Peter Ralston -- Cheng Hsin in fighting

[Formosa Neijia]

http://formosaneijia.com/2008/05/25/rev ... tplay-dvd/

This is a review I did of Peter Ralston's fight/play DVD. Ralston is the creator of Cheng Hsin -- a blend of taiji, bagua, and aikido. The reason I'm mentioning it here is that a lot of people seem to outright dismiss the softer side of the IMAs as being totally impractical even though all the classics of taiji, judo, aikido, what-have-you all stress them.

Well here is someone that utilized those principles in full contact fighting by winning his matches in the 1978 Guoshu competition.


After footage of his fight, he shows a great non-rehearsed demo of softness, relaxation, sticking, and flowing against a taiji teacher that sponsored him for a seminar. Despite it being non-rehearsed and against someone that is skilled, Ralston is still able to adhere to his principles and dominate the opponent in soft randori.

This is one of the best DVDs I've seen and I think it would open a lot of people's eyes to what Ralston's books and the classics are talking about.

Dave C.

[somatai]

Peter has the goods....one of the smoothest movers I have ever seen and frightening power to boot

[JAB]

Hard to see anything of value when their is no video clips.
So let me ask this...after the Tui Shou has been developed and practiced, what is the next stage of practical usage? Do his students spar or grapple?
Thanks
Jake

[Dillon]

I have a different dvd of his, and what struck me the most was how he was able to read intention. He was pulling a chair out from under someone as they sat even though they knew he was going to do this by judging the moment where they had actually committed to sitting. It was a neat display of awareness. I'm going to a seminar with him in september, and I'm looking forward to it.

[shawnsegler]

[quote]Do his students spar or grapple? /quote]

I was under the impression he was also a devotee of western boxing, so I assume so.

Dillon: I've also seen the tape you're talking about. It's got some really cool things to share on it. I'm really down with that "power of the target" stuff. His take on things is pretty cool. The enya music that's the soundtrack for it...it's a little dissonant.

Best,

S

[cerebus]

Hard to see anything of value when their is no video clips.
So let me ask this...after the Tui Shou has been developed and practiced, what is the next stage of practical usage? Do his students spar or grapple?
Thanks
Jake

My Bagua instructor was a student of his for 8 years in the 70s/80s. Yes, they certainly do spar.....

[mixjourneyman]

Hard to see anything of value when their is no video clips.
So let me ask this...after the Tui Shou has been developed and practiced, what is the next stage of practical usage? Do his students spar or grapple?
Thanks
Jake

Peter's curriculum includes "randori" like grappling training as well as his own spin on western boxing. However, from what I have seen, he does not combine the two.

[mixjourneyman]

Also, just a note: Peter is well worth checking out for anyone who interested in martial arts,relaxation,awareness,personal improvement training. He is a great teacher and has the goods to share with interested people.

[Aged Tiger]

I met him back in '89, I think it was, my teacher introduced me at a seminar. He had something special then, I can only imagine what it like now.

He was doing a sensing demonstration and asked us all to just try and touch, .... we couldn't .... close, but never could quite get there.

Thanks for the review on the dvd, I'll have to check it out. I still think Principle of Effortless Power is one of the most interesting books I've ever read. I read it 4 times cover to cover since it came out, and still see something different each time I read it.

Chas

[ashe]

video or it didn't happen.



i was reading william lewis's interview in NJQ and he mentioned ralston and i meant to follow up on that so if you have the clip that would be sweet.

[Formosa Neijia]

Glad to hear that people know he has the goods.

Here's the thing: he emphasizes relaxation to the point of floppiness. He calls it being a "ragdoll" if I remember correctly. He doesn't rely on pengjin very much at all but does rely on the soft aspects of IMA.

The DVD shows his whole fight. I'm not at liberty to put up a clip of it.

Dave C.

[Dillon]

Someone could always email him and invite him here.

[Buddy]

So Dave,
I'm a proponant of using pengjin, and I've read your assessment on your site (and I met him many years ago). So, pengjin or no. IYO?

[Formosa Neijia]

So Dave,
I'm a proponant of using pengjin, and I've read your assessment on your site (and I met him many years ago). So, pengjin or no. IYO?

For him? He clearly relies on rollback the most. He yields to most stuff and then does what he does.

So you met him. What was he like?

Dave C.

[stma]

In my days with Ralston, he didn't use the term pengjin. His trainging would eventually lead you to it, in an indirect way, but in the end you would still have it.