taiji ruler

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taiji ruler

Postby vvanesse59 » Tue Oct 14, 2008 11:06 am

Anyone practicing taiji ruler and have comments or discussion points. Positive or negative welcome.
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Tai Chi Ruler

Postby taichiplayer » Wed Oct 15, 2008 6:38 pm

:D It's so nice to run across another TCR player.

I found out about Tai Chi Ruler when doing research on Chen Tuan and Liuhebafa (Lok Hup Ba Fa). I wanted an exercise regimen that was easy to learn and that I could do in a small space on a daily basis wherever I was. TCR fits the bill just fine and it is a great supplement to my regular Liuhebafa practice. I always pop a ruler in to my luggage or my sport bag. I even have one in the trunk of the car for "emergency" use.
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Postby vvanesse59 » Mon Oct 20, 2008 9:47 am

I have been intrigued in the past with TCR but have never really gotten into it as deeply as I think I would like to hence the reason for my post. I have been digging around on www and found a few youtube and amazon books but as I am learning there is more than one "set" that can be done. I have ordered a book "Tai Chi Ruler: Chinese Yoga for Health and Longevity" by Terry Dunn, and am anxiously waiting to see what that will do for me - I didnt order dvd as I am cautious about what I am ordering to learn a bit about it first. Maybe you have some comments or other discussion you would be willing to share about the qigong TCR? Thanks Vic in IL
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TCR

Postby taichiplayer » Mon Oct 20, 2008 6:08 pm

Hi. I have that book by Terry Dunn and it is a good starter level book. Following his instructions will do you a lot of good. I think that I would rather have had the tape though. Do you have a source from which it is available? I couldn't find one. If you do and you don't want to post the information, you can email me if you like.

I have been doing Tai Chi Stick and Ruler for several months now and am finding a great benefit from the breathing exercise part of the practice as well and the physical practice. As I said before, I like it because it takes very little room. I have found that it is very important to pay attention to the details.

Another book that is available is called "Special Taoist Stick & Ruler Qigong" compiled by Feng Zhiqiang. It is only available from Tai Chi Magazine. It has no ISBN number. One side of the book is in Chinese and the other in English. It is a really terrible translation but if you are careful in your reading you can glean a lot from it.

Like you, I have found there are a great many interpretations of the exercises. After a lot of experimentation I ended up with a 7 exercise set that seems to do what I want. If you email me send, me your email address and I will point you to my BLOG(s) about TCR and LHBF.
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Taiji Ruler

Postby pizwatc » Sat Nov 01, 2008 11:10 am

I took a seminar with Ken Cohen on Taiji Ruler last weekend. You can find details by Google "Ken Cohen Taiji". My take is that the Ruler is the center axis of the ball used in Taiji Ball training. Both appear to be aids to developing perception of chi flow which occurs between palms when held facing each other in close proximity. Neither aid is mandatory to performing the movements and obtaining benefits. Many of the movements are inherent in the Yang style Taiji open hand forms.

I would be interested in your experience.
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Postby yeniseri » Sun Nov 02, 2008 11:12 am

I use tai chi ruler as a tool for increased flexibility of upper body, wrist and forearm and at times, a diagnostic tool when I experience upper body stiffness that I want to figure out how to get rid of through daoyin exercises.

I would recommend it for people with arthritis, body stiffness, and as a complementary method to decrease any chronic condition. It is just one type of startegy that can help and is not meant to be considered the 'best" of any regimen. It is gentle, easy to learn, low intensity and does not require heavy breathing to get the required benefit and does not exacerbate the respective condition.
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Postby vvanesse59 » Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:15 am

Yenseri, do you use "ruler" or "bang"? I have seen/read about bang being used for wrist strength, etc in conjunction with some Chen taiji so when you mentioned wrist and forearms I became curious. It appears from what I had read that the ruler was internal moreso than bang. Is that your understanding or do you follow that thought? If I may, would you comment on where you learned your ruler routine and some of the form(s).
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Re: Taiji Ruler

Postby vvanesse59 » Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:31 am

pizwatc wrote:I took a seminar with Ken Cohen on Taiji Ruler last weekend. You can find details by Google "Ken Cohen Taiji".

I would be interested in your experience.


WHAT WAS THE SEMINAR LIKE? KEN HAS A SHORT TJR DESCRIPTION IN HIS BOOK THE WAY OF QIGONG -- IS THAT WHAT HE INSTRUCTED OR DID HE GO INTO IT DEEPER?

SO FAR I HAVE READ THROUGH TERRY DUNN'S BOOK BUT HAVE NOT REALLY TRIED THE FORMS YET. MAY HAVE TO ORDER HIS VIDEO IN ORDER TO "SMOOTH" OUT THE MOVES FOR MYSELF.
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Ken Cohen's Taiji Ruler Seminar

Postby pizwatc » Thu Nov 06, 2008 6:25 pm

Ken Cohen's Taiji ruler seminar went into much greater depth than the short description in his book. He has studied under two different Taiji Ruler traditions, and though he only taught one method during the weekend seminar, he talked about both methods. The seminar allocated ample time to practice what was taught so corrections could be made. Ken also was good at answering questions concerning the relationship of Taiji Ruler to other types of qigong and taiji chuan. I would recommend the experience if you ever have a chance. Once again, you can find his seminar schedule by entering his name in a Google search. For what it is worth, my brief practice after the seminar validates the favorable comments made by other more experienced posts in this string.
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Ruler or Bang

Postby taichiplayer » Thu Nov 06, 2008 9:13 pm

The Ruler and the Bang are very different beasts. Although many exercises are similar for both items, for most people, the Bang is much more for developing physical strength.

I do mostly Ruler exercises because the erect back, the waist turning and the circular movements compliment perfectly my Lok Hup Ba Fa training.

I do Bang stick exercises when I want to develop muscle strength and gripping power.

Having said all that, I also use the ruler and the bang interchangeably when I am practicing standing meditation. I find holding the ruler/bang in my hands helps me concentrate and eliminate extraneous thoughts. While I am certainly in the learning stages of standing meditation, having the connection between my palms helps me feel the qi flow (or at least what I perceive as such).

Comments welcome.
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Postby yeniseri » Fri Nov 07, 2008 12:19 pm

vvanesse59 wrote:Yenseri, do you use "ruler" or "bang"? I have seen/read about bang being used for wrist strength, etc in conjunction with some Chen taiji so when you mentioned wrist and forearms I became curious. It appears from what I had read that the ruler was internal moreso than bang. Is that your understanding or do you follow that thought? If I may, would you comment on where you learned your ruler routine and some of the form(s).


Experientally, they are both the "internal" and "external" at the same time as was taught to me. The external part may simulate twisting and turning with body coordination to approximate qinna but essentially in movements they were not different.
Construction may differ where the bang may be just a polished wood with a rounded top within the confined of the width as below:
-------------
-------------

whilst the official Ruler will be differentiated by a rounded/smooth mushroom at both sides (top/bottom).
I learnt it from a Teacher Li in Montreal Chinatown about 15 years ago in a weekend.
Are you familair with a system called Xiang gong? (fragrance gong). Just take the frame of those movements place the ruler/bang touching middle of palm and you have the concept of ruler/bang.
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Re: Taiji Ruler and Stick (Bang)

Postby RedPanda » Sun Aug 30, 2009 9:57 pm

I was interested to find this discussion about the Stick and Ruler. My local Tai Chi group down here in Australia runs specialised workshops in both.

pizwatc wrote:My take is that the Ruler is the center axis of the ball used in Taiji Ball training. Both appear to be aids to developing perception of chi flow which occurs between palms when held facing each other in close proximity. Neither aid is mandatory to performing the movements and obtaining benefits. Many of the movements are inherent in the Yang style Taiji open hand forms.


That's my understanding of the Ruler too.

As taichiplayer has mentioned, the Stick, or Bang (pronounced "bung") is more for developing physical strength. I attended a 3 1/2 hour Bang workshop on the weekend. The instructor said that the Bang isn't very widely known or used. The Bang is mainly used to develop grip strength and relieve/prevent problems like arthritis and RSI; it also helps to train the body to perform the twisting and rotational movements of the shoulders and arms used in Tai Chi. I was intrigued because I would like to improve my grip strength for weight training, and also to improve my upper body flexibility.

The workshop was tough! Even though I'm very strong for a woman, I felt every little muscle in my upper back the next morning, and I can see how the twisting and rotational movements would improve your grip strength and flexibility.

The Bang we used in the workshop is apparently heavier than the traditional Chinese Bangs - it weighs about 500g (a bit over 1 pound) and is about 40 cm long (about 16 inches). It is a smooth cylinder with rounded ends, whereas the Ruler, as yeniseri has mentioned is more decorative, with mushroom-shaped ends.

Previous workshop participants have reported impressive gains in grip strength and relief from RSI, arthritis and similar problems.

Anyway, it's interesting to compare experiences with people in different parts of the world. :)
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Postby Josh Young » Sat Sep 05, 2009 9:54 am

This taiji ruler stuff is odd.

What is passed along and taught as taiji ruler is often a short club that is around a foot long.


However the iron ruler of Chinese martial arts that is found in museums is a different object, often about 22 inches long. With a handle on one side. It is also marked in segments or increments, which is why it is called a ruler.

here is an example of a traditional ruler of Chinese martial arts:
http://www.sevenstarstrading.com/html/s ... /1112t.gif

Can someone explain the relationship of these two weapons.
My understanding is that Yang Ban Hou was rather skilled with the iron ruler, the one nearly 2 feet long.
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Postby RedPanda » Sat Sep 05, 2009 1:21 pm

I would be curious to hear about the ruler that Josh refers to.

I found a photo of the turned wooden ruler I was talking about (there's a good image if you scroll about 2/3 down the page):

http://www.taichiacademy.com.au/products.php?id=9
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