moonlee.org » Martial Arts

Two’s company but three’s a class!

moon — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 03:13:00 +0000

Well, my fledgling Yiquan class has ballooned to the record size of 3 whole people, with the addition of a couple this week, who seem to have appreciated the taste of Yiquan they received and are looking to return again next week. Both are Chicago police officers, one who has practiced Eskrima (a Filipino art) for about 30 years and I believe teaches as well. Things are definitely starting to get a bit interesting here…

Yiquan-tastic

moon — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 21:19:00 +0000

Well, I’ve finally gotten around to starting an Yiquan class. If you’re in Chicago and want to pick up some bad-ass kungfu, stop by:

3717 N. Ravenswood, Suite #213

Mondays 7:30pm – 9:00pm

http://www.yiquan.us

I’m in the Mother Me studio space. Class is $15 and all skill levels are welcome.

Small steps.

moon — Thu, 10 May 2007 15:20:00 +0000

My first Yiquan student came out from Madison, WI last weekend to train with me for the afternoon. The Yiquan teaching body here in the U.S. is not… large. It was nice to have an excuse to expound on the beauty and science of Yiquan even if for just a few hours. Some zhan zhuang, shi li, tui shou; we covered a decent amount of ground. Well, the stone has now been dropped into the pond…

Time to move on

moon — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 05:14:07 +0000

So the bags are packed and I’m going back to America tomorrow. It’s been a hard 9 months in so many ways, both physically and emotionally. But now that’s it over, I find myself at a loss; in many ways, I’ll be leaving a part of myself here in Beijing, at the park with my training brothers, in the hutongs and old haunts that, which although so alien and strange at first, have gradually become my home. Thinking back to when I first arrived, and the initial feelings of complete disorientation and homesickness I endured being away from Zoe and all my friends, I have a sense of satisfaction that I actually made it – I found a community, picked up a new language, and rose to the physical challenge of training a demanding 6-7 hours a day of martial arts. But most importantly it cultivated a part of me that I didn’t even really know existed but knew I wanted to find. Definitely one of the most difficult but worthwhile experiences of my life.

To all my friends and training brothers here, I have nothing but gratitude: thanks for everything and I will see you when our paths cross again – either in China or wherever else in this big world that our crazy lives might lead us.

About Yiquan

moon — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 11:25:18 +0000

Master Yao is writing a piece for the Beijing Wuhuan Magazine (a magazine produced by the Beijing Wushu Association) and asked me to submit a short article describing my experiences as a foreigner learning at the school. I thought I would post it here as well…

I came to Beijing from the United States specifically to learn the art of Yiquan. I had over 10 years of experience in the practice of other martial arts styles, particularly Taijiquan, but I felt that something was missing from my understanding of combat and it was my hope that Yiquan would provide the missing piece. I did not know too much about Yiquan, other than the fact that it emphasized the practice of standing postures and the development of real combat ability. But this sounded very promising to me, and I made plans to study with Master Yao Chengguang since he and his school, the Beijing Zongxun Wuguan, have an excellent reputation. I have now studied with Master Yao intensively for almost a year, and I have been extremely pleased with the results. Gradually, through his guidance, I have recognized the true meaning of martial art, the true essence of combat ability, which has been a real revelation.

Rather than being based on the repetition of forms and set patterns, Yiquan seeks to cultivate real power in its practitioners through the steady cultivation of the mind and the will. Although there are basic exercises that are used to help the individual develop this ability, the real goal of this martial art is to transcend these tools and move the body freely and flexibly, effortlessly striking and moving with great speed and whole body power. Master Yao, and his father before him, Yao Zongxun, have devoted a great deal of effort to developing a scientific and systematic approach in their teaching methodology to make this goal accessible to all their students, step- by-step. By using his methods to progress through a series of mental visualizations, combined with rigorous training in zhan zhuang, shi li, fa li, tui shou, and san shou, I have been able to produce some very remarkable results in my combat ability in a relatively short amount of time. While I am still far from the heights of my predecessors, I am happy in the knowledge that I am on the right path and have found a true teacher to guide me.

I could very easily go on about the power of Yiquan, or perhaps the extreme skill that Master Yao possesses, which is indeed rare and truly inspiring. However, I would like to mention a little bit about the profound nature of Yiquan itself, as a means to cultivate the individual. It is, in fact, more than just an art to promote one’s health as well as one’s martial ability. While it is extremely successful in those goals, it reaches an even higher plane. Yiquan actively trains you to magnify your intention to an extremely large scale. This affects not only how you move your body, but in essence, how you relate to the world in any situation, whether it is in combat or any difficult circumstance. With this kind of training, you are able to cast your fears aside and calmly engage the situation with every concentrated fiber of your being. I believe this to be something that is quite profound and of incalculable value.

In closing, I would like to say that I have found the training at the school to be rigorous but rewarding. As with many endeavors in life, the quality of the result is determined by the effort you expend. While Master Yao can teach you everything you need to know, this is no substitute for spending the time to actually do the practice required to transform your knowledge into real skill. It can be quite challenging at times. But I am continually inspired to persevere by the example set by Master Yao, and along with his steady encouragement, I have gained some real insight into myself and a remarkable martial art.

I have only my teacher to thank for these gifts, which he has given generously and without hesitation.

Moon Lee (李文荣)

A New Family

moon — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 06:08:04 +0000

Last night my Yiquan teacher Yao and I did a traditional baishi ceremony, where he accepted me as a “close” student (sometimes known as a “disciple” in martial arts). It was a nice evening; some warm speeches were made, followed by a nice dinner with my kungfu brothers and sisters, which ran quite late into the night.

Being a martial arts disciple is actually a fairly serious commitment; it’s a signal that you will devote yourself to your teacher and their art, and do your best to develop it, both in yourself as well as the world. You have, in effect, joined your teacher’s martial arts family.

It’s a responsibility I fully intend to honor and he knows it.

All good things…

moon — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 23:39:00 +0000

Well, November is speeding by, and my time in China is drawing to a close for now. The days have been quite filled of late; in addition to my normal training regime, I’m editing an Yiquan book for Master Yao and doing regular remote contract programming, which makes the time really fly. I’ve discussed my plans with Master Yao (pictured), and he’s agreed to take me on as his formal disciple (woohoo), and will be administering the instructor exam sometime soon before I leave, which is all great news. If all goes well, I’ll be in Chicago with Zoe, making some money and practicing Yiquan, and generally living a more “normal” life for the first time in quite a while. Enough adventuring for the time being – it’s time for the hobbits to return to the Shire, put on the fire and drink a nice cup of tea.

I was originally planning on leaving in mid-December but pushed the date up to the 4th, as there are some fairly pressing matters to attend to at home. But it’s good news, not bad ;-)

In other news, CM is in town, visiting from Crestone, and hopefully I will get to see her tomorrow!

Shengri Kuai Le

moon — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 07:24:37 +0000

November 4th was my Yiquan teacher Master Yao’s birthday. 100 of his students, friends, and martial arts peers gathered to wish him a very happy birthday. It was quite a massive party; we rented out a nearby restaurant to accommodate everyone. Crates of beer and many bottles of bai jiu (chinese hard liquor) ensured much merry-making.

I was looking forward to just relaxing and enjoying the scene, when I found out several hours before the party that Master Yao wanted me to give a 5 minute speech on behalf of the foreign students as part of the small opening ceremony. In chinese. Newsflash: My chinese is crap. Well, after some initial panic, BL and I worked on putting something together in pinyin, and DT gave it a once over as well. I think in the end, it went alright, but frankly, I’m not sure – after the first few sentences I kind of blacked out. When I sat back down, my Chinese friend Hailai helpfully reassured me, “I think most people understood it.” Most people? Did that include Master Yao?

Man. I don’t want to do that again.

The rest of the party, thankfully, involved no further acts of public embarrassment. :-)

End of Summer

moon — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 19:23:17 +0000

I think the summer’s (unofficially) over and I’m off for a 3 week break back to the States to see Zoe, catch up with friends, and perhaps eat some non-chinese food. It’s been a pretty tough summer: lots of heat, humidity, mosquitoes, and sweat. But it’s been fun in its own perverse way, pushing myself to explore my limits in physical endurance. It turns out I’m still not that old (yet ;-), but I definitely did get to explore some pretty strange spaces in my head. But all that aside, I’ll definitely be glad to return to some hopefully much cooler late-September weather in Beijing after I get back.

Here’s a group photo of me with some of my Yiquan brothers after the day’s training.

74

moon — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 08:38:12 +0000

Well the heat here in Beijing has been fairly steady, punctuated by the occasional violent thunderstorm and torrential downpour. That, combined with waves of hungry mosquitoes, has made the daily training somewhat of an added challenge. I recently counted the number of active and healing mosquito bites on my legs and arms and arrived at the startling number of 74. And yes, they itch :-/

With the killer humidity around here, it is not unusual for my sweat saturated clothing to be literally dripping from the exertion. Even doing my standing practice, sweat drips of my arms, forming small pools of sweat on the ground around my body. So these days, I wring my shirt out five or six times during practice, each time forming large puddles on the ground. I have had people see me after training and exclaim with surprise, “Oh, I didn’t know it was raining!” Alas, no, it is not.