My experience with Chen Ziqiang

[jaime_g]

This weekend I could go to one Chen Ziqiang seminar near to my city. Saturday was a form day (I couldnt go) but Sunday was announced as a four hours tuishou day. I had to work a lot during the week, so a bit of free time was welcomed.

I'm not a chen taiji guy, but Ziqiang had a reputation and many videos in youtube doing free tuishou, so pushing with him sounded like fun. I asked the host if free pushing with Ziqiang was possible and he said it was ok.

However, it wasnt like I thought. The 4 hours of Sunday began with 30 minutes of typical chinese stretching as a warm up. Then 15 minutes of chansigong drills, and after that 30 minutes of yilu. I was a bit surprised with the progress of the seminar, but I decided to wait and see what comes next. He went to explain tuishou theory during 45 minutes , then we did a break of 30 minutes.

We spent 60 minutes doing one hand tuishou drills and a couple of qinna exercises. Ziqiang touched people very briefly, I only had an exchange moment with him in the whole seminar. The seminar ended with him doing a yilu demo and people taking photos. No free tuishou at all It was a bit disappointing for me.

[Dmitri]

That sucks...

You should have come up to him and directly asked to do some PH for a minute. (I'm assuming you didn't?) Doesn't look like a guy who would refuse that, but who knows... Very, very few of them agree to that sort of thing. Even Systema's Vlad refused when I asked him, extremely politely of course, for very light non-confrontational soft free-style sparring, -- he was afraid to hurt me from what I gathered. I can understand, I guess; liability and all. But still... Oh well.

[Bao]

So you didn't get what you paid for = 4 hours of push hands. Ask for your money back then.

[Ian]

Cue apologists talking about 'the Chinese way' vs. 'the Western mind'

[Bhassler]

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[jaime_g]

After he got done with that guy, he asked if there was anyone else so I raised my hand and got to play a bit.

How was your experience with him? I only could touch him for a moment, so I cannot say much more. My impression was that he felt "normal".

[yeniseri]

Perhaps 'mano a mano' (leisurely tuishou to assess how adequate he is...) would have been better than 'cara a cara'!

[willie]

I want to grapple or push or push, grapple and with light strike with Chen Ziqiang does anyone have his schedule?
I've seen many video's of his seminar's, I think he's offering the best event for the dollar.
I have big respect for him.

[Bhassler]

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[Bodywork]

Hi Jaime
None of these guys should feel normal-regardless of their fighting skills. Take out the fighting skills...you have felt some pretty serious guys. Did any of THEM feel normal to you?
I for one have never been impressed with his grappling skills, he always looks tight and the throws are rather sloppy.
I've seen better in a host of Judo players. Nothing wrong with that, he doesn't have to be a master stand up grappler, he's a taiji guy, but if that is what he is being measured by then...it is what it is.

[willie]

I agree with Dan, they should not feel normal at all.
Some feel like big heavy snakes, some like a sack of potato's, some like a bucket of water and some like liquid steel.
some with light touch and not there, others with wire-like arms, other's with like gorilla arms, or a squid.
none felt like normal people.

[jaime_g]

He shouldnt feel normal, but he felt normal I'm not speaking about his fighting skills, because we didnt fight, but I dont place him in the "that guy is just different when he does anything to you" area.

[willie]

He shouldnt feel normal, but he felt normal I'm not speaking about his fighting skills, because we didnt fight, but I dont place him in the "that guy is just different when he does anything to you" area.

then I would say that he is very humble and hid his skills completely.

[Bao]

then I would say that he is very humble and hid his skills completely.

People tend to believe that everyone hides stuff. But I am not so sure about that any of the "masters" or teachers know anything more than what they show. If there's something more there, it will always shine through as being a part of what is shown. Sometimes it's more the practitioners than the teachers who turn TMA into cults, mostly just by their own wishful thinking. There's no reason at all to hide skill as the skill itself is the foremost selling point for any commercial teacher. Teachers all want to show themselves at their best. So what you see and feel is mostly everything that is there. The rest of all of the fuzzy things that you believe might be there is all something that is going on inside your own head.

[willie]

then I would say that he is very humble and hid his skills completely.

People tend to believe that everyone hides stuff. But I am not so sure about that any of the "masters" or teachers know anything more than what they show. If there's something more there, it will always shine through as being a part of what is shown. Sometimes it's more the practitioners than the teachers who turn TMA into cults, mostly just by their own wishful thinking. There's no reason at all to hide skill as the skill itself is the foremost selling point for any commercial teacher. Teachers all want to show themselves at their best. So what you see and feel is mostly everything that is there. The rest of all of the fuzzy things that you believe might be there is all something that is going on inside your own head.

You are 100 percent wrong on that.
My first yang style teacher never showed his skills to anyone that I invited over to meet him. "Which pissed me off".
He did not care at all what people thought, He was 100 percent secure in his abilities.
He only showed what he could do to people that he wanted too.
So far I have never met a yang style guy even close to his skill.
you welcome to come over today.