Ben Lo 37 step

[windwalker]

Practiced with him, and his group informally many yrs ago...
Very nice, funny and kind man...



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8pCHvGVNf0

[everything]

trained at his "tai chi camps" as a kid after my dad attended. people asked him how he developed his skill. he said it was "bend low" ("Ben Lo"), form, and standing. that made no sense to me at the time. I could play soccer or tennis all day. couldn't do those low postures.

[Giles]

I think the deep folding in his kua, and the turning of the body that results from this, is excellent! Inspiring for me to loosen and turn even more, to ind those extra fractions of an inch.

I'm less enthusiastic about the way he sometimes leans back some way behind his vertical axis (i.e. plumb line of the spine). Or at least I'm puzzled by this. Often he doesn't do this, but when he does it can be seen quite clearly. To my mind this is problematic for several reasons.

[windwalker]

for those having reached an understanding and ability of inner and outer alignment.
There is no point in what they do where they are not aligned.

For some it may be confusing until they reached this point, focusing only on the outer alignments.

Beginning level students have to be very strict in their practice allowing them to achieve the real thing...

Ben, as he asked to be called...was quite skilled able to do things physical that were very puzzling .

We had some discussions about "kong jin", this before meeting my last taiji teacher in Beijing...
Ben, surprisingly enough, wasn't a fan and questioned it....and yet still talked about "Qi"
the theory used allowing for "it" making possible a way to understand the theory that "kong jin" is based on...

Good teacher, and friend....

[origami_itto]

My friends who have trained with him have interesting stories.
Probably the best player I know in Austin, Mark Thompson, went to many of his workshops over the years and spoke very highly of him.

Like most folks that have been training a while, he's got a great root, though usually he's not apt to let you feel it when playing.
I guess he was showing somebody his rooting by having them push on his chest and he was absorbing a lot of power.

Ben Lo came up and said he wanted to show him something and he said that he put his finger out and it looked like bugs were crawling up his arm towards the finger, and then he lightly touched his chest and he said it felt like a wind just blew him away out of his stance.

[everything]

Felt like a wave just casually moved me, but I couldn’t feel water or pressure. Looking back, I think he moved us gently, kindly, laughing.