Relax Harder! ~ Tai chi and real martial power. - Preview 

I box as a hobby now, I have been boxing 20 yrs, so I don't even do this art but I sit and listen to this guy all day

I learn 24 form form you, now I practice Yang Style ever single day. Today I trained for 6 hours. Took a class, held a class, pushed hands with a few people, did 9 forms, a lot of qi gong. I trained in a bunch of different styles of Tai Chi, kung fu and Karate grappling, and I've seen everything on the internet, and you my friend are the best! Most right on, clearest, most balanced, deepest, most entertaining. You represent the true spirit of the art.

I've been doing Chen Tai Chi Quan and BJJ concurrently for a few years and was about to quit Tai Chi due to recent embarrassing taichi vs MMA fights out of China. Just as I was about to quit Tai Chi, I discovered BJJ legend Rickson Gracie's recent seminars on the inner secrets of jujitsu. To Rickson jujitsu is about something he calls "connection" the joining of two bodies and efficient control of the joint mass and transfer of energy. This reminds me of taichi concepts such as stick adhere join and follow etc. There is something deep in Taichi despite the poor showings in the ring.

Tai chi works best for me. Practise very slowly. Zhan Zhuang also works. There is an exercise called "Fangsong Gong", and one called "Song Jing Jianshen Gong." You will find instructions in the book, "Qigong Empowerment" by Liang Shou-yu and Wu Wen-ching.

The two books that I most often recommend are "Qigong Empowerment" by Liang and Wu, and Ken Cohen's "The Way of Qigong: The Art and Science of Chinese Energy Healing." The two books complement each other very well.

I remember my Tai Chi master teaching me. It was always, "Relax, relax, relax!" I never had the time to learn hands, learned all the Yang forms, and he demonstrated for me how many of them were supposed to be used. I weigh 80 kilos. My Sifu weighed 50, and could "throw" me around like I weighed nothing. It took me well over a year to learn to relax enough to start learning how to fulcrum and root myself appropriately (not perfectly, not by far). This video is pretty much spot-on. Now I just need someone to practice with.

Hey Sifu Ian , my name is Carlos I follow your videos and I respect your knowlege. I'm instructor of Tai chi Yang style and Wing Chun . Thi is real Gon Fu . Real structure, real energy. Relax harder is the way, force is not real. Kind regards.

I've recently read a book where one of the characters studies Tai Chi and uses it in combat, so I was looking for videos of Tai Chi used against an opponent at full speed to see what it looks like. But I only found videos of slower demonstrations with a lot of MMA fanboys in the comments insulting it as useless in combat. Then I found your videos, and I'm very impressed with how you've proved them wrong. The fluidity of the movement is amazing; I actually laughed out loud when I saw how effective the gentleman in yellow was at deflecting your forceful attacks.

My bagua teacher constantly says relax and I have struggled to understand relaxing for years. I developed pung from standing practice and bagua and noticed that people would bounce off my body or push themsleves when I wasn't even trying. I developed strength from standing (which is a challenge in itself) but as you stated I resorted back to extra muscle tension without leverage during push hands, negating the power and using a lot of effort. This is one of many great lessons you have on your channel. Thank you.

I like it. One of my teachers, who just turned 100, says, "Bu diu, bu ding. You don't against. You don't back too soon." I also like "Resistance is futile." and "What part of RELAX don't you understand?!"

Great Work, Relax Harder Stop Fighting and Competing and be subtle use levers. Top Notch!

Good stuff Ian. Reminds me of a couple of my T'ai-Chi "mottos": "Don't resist. Don't insist." and "Relaxed but not limp. Firm but not tense." GB

Interesting video and nice to see a humble teacher on youtube for a change. A lot of teachers / sifus / masters like to put themselves way up on a pedestool and would've edited out that last 5 seconds - most wouldn't even encourage students to have a real go. Keep up the good work, Ian.

You are the only one who made it so easy to understand how to use relax and physics.Thank you.

how wonderful is that guy?! thank you man!

Ian i really enjoy your vids and sense of humor. thank you for sharing.

Ming men is on the spine on the same level as your belly button on the front. Sink the chest and raise the back, it says ease your chest and straighten the upper back, push the ming men out softly so your lower back will be straight you can pull in your stomach slightly to support your spine, push backward the back of neck but do not tense just raise your head open the feng fu , the point where your skull joined to the spine , now your back is straight and the energy can flow.

After 40 years of amazing martial training I believe your training 100 percent sir and I’ve studied Krav Maga haganah etc and relax harder is my new motto and mantra 🕉️ thanks 🙏

I really like your video. It highlights how wonderfully clever Tai Ji Quan is. Thank you.

Love your videos and Martial understanding of linkage and energy. Plus your humor make them fun to watch.

"Sink the chest and raise the back" means to relax the ribs while remaining upright. There should be no slouching or curving of the back.

I bought the book "Qigong Empowerment" maybe 2 years back, and can definitely recommend it though I'm not qigong expert. I also asked a person who does TCM and teaches qigong professionally (about 15-20years experience), and he also said that it's a good book, though he follows a bit different line of qigong. A note though, it's recommended for intermediate readers in qigong, maybe not the best total beginners. In my opinion, must have for those seriously interested in qigong and MA. :)

Love your vids & teaching style. I've been searching for the right martial art for my son to learn. Wish you were closer.

tiijiman777 your the best teacher I've come across, because you shall the strong foundation of the martial arts. Many so called teachers out there don't show you no foundation , except the mechanical aspects which are highly inefficient. I am a medium, and like to meditate,,,,and the spirit disclosed to me the strong foundation of martial arts which you my friend are teaching. God Bless You ! I am from Brooklyn New York and would love to attend your class if i knew where it was. : )

Are their any exercises or strategies that you would recomend for helping to clear tension from muscles?

Centre of chi is lower dan tien / lower back. Middle dan tien is located in the diaphragm and the power in your upper back could be a result of relaxation of the diaphragm / chest, allowing you to expand better. However, you could be unnowingly bowing your back to get the upper strength. Ask a friend to push down on your shoulders to test that the force is flowing all the way down your spine to the hips and not getting trapped in your upper back

thank you for sharing I appreciate it

I think he is wearing Vibrams. That make is quite the happy sight.

This is one of the best lessons I've seen. Where is your school? It seems the state and my surrounding states have almost 0 "real" tai chi schools

The old guy could be a superhero.

Hi Ian, I'm a big fan. You said "If I'm holding any tension in my body it's working against me". Doesn't a state devoid of ANY tension in a part of the body mean that that body part is 'lost' or disconnected from the will because it is disconnected from the circuit of potential energy through which a push from the floor, a turn of the waist, or a releasing and unraveling can be expressed in that part. If you're totally devoid of ANY tension then you're jelly on the floor (ahhh, sounds comfortable but) of course you have to tell people 'devoid of ANY tension'. If you're not told to let go of ALL tension (and often even when you are) then it's hard to get the snowball of physical release starting to roll. However, in fact you're not letting go of ALL tension because your posture is qualified by rules of alignment i.e. you're a bag of connective tissue full of heavy stuff hanging from your crown the weight of which is pulled by gravity along lines of potential energy. I'd go so far as to say that through releasing mental/muscular/visceral tension etc., taiji is actually a method of realizing the tension of gravity, the perfect degree of tension that engages the deep fascia the most. Not all tension is working against you. The Earth is actually working with you ;-)

this is great! love your content!

YES new video! you're awesome!

It's all the same thing. It matters not if you change the distance, the speed, or the weapons. Even with guns or missiles, the principles are the same.

Very helpful - My parents sent me to martial arts school and a lot of my friends are in the military. But when I try to do as I'm taught, I don't like the way my body feels. Being lose and relaxed feels better, but I don't know how to build more power. I'm very much about moving beyond my current conception/experience of ability. How *does* someone build more health and cardio and the benefits of traditionally intuitive exercise/martial arts style through little use of energy/force/etc.?

Please type slowly and use proper punctuation. If English is not your first language, please type the question in your own language first. Then add the English translation.

oh ok..I'll give it a go.. it looked like a creditcard pay service to me...ok.. this will be fun.

Amazing stuff and very real the more relaxed and aware you are the easier to counter. Can you give me examples in boxing? I need to use Tai Chi for boxing, Being able to use oxygen at my will but also get into the state of mind where I see whats happening and what my opponent is pretending to do...to a point that I can be so accurate as to even hit him a few times on the bicep area to disable his arms. ANy help would be appreciated just relating to Boxing through Tai Chi. Thanks!

Mingmen is a point in the centerline of the back, opposite to dantian. Specificly, around where 2nd vertibra of the spine is.

If wuji is practised with "turtle-like curvature, it is incorrect, and could lead to problems. This the the result of bad posture, not of correct wuji posture.

these are really good advise for beginners and those who doesnt really understand tai chi. do u have a video about rotation and weight shifting.=)

I would definately second Zhan Zhuang. I personally have learnt so much through standing in a doing more of less is more approach to things. Enjoying the vids :-)

Ian thanks for this. I really enjoy watching your demonstrations/lectures. I also read your interpretation of the Salt Shop Classics... is there any other good readings for tai chi (along those same lines) that you would recommend?

awesome tshirt! :D

hi in your explanation about relaxation you are very correct but in your demo your palm of the hand is not relaxed it keeps a form

good

In your experience, have you ever heard of back problems when doing Tai Chi for a long time because of the turtle-like curvature in the back area, as in, being and maintaining Wuji stance??

Do you use paypal?I'd love to follow your courses but I only know how to use paypal..

Nice. ;~) GB

Or drawing Chen style circles~

please tell me you got some sort of compensation for the advertisement from Canada Dry's 'Relax Harder' Promo

Wow.

Looks legit and stating for the most part truth.

Do less. No, no. Do less. Too much. Do it again, but less.

I think this stuff would have made Judo a whole lot easier for me to have practiced all those years ago. I think after this training I actually would have been able to ippon people :(

What does it mean to push out Ming Mein then?

Be easy on the old man sifu. First you hurt his fingers and then you throw away XD

great video thou I think it needs to be watched alongside some training and not standalone

your info seems good, but what if were not wrestling?

"And he's even older than I am" (& still stands like an oak) - LOL.

Could somebody develop such skill without the Jam Jong? I think that is very important but I would like to know your ideas about it. Thanks. :-)

I only use paypal.

This is a preview of a 50 minute video.

LOL I find it funny that you want to win and that creates tension and then that acts against you. It's not easy stuff to learn isn't it.

"I can practice being more efficient by practicing being more relaxed." More relaxed = More efficient. I like that