Australian Seminars, January 2008

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Linda Heenan
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Australian Seminars, January 2008

Post by Linda Heenan » Wed Jan 16, 2008 5:53 am

Australia, land of contrasts that it is, can be chilly one day, and melting the next. The Blue Mountains leg of our recent seminars with teacher Scott Rodell, were held in a more temperate range. Even so, students were soaked with their own sweat within ten minutes of swordplay, and that, in an air conditioned room.

The first seminar was dedicated to Swordsmanship Skills, with some comparisom from the public Yangshi Taiji Jian cuts, but mostly Yangjia Michuan Taiji Jian system. Some people had traveled from as far away as Darwin, and New Zealand. The youngest student was only thirteen, and to his credit, he completed all but one day of the first two seminars, at adult intensity.

The second Blue Mountains seminar was aimed at improving First Section Michuan Emptyhand. This was new for some of the students and it is to Rodell Laoshi’s credit, that he can teach the new ones, while helping those who have been at it two or three years neaten up foot positions, waist turns and fangsong.

After five days in the Mountains, there was a plane trip to Brisbane. After a relaxing day viewing the Andy Warhol exhibition, paddling in an artificial creek, and enjoying fish and chips for dinner, the second half of the seminars got underway.

Thirty - forty degree heat is not unusual for Brisbanites. They suffer it and survive it, doing what they must. I have a tendancy towards heat exhaustion, and balanced the temperature with the ice vest, you see me wearing in the picture below. It had the added advantage of providing chest protection during swordplay ….. not that anyone got close enough to actually hit me in the chest …… well, perhaps that is a slight exaggeration. I was still purple, green and yellow up much of the right arm from several sorties with Laoshi in the Blue Mountains and he was simply filling in the uncoloured gaps, at the Brisbane seminar …. quite thoughtful of him really, to make sure I was the same colour all over. The other students got the same treatment but we all enjoyed ourselves and learnt a lot.

I’m ahead of myself. The first Brisbane seminar was on martial applications. We had two eight hour days of practicing the eight strikes/deflections. We elbowed and shouldered one another, pushed each other across the hall, learnt better press skills, and all the rest of them. Push hands was included in the evening program.

Swordplay skills filled the last two days. We learnt useful footwork, ways to play against those using different weapons, the inevitable drills, voiding, slipping, deflecting, sticking and following and of course how to TURN THE WAIST.

These were, without doubt, the best Australian seminars so far. The teaching was excellent. In Australia, we presently have the advantage of small numbers. This will not be the case for long, but while it lasts, we enjoy much individual attention from our teacher. Here are a couple of pictures from the last day of the Brisbane seminars:

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Richful_jedi
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Post by Richful_jedi » Wed Jan 16, 2008 6:40 pm

I agree Linda these seminars were brilliant.
I only attended the Brisbane seminars, which were steaming hot. We have small numbers in Brisbane and the majority of students had trained before. It was great to be re-united with students from previous seminars like Linda and yowie_steve!

I too was quite bruised by the end. I take them as reminders of where I need to yield more. I'm sure that's why Laoshi and the other students gave them to me :D

Learning to use footwork is something I'm only just starting to incorporate, positioning, timing, TURN THE WAIST. More Willow Bends practice needed.
"Does this path have a heart?"



"It is the consistent choice of the path with heart which makes a warrior different from the average man."

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Linda Heenan
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Brisbane Seminar Summary

Post by Linda Heenan » Fri Mar 14, 2008 6:47 am

Richard has written an excellent summary of Laoshi's teaching in Brisbane. This will be helpful as a reminder to those who were there, as well as giving a summary of the information to those who couldn't make it. Jason King and I are planning another seminar to be held in the Blue Mountains (where it is cooler), next January. Now is a good time to start planning, if you would like to come. Check out Richard's summary on the Australian GRTC Branch site http://www.grtc.org.au/news.html

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