Tai chi chih (ruler) and tai chi bang (stick)

[neijia_boxer]

Does anyone here practice these- they are somewhat not related to Tai Chi chuan but another internal practice of healing from china that tai chi chuan players supplement their workouts..... similar to Tai chi ball, ect.

from http://www.taichiacademy.com.au/products.php?id=9

The Tai Chi Ruler, also known as the Guiding Qi Needle, was passed down to Hu Yao Zhen from his teacher, Peng Ting Jun. Originally, the Ruler came from a famous Taoist hermit, Chen Tuan (c871-989 A.D.), who resided on Huashan, a mountain which is famous for its near-vertical cliffs and plunging ravines. Students who went on our 2004 Tai Chi tour to China visited this historic mountain.

The fame of Huashan derives from its natural beauty which takes the form of huge granite peaks towering over the plains of the Shanxi province. Throughout its many peaks and valleys are Taoist monasteries. During the Song Dynasty, the fate of Huashan was determined over a game of chess between Chen Tuan and Emperor Zhao Kuang Yi. Emperor Zhao wanted to use Huashan for a military garrison. Chen wanted Huashan to remain as a sacred mountain. Although the Emperor was famous for his expertise at chess, yet Chen was skilled in the art of divination, so he predicted the Emperor’s every move. The Taoist sage won the game and the Emperor kept his word and left Huashan alone. The Chess Game Pavilion, a monument to the contest, still stands today on top of the central peak of Huashan.

While the Tai Chi Bang (Stick) is yang in nature, working more on the external (joints, ligaments and muscles), the Ruler is yin in nature, working on the internal. The Ruler is a form of qigong used to nourish and strengthen the qi (internal energy). The Bang (Stick) is heavy while the Ruler is light. “Qi comes quickly” with the Ruler practice, meaning that the practitioner feels the qi easily when holding the Ruler in both palms. Both ends of the Ruler are spherical in shape and fit comfortably in the centre of the palms. This serves to stimulate important acupuncture or meridian points in the palms, especially the Lao Gong point in the centre of the palm.

tai chi bang:
The Tai Chi Bang is easy and fun to learn. Discover more flexible joints and a stronger grip! Masseurs, health professionals, musicians, gymnasts and keyboard users will find this an invaluable tool in their professions. This training is a must for all Tai Chi and Martial Arts practitioners who are serious about their development!

1.The Tai Chi Bang helps to prevent overuse injuries as it strengthens the wrists, tendons and muscles.
2. It develops hand, wrist and arm strength. If you notice that you are losing hand and arm strength in performing daily tasks, such as, turning the tap, opening jars and bottles, you will find a significant improvement after practising the Bang.
3. It teaches you to feel and integrate the back with arm movements. You will experience this immediately with the first set of movements.
It improves coordination, internal power and the ability to apply and escape from chin na which are joint locking techniques. It also develops eagle claw power.
4. Practising the Tai Chi Bang regularly will improve your power and Tai Chi skills without your even being aware of it.

Names of the Tai Chi Bang Movements

You may choose to do 9, 18 or 36 repetitions in your practice. 9 repetitions will take only 12 minutes and 18 repetitions will take approx. 24 minutes.

Preparatory Stance

Wringing with Intent
Forwards
Upwards
Downwards
Left and right corners
Twisting from Side to Side
Yang Palms - palms facing down
Yin Palms - palms facing up
Heavenly Circuit
Rolling forwards
Rolling backwards
Stepping
Black Dragon Winds around the Pillar
Centre
Side to side
Downwards left and right corners
Backwards and upwards
Four corners with stepping

http://www.taichiacademy.com.au/products.php?id=6

[Bill]

I practice Tai Chi Ruler as taught by Sifu Share Lew.

Share K. Lew, now in his nineties, is a Taoist priest with over 70 years experience in the traditional Taoist arts. Master Lew received part of his education at Wong Lung Kwan, a Taoist monastery on the Luo Fo mountains near Canton, China.
Master Lew studied at Wong Lung Kwan monastery for 13 years. During that time he trained in the full range of Taoist healing and martial arts. At the core of his training was the secret system of cultivation known as Qigong (Chi kung). Master Lew was the first person to openly teach authentic Taoist Qigong to non-Chinese, beginning in Los Angeles in 1970. Master Lew’s monastery style, the Tao Ahn Pai (Taoist Elixir Style), dates back over 1300 years to Lu Dung Bin, who was born during the Tang Dynasty, and became one of the Eight Immortals of Taoism.

[justincasea]

I practice Tai Chi Ruler as taught by Sifu Share Lew.

Share K. Lew, now in his nineties, is a Taoist priest with over 70 years experience in the traditional Taoist arts. Master Lew received part of his education at Wong Lung Kwan, a Taoist monastery on the Luo Fo mountains near Canton, China.
Master Lew studied at Wong Lung Kwan monastery for 13 years. During that time he trained in the full range of Taoist healing and martial arts. At the core of his training was the secret system of cultivation known as Qigong (Chi kung). Master Lew was the first person to openly teach authentic Taoist Qigong to non-Chinese, beginning in Los Angeles in 1970. Master Lew’s monastery style, the Tao Ahn Pai (Taoist Elixir Style), dates back over 1300 years to Lu Dung Bin, who was born during the Tang Dynasty, and became one of the Eight Immortals of Taoism.

Interesting infomation. When did he start to teach the ruler and how do you feel after learning that? Where does Share Lew reside? Does he still teach or come out to talk to visitors? Thanks

[neijia_boxer]

Thats awesome Bill. you da Tai chi ruler man! (Under Sifu share Lew)

Right now I am investigating it, i already have two very similar devices (hand rod and foot rod) from Koulin qigong that are nearly the same as ruler and stick and worked with those. As I check out some clips on youtube the movements and intent are very different. The ruler and hand rod both affect the Lao Gong in hand.

Do you still practice it Bill?

[Bill]

Yes, I practice regularly. I use it as my main chi gong.
After learning it I feel much calmer, more centered, healthier, and my sensitivity to my own and others energy has increased greatly.

Sifu Lew learned the ruler exercises from the founder of the Ruler school in Beijing, Chao Chung Tao. This was about 7 years before Chao started his school and teaching the public. After Sifu Lew returned to his village after leaving the monastary, he met Chao and his friend who were traveling around China. He learned the ruler at that time.
Sifu started teaching the ruler to Americans I think around the mid 70's.




Sifu lives in San Diego. He gives seminars through Bill Helms Taoist Sanctuary school. http://www.taoistsanctuary.org/

[I-mon]

i learned the taiji bang set from brett and fontane (the people whose website you quoted) a few years back. it's good stuff, now that you mention it i could probably benefit a lot from practicing it since my wrists have been a bit funny the last couple of years from all the massage.

[Bhassler]

I practice some sort of taiji baton set, but I don't know from whence it came or if it bears any similarity to the systems outlined above...

[neijia_boxer]

i learned the taiji bang set from brett and fontane (the people whose website you quoted) a few years back. it's good stuff, now that you mention it i could probably benefit a lot from practicing it since my wrists have been a bit funny the last couple of years from all the massage.

That is cool I-mon, I met Brett and Fontane back in 1994 in Shanghai at Fu Zhong Wen's 50 anniversary on Yongnian Taiji association.

As a part-time massage therapist , I thought the Tai chi bang would be good for my wrists as well, especially since i broke one back in 1991 and it bothers me frequently.

[wiesiek]

I have ruler and Terry Dunin book with the basic form
but
didn`t have time to study it fully yet,
sh@#$! i just realized, that it is on my shelf last 10years alredy

Bill
as long term user -
would you share some important points and "extra" benefits over "unarmed" gongs?

[ors]

Hi everyone!

I have to tell, that I don't really know, what are those secret methods, you are talking about, but the quoted homepage is about the taiji bang and ruler "gong" of Feng Zhiqiang laoshi, who have made this system on his own. Adopted into it some chenstyle "bang" excercises and some ruler excercises, what he have receiwed from Hu Yaozhen, and I think he put some long pole excercises into it as well.
The bang is for twisting and streching and for developing some strenght, the ruler part is more for qigong practice jus as it is quoted from that site.

The taiji bang is taught quite generally in the chentaiji family as I know. We practice this as well.

Here is a link about GM Feng:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTO3FyDCBhw&feature=related

Örs

[justincasea]

Yes, I think it is Feng's own invention. In this case, he uses a ruler mainly for training Chansijin. Share Lew learned it from Taoist tradition. his ruler exercise should be more than that. Can anyone tell a bit on that?

[charles]

I've practiced stick (bang), ruler (chih) and ball/sphere (chou) for some time. (I posted the youtube video of FZQ that ors pointed to.) The bang and chih practice I learned is from FZQ's system. I learned the bang as one practice and the "Special Taoist Taiji Stick and Ruler Qigong" as a different practice. As I've learned it, it is essentially as was described in neijia-boxer's original post.

[Methods]

I learned Taoshi Lew's stick form back in the day and a few of my students of the past new it as well. Good stuff, but just the same as everyone else's. Its good for old people or people that need to center themselves and get some exercise when recovering from an injury or just in bad shape, also helps with mental problems such as anger and such due to the balancing nature of the exercise.
In reality its another form and more forms mean less practice on what matters.

Ask Lew about his Taoist Five animal system and the ol' traditional Choy Li Fut stuff, then you may have something.

[Doc Stier]

It's good for old people or people that need to center themselves and get some exercise when recovering from an injury or just in bad shape, also helps with mental problems such as anger and such due to the balancing nature of the exercise.

Agreed. I learned these exercises over 40 years ago as simple chi-kung practices which require less leg strength, flexibility, balance, and body control to perform than the standard tai-chi chuan forms with more active steps. As such, they are typically considered more appropriate for the elderly, the disabled, or anyone else who is unable to physically perform the more common tai-chi chuan exercises.

They are useful exercises for such individuals, and can serve as a practical bridge between standing or seated stationary chi-kung practices and the full sets of tai-chi form exercises practiced as a moving chi-kung. These auxiliary exercises are of little value, however, to anyone who is able to perform the more energetically dynamic standard tai-chi chuan sets of any major style.



http://mohegantaichi.com/images/page/ta ... quence.jpg

[charles]

Agreed. I learned these exercises over 40 years ago as simple chi-kung practices which require less leg strength, flexibility, balance, and body control to perform than the standard tai-chi chuan forms with more active steps. As such, they are typically considered more appropriate for the elderly, the disabled, or anyone else who is unable to physically perform the more common tai-chi chuan exercises.

Can't speak for what others have learned, but this is only partially true for the Feng set that I learned. Several of the exercises are quite physically demanding and not suitable for most elderly, disabled of physically unfit practitioners. Several exercises involve low stances and bending at the waste to move the ruler past the feet, similar to the ability to touch one's toes. I have found several of the exercises to be excellent for teaching basic body mechanics to beginners. I've used one of the exercises for severe pain management during bouts of kidney stones. Certainly, they can be performed in such a way as to be suitable for the elderly, disabled or unfit. They can also be performed in such a way as to be a fairly strenuous workout. Similarly, any Taiji form can be practiced as a strenuous workout or adapted for the elderly and disabled - depends upon what one puts into it and the purpose of practicing it. MMV.