The short answer is we learn how to pay attention to our bodies much more acutely by becoming aware of Tai Chi principles in the body.

Tai Chi has yin and yang, and yin and yang have distinct qualities. Yin has the quality of drawing, absorbing and condensing. Yang has the qualities of projection and expansion.

For the purposes of martial art, in the body we’re concerned with the ligaments, tendons and bones. The bones are neutral, and we have yin muscles and yang muscles. By learning to recognize which muscles are yin, and which yang, we can place our attention on them to balance out the body posture.

This practice improves your physical self awareness moment to moment, and this is Zen. Just be there, fully in this moment.

Yes and no. Although some kind of meditation is a part of all religious practices, the type of meditation we practic at Falling Leaves Kung Fu is a type of concentration practice, which is not in and of itself a religeous practice, but simply a skill.

Let's look at Mirriam-Websters definition of meditating and concentration -

Developing ones concentration through meditation is a skill that can be applied to all parts of your life, helping you relieve stress as well as preparing you to deal more easily with difficult situations in your day to day life, meaning you have less stress to bust!

Please see the comments section below for more specific information or reviews about this workshop.

I Liq Chuan (literally translated as Mental-Physical Martial Art) is an internal art that has become known for its effectiveness as a martial art. The practice of I Liq Chuan develops the ability to react spontaneously to attacks, not relying upon pre-arranged
responses, through its specialized partner practices of Spinning Hands & Sticky Hands.

This weekend Master Sam Chin will guide us in learning how to develop specific qualities the internal arts are known for, through solo exercises and partner practice.

By practicing a series of movement drills combined with attention, we will learn to unify ourselves and in turn, with a partner. It is through the physical sensitivity and awareness of the reactions of both our partners and our own bodies that we will begin to feel and
act in the moment, rather than thinking and anticipating.

Here is what you will learn this weekend:

1. Taiji & Chan (Zen) approaches to learning.
2. Understand, both mentally & physically, five qualities essential to
   the internal arts:
   •Absorb & Project
   •Open & Close
   •Condense & Expand
   •Concave & Convex
   •3-D Action
3. To express the above qualities with a partner through
   Spinning Hands & Sticky Hands.
4. Strategies of action in dealing with an opponent.
5. Engaging the point of contact. What? How?

About Master Sam F.S. Chin
Master Sam Chin has spent his life learning
and refining the I Liq Chuan system.

He was a Selangor state heavy weight kickboxing champion in 1978. During the 1980's,
Master Chin continually won Push Hand Championships.

Through his own practice of Buddhist Chan (Zen) philosophies he has gained a deeper understanding of the concept of Awareness. This insight resulted in the tremendous improvement of I Liq Chuan as a martial art. Master Sam Chin has instructed countless students and promoted a select few to the level of instructor. Master Sam Chin's arduous undertaking has resulted in an increased interest in I Liq Chuan all across the globe.

Long time practitioners of many types of martial arts are amazed to see how the study of the internal principles through the lens of I Liq Chuan deepens their understanding of their respective arts.

FEE: RSVP by 09.17.11- $200 2 Days / $125 1 Day*

AFTER 09.17.11 $235 2 Days / $150 1 Day*

*In an effort to promote grading and active membership in the I Liq Chuan Association, we will be awarding the following discounts on the entrance fee of $200.  In order to receive the following discount pricing, you must bring your passbook and be in full uniform (t-shirt, pants, and sash).

Active Members-   $170

Student Level 3 & above-   $160

Instructors
Level 1 $160
Level 2 $150

RSVP Today! 

 $50 Click to add to shopping cart

(Deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable!)

Location

APSK
1058 N Higley Rd
Mesa, AZ 85205

Falling Leaves Kung Fu in Tempe, AZ currently operates as a private club, offering semi-private instrction to small groups in the martial art of I Liq Chuan.

Don't be fooled by the fact we are not a large commercial school! We are still the source for the most comprehensive authentic Tai Chi - Kung Fu program in Arizona.

At the current time, the small group, semi-private lesson format allows for the best outcomes for the time invested for both instructor and the other members.

The club is still be open to new membership but will involve a vetting process including an written application as well as a small application fee which will cover the trial period of training.

Applicants who fail to complete the orientation program during the trial period will not be asked to continue training.

The real trick of pursuing a martial art like I Liq Chuan over the long term is recognizing the end of the duality of "on the mat" and "off the mat", so that one is always training.

The I Liq Chuan system guide opens with the following;

The admonitions are everywhere. Train the mind, the mind is the key. This is Zen; be aware of your own mind.

The nature of human habits though, is that they are strong, hard to change, difficult to let go of.

As such it can be difficult to follow that cardinal most rule of Tai Chi and Zen - “change with the change”, especially when the change is drastic.

It seems like there's been a lot of deaths in my life lately.

A few weeks back, two of my best friends from growing up lost their younger sister. She was somebody that I had a little crush on when we were young. She was at the lake with her kids, and the waves swept her away. She drowned.

A few days ago my neighbors were killed when a home invasion turned into a double homicide.

In the face of these tragedies, it seemed somehow wrong that I should still go to work, buy groceries, scold my kids and so on, but then last night I caught site of my wife in such a way that gave rise to some kind of understanding and it made me think of and old Zen story, which I'll leave to you to ponder it's meaning.

A monk was walking along the road in the mountains when suddenly, he was confronted by a tiger which began to chase him. In his haste to escape, the monk slips over the edge of a cliff but manages to grab hold of the roots of some bush. Looking up, the hungry tiger waited for him to climb and looking down the monk sees a second tiger pacing below. A tiger above, a tiger below, without doubt the monk has met his end. Then he notices a berry nearby. He thinks “What a perfect berry”, which he picks and eats.

Some Photos from the Falling Leaves Kung Fu Adventure Club Backpacking Trip to Marshall Lake in July of 2011.

A small handful of brave students trekked approximately 12 miles of the rugged Marshall Lake section of the Arizona Trail, sleeping out over night on the trail on top of the mesa.

The weather Friday night upon arriving in Flagstaff was a brisk 46°F, but was warm the next day. It made for a perfect trip.

The breath is used as an indicator for when you are going beyond the limit of strength. Part of tai chi is to recognize things as they are, or as such (Dao 道, or the nature of things).

I have strength, why can't I use it? We all have a certain amount of strength, this is our nature. The thing is when I try to go BEYOND the limit of my strength that my action turns into struggling, and I will lose the tai chi balance in my body, because everything has it's limits.

Understanding the limits is tai chi, so I use the breath to keep the body in yin/yang balance. when I start to struggle in my action, such that it starts to restrict my breathing, I know I need to change so I can relax again.

Ever notice the gentle smile on the face of most Buddha and Bodhisatva statues?

In the video below, speaker Ron Gutman sheds some light on why this may be, by citing some of the most relevant points of around a dozen scientific studies on smiling and it's effect on our personalities and our lives.

Students of I Liq Chuan martial art classes in Tucson and Tempe attended our Spring 2011 Martial Art of Awareness workshop with Master Sam FS Chin.

Departing from the tradition of teaching in depth knowledge to only a handful of inner circle disciples, Master Sam Chin decided early on in his teachings to make all “secrets” known to as many students as possible, as he often says, he teaches so “we can learn how to fish for ourselves” rather than just feed us the fish. In this way, a typical seminar with Master Chin is filled with “pearls of wisdom” and tools to discover how to recognize “things as they are” simply through the movements of the body.

Master Sam Chin comes to the valley twice a year to share his families martial art with students in an in depth format

Students of our martial arts classes at Falling Leaves Kung Fu in Tempe, Arizona receive their new sashes and decorative rank promotion certificates on May 1, 2011.