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Interview
Instructor Chris Radnedge's Journey of Self Development
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interviewed by Instructor Lis
Chris’s Martial Arts
Background
Chris is
a self confessed martial arts addict. His addiction began at age twelve
in Cootamundra with Tae Kwon Do. At around age sixteen, he was
fortunate in that a classmate, an advanced student who had studied
widely, recognised his interest and talked to him about meditation and
traditional Chinese methods of training. He became aware of Tai Chi for
the first time through these conversations.
This
friend invited him to a meditation seminar in Jugiong. It was here that
Chris met his friend’s instructor. He was an inspiring m an and teacher
who had trained at the Shaolin Temple in China and was a high level Chan
(Zen) Buddhist meditation practitioner. Chris was amazed by this
man’s presence, which he had read was typical of a high level meditation
master.
At
eighteen, Chris moved to Canberra to continue studying martial arts with
this instructor and his friend. They had recently set up a Martial Arts
school in Canberra. He found a job at Woolworths and devoted all his
spare time and energy to training.
Chris
found that the training methods he was learning and diligently practising were very efficient at building speed, flexibility, strong
stances and the ability to think multilaterally. This is typical of a
good Chinese martial arts school. He was also practising the sitting
qigong (with some interesting results) that he had learned from his
friend’s instructor. However, after
six
years of martial arts training, he wasn’t confident that he could
effectively use the skills he had acquired in a real self defence
situation. He felt he was missing some kind of deeper foundation
training.
In 1998,
after about a year of Shaolin kung fu training, Chris came to his first
Tai Chi class at Kaleen where Instructor Lis was teaching. He’d had
problems with a sore shoulder but the loosening and relaxing movements
of Tai Chi released the tension and it hasn’t bothered him since. He
only attended a term or two at that time but returned to classes at Page
a few months later. He was still curious about meditation. The
concept of qi fascinated him. Also, being very interested in health and
healing, he asked his instructor about acupuncture. Instructor Mike
suggested he contact traditional Chinese medical practitioner Fei Wang,
one of Chief Instructor Brett Wagland’s teachers. Fei Wang told him,
“What I teach is foundation training for internal martial arts. If you
really love martial arts, come to my class.”
Chris
went along and discovered a completely new way of training.
Wu Dao Gong Training
“I was scared at first. The low walking, the leg training – it was
really hard, much harder than anything I’d done before. I had to think
about it for a couple of weeks before I went back. I asked Brett and he
advised me to do the training. I couldn’t afford to do both so I
stopped Tai Chi for a while but came back to it.”
Chris’s
previous teachers often spoke of accomplished internal martial arts
masters whose bodies could become so heavy that opponents couldn’t move
them, or so light that they were able to jump metres into the air.
These practitioners were able to produce tremendous power, were
confident to engage up to
twenty
opponents at once, could withstand great hardships, rarely became ill,
and were able to heal others through touch. Their secret seemed to lie
in specific kinds of foundation training of which qigong was at the
root.
“I was
amazed to find that Fei had direct experience with practitioners of this
calibre – his own teacher and his kung fu brothers. I believe Fei Wang
also possesses some of these skills, but he is a very humble man. Only
rarely in the last
eleven
years have I witnessed him display his true skills. Those times are awe
inspiring and have provided me with more than enough motivation to
believe that I can succeed in this training. In the end, the training
is about fully understanding yourself and your place in the universe.
The martial arts training that I learnt from Fei included :
foundation training from Shaolin
Quan, Xing Yi Quan, Xin Yi Liu He Quan, Tong Bei Quan and some movements
from the Taoist Qigong of the Tai Yi Wu Xing Quan. All these elements
have contributed to the Wu Dao Gong system which Fei passes on. From
the training, my muscles, tendons and fascia lengthened and became more
elastic, the joints opened and qi was able to pass through them in
greater volume. My posture changed. I became fitter, faster and
healthier than I had ever been.
The traditional method as taught by Fei and now Brett and
myself in the Academy’s Wu Dao Gong classes is very efficient at
strengthening and opening the joints. The emphasis is on training
single movements to perfect them. This takes longer and involves
more time and patience. Repetition is the key.”
Gradually
through his study Chris began to understand the potential depth of
internal martial arts practice, as they combine healing, meditation,
self defence techniques and health development. He wanted to develop
the Fa Jin power of the Tai Chi masters that he had heard about. He
understood that it was through the traditional training that this power
in Tai Chi could be acquired. He knew he needed to practise meditation
as well as his other strength training in order to achieve this.
Tai Chi Training
The
internal martial arts, of which Tai Chi is the most well known and most
widely practised,
are based on the concept of qi. The other two classical internal styles
are Xing Yi Quan (Form Mind Boxing) and Ba Gua Zhang (Eight Trigram
Palm). All of the theory and movements in these arts are concerned with
building this energy in the human body, learning how to move it, how to
balance it, how to apply it in healing, stress reduction, meditation and
the power generation needed for self defence.
Chris
says, “My previous teachers seemed to have a lot of respect for Tai Chi
exponents. They valued the softness its practitioners possessed and the
internal power they could generate. I was curious about how it worked
and believed at the time that qi was what gave it its power. Qigong was
the way that I knew qi was gained and I had a huge interest in
meditation. I later found that I was not wrong in how the power was
generated in Tai Chi, but my concept of what that means is more real
now.
In the beginning, I remember not understanding why Tai Chi
was practised slowly. My friend said that it is because they practise
so slowly, that they can become so fast. I just thought of Tai Chi as a
way of doing moving meditation in the beginning. It wasn’t until much
later, when I first saw Tai Chi in application, that I came to
understand what my friend had told me. I can now feel why it is
practised slowly. It is actually very smart. It totally follows
Newton’s three laws of motion. For self defence, you are training your
body to perfectly follow these natural laws.”
Chen
Xiang is a high level Hun Yuan Tai Chi practitioner and a senior
disciple of Grandmaster Feng Zhi Qiang (founder of the Hun Yuan system).
He was invited to undergo a full biomechanical analysis of his Tai Chi
Fa Jin (explosive power) at the Motion and Gait Analysis Laboratory of
Stanford University in California in April 2007. The results were
amazing and the researchers were stunned. Chen Xiang was producing
four hundred
pounds of force that accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in 0.28 second. The
researchers described Chen Xiang’s force production as striking and
frightening.
Tai Chi
focuses on a high level of co-ordination. It develops softness and
removes tension while stimulating and nourishing the flow of qi. All
these things are needed for the development of power in martial arts and
are what had been missing in Chris’s previous training methods. Very
keen to deepen his understanding and knowledge, Chris wanted to teach.
He asked many questions and generally showed his enthusiasm and
willingness. Chris’s addiction had gained more fuel. He was now hooked
on Tai Chi as well as Wu Dao Gong. He understood the need to learn both
and went to as many classes as he could.
Instructor Training
Chris began the Academy’s Instructor Training Program in 2001. The
first classes he taught were in Reid and Goulburn. “Brett began
teaching me Yang style Tai Chi. I have tremendous respect for Brett and
for what he has accomplished with the founding of the Tai Chi Academy.
Without Brett’s initial dream of setting up the Academy and following
through on his dream, none of this would have happened. Through
the Tai Chi Academy and with all the instructors and assistants
involved, Brett has helped many people and changed many lives for the
better.
Once I had finished learning the Yang Style Tai Chi 85 form, both Brett
and Fontane spent a lot of time helping me to
refine
the
form and learn the essential components that Yang style Tai Chi is based
upon. Once these essential principles are integrated into the movements
of the form, you are able to continue developing more qi, power and
understanding without as much guidance.
Yang style Tai
Chi greatly strengthened my legs, straightened my spine, improved my
coordination and helped me develop some degree of softness in my body.
I had also developed some qi. But my Fa Jin was still way too tense
for the power to be issued properly, especially when I had the weight of
another person on me during Push Hands.” In Tai Chi Push Hands, a
competent practitioner is able to issue sudden explosive power to an
opponent while a heavy weight is on his arms, without losing contact or
pressure prior to the strike. This one skill takes years of intense
practice to master.
“After
five years of practising Yang Style Tai Chi, Brett began teaching me the
Hun Yuan Tai Chi 24 form. Its movements allow a greater freedom of
motion than the Yang Style form and are more flowing. The spiralling
movements (chan si jin) are more obvious and my body changed even
further. My power increased, my co-ordination improved and most
unexpectedly, I seemed to have more emotional freedom. I love the
feeling Hun Yuan Tai Chi gives me. As well as the other Hun Yuan
components, Brett and Fontane have also taught me the Cannon Fist forms
which are learnt after the beginner’s 24 form. They involve a slightly
faster tempo, fa jin power strikes, jumping and more agile footwork. I
also practise them slowly as in the 24 form in order to deepen
co-ordination and softness. This enhances the flow of qi and makes my
Fa Jin even more powerful.
The training needed to become an instructor challenged me on
every level. In hindsight, it was all worth it. It was a period of
immense growth and the growth still continues. The detailed one on one
instruction I was given proved invaluable. After each instructor
training lesson, my mind would be filled to the brim with corrections of
not only the form, but the qigong movements, chan si gong and even the
warm ups. There is so much detail in the warm up exercises alone! It’s
true – if you want to really understand a subject deeply, teach it.”
Overcoming his fear of public speaking was a big challenge for Chris.
When surveyed, most people state that they would rather
jump out of an airplane
over public speaking. Chris was one of them. He said, “I used to
mumble a lot, spoke too fast and didn’t enunciate my words clearly. I
had trouble being understood when I first taught. This problem flowed
over into my personal life too. It caused a lot of doubt and
frustration within me. I was frustrated at myself. I couldn’t
understand why something that appeared so easy for everyone else was so
difficult for me. It wasn’t till years later that I realised how much
my hearing problem as a child had hindered my speech. With
Brett’s and Fontane’s encouragement, I enrolled in a Toastmasters
course. My speaking skills gradually improved. The techniques and
confidence I gained at Toastmasters have proved also to be of great
benefit during my university studies, which at that time I had no
intention of commencing. Fontane also encouraged all instructors to
work on intonation by reading story books out aloud.
Brett has been a mentor to me since I first began my
training with him. I was very fortunate to have his guidance in this
way. He helped me understand the important points of the training and
the philosophy that goes with it. He has also been there when I have
needed emotional support in my life.
Most young people need guidance. Beyond my own experience,
I see it also in the classes that I teach. There is great potential in
the teenage students and those in their early twenties. They have so
much energy and time to train. They don’t have as many commitments in
their lives, yet they easily lose their focus. They tend to stop and
start the training without making much progress, just as I did
initially. The opportunity is ripe for much growth. They need guidance
from experienced practitioners. Otherwise, they don’t invest their time
wisely.
Brett mentioned to me that if I put all my effort into this training for
five
years that I will produce something of great substance for myself and
others that will enhance the rest of my life. Brett is a very wise and
deeply spiritual person. He lives what he teaches. He trains around
four
hours a day and that doesn’t include teaching time. When I train with
him, my thoughts turn towards a very spiritual direction. I feel
tremendous hope for my life and feel that I can actually reach my
highest potential and be of great benefit to others. That is the
influence he has on me.
It is important for young people to have mentors in their
lives. Brett is very open minded and will give people an opportunity to
develop themselves if they want it.”
Yang Mian Training
In 2006,
Brett began teaching Chris Yang Mian, a rare internal style that is fast
becoming sought after as a martial arts system. This is due
to its rapid
development of power and individualised teaching method. Yang (family
surname) Mian (means cotton) is a family system that has been passed
down from generation to generation to the current lineage holder, Master
Yang Zhen Hua who resides in Sydney. Its focus is upon developing
flexibility and power instead of specific techniques. This allows
practitioners of any martial arts to adopt Yang Mian as a supplement to
their existing training in order to quickly raise their levels.
Yang Mian
and Hun Yuan Tai Chi complement each other very well. Both emphasise
relaxation, flexibility and the continuity of running water. Yang Mian
makes use of spiralling energy in a similar way to Hun Yuan Tai Chi.
The power built up in the Yang Mian training is easily felt during Hun
Yuan Tai Chi practice. “It greatly deepened my understanding of coiling
power and spiral movement. My Fa Jin power went through the roof within
six
months of commencing Yang Mian.”
Yang Mian
teaches aspects of traditional Chinese martial arts training that are
not usually openly taught. In a relatively short period of time, it
enables the development of the different forces that are the domain of
high level internal martial arts practitioners. Any hard earned skills
blunted by a lay off period or illness, are very quickly resharpened due
to
the speed at which this system opens up the body.
Skills such as Steel Body and St eel
Hand are trained through breathing techniques, qigong and impact
conditioning. No special herbs are
needed to supplement this training to prevent damage to the body and
hands. They retain their normal appearance.
Yang Mian
teaches the complete use of the elbows in self defence in an infinite
number of ways and combinations. The system is perfect for both men and
women. Chris added, “Yang Mian is unique among all of the martial arts styles
I have come across. Most systems stop the practitioner’s power at the
end of each individual movement. The Yang Mian system has built within
it methods of linking the power from one movement to another. It can
link many Fa Jin strikes into one continuous motion like a wheel, with
no stopping or breaking of power. This is exactly what is needed for
self defence. This power is overwhelming. The only martial art that I
have seen that comes even remotely close to displaying this kind of
linking power is Chen style Tai Chi which is what Hun Yuan Tai Chi is
based upon.”
For
Chris, the Yang Mian training was just what he needed at the right
time. Through the Wu Dao Gong and Tai Chi training, Chris had built up
a lot of power. Yang Mian enabled the power to be expressed fully.
Chris explained, “Yang Mian quickly opened up my body even further than
before. It also opened up windows in my thinking that allowed me to
burst through a major plateau I had come to in my training. I began to
see the previous training I had been doing and am still engaged in, in a
whole different light. The outside changed somewhat, but the internal
feeling and my perception changed dramatically. I can now feel my Dan Tian regularly when I practise Yang Mian. My body became even softer
and more flexible. I overcame injuries that had been holding back me
for years. Both my Hun Yuan Tai Chi and Wu Dao Gung training improved
greatly.”
What Tai Chi Means to
Chris
One of
Chris’s main goals has been to acquire inner peace. Tai Chi, Wu Dao
Gong and Yang Mian combine the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual
elements required to achieve this.
Chris
tells us, “Tai Chi isn’t just something I do apart from the rest of my
life. It’s become integrated into how I think, how I move and how I
react. It’s part of me. I’m much more sensitive to subtle changes in
my health and can take measures to prevent a worsening condition. For
example, If my body is fighting the start of a cold, my qi feels
different. I’m also very aware of how my emotions affect physiology and
impact on my health. I’m also more confident and have greater self
esteem than when I began eleven years ago.
I feel clean internally. My energy feels clean and strong.
I love practising outside. We are very lucky in Canberra that we have
so many beautiful parks to practise in. The phrase ‘at one with n ature’
sounds clichéd
and corny but it really feels like that, as if I’m part of
the environment rather than viewing it externally. This is quite
different from going for a walk or a run.”
In
contrast to many beginners, Chris never had a problem with co-ordination
or remembering the sequence. His earlier martial arts training would
have helped with this because he knew how to practise.
Chris
commented, “Constant repetition is a necessity to get the memory of the
movements into the nervous system rather than it being a purely
cognitive process. As I progressed, I realised what I thought was co-ordinated
movement wasn’t. To an untrained observer, my Tai Chi would have looked
all right but the co-ordination was superficial. Deeper, fully
integrated, co-ordinated movement comes through Qigong practice and
relaxation, open flexible joints and softness of the body.”
He says
that
the meaning
of these words change as your understanding of Tai Chi and Qigong
deepens. “In time, I began
to feel what Fei constantly tells the class – be natural. When my
training is really firing, I feel quite different compared with times
when my training has to be backed off due to injury or heavy study
loads. I feel more confident and more compassionate. My memory
improves and I can study more effectively. I tend
to write
my best essays during these times. My life just seems to flow.”
Chris has
a degree in human biology from the University of Canberra majoring in
sports science. This is the pre-requisite to enrolling in the Master of
Physiotherapy program which he is currently studying. He started his
degree in 2004 and will finish his Master’s in 2011.
Looking
at Tai Chi from
the perspective of a practitioner and a
scientist, Chris stated, “Tai Chi is fantastic at reducing and managing
physiological
and emotional stress. Tai Chi can relax, overhaul and strengthen the
nervous system. This is one of the key features in how Tai Chi can
increase health and the overall well being of a person. Many students
come to Tai Chi with major illnesses – even terminal. These students
have reported that Tai Chi, and in particular, the Hun Yuan Qigong, is
very helpful when coping with the effects of chemotherapy. I am in awe
of these people. I hope that my courage may come out so strongly when I
need it in my life.
Occasionally students have commented to me that they feel
clumsy and unco-ordinated when practising Tai Chi. This is perfectly
normal and everybody will experience this at some point in their
training. I love teaching. I am grateful for all of the students who
have come to my classes. I see incredible potential in Tai Chi and in
its application in the future. Tai Chi is a healer. Many
physiotherapists are already using exercises from Tai Chi to improve
their patients’ gait, joint strength, range of movement and balance. I
have a feeling that it can be applied in other ways too – especially in
survivors of stroke.
Tai Chi can be modified to suit anyone and can be made to
work around any injury, allowing time to heal. While the injury is
healing, these exercises gently stretch and strengthen the area through
the opening and closing movements of the form, Qigong and Chan Si Gong
(silk reeling exercises). Qigong seems to open up injuries from the
inside out. From my experience, directing qi into minor knee and ankle
injuries speeds up the healing process immensely.”
Balance
To
conclude, Chris says, “I have been very fortunate to have been taught by
very competent and caring teachers. Brett, Fontane, Fei, Lis and my
martial arts peers have all instilled into me that growth takes time.
This is something I have unsuccessfully attempted to disprove many
times, since I am a very goal oriented person. The hardest thing for me
is to let go – not just of physical and emotional tensions, but also
expectations. I also have a problem with over training. This becomes
counter-productive leading to injury. It’s important for me to listen
to my body and stop. It’s yin yang, finding the balance.
Tai Chi affects people on a physical, mental, emotional and
even spiritual level. This is why growth cannot be forced. The Chinese
have a saying, ‘You can’t make the tree gro w faster by pulling up its
roots.’ The roots will break and have to reattach to the earth before
the tree can continue to grow any further. Patience is needed in any endeavour, especially in Tai Chi and meditation. It is inevitable that
you will feel impatient and frustrated at some time in your practice.
See it as a chance to examine yourself. I have come to understand that
if you can see merit in accomplishing something, the desire to quit is
only an obstacle to be overcome, not an excuse to give up.
Meditation is my main focus and I practise between
one
to three
hours each day, depending on my work and study schedule. Through
the practice, my focus and concentration has improved in a general
sense. I see it in my university classes. I am able to
engage in the subject more fully than I previously could. The
calmness is retained for increasingly longer periods after practice.
My body feels heavy when I practise the Tai Chi form. It is
not a sluggish heaviness but relaxed and fluid as though there are no
angles and my body is filled with water. My spine is looser and more
flexible. I can release tension when I feel it building.”
Chris’s
dedication to his practice has transformed his life. His journey
through various martial arts and Tai Chi has created a rich tapestry of
experiences and discovery. No doubt he will continue to travel along
the path of self development.
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