(Copied from Mark's blog)

CMAC RULES (shamelessly copied from DrTS's blog)

OK Guys ... New Rules for the CMAC

WU DE—WUSHU SPIRIT

Respect: Respect the art, parents, Shifu, seniors, self and others.
Humility: Humble heart and manner to learn and practice, yet have confidence.
Diligence: Practice hard and frequently, do your best.
Perseverance: Overcome the difficulties and challenges, a long enduring sense of purpose should be cultivated.

CMAC REGULATIONS

Students Must:

• Respect teacher
• Be Honest to your teacher, yourself, and your fellow students
• Address the master of the Academy as Sifu or Shifu, and all other instructors as Coach
• Pay tuition on time
• Be punctual at all classes
• Wear clean academy uniform and shoes to every class
• Inform the Instructors of any illness and injuries prior to and during the class
• Pay attention at all times during the class
• Be supportive to yourself and other students during class
• Seek permission from the Master of the Academy before performing and competing
• Immediately stop any divisive behavior inside or outside the classroom

Students Must Not:

• Criticize other schools or teachers
• Criticize or correct other students
• Exhibit divisive behavior in intention, communications and action
• Use foul language
• Discriminate against other students

Violation may result in suspension or expulsion

36 MISTAKES IN PUSH HANDS BY CHEN XIN

This article describes some common mistakes or misunderstanding in Taiji Quan push hands practice. Each one has an item name and one or two explanatory sentences. The last paragraph is a summary of the article. Some of these mistakes are in general principles and some are with specific techniques. This article is important and interesting, especially for beginners. Because the principles of Taiji Quan are very different from other kinds of martial arts, some skills and principles are right and work well in other arts but not in Taiji, especially some skills which depend a lot on person’s athletic ability. This article tells us what skills are wrong in Taiji push hands practice, even though we may feel some of them are obviously right. The mistakes are called sickness which means they will block people from developing real Taiji skills. It does not mean people can never use them in their fighting. It means people should not intentionally use them in their practice. If one thinks it is good for he/she currently and does not want to change, generally he/she will get bad habits and can never reach a high level. In Taiji practice, people always say that you should throw something away which maybe you feel good today but is wrong in principle. For example, if you use your hand to block your opponent's hands from pushing your body, it seems like a good defence. But if you just do it in your practice, you will not have a chance to study how to solve the problem when your body gets pushed directly. From Taiji principles, you should defend against your opponent with any part of your body. Wherever an opponent touches you, beat him back from there. Because the principle and skill of Taiji push hands are unusual, there are a lot of skills that are really difficult to understand for beginners. So to understand this article will really help people to understand Taiji Quan. If you read this article and feel something confuses you, it may mean you need more practice and to study Taiji principles more deeply. Be careful, it is the most important thing to separate what is right and what is wrong in your practice. Do not judge what you do solely based on whether it works for you now. You also need to access whether what you do is consistent with Taiji principles. Never let bad habits and faults get in gained into your body and into your practice.

http://www.geocities.com/ycgf/arti_CX36.htm <--- CLICK HERE!!

Martial Arts Principles Relating to Life

Adapting To Society

In order to become balanced and adapt well to society we must obtain knowledge and develop a feeling. We must let go of our ego. This is one of the biggest obstacles which prevents us from getting anywhere. Once we do this, we become more aware of our surroundings, more aware of opportunities. We can flow with the tide of events in our lives. We will automatically be guided to the proper actions without effort.

Dealing with Stress

If someone yells at you, weather it like a boat in a violent storm. Try to remain calm, balanced and relaxed. You will find out that it is not so bad. If you fight back right away, you may miss a chance to understand the opponent to effectively counter. Also the storm may die by itself.

Solving Problems

Study the principles that are hidden like Easter eggs. They are everywhere. You only have to open your eyes and ears to look and listen. The clues are all around us if we are willing to see.

If You are Stuck

If you are stuck, don't struggle with the same method, try to change, or else wait for an opportunity to act. There are only two ways to deal with obstacles, remove them or go around them.

Goals in Life

Don't set your goals too high. Any method of doing something is all right, but some are just better. Start with a method and try to improve it. Try to do a lot with a little.

Making the Right Choice

There are many choices and actions that can be made during our lives. Each will have a different outcome. If one action will do, why use two. Pick the simplest, the most obvious to start.

Being Creative

The world and our future can be whatever we imagine it to be. Don't be confined by your methods, your structures, or your points of view. There are many ways to look at a certain thing.

 TS

Here are three words for all tai-chi-chuan practicing CMAC members to ponder...

Circles, Coordination, Concentration

cheers

Casey