Toronto Baguazhang
124 Merton St., Suite 403 M4S 2Z2 Toronto, ON, Canada

Clips and information form the award winning series Nine Dragon Baguazhang for Street Combat. A six DVD program covering training in Li family Baguazhang and fe...aturing practical applications derived from real world experience in using Baguazhang in actual combat. CLICK ON PICTURE FOR VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf5ziqf1svs Click Here to Order and Learn More https://thegompa.com/shop/product/jiu... PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH OTHERS.

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For that special Internal Arts Maven for the holidays. Limited supply of these items so if you are interested Feel free to share with friends and your Face Book Groups Please Order Early. www.thegompashop.com

APPLY The first time I hit a heavy bag was a revelation to me. I had already been shown how to make a fist, how to stand, and how to throw a punch. I practiced punching the air, beating it mercilessly into submission. I was ready. Owww! The bag barely moved and my wrist hurt. I thought I had done everything right, but the bag didn’t care what I thought. It just hung there, sullenly. So began one of my first lessons in how to apply a set of skills.... I would argue that when I practice the basic components of the system I study (Jiulong Baguazhang) that include quiet sitting, standing, shifting, walking, and circle walking, I am developing skills and creating building blocks that support and reinforce each other. I would also argue that these skills have great value in themselves because of their benefits to emotional and physical well-being. I don’t think this is very different from training in most martial arts. Forms/kata, physical drills, and meditative practices all have benefit to mind and body. But if any kind of martial proficiency is your goal then you must learn to apply those skills to that end. I believe combat skills require combat practice. Such practice may take a variety of forms including equipment use, martial games, rehearsal of combat scenarios, and free sparring. These can all provide feedback regarding the effectiveness of what one is trying to accomplish. I believe such sensory feedback (the feeling of hitting or being hit are obvious examples) is an important part of learning. My sore wrist helped teach me how to hit. Of course, the key component of developing martial prowess is being shown what to do, how to do it, and how to practice it. My fellow students and I have benefited greatly from a series of video recordings aimed directly at the development of combat skills made by my Shifu, Dr. John Painter (especially now in a time of pandemic when many of us are still socially distancing). The Nine Dragon Baguazhang for Street Combat series provides clear detailed depictions and instructions for developing martial skills that include training principles, hand to hand combat, and weapons tactics. There are many good reasons to take up the study of traditional Asian, historical Western and more modern martial arts. I feel they all have their benefits. Combat effectiveness is one such benefit, but in my opinion, that only comes about from training to apply what one is learning in the real world. For more information please visit: https://www.thegompa.com

Oct 11, 2020 Fellowship in the time of plague: Founders day 2020 I button my black jacket’s frog closures and tie around my waist the red sash that only comes out once a year. The wooden Mala beads, a gift from my teacher, slide from their bright silk pouch into my palm also making their annual appearance. I place them around my neck. From the middle of the room I face one corner at a time to sound the lotus etched tingsha and then sound it once more from the center. Its clea...Continue reading

Here is the place Dr. Jan is talking about. https://thegompa.com/shop/

Changes If you study Jiulong you will be transformed. Of course, it doesn’t happen all at once and if you’re really diligent in your practice you’ll just keep on transforming. It’s sort of inevitable. This has been driven home to me repeatedly in my personal practice and as I watch other students become better. A way to understand this is to look at how we learn a Jiulong Palm. What we call a Palm is a method of moving and applying force while maintaining a particular psyc...hological attitude. Our system has 8 of these Palms, each named after one of the 8 basic nature symbols of the ancient Chinese text known as the Yijing or I Ching. They are: Heaven, Lake, Fire, Thunder, Wind, Water, Mountain, and Earth. When being introduced to a Palm, the student begins with study of the symbol and what mental and emotional imagery that symbol evokes. We talk about those images and feelings and then do our best to conjure those feelings and mental images while sitting quietly. The lesson progresses to carrying those mental images/feelings into standing, shifting, stepping, circling and applying them in combat situations. This is our standard way of learning the art and quite simple. But as simple as it is, learning this way requires focusing inside oneself in order to feel what is necessary to move in the way the Palm requires. Using Water Palm as an example, this internal focus involves an intellectual analysis of how water works, the meaning of water in the Yijing and a visual/tactile image of water. Importantly, it also involves the emotional feelings one personally relates to water. This may be easy to write about but is difficult to do. Having wise guidance from a patient and generous teacher is crucial to the intellectual, emotional and imaginative exploration necessary to go deep into the art where the keys to skill reside. It is this exploration that starts to change thoughts and feelings, movement and actions, i.e. the whole student. This is what I mean when I say studying Jiulong will inevitably transform you.

Even though I’ve been an avid student for years, I can’t help but look at the Chinese internal arts I study through the eyes of the anesthesiologist and former psychologist I am. The first teacher I ever met who was able to bridge the gap between traditional gong fu internal training methods and scientific evidence was Dr. John Painter. I became his student and eventually an instructor. Not only did Shifu Painter’s teaching transform my understanding and practice of martial... arts, it also enhanced my medical practice. I treat people with chronic pain and they often require a combination of physical, psychological, and pharmacological interventions. Thanks to my teacher’s lessons, my patients have benefited from the use of the same combined mental and physical exercises I teach my students. I believe Shifu Painter has grounded the internal arts in scientific inquiry while remaining true to the spirit of traditional gong fu and benefiting both. The Architecture of Internal Power provides an in depth look at the science behind internal martial arts and detailed mind/body training instructions that I use regularly. I think it’s an invaluable reference for students and teachers alike, regardless of style or system. You can find this DVD at: www.thegompa.com/shop Jan Carstoniu MD FRCPC

I've been using these mats for years in my personal practice and have one hanging over the ancestor place in my school. Students often ask about its significance which often gives me a chance to discuss such things as the relevance of Daoist philosophy to Chinese martial and health systems. You can find them at: www.thegompa.com/shop

Shortcuts to Skill Instant gratification and fast results seem to be the order of the day in our connected world. In keeping with the spirit of the times I therefore offer my personal and idiosyncratic list of 9 shortcuts to great skill in martial arts. Good luck! Stay healthy. You know, diet, sleep, exercise, alcohol/other drug use and that kind of stuff. It’s important.... Wake up! Pay attention and train mindfully. Don’t simply drill robotically. Practice what your teacher tells you, not what you think you should practice. If you think you know better than your teacher why are you paying this person for lessons? So just focus on the lessons and get over yourself. If you practice slowly, you will learn quickly (Shifu Robert Castaldo, Jiulong Baguazhang). When learning something new, take your time to really understand what it is you are learning, how it works and how to train it. Speed up slowly. As you increase speed with a new movement or technique make sure each part of it (e.g. posture and coordination) is in place and make sure it remains effective. Speed can cover a multitude of sins. There is no substitution for repetition. Training means doing the same things over and over and over, under ever changing conditions. You should be able to use your technique in different terrains against different opponents using different techniques of their own. Did I mention repetition? Train every day. Better yet, train all the time by always being mindful of your physical/ social/psychological environment and how you are moving, interacting and reacting (see the suggestion to wake up, above). Always seek improvement. You can always get better. Once you think you are at the top, there’s nowhere to go but down. Some might complain that these aren’t shortcuts at all. Well, I concede that following the suggestions is time consuming but don’t you think an unhealthy, unfit person who doesn’t listen to the teacher or train diligently is going to take a lot longer to attain great skill? Please feel free to add to the list if you’ve found shortcuts that work for you. Jan Carstoniu Instructor Toronto Baguazhang

Setting The Record Straight on Master Titles China has declared that the title master should no longer be used for martial arts teachers People should follow th...eir hearts in such matters concerning using the title of master. In my world I was brought up by a Chinese expert in Nei-gong Wushu skills. His name was Li, Long-dao but we called him Shifu Frank Li. Mr. Li explained the traditions of Chinese martial arts families and clans to us very clearly. The term for teacher in traditional Chinese has two different sets of characters both pronounced Shifu or Sifu. The first is: () Shifu (Mandarin) or Sifu in Cantonese a title used for a skillful person or worker. This can be anyone from a professional martial artist to cab driver or school teacher. The other term Shifu or Sifu in Cantonese () has this character which is "father". It implies the head of a clan or family system of martial arts but it could be a of painting or poetry if there is a formal school involved. This is more appropriate for a traditional martial clan with students seen as children of the patriarch or head of the group. While it is appropriate to call a craftsman or skilled individual Shifu () it's not appropriate to address someone or write to them using the term if one is not a family or school member. Although some have misappropriated these terms Shifu () or () to mean master, that was never the original intention of either of these characters. If you teach or provide a service to others, you are in Chinese a Shifu ()! If you are the appointed head of an established martial lineage, Wushu benyi () Jia Shi () and have gathered students to whom you pass on the lineage then you are a Shifu (). It is also very bad Wude () martial virtue to refer to oneself as Zhu () master. Those who do this are looked down upon in traditional circles. One of the many reasons I believe master came into use was through transliteration in Chinese films dubbed into English. We hear the actor saying Shifu and the subtitle says master instead of teacher. In the west the term head master used for a school, university or college principle was used in English and the term came into acceptance in the west and the east. Master as Shifu also wormed its way into many modern Chinese English dictionaries. Others just loosely used the term master in an attempt to give high praise to a teacher. Chinese Martial Arts are Wushu. However there are two branches. The term Wushu martial or military art has been fractured into two methods. Wushu benyi original intention martial art (for combat). This is the old school method with lineages and traditions going back into Chinese pre-history. It was never intended or used as a sport or even spiritual discipline. Wushu biaoyan performance martial art (sport) This category Wushu biaoyan encompasses what the Chinese government is promoting. While it includes some Wuxianzhi-Shou free sparring Lit: Unbridled hands the tactics and methods are vastly watered down from the original Wushu benyi methods mostly due to the forbidding of martial practice for many years by the communist government. Now much of these traditional methods are lost and modern practitioners are having to reverse engineer their forms to try and understand the actual martial usage. Terms Used in Traditional Old School Gong Fu Wushu Wuguan (traditional schools) Shi teacher; persons skilled in a profession Shifuskilled person, teacher, tutor, instructor of any discipline Shifufather teacher head of a clan most often Daoshi tutor; teacher; guide of a great cause Daoist Priest Jiaoguan drillmaster / instructor Jiaoyuan teacher; instructor Laoshi old Teacher meaning highly skilled Laoshifu Old high-level craftsman; experienced worker Laoyouzi old campaigner; wily old bird one who has paid his dues None of these say master! Final thoughts Whatever someone who teaches Gong Fu Wushu chooses to do or not do is a personal choice. Some just want to be called by their first name, some use the modern term teacher or coach, others self aggrandize themselves with pretentious titles like Master, Grand Master, Great Grand Master and so on. In the west we live in a mostly free society and therefore we are free to choose to use or not use titles for ourselves. I am always a bit suspicious of those who do so. Personally I was raised from a young boy by a Laoyouzi who taught us with old school tradition and to have and show respect for our Shifuand his Jia Shi through the practice of Wude . As the recognized Jicheng inheritor of the Li family martial system I choose to keep the old traditions alive in my Wuguanmartial school and in my teachings of our students. Once many, many years ago I asked Laoyouzi Frank Li when I would be come a master. He looked very seriously at me and said. One day many year from now you will be surround by many people family, friend many other. You are in big long box it go into ground. You covered with dirt, much tears from many. Now you master, ha ha ha! That about sums it up for me.

Lost in My Back Yard Until now, my posts have been concerned with how Jiulong training works. It is much harder to convey in words what it feels like to practice. What follows is an attempt to do just that. It is evening and the winter sky is darkening steel. The earth is hard under my feet. The flagstone feels like iron. On the side of the garage, an old sleeping hydrangea’s branches remind me of skeleton fingers. Through the open door I see the heavy bag hanging. Beside the... garage, two wooden posts sit in a circular patch of frozen black mulch. In the center of the uneven stone patio, I stop. With each breath my belly slowly pushes in and out against shirt, sweater and parka. Everything else is very still. Then my arms rise to salute heaven, humanity and earth. I begin to walk. I feel each step that carries me around a circle, the touch of my heel, the ball of my foot pressing on stone. My head rises a little more. I relax the tension in my shoulders. I turn too much lean. I turn again still leaning. Relax more and turn again and again and again. Into the garage, muscles lifting arms, feeling the impact of the strike in my whole body. The bag is not impressed. I circle it, striking once more as I turn. The bag jumps. More turns. More strikes, one after another as the bag and I begin to dance together, its chains rattling in a stuttering beat. I begin to glide over the floor and outside again to start weaving between the posts. Need to adjust my steps, focus on timing and distance. Relax and focus. Focus and relax. I spin around the posts, changing directions and patterns over and over. And then the posts are spinning around me. I feel them; strike them effortlessly without thought as they pass. The whole back yard is moving. Now I’m on the flagstone, whirling, now in the garage and I feel nothing as the bag leaps and jangles in time to my strikes, now the posts again. There is nothing left of me except movement and intention. The world and I are endlessly waltzing through the void. I return to the flagstone patio and all the circles fold into one that slowly spirals into its still centre. Back to the beginning, I end my practice. I bow to west, north, east and south: each direction a signpost honesty, humility, patience, sincerity. I pause at the foot of the stairs into my house, turn and face the back yard, and bow my thanks. I go inside and start to prepare supper.

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Staying Fit Part 3 Get Strong WARNING! The following is presented for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Before engaging in any of the training described below, please seek a medical doctor’s advice to determine if it will be safe for you. Some people with certain medical conditions might be at serious risk of injury or death by engaging in the kind of exercise discussed here....Continue reading

Morning Chan The Four Virtues / Si-de Naixing www.thegompa.com #3 Patience / Naixing ... I serve others according to their needs! -------------------------------------------------------------------- Commentary We should be of help to others. Virtue number three says serving others according to their needs this word is chosen instead of wants or desires. Needs are the basic necessities of life, health, air, water, food, shelter, clothing and affection / touch. All other things are really desires or wants. To serve others according to needs means to help them acquire the necessities of surviving. Naixing also means perseverance and endurance. When attempting to improve skills for example I can accept that learning is a discipline and that if I become angry or frustrated with myself it will only hinder my gaining these skills. I will have a discipline in my training that is not too harsh but not too lax and always challenges me to just beyond my present limits. What are the Si-de In the Li family internal arts tradition their methods are based on the Si-deor four virtues. Honest, Humility, Patience and Sincerity. It is said that following these improves ones life force energy (Qi). Bronwen Nishikawa Jiulong Baguazhang instructor in North Caroline wrote: These virtues are learned from direct experience and from the heart, not just from intellectual exercises. One strives to practice them at all times, in- and outside of the classroom. No one is perfect; just recognize that for every time one fails, one can learn what to do differently next time and get back up (again). Why would the Four Virtues be a cornerstone? Before any martial (or health) practice, one ideally should first understand and come to terms with this code of ethics. The rationale is this: it is hard to concentrate if one is dishonest and therefore having to scramble to keep various lies straight (lack of honesty), or filled with remorse for being arrogant and treating others poorly (lack of humility) or being overly driven by desires (lack of patience). Thus, the practice of the Four Virtues is not only the code of ethics / Wude , but a health practice / Qigong as well, because the powers of the mind and emotion are balanced. This balance is the basis of health and longevity, and the cornerstone of the ancient Daoist concept of Wuhuo , translated as, no anger or internal fire, i.e., being free of too much (emotional) fire.

My Shifu’s own words

Staying Fit Part 2 Endurance WARNING! The following is presented for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Before engaging in any of the training described below, please seek a medical doctor’s advice to determine if it will be safe for you. Some people with certain medical conditions might be at serious risk of injury or death by engaging in the kind of exercise discussed here....Continue reading