Etiquette
The discipline of Asian Martial Arts has a long history, full of meaningful rituals that are sometimes lost amongst modern practitioners. This is unfortunate, since nothing in Martial Arts exists without reason or practical function. Failure to observe these simple behaviours not only detracts from the depth of the arts; it can create dangerous situations.
Observance of these rituals is not only a gesture of respect, but serves to keep ourselves and our classmates out of harm’s way, both in the school and outside in the world. Many of these rituals are simply basic manners, which serve to help us carry the proper attitude when training and that will extend to our daily lives.
Upon becoming a member of Ta Mo Tao Martial Arts, you will receive guidance on the etiquette such as bowing to use in common situations such as:
Observance of these rituals is not only a gesture of respect, but serves to keep ourselves and our classmates out of harm’s way, both in the school and outside in the world. Many of these rituals are simply basic manners, which serve to help us carry the proper attitude when training and that will extend to our daily lives.
Upon becoming a member of Ta Mo Tao Martial Arts, you will receive guidance on the etiquette such as bowing to use in common situations such as:
- Entering and leaving the training center
- Receiving instructions from a teacher or senior student
- Practicing techniques with fellow students
- Free sparring
Training
Attendance at class together with regular home practice will ensure success! Enjoy your training but don’t expect to remember all new material. With patient and consistent training - just developing a small piece at a time - your repertoire will quickly build up.
'Perseverance is better than natural talent'
is a motto to apply at all times. Gradually as your training develops you will gain more confidence in your ability.
With improvement in your fitness and self-defence skills you will become more attuned to your body and notice an improvement in your mental alertness, self-awareness and general feeling of well-being. This alone is a great reason for training. You may live your whole life and never once need to defend yourself but every day each one of us needs a calm mind and healthy body.
When you're doing martial arts remember you're also practicing an art form. This tradition is not only for fighting, but is about how you can rise above the fight, to develop your own mind, body and spirit.
This is called 'tian ren he yi'. 'Heaven and person come together as one'. This is actually the martial arts purpose: to cultivate the jing (essence), chi (energy) and (shen) spirit for a better, happier and more peaceful way of life.
Ten Points of Practice
When you practice your head, body, legs, arms, hands and waist must work cooperatively.
- Handwork: The fists should be like shooting stars, with power concentrated at the point of contact. Punching, grabbing, and throwing should be fast and smooth, giving the opponent no chance to block or fight back.
- Senses: The eyes should shine like electricity and, together with the ears, should sense your total surroundings. Watching your opponent's body movements should tell you what he is going to do before he does it.
- Waist: The waist should be like a running snake - strong and fluid, furnishing your techniques with power.
- Footwork: Steps should be powerful, yet smooth and light, like a bird. When standing, the body should be rooted, as sturdy as a mountain. When in motion, it should be light and flowing, like running water or moving clouds. Jumps should be airy, high and long; landings weightless, smooth and silent. Running steps should be quick and light-footed.
- Spirit: The spirit should be full. Every move should be done equally with the mind, with the heart, and with the body.
- Energy: Sink the Chi to Dan Tien, the energy centre below the navel. Do not allow your internal energy to rise out of control. You must always stay calm and relaxed to keep the mind clear and body grounded. This is the highest level.
- Power: Every move should have natural power, soft and hard. The power should come from the whole body and never be wasted.
- Control: Know and use the exact space, time and energy required for each action. Regulate the power and make all movements clear.
- Breathing: All breathing should be natural and quiet, both inhaling and exhaling through the nose only. The inhalation should reach the Dan Tien.
- Concentration: The focus should be complete - intent and uninterrupted, totally without tension.
Philosophy
In practical terms, the philosophies of Kung Fu and Taekwondo originate from two main principles. The first is non-resistance, yielding to your opponent's force and the second is the water principle, using fluid and flowing yet penetrating movement through an opponent's defences. One is encouraged to relax the mind and body as you practice, to allow techniques to be like water.
By not opposing force by force, the practitioner continues his opponent's motion by accepting his "flow of energy" as he directs it and overcomes him by borrowing and diverting his own force.
Yin/Yang
So as to understand the changing movements of an opponent one should first come to terms with the meaning of the Tai Chi (grand ultimate or Yin/yang symbol). Yin and Yang together are one inseparable, yet interdependent force of unceasing interplay of movement. They are two coexisting forces of one indivisible whole. One therefore does not oppose strength or give way completely, but is as pliable as a spring and is the complement not the opposition to an opponent's force.
By means of Martial Art training we internalise the basis of power and become aware of the feeling of hardness/softness, linear/circular and the oscillation between tension and relaxation. The final goal of training is to achieve harmony with nature and oneself, finding a balance of Yin and Yang forces.
By not opposing force by force, the practitioner continues his opponent's motion by accepting his "flow of energy" as he directs it and overcomes him by borrowing and diverting his own force.
Yin/Yang
So as to understand the changing movements of an opponent one should first come to terms with the meaning of the Tai Chi (grand ultimate or Yin/yang symbol). Yin and Yang together are one inseparable, yet interdependent force of unceasing interplay of movement. They are two coexisting forces of one indivisible whole. One therefore does not oppose strength or give way completely, but is as pliable as a spring and is the complement not the opposition to an opponent's force.
By means of Martial Art training we internalise the basis of power and become aware of the feeling of hardness/softness, linear/circular and the oscillation between tension and relaxation. The final goal of training is to achieve harmony with nature and oneself, finding a balance of Yin and Yang forces.
History and Lineage
Ta Mo & Shao-lin
In the sixth century AD the Indian Buddhist monk Bodhidharma (Ta Mo) came to the Shao-lin Monastery in an effort to transmit the Cha'n (Zen) meditation tradition to China. Seeing that the monks there were in poor health he taught them the 18 Buddha Hand Exercises to improve their physical condition and assist them in their meditation.
Over time this developed into the original Shao-lin system of Kung Fu and the precursors of the Wei Chia (External) and Nei Chia (Internal) schools of Kung Fu. What is common to all internal styles of Kung Fu are Chi Kung, and martial arts practice based on natural principles and meditation.
Nei Chia
Legend credits the refinement of practices established by Ta Mo to Chang San-feng, who lived in the Sung Dynasty (960 to 1279 AD) around 1247 AD. According to these stories, he heard an unusual noise outside in his courtyard, and looking down from his window saw a crane and snake fighting.
Ta Mo (Bodhidharma)
The crane attacking with its sword-like beak and the snake in turn twisting and bending and staying out of reach then counter attacking, the crane then raising its leg and lowering its wing.
In this he saw the Tao (Way) or Yin-Yang principle (Tai Chi). The strong, changing to the yielding and the yielding, changing to the strong.
From this he identified the same concept in water, the movement of animals, clouds and trees in the wind. He then created forms based on these movements and adapted the Shao-lin martial forms that he had previously learned to the idea of Taoist meditation.
His practices are part of the foundation of the Taoist Wudang Mountain School that stands in contrast to Buddhist Shao-lin tradition. From here the three main internal systems of Tai Chi Chuan, Bagua, and Hsing-yi are derived.
Tai Chi Chuan
In the 17th century a student of the Wudang Mountain School, Chiang Fa, taught the principles of Nei Chia to the villagers of a town in Honan province - almost all of whom were called Chen. Thus began the first family school of Tai Chi Chuan (Chen Style).
Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan
Yang Lu-chan studied with the Chen family in the early 19th century. From this he then developed the original Yang family form which further exemplifies the Taoist principles of softness, relaxation, flexibility and naturalness.
Yang Lu-chan (and some would say the art of Tai Chi Chuan in general) came to prominence as a result of his being hired by the Chinese Imperial Manchu family to teach Tai Chi to the elite Palace Battalion of the Imperial Guards in 1850, a position he held until his death.
The development of the other three recognized styles of Tai Chi Chuan can in turn be traced back to the Tai Chi Chuan of Yang Lu-chan. Yang Style is well known for its comfortable postures, simplicity and practicality.
Taekwondo
The oldest Korean martial arts were a mixture of styles influenced by Northern Chinese Kung Fu Arts. The most popular of these was Subak, with Taekyon containing the kicking element. When the Japanese occupation of Korea ended in 1945, Korean martial arts academies (kwans) began to open under various influences: Taekyon, Subak, Chinese Kung Fu, Japanese Karate and Ju Jutsu. In 1955, nine of these Kwans merged to found a single system as “Taekwondo”. As Choi Hong Hi submitted the name and was first President of the Korean Taekwondo Association, he is considered to be the “father of Taekwondo”.
Currently, Taekwondo is practiced in 190 countries, with over 70 million practitioners and 3 million individuals with black belts throughout the world.
In the sixth century AD the Indian Buddhist monk Bodhidharma (Ta Mo) came to the Shao-lin Monastery in an effort to transmit the Cha'n (Zen) meditation tradition to China. Seeing that the monks there were in poor health he taught them the 18 Buddha Hand Exercises to improve their physical condition and assist them in their meditation.
Over time this developed into the original Shao-lin system of Kung Fu and the precursors of the Wei Chia (External) and Nei Chia (Internal) schools of Kung Fu. What is common to all internal styles of Kung Fu are Chi Kung, and martial arts practice based on natural principles and meditation.
Nei Chia
Legend credits the refinement of practices established by Ta Mo to Chang San-feng, who lived in the Sung Dynasty (960 to 1279 AD) around 1247 AD. According to these stories, he heard an unusual noise outside in his courtyard, and looking down from his window saw a crane and snake fighting.
Ta Mo (Bodhidharma)
The crane attacking with its sword-like beak and the snake in turn twisting and bending and staying out of reach then counter attacking, the crane then raising its leg and lowering its wing.
In this he saw the Tao (Way) or Yin-Yang principle (Tai Chi). The strong, changing to the yielding and the yielding, changing to the strong.
From this he identified the same concept in water, the movement of animals, clouds and trees in the wind. He then created forms based on these movements and adapted the Shao-lin martial forms that he had previously learned to the idea of Taoist meditation.
His practices are part of the foundation of the Taoist Wudang Mountain School that stands in contrast to Buddhist Shao-lin tradition. From here the three main internal systems of Tai Chi Chuan, Bagua, and Hsing-yi are derived.
Tai Chi Chuan
In the 17th century a student of the Wudang Mountain School, Chiang Fa, taught the principles of Nei Chia to the villagers of a town in Honan province - almost all of whom were called Chen. Thus began the first family school of Tai Chi Chuan (Chen Style).
Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan
Yang Lu-chan studied with the Chen family in the early 19th century. From this he then developed the original Yang family form which further exemplifies the Taoist principles of softness, relaxation, flexibility and naturalness.
Yang Lu-chan (and some would say the art of Tai Chi Chuan in general) came to prominence as a result of his being hired by the Chinese Imperial Manchu family to teach Tai Chi to the elite Palace Battalion of the Imperial Guards in 1850, a position he held until his death.
The development of the other three recognized styles of Tai Chi Chuan can in turn be traced back to the Tai Chi Chuan of Yang Lu-chan. Yang Style is well known for its comfortable postures, simplicity and practicality.
Taekwondo
The oldest Korean martial arts were a mixture of styles influenced by Northern Chinese Kung Fu Arts. The most popular of these was Subak, with Taekyon containing the kicking element. When the Japanese occupation of Korea ended in 1945, Korean martial arts academies (kwans) began to open under various influences: Taekyon, Subak, Chinese Kung Fu, Japanese Karate and Ju Jutsu. In 1955, nine of these Kwans merged to found a single system as “Taekwondo”. As Choi Hong Hi submitted the name and was first President of the Korean Taekwondo Association, he is considered to be the “father of Taekwondo”.
Currently, Taekwondo is practiced in 190 countries, with over 70 million practitioners and 3 million individuals with black belts throughout the world.