Knees: Contrasting Xing Yi, Ba Gua, Tai Chi (4) 

Thank you for these videos, they teach me a lot. I've practiced Yang-style Taiji at a young age learning the 24- and 108-form. Finally, I started again, almost 20 years later. There was not much information available back then, and I'm very grateful you're spreading knowledge to the world.

So happy to see San Jie covered! I think it's often neglected as a discussion, yet as you said, Master Yang, one cannot master the internal arts without understanding this. I appreciate this dissemination of Chinese Internal Kung Fu wisdom.

Thank you once again Master Yang for your continuous efforts and generosity in explaining these kind of details for practice, especially explaining the differences among the 3 styles. One might not even be able to get this type of details for a paid lesson. Many many thumbs up.

Complimenti, le tue lezioni completano spesso la mia pratica e molti sei miei dubbi. Ti ringrazio per la continua e incessante informazione che dai della cultura tradizionale cinese!!!

Thanks again. Your contrast sub-series is, as always, well researched and I am amazed at how you distill key principles down to clear points that are easy to understand and can be revisited with multiple viewings since there is much depth to the content. This approach is really helping address the homogenization of internal arts movements which seems to have happened with many teachers. Your approach of digging down to the underlying principles has been vital to reclaiming the essential points that differentiate the different body mechanics and aesthetic conceptions that make each style's unique . Also, I really appreciate how you are taking viewer feedback to guide the lectures.

Love the videos, Laoshi! It’s like dissecting a frog in biology class but a thousand times more interesting!

Thank you very much for all the knowledge you share! You are a very generous person Sifu.

Thank you once again, Sifu. Excellent information here for anyone truly wishing to know and express in their bodies the differences between the three main internal styles. There seems to be a number of modern practitioners who believe that one can, for example, be a Tai Chi practitioner and simply "pick up" the movements of Xing Yi or Ba Gua formds and perform them correctly due to the underlying fundamental principles which these internal arts share. This has always bothered me and seems a bit disingenuous. Perhaps simply an easy way to justify having a broader range of arts or material to sell to potential clients? I truly appreciate your efforts here to show that the differences are, in fact, quite profound when one is trying to perform these systems at a high level. This entire set of lectures and presentations you have been sharing here since the shutdown have honestly been one of the few bright spots for me in an otherwise difficult year, Sifu Yang, and even though we have never met, I feel like I owe you a debt I can never repay. I've learned so much and feel much more clarity about various topics that have had me a bit confused for many years. These lectures are true gold and your passion, generosity, knowledge, and skill are inspiring, honestly. Thanks again and I hope you and yours are doing well.

A very important topic for me. Thank you, Master Yang. Question: given the state of my knee, which is weak, should I strengthen it before returning to Tai Chi practice, or will the strength come with the practice itself? When is your school reopening? Thanks again.

I didn’t realize how deep this was until I watched it again Push extend and smooth When I stand in bear stance I should be employing extend right? This was great I will be working on this ad I do my five elements tomorrow

thank you for the video. I was wondering if you could do a video on what it is that makes an internal art "internal"? I wonder if it is something inherent to these three styles or is it more about the method of practice and mental intent? if it is about methods of practice and intent, can those principles be applied to other arts such as wing Chun or styles of karate? thank you

Thanks! And what about stream with online questions and discussion?

Master is it ok if you showed us the most quiet animal, never really heard of. The TURTLE an how the form looks in your xing yi style?? Please

When you discuss knee demonstration for tai chi. You point quadriceps to rotate inward. When I turn that leg section inward, my hips seem to be the one sending the intent as the quadriceps doesn’t move anatomicaly inward. Is this what is intended by asking to send intention of turning inward tights?

Hai much respects and thank you.. I have a ? Is the heel of of the palm the hypothenar area or is it both hypothenar and thenar area

Great content as usual, its good to see these important differences being highlighted , I was taught to always look at the legs and notice the stepping while critiquing movements in form demonstrations often you lack of consistency in a majority of the newer videos posted online, it’s fantastic that going back through your videos that your students demonstrated those principles in their forms.

Hello Master Hai Yang, please explain if power is led or manifested by the hands..I was under the impression that energy is created in the legs, directed by the waist and released in the hands..hope I'm not barking up the wrong tree!? Thanks for otherwise enlightening videos, please keep 'em coming..best wishes Mike

Again a great video. There are some teachers who don't pay enough attention to the knee in tai chi or xingyi, which can lead to orthopedic problems, sometimes called 'Tai-Chi-Knie' (taichi knee) in German. Which reminds me of problems with the toes in xingyi that sometimes come up. Might also be an interesting topic.

Thank you for the knowledge Sifu...this was very helpful for my internal practice...keep the videos coming!

Excellent scholarship and presentation.

kick no?