Episode 41: Teaching Tai Chi as a Martial Art with Nick Walser and Ian Kendall
In this episode I talk to two Wudang Tai Chi teachers from Brighton, UK: Nick Walser and Ian Kendall. Both students of the late Dan Docherty, they have continued to practice the tai chi that Dan taught them and developed a new training system called 5 Snake.
5 Snake is a unique and powerful method for finding flow, resilience, and calm through partnered close- quarter practice, and they're here to tell you all about it.
Find out more at: https://5snake.co.uk/ and 5 Snake on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.
Read my latest blogs on tai chi and martial arts at: www.thetaichinotebook.com
Welcome to episode 40 of the Tai Chi Notebook Podcast!
Today we’re joined by my friend Benjamin Palmer. Ben has been running a Xing Yi Quan training group in deepest darkest Somerset for a good few years now, but Ben has also been training Mishima Kempo, an eclectic Japanese martial art and is thinking of starting a class in that soon.
We share the same Xing Yi teacher, Damon Smith who has been a previous guest on my show.
I visited Ben’s Xing Yi class a couple of weeks ago to teach his group some grappling and afterwards we sat down for a chat, and a nice cup of tea, so here we are in Ben’s kitchen!
Links:
Mishima Kempo: http://mishimakempo.com/
FoxFist: https://foxfist.com/
Xing Yi UK: http://www.xingyi.org.uk/
My BJJ book, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: The Ultimate Illustrated Guidebook, co-authored with Seymour Yang is now on pre-sale at meerkatsu.com. The first edition will only be on sale until June 11, so if you want a copy, order now!
In this podcast I talk to Seymour about how we made the book.
This is a self-published limited-edition print run. It’s a gorgeously-printed hardback edition. At over 260 pages, with 970+ beautiful illustrations this is the ultimate coffee table BJJ book, but it doesn’t just look good, it’s designed to teach you the techniques of BJJ.
We’ve got all our favourite BJJ moves from basic movements, standing techniques, sweeps, guard, guard passing, submissions and escapes. There’s also a section on the history of BJJ and lots of advice on training, strategy, concepts and principles of the art.
Shipping shouldn’t be too expensive either. Remember, this is a limited edition run and when they’re gone, they’re gone! Get yours today at Meerkatsu.com
In this podcast I talk to internal martial artist Ethan Murchie about this teacher Vince Black from whom he learned xing yi mixed with elements of Sufism and Shamanism, as well as the North American Tang Shou Tao Association which Vince set up and is still running today.
We also cover the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal medicine (the Huangdi Neijing) which Ethan teaches through his Living Neijing website, the meaning of Chinese terms like qi, peng, lu, ji and an, as well as his tai chi teacher Liang Dehua and the Yang Shouhou lineage of Yang family tai chi.
North American Tang Shou Tao Association https://www.natsta.org/
Living Neijing https://livingneijing.ca/
Liang Dehua https://taijiacademy.online/
Simon Thakur is the founder of Ancestral Movement "An ecological approach to movement and mind-body practice, exploring ancient ancestral patterns of movement and awareness built into our bodies, rediscovering the power, grace and ease of natural movement and our bodies’ innate connection to the rest of the living world.
In this episode we cover many subjects including Yoga, Chinese Martial Arts, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Tai Chi, Shamanism and more!
Simon's website: https://www.ancestralmovement.com/
Simon's new online practice group https://www.ancestralmovement.com/member-site-homepage-1
The Tai Chi Notebook: https://thetaichinotebook.com/
Alan Wycherley runs the YouTube channel 'In Defence of the Traditional Martial Arts' and is a tai chi practitioner who is interested in using the art as a practical self-defence system.
In Defence of the Traditional Martial Arts: https://www.youtube.com/@indefenceofthetraditionalma
Twitter: https://x.com/alwycherley
The Fajin Project: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thefajinproject
Podcast by The Tai Chi Notebook (c) 2025
https://thetaichinotebook.com/
Baguazhang misconceptions with Edward Hines
My guest for episode 35 is Edward Hines, a long time Baguazhang student of Lou Dexiu. Ed started training Bagua in Taiwan way back in 1991, and has continued ever since. He now teaches online at I-bagua.com and has books about Baguazhang you can find on Amazon.
To frame our chat we decided to cast around for the most common misconceptions you hear about Baguazhang, and address each of them, one at a time.
Links:
www.i-bagua.com
thetaichinotebook.com
This episode of The Tai Chi Notebook podcast is slightly different to a regular episode. There isn't a guest, but that doesn't mean I'm alone...
This episode is brought to you using the power of AI. I fed a recent blog post from The Tai Chi Notebook into Google's NotebookLM, an AI that produces a podcast based on your article, just to see what would happen and the result was so good that I decided to put it out as a real episode! See what you think.
Original blog post:
https://thetaichinotebook.com/2024/09/16/how-to-do-takedowns-and-throws-in-tai-chi-xing-yi-baguazhang-or-any-martial-art/
My guest for the latest episode of The Tai Chi Notebook Podcast is Tina Faulkner Elders, chief instructor of the RuYi School of Taijiquan and Qigong in Aberdeenshire. We talk about Tina’s training in qigong, first with her father, then in Beijing, China, and then on Wudang mountain itself, the legendary home of Taoism.
Links:
RuYi School of Taijiquan and Qigong
https://ruyischool.com/
Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/RuyiAberdeenshire/
Youtube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsfluLjYWYdD7T8HhJ7BZOQ
The Tai Chi Notebook
http://thetaichinotebook.com
In episode 32 of The Tai Chi Notebook Podcast, I’m joined by Augustus John Roe, who is an author and martial artist living and working in Vietnam.
In our interview I get a chance to ask Gus about what traditional martial arts are like in Vietnam, how the MMA scene there developed and how popular Tai Chi is, not to mention the surprising involvement of Ho Chi Minh in the early development of the 24-Step Tai Chi form.
Links:
Augustus John Roe:
https://www.augustusjohnroe.com/
Ho Chi Minh Tai Chi:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfIl0dKrP0c
Randy Brown is a Mantis Boxing and BJJ black belt coach teaching in the USA. In this podcast we explore how Randy has reworked his Mantis Boxing to explore the grappling potential hidden in its forms and how they can interact with his Brazilian Jiujitsu. We talk about a range of subjects including self defence vs sport, weapons vs barehand and how to turn dead systems into living arts again.
Links:
https://randybrownmantisboxing.com/
Nabil Ranné is a Chen style teacher living in Berlin who offers classes and online training at CTN Academy https://www.ctn.academy/ Nabil is a student of Chen Yu who is the only son of Chen ZhaoKui and grandson of the famous Chen Fake.
Here’s what we talk about:
Timestamps:
1.00: Nabil’s background in martial arts and what attracted him to Chen style Tai Chi
3.40: What is Jin in Tai Chi?
7.30: What makes Tai Chi different to other marital arts?
11.15: What is the strategy for Tai Chi?
16.00: What is the function of Tai Chi push hands?
17.55: Competition push hands vs Tai Chi push hands
22.20: The Xin Yi podcast and how do you train applications in Tai Chi
28.00: Real life self defence situations
36.00: Martial arts vs marital sports
44.02: Zhan Zhuang: Standing pillar practice
46.55: Chen style FaJin methods and their purpose
55.00: Nabil’s book and getting in touch
Links:
———
Nabil’s website: https://www.ctn.academy/
Nabil’s training history: https://www.ctn.academy/blog/learning-taijiquan-with-chen-yu-nabil-ranne
Nabil’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taijigongfu/
Find out more about The Tai Chi Notebook Podcast at: www.thetaichinotebook.com
This month's guest is Richard Johnson a long-time student of Joseph Chen of Chen Style Practical Method.
As well as a Tai Chi practitioner and teacher, Richard is a full time movement coach working with athletes, so he brings an appreciation of athletic movement to his views on Tai Chi.
In our discussion Richard delves deeply into the internal workings of the Chen Style Practical Method and we talk a lot some interesting movement principles based around rotation. We also talk about how the Practical Method is different to the Chen Village style of Tai Chi.
You can get in touch with Richard using his email address trukinetix at gmail.com
Find out more about this podcast at www.thetaichinotebook.com
Jess O’Brien is the author of the book Neijiaquan and co host of the Neijiaquan podcast, which he runs with Isaac Kamins.
Since 1999, Jess has studied extensively under BK Frantzis. Over the years, he has also trained with other, preeminent internal martial artists like Luo De Xiu. He has been active in martial arts since his teens.
In this episode we discuss what drew Jess to the internal arts and how he trained with various different teachers before becoming a student of Bruce Kumar Frantzis.
Links:
Neijiqaun podcast: http://www.theneijiaquanpodcast.com/
Water Tradition Internal Arts: http://www.watertradition.net/
Find out more about this podcast at: www.thetaichinotebook.com
Bruce Lee will be no stranger to anybody listening to The Tai Chi Notebook Podcast - even 50 years after his death he remains the most famous martial artist in the world.
But could he actually fight?
World Champions in karate competition have gone on record to point out that he never once competed in tournaments. So, were his martial abilities simply a trick of the camera?
My guest for this episode is Bruce Lee authority and bestselling author John Little.
John has a new book out called Wrath of the Dragon: The real fights of Bruce Lee, in which he takes a hard look at Bruce Lee’s real-life fights to definitively answer these questions
To get these first hand accounts John has tracked down over 30 witnesses to the real fights of Bruce Lee as well as those who were present at his many sparring sessions. There are over 30 years of research in this book that took him thousands of miles around the globe.
Find out more about Bruce Lee's fights in:
WRATH OF THE DRAON
The Real Fights of Bruce Lee
by John Little
Pub date: September 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781770417427
SPORTS & RECREATION /
Martial Arts
$28.95 CDN / $21.95 U.S.
Paper, 8.5 x 5.5", 352 pp
22 photographs, black and white
DISTRIBUTION:
Baker & Taylor Publisher
Services (US), Jaguar Book
Group (Canada)
Find out more about this podcast at www.thetaichinotebook.com
Bājíquán (八極拳) or shorter just Baji, is commonly known as “the martial art of bodyguards”. It emphasises the use of attacks that close down the distance as well as explosive close combat techniques such as combinations of elbow, knee and takedown techniques.
Both Rikard Elofsson and Miika Wikberg are senior Baji students of Lü Baochun, based in Finland who has over 40 years’ experience in the training and practice of baji. He has trained under many of the famous martial artists who used the style, such as Han Longquan and Zhang Xuchun.
Timestamps:
0.40: - Rikard - Introduce yourself/how did you meet your teacher Master Lü Baochun?
3.15: - Miika - Introduce yourself/how did you meet your teacher Master Lü Baochun?
7.15: What makes Baji different to other martial arts?
8.30: Old Baji and new Baji
9.20: Trademark techniques of Baji
10.15: How is Baji power different? Training methods and the 3 stepping methods.
12.40: The forms and sets in the Baji system
19.20: The history of Baji
25.15: The mixing of Baji and Pigua
26.09: Baji and body guarding
29.41: Is Baji hard to practice?
31.29: Baji and stamping/stomping
34.34: Baji and Tai Chi being taught together
36.25: How to train with Master Lü Baochun
38.00: Do you spar?
40.15: Can you add Baji to an existing skill set?
41.05 Is there a Baji Qigong?
42.18 Are there Baji conditioning exercises?
43.54 Iron Body and Baji
44.35 How do you integrate Baji with other arts?
47.24: Baji standing exercises
51.00: Wrap up and the Muhammad Ali influence
Links:
The Baji Association (English):
https://www.baji.info/en/
Bajiquan Wasa
https://www.facebook.com/bajiquanwasa/
https://www.instagram.com/bajiwasa/
Baji Kung Fu Stockholm:
https://www.facebook.com/kungfusthlm/
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/@Jumfer
https://www.youtube.com/@bajiwasa8400
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Tai Chi Notebook podcast! My guest today is Simon Cox, who co runs the Okanagan Valley Wudang (https://www.okanaganvalleywudang.com/) with his wife Brandi in Penticton, British Columbia.
Simon and Brandi spent six years living and training in China under master Yuan Xiu Gang at the Wudang Daoist Traditional Kung Fu Academy. While there they studied Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, meditation, herbal medicine, Daoist music, and ancient and modern Chinese language.
After returning to the West, they started a Kung Fu school and community group in Houston Texas, where Simon was working on his PhD in Chinese and Tibetan mysticism at Rice University. At the end of 2019, they moved up to the Okanagan Valley and began sharing Wudang teachings with the local community.
What I really wanted to get at with Simon was an elucidation on his article about Zhang Sanfeng - exactly who was this mysterious Taoist immortal who is often credited as the founder of Tai Chi Chuan? I also wanted to find out more about Wudang mountain, and where its martial arts really come from.
Enjoy the episode! You can find out more about The Tai Chi Notebook here:
www.thetaichinotebook.com
Facebook.com/taichinotebook
Instagram.com/thetaichinotebook
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Okanagan Valley Wudang www.okanaganvalleywudang.com
Episode 24: Tai Chi and Taoism on Wudang Mountain with George Thompson
George Thompson is a film maker and Tai Chi teacher who studied on Wudang Mountain in China under Master Gu.
His videos at https://www.youtube.com/@George-Thompson have been watched by over 15 million people and has over 200K subscribers. He runs the Wayfinder Academy at https://www.wayfinder.academy through which he teaches online courses for balanced living.
In this episode I ask George what it is like to live and train Tai Chi on Wudang Mountain, what Wudang Tai Chi is like and what lessons he’s learned from Taoism.
You too can learn from George’s teacher, Master Gu, 15th generation of Wudang Sanfeng Pai of Wudang mountain via his online learning site at https://www.taoistwellness.online/
Click on the 7 day trial option, then use the coupon code TAICHINOTEBOOK when you sign up and you’ll get a lifetime 8% discount. That’s equivalent to one free month a year!
You can get a similar discount from George's website https://www.wayfinder.academy/ using the same discount code TAICHINOTEBOOK when you sign up.
Social: https://www.instagram.com/thetaichinotebook/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taichinotebook/
Web: https://thetaichinotebook.com/
In this episode I catch up with my old Xing Yi training partner Mike Ash who has been doing marital arts for years. We talk about how we met, Mike's training history and the different martial arts he's trained in over the years as well as his latest adventures in Yang style Tai Chi and Chi Kung. We also discuss what makes a martial art popular and the current trend towards MMA, why Tai Chi is still so popular and why Xing Yi isn't in comparison.
Enjoy the episode and check out thetaichinotebook.com for more articles about internal arts.
In the latest episode of the Tai Chi Notebook podcast host Graham is left all on his own without a guest, so he’s decided to pick up a book and read it to you! He’s gone for The Tai Chi Classic, one of the core works which make up a collection known as The Tai Chi Classics. Graham goes through the text a paragraph at a time and gives his interpretation of what the classic is saying. We hope you enjoy!
The Tai Chi Classic
In motion, the whole body should be light and agile,
with all parts linked as if threaded together.
The chi should be activated,
The mind should be internally gathered.
The postures should be rounded and without defect,
without deviations from the proper alignment;
in motion, your form should be continuous, without stops and starts.
The jin should be
rooted in the feet,
generated from the legs,
controlled by the waist, and
expressed through the fingers.
The feet, legs, and waist should act together
as an integrated whole,
so that while advancing or withdrawing
one can take the opportunity for favorable timing
and good position.
If correct timing and position are not achieved,
the body will become disordered
and will not move as an integrated whole;
the correction for this defect
must be sought in the legs and waist.
The principle of adjusting the legs and waist
applies for moving in all directions;
upward or downward,
advancing or withdrawing,
left or right.
All movements are motivated by Yi,
not external form.
If there is up, there is down;
when advancing, have regard for withdrawing;
when striking left, pay attention to the right.
If the yi wants to move upward,
it must simultaneously have intent downward.
Alternating the force of pulling and pushing
severs an opponent’s root
so that he can be defeated
quickly and certainly.
Full and empty
should be clearly differentiated.
At any place where there is emptiness,
there must be fullness;
Every place has both emptiness and fullness.
The whole body should be threaded together through every joint
without the slightest break.
Long Boxing is like a great river
rolling on unceasingly.
Peng, Lu, Ji, An,
Tsai, Lieh, Zhou, and Kao
are equated to the Eight Trigrams.
The first four are the cardinal directions;
South; Heaven, North; Earth, West; Water, and East; Fire.
The second four are the four corners:
Southwest; Wind, Northeast; Thunder,
Southeast; Lake, and Northwest; Mountain.
Advance, Withdraw,
Look Left, Look Right, and
Central Equilibrium
are equated to the five elements:
Metal,
Wood,
Water,
Fire, and
Earth
Taken together, these are termed the Thirteen Postures
