Grandmaster Ip's Interview

Master Ding: What advice would you give to individuals who want to be good in Tai Chi Chuan?

Grandmaster Ip: The individual should seek out a reputable, skilled and knowledgeable Master. The attitude and approach of the student is also important. In ancient times, before and individual is accepted to undertake training, his character is also assessed throughout his training from initial to advanced stages. Failing such tests meant that the student would no longer be allowed to study the art any further. Constant and regular practice is vital. Results in one’s training are measured in ten year periods. To be good in Tai Chi Chuan you have to be committed and able to endure hard training. Correct postures are important. These are building blocks for strong foundation. Bad postures gives rise to poor foundation and further training will yield little gain.
 
Master Ding: Often I hear people say that if they are intelligent they could learn the form quicker and are able to achieve high levels in Tai Chi Chuan more easily. What is your view about this?

Grandmaster Ip : The training in Tai Chi Chuan is quite different from ordinary academic studies. The individual will still need to practice to gain better understanding of the form. In Chinese, we often use the millstone to explain the concept of correct form practice. For example, wheat grains are put in the mill to be turned into flour which can then be used for numerous purposes. Form practicing is similar in that over a period of time of continued practice you will begin to appreciate better understanding and insight into different aspects and application of CHI, within the form. Some intelligent people often ask the Master to teach more postures at each sessions as they can memorise more moves. However, each correct posture needs to be practiced regularly before learning new moves otherwise the full essence of the postures is not grasped. Time spent learning a few postures correctly at each session is more valuable and important than learning many postures incorrectly.

Master Ding: Some practitioners often try to learn from different Masters who are conducting various workshops or seminars. Will they be able to learn much Tai Chi to improve their levels?

Grandmaster Ip : People attending these workshops or seminars do gain some understanding of the different approaches of Tai Chi Chuan as demonstrated by these Masters. People generally learn numerous forms, pushing hands, weapons etc. These are merely movements and often taught at levels. To achieve high levels in Tai Chi Chuan, you should seek out the best and continue to study with that Master. Higher levels or skills are normally only taught to people who have stayed with the Master for long periods of time. The time factor is not the only determinate. Your character and personality are also taken into account because the Master needs to feel that the individual is worthy of the true transmission. Hence, you can see why Masters teaching thousands of students may only have a handful of disciples. The late Master Yang Sau Chung had only accepted three disciples, myself, Master Chu Gin Soon and Master Chu King Hung.

Master Ding: Practitioners often get asked what family style of Tai Chi Chuan they practiced and whether they are big or small circle ? Could you explain what they mean?

Grandmaster Ip: Big or small circle often means that form is practiced with larger or smaller circular movements (for example Wu style is said to be small circle). However, other than this framework, the Yang style can also be classified into three types i.e. the stork, tiger and snake.

Stork - the postures in the form tend to be much higher and are ideal for weaker or older people to practice.

Tiger - the postures are of medium height and should be the aim of all practitioners.

Snake - the postures are very low and are the most difficult form to master. Only the inner disciples are taught this higher level. This form is not suitable for everybody to practice. We hear stories of different generations of Yang Masters develop such flexibility and dexterity that they are able to practice the form under table tops and even pick up coins from the ground with their mouth while in the Snake Creeps Down posture.
 
Warning: Practitioners should not attempt to practice this snake form without the supervision and instruction of a knowledgeable and experienced Tai Chi Master.

Master Ding: We often hear stories of the Yang Masters power and applications for self-defence. What was training under Master Yang Sau Chung like, in this aspect?

Grandmaster Ip: My Master often stated that to understand CHI energy and its self-defence application, one needs to experience being attacked or hit by the Master. He often stressed that if he did not hit or attack the student they would not understand nor learn the true internal concept of self-defence. In Chinese (Cantonese) this process is called "BUT TA BUT GAU" - 'Not to hit, is not to teach' For instance, to cook a dish, you first need to know the ingredients. To taste such dish, one needs to use the different senses for example, smell, taste and feel, to really appreciate the true flavour of the dish. Therefore the only way to understand is to experience. In the past, when these Yang Masters taught their students, they had to endure the harsh and tough training. Some of these students often got injured or gave up studying Tai Chi altogether as they can not endure such training.

I have personally undergone 24 years of this type of training. Initially, when I practiced the advanced pushing hands with my Master, as soon as I touched him, I was thrown to the wall. Often when pushed to the wall, I would bounce off the wall like a ball bouncing off the floor. During the earlier stages of my training, I often saw "stars "and got very breathless. Over a period of time, through such regular practice, I became stronger and depending on intensity of CHI energy applied by my Master was able to cope with the force to some degree by feeling and reacting to it - something that can only be learnt by experience. Master Yang could often use any part of his body to apply his CHI energy for example in FA GENG.

In my training session, I was usually exhausted and drenched in sweat after practicing advanced pushing hands with Master Yang. However, he still appears as fresh as when he first started. Not even a drop of sweat! He was always able to control the CHI with such precision and focus at all times, using minimal or no movement at all. His power is indescribable and needs to be felt to be appreciated.
 
Master Ding : What other aspect of training would you give to Tai Chi Chuan practitioners to help them improve their standards?

Grandmaster Ip : There are another three principles that people need to be aware of:

a. Yuen (Circular) - Tai Chi movements are usually circular. However within this circular nature, the shape could change for instance, smaller and large circles, oblong shaped, etc.

b. Wan(smooth/flow) - Movements practiced need to be smooth and in a flowing momentum. There should not be a break from the beginning to the end i.e. like the Yin-Yang symbol, one flowing into the other.

c. Tuen( united ) - Here the movements practiced should be coordinated and balanced.
 
Master Ding: I would like to thank you for this rare interview and I am sure that I have gained a more expansive view of Tai Chi Chuan. Readers would undoubtedly gain a valuable insight in Tai Chi Chuan. In addition, I would also like to thank Master Chu Gin Soon for arranging our meeting and making this interview possible .
 
Grandmaster Ip: I do hope your readers find this interview beneficial. I would also like to inform your readers that the late Master Yang's daughter, Yang Ma-Lee teaches the traditional Yang style Tai Chi Chuan in Hong Kong.

Thank you.