Below are our posts on the ancient art of Jade Dragon Kung Fu (Yu Lung Chuan). This will soon include a range of techniques, basic training, weapons skills, animal styles and so on. More are being added all the time. Keep checking back.
To learn our first combat form see Leaping Tiger Form.
Forwards Clock
This is another good exercise for restoring mobility. I often do this after doing the sideways clock. This exercise focuses on opening the front and back of the body. Here are the teaching points for this sideways clock exercise. Notes Find out more about traditional Chinese conditioning exercises through the tai…
The 5 Points of Awareness
Many people turn up to my classes worrying that they won’t be fit enough or flexible enough. Within a very short space of time they realise those things don’t really matter. The biggest problem they have, that everyone has, is with coordination. Coordination means getting your arms and legs to…
Yin and Yang Arms
Now you understand the concept of yin and yang better you’ll realise that in tai chi we aim to create movement and energy by making different parts of the body yin or yang. Yin and yang arms mostly refers to the position of your elbow. A yin elbow is sunk…
Sideways Clock
This is a lovely exercise for gently restoring mobility to most of your joints. I do this several times a day. Particularly if I’ve been sitting down for a while or am feeling tired and stressed this exercise can restore balance and vitality in under a minute. Exhaustion is almost…
Hip Circles
In kung fu and tai chi you learn to direct the force of your body through the centre. This is your waist and hip area. Yet it is often full of tension. Most people spend a lot of the lives sitting down and when they walk their walking habits are…
Arm Swing One
This is a classic and popular qigong exercise to loosen the shoulders, realign the spine and teach you to twist upwards through the whole body. It connects every part of you to the centre of your body and teaches you to direct power from there. This exercise is the most…
Stretch Daily
Stretching is an important part of conditioning to be fitter and healthier. Do you really need more reasons than that to stretch regularly? If the answer is yes, consider this. Imagine if you could have a bath in WD40. It would seep into all your joints, restoring them to their…
Push
Push is a movement that looks easy but can take years to get right. It is used several times in the tai chi form but is also essential study for kung fu practitioners. The principles of push can be applied to a wide range of other techniques. Push is actually…
The Yin Arm Circle
In the Jade Dragon tradition arm circles are taken very seriously. They teach us to move our arms fluidly, without tension, without hesitation at any angle and at any speed. There are 8 circles to learn but only 4 of those are used in tai chi. This version of the…
Cat Step
In tai chi we learn to walk in a certain way. We never just put a foot forward then drop our weight onto it. We place the foot down first then transfer our weight forward. The best way to practice this kind of walking is through the cat step When…
Transferring weight – one of the most crucial skills
In kung fu and tai chi there are only two movements we can do that have any real power. One is transferring your weight from one leg to the other. The other one is twisting your body at the waist and hips. Transferring weight simply involves moving your weight from…
The Cat Stance
The cat stance is one of the most used stances in both tai chi and kung fu. Yet when you first start to use it you may find it unstable and unbalanced – unlike a cat! Simply put the cat stance involves having all your body weight on one foot…
Twisting power in tai chi and kung fu
There are only two main movements you can make that involve the entire body. These movements are the only ones that generate any real power. So every move in tai chi and kung fu that requires power uses one of these. The first is transferring your weight from one leg…
Defences Against Grabs
Invalid rule and here are a few more. Remember the success of any move depends on maintaining the right principles. Don’t panic or tense upStay ‘on your legs’Don’t hold your breath If the person comes back to attack you again you’ll have to resort to joint locks or, if they…
Relax your tight shoulders
One of the most common and debilitating places to hold onto pain and tension is in the neck and shoulders. Shoulder pain and tension is often associated with responsibility – literally carrying the world on your shoulders. It is so common that I can state with confidence that you too…