Schedule from 6th International Push Hands Meeting 2017 in Prague (15th-17th September 2017)
Schedule:
| Friday | 10:00–13:00 Workshops: |
14:30–16:30 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice in pairs | ||||
| Saturday | 10:00–13:00 Workshops: |
15:00–18:00 | 19:30–22:00 | |
| Practice in pairs | Gala-evening | |||
| Sunday | 10:00–13:00 Workshops: |
15:00–18:00 | ||
| Practice in pairs | ||||
- Workshops – Experienced teachers will present their methods of work in Tai Chi Chuan and push hands.
- Practice in pairs – Participants will individually agree on how they want to practice in pairs. They will practice in 10-minute rounds. Participants will agree on the type of practice (free push hands vs. form push hands, with steps vs. without steps). The level is always adjusted to the practitioner with less experience.
- Gala-evening – Space for presentations of styles, schools and forms as well as a friendly meeting.
Teachers
Tina Faulkner Elders
Biography:
Tina began training as a young child in Gong Fu and Chin Na with her father, Gordon Faulkner. During this time Gordon was also teaching the internal practices and meditations of Mantak Chia. Over the years Gordon would frequently host one of Mantak Chia’s most senior students and illustrator, Juan Li. These early encounters sparked a lifelong curiosity for Tina and an eagerness to learn Taiji.
At twenty she moved to Beijing to study Daoyin Yangsheng Gong at the Beijing Sports University, graduating in 1996. At this time she entered international competitions, winning a number of medals. Whilst living in Beijing, Tina began studying with Master Shi Ming, a national treasure of China and author of Mind Over Matter.
On her return from China, Tina oped her own school in Aberdeen (Scotland) and taught regularly in America. She had the privilege of studying with and hosting Professor Li DeYin on a number of occasions and also acting as ambassador when Professor Li DeYin was invited to teach in New Hampshire, America.
Tina has continued to return to China, over the years, studying ‘Health Qigong’ known as Daoyin Yangsheng Gong at the Sports University of Beijing.
Around ten years ago Tina was introduced to Master Chen LiSheng, 15th Generation Disciple of Wudang Xuanwu. Tina’s school has recently been awarded the first Teaching Cooperation to the Wudang Daoist Wuji Gongfu Academy, thereby creating a direct cultural link to Wudang Mountain. Now her continued self cultivation takes her to WuDang to study Taijiquan, Qigong and more recently Baguazhang with Master Chen.
Tina regularly hosts Master Chen LiSheng in the UK and organises study trips to the Wudang Daoist Wuji Gongfu Academy, Wudang, China.
Her school has been running private and public classes as well as teaching in the healthcare sector for nearly twenty years. Some of the organisations include the Confucius Institute of Aberdeen and the Maggie Centre for cancer care.
Topics: 3 Circles 5 Bows
The ‘3 Circles’ are exercises to loosen the joints and help develop a deeper understanding of internal and external structure through which to move force.
The ‘5 Bows’ posture looks to develop an understanding of connectivity through the body.
All of these exercises work on the more subtle art of Ting Jing (listening energy), enabling a person to focus the mind and utilize the body correctly to develop their practices.
Mauro Bertoli
Biography:
Mauro Bertoli started his martial education when he was still a child, first practising Judo and after going on with Karate.
In 1987 he began to practise Tai Chi Chuan “Yang” style, with the Master Chang Dsu Yao. After the death of the Founder, he attended several events and seminars held by eminent figures of the field.
In 1995 he was acquainted with Master Yang Lin Sheng and he became his student, learning mainly Tai Chi Chuan “Chen” style and Yi Chuan.
In 2001 he went on a long study tour around China, practising with many Masters.
In 2013, together with a group of qualified friends, he created ARTY (Associazione Ricerche Taijiquan Yiquan) with the aim of spreading and enhancing these disciplines.
On november 2015 he was invited to teach at Tai chi Tcho international meeting in Switzerland.
Topics:
- relation between empty — full and yin — yang
- centers: how to feel and move them
- three phases of the inner circle
Link:
ARTY — Associazione Ricerche Taijiquan e Yi quan
Maximiliano Motta
Biography:
Maximiliano Motta started his martial education at the age of 13, with the practice of the Shaolin Quan at the Chang Dsu Yao School where, at the age of 17, he started studying the Tai Chi Chuan Yang style. At the age of 20 he met Master Yang Lin Sheng, with whom he started the everyday practice of Yi Quan, Tai Chi Chuan Chen Style and of the Xing Yi Quan. Together with Master Yang he attended a variety of seminars and achieves the qualification of Master in 2005.
He started teaching in Milan in 2000 and in the following years he held seminars in Varese, Parma, Milan.
In 1998 he spent two months in China, as a guest of Master Yang.
Here he could improve and refine his qualities with high-level Masters in Beijing and Inner Mongolia.
In 2013, together with a group of qualified friends, he created ARTY (Associazione Ricerche Taijiquan Yiquan — www.associazionearty.it) with the aim of spreading and enhancing these disciplines.
On november 2015 he was invited to teach at Tai chi Tcho international meeting in Switzerland.
His experience in ARTY is developed also through seminars with famous Taijiquan Masters like Xue Bin, Sam Masich and others.
Topics:
- feel, react and don’t be felt
- release and spirals to move body and power in form and tuei shou
- relation between balance, placement and steps
Link:
ARTY — Associazione Ricerche Taijiquan e Yi quan
Roland von Loefen
Biography: 
Roland started his Taijiquan — practice 1988 with Helmut Bauer, Barbara Schmid-Neuhaus and Toyo Kobayashi in the tradition of Cheng Man Ching. In 1998, Roland met master Yek Sing Ong and his current teacher Wee Kee Jin. Through long intensive training he eventually became a certified Instructor and Teacher of Wee Kee Jin’s “Taijiquan School of Central Equilibrium”. In 2013 he founded and organized the 1st international push hands meeting in Haßfurt am Main.
Topic: We want to work on yielding, pushing with a relaxed force. If you can yield, you have the ability to neutralize the opponents force. Our exercises are fix push hands and semi-free push hands. The advantage of Semi-free Pushing Hands is, that you can learn to listen and sense how your partner behaves. Winning is only secondary as you change roles after 5 minutes.
We are using 3 different stances for this kind of pushing hands.
Yielding, yielding: An important sentence from the classics.
Seek the straight in the curve, first store then discharge!
Links:
Tomasz (Thomas) Nowakowski
Biography: Tomasz (Thomas) Nowakowski living in London, visual and martial artist. He has studied different martial arts since 1966 and has been teaching T’ai Chi Ch’uan and Qi Gong since 1982. During last 30 years Thomas has taught Tai Chi Chuan and Qi Gong in many countries: Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Taiwan and United Kingdom. He has lead workshops at his own school as well as for different companies, cultural and educational institutions. Thomas was a judge at Open National Championship of Taiwan in 2004. He is co-founder The Centre of Taoist Arts Golden Hill (Zlaty Kopec) in Prague, International Push Hands Meeting in Prague and founder Tai Chi Art Centre London. In 1990 he met his current teacher Dr Ming Wong C.Y. and has studied his family style Tai Chi, Tai Ki Kung San Fung and some techniques and theory of Chinese medicine. Thomas is the author of “Shapes of Balance” system (structured development of perception).
Links:
- Centre of Taoist Arts Golden Hill (home page)
- Tai Ki Kung