from doing tai chi, but, that is not true. In tai chi I learned the wrong lesson - how to be limp (thanks go out to Sifu Richard Mooney who pointed out to me that tai chi is not supposed to be limp, it is supposed to firm and full). I learned to relax from doing karate. Then, I applied that knowledge to my tai chi.

Relaxation is a product of proper body alignment. When the body is positioned properly, it can relax and move naturally. Improper alignment leads to tension and stiffness. Let me give you a specific example. In karate, we chamber the fist at the hip, elbow tucked, armpit closed, arm hugged close. In comparison, I have seen many kung fu practitioners (especially Hung gar stylists) with the fists held floating over the hip. Because it is floating, the muscles of the shoulder must be engaged to keep the fist in place. The result is that the shoulders tense up. If the shoulders tense up, the entire upper body tenses up, and the center of gravity rises from the dantien (tanden, hara, lower abdomen) up into the chest. This destroys the root, the connection to the ground, and causes the upper body too lean and tense up even more.

In contrast, the karate chamber is against the body. A gentle squeeze of the armpit is all that is necessary to hold the fist in place. The shoulder muscles are not engaged at all, so the shoulders remain relaxed and sunk. The center of gravity remains in the dantien, and the entire body is aligned and relaxed. In fact, done properly, karate is the laziest art I know.

Now, in fairness to kung fu practitioners, most karate practitioners I know are also too tense. It is not really kung fu verses karate, it is really proper training in body alignment verses poor training. In fact, I would argue that the first lesson is not how to relax, but how to stand and move. Once the standing and moving is correct, relaxation follows naturally.

So, what is the best way to learn this? Well, it helps to have a really good teacher (but that can actually be a challenge). But, your own body is the best teacher of all. Simply pay very close attention. Does a movement feel easy or difficult, comfortable or strained? Do your movements feel as if they fall within a comfortable range of motion, or do they stretch and reach too far? Do your joints feel stressed, are they aligned? Are your shoulders down and relaxed, or are they raised and tight? So, listen to your body, learn how to move in relaxed and effortless ways. It's in you already if you listen.

Thanks for reading, now, go train,

Chris Thomas