Basic Levels of the Self

Level one is basic muscular force- Li. This is the weakest because muscles are single direction in nature and fatigue.

Level two is Jing- skeleton force. This is better as bones don't fatigue, but they do need to be lined up correctly to work. Somebody with jing power should be able to relax their muscles completely.

Level three is chi- this is a direct reference to using the muscle groups within the abdomen and chest to move the body. The arms and legs suck into the body, and the body moves- therefore making the limbs move.

Level four is Yi- the mind and intention. The stronger your ability focus, the better everything else will be.

Level five is Shen- often defined as spirit. This is when you can use focus your intuitive and emotional mind.

Somebody with all five power can defeat somebody with only one. These are, by the way, limited definitions. The principles go much, much deeper.

With this background knowledge, in the physical body we can look at chi as a phenomenon that takes place when the muscles are relaxed, and the skeleton is holding up the body. "Chi goes through" means that your correct posture (skeletal alignment) and muscular relaxation allows your body's systems to flow unhindered. It also means that if somebody pushes on your body they should only feel the skeleton- no muscles should activate.

Next, you begin to use what is called predator movement (think of how a cat or a tiger runs) in the torso. This motion uses the internal musculature to massage and otherwise move the body.

When you get all of these mechanics right a warm, fluid like sensation of volume exists within your entire body. This takes place when you no longer have to think about each individual mechanic and can let them flow together. So on a base physical level, chi is what happens when your bodily processes are working together at the same tempo. Therefore, to begin with, chi can be described as a sensation that takes place when things in your body are working together.

Is chi more than this? Yes. But to get up to the higher levels of self with chi and shen (spirit) you must build the entire vessel. Body, chi, mind, and spirit. If you try to go straight to playing with chi or straight to spirit without developing the rest of the self then you will only further disconnect yourself from yourself.

We are now the Official East Coast WACIMA Training Hall!

I am very excited to announce that our school has been named as the official East Coast WACIMA- USA Training Hall! In this new capacity we now are among the highest level Chinese Martial Arts Schools in the world, with access to all of the WACIMA Grand Masters while working directly under WACIMA's International President, Grand Master Guo Ming (George) Xu.

In this process, Grand Master Xu has awarded me a 7th Degree Black Belt in Xu Shen Chuan (The Undefeatable Secrets of Guo Ming Xu) and a Master Instructors Certification in the system. After a grueling test by all of the WACIMA Masters in China and then a personal test with Grand Master Xu himself, Shifu Jim Green has been awarded a 6th Degree Black Belt in Xu Shen Chuan, and has been granted the title of Shifu. Our Head Instructor George Petrush is being promoted up to a 4th Degree Black Belt of Xu Shen Chuan and the title of Shifu, Head Instructor. Shifu Willie Smith is also being promoted up to a 4th degree Black Belt and the official title of Shifu in Xu Shen Chuan.

As a team, we are absolutely thrilled to now be in the position to provide our students with the absolute highest level of instruction available in the world with Grand Master Xu.

ASTM Martial Arts Safety Standards!

Providing for the safety of children taking martial arts classes is the purpose of new ASTM Subcommittee F08.29 on Martial Arts, part of ASTM International Committee F08 on Sports Equipment and Facilities. According to Derek Croley, a Master Instructor, and James Green, PE, also a martial arts instructor and a longtime member of Committee F08, standards for both safety of equipment and the credentials of personnel will be developed by F08.29.

"The concern of reputable school owners in the martial arts industry has always been that no standards exist to protect the general public," says Croley. "This will have far reaching implications on the martial arts industry in that a level of safety will be defined and practiced by those schools choosing to follow the ASTM standards. Without any standards, individual states cannot regulate these schools." Green notes that standards developed by F08.29 will be "an enormous positive first step in terms of safety and instruction. Currently a child daycare facility has more safety standards than the martial arts industry. The martial arts industry instructs thousands of children per year without having any operating safety standards in place."

The final objective of the standards will be operating criteria for individual schools regardless of the martial art being practiced. This operating criterion will include standards for the level of expertise for the personnel, including mandatory criminal background checks, training at a level defined by the individual art and adherence to safety standards for all equipment in the training hall. When a martial arts school adheres to F08.29 standards, the public will know that the best safety standards available in equipment and personnel are present in that school.

Both Croley and Green say that owners and operators of martial arts schools, as well as other interested parties, are welcome to join in the standards developing activities of F08.29. For technical Information, contact Derek Croley, Croley's Martial Arts Center (phone: 828-713-0765; DCTAI@bellsouth.net); or James Green, PE, The White Oak Institute Inc., Asheville, N.C. (phone: 828-216-0518; green3176@bellsouth.net). Committee F08 meets Nov. 19-21 during the November committee week in St. Louis, Mo. For meeting or membership information, contact Christine Sierk (phone: 610-832-9728; csierk@astm.org).

Release #8041/August08 from www.ASTM.org

Check out our new Facebook.com group!

Go to http://www.facebook.com/ to become a member of our new group for Croley's Martial Arts Center. Why? To be kept up to date with the latest on what is happening at the school! Not to mention that fact that Facebook is a neat place to keep up with all of our friends.

Also, for our Tai Chi students I have posted a George Xu discussion board on Facebook entitled the George Xu 24 Undefeatable Tai Chi Secrets. Here you can enter in to a discussion on Grand Master Xu's training secrets. They are listed at http://www.mastergeorgexu.com/, so read all of them and then join us on Facebook.com to talk about what you have read.

Geroge Xu Comes to Asheville!

Croley’s Martial Arts Center, the White Oak Institute and TaiChiMadeSimple.com are proud to present

Grand Master George Xu

Coming to Asheville, NC on July 19th, 2008 for a three day engagement.

This is the first time a Master of this caliber has ever been to the Southeastern US! Join us as he presents

-How to use just your structure to quadruple your physical power for Martial Arts, sports, rehabilitation, or whatever else you are doing with your body.

-How to use your mind to focus power and energy in ways that will absolutely astound you.

-How to cut out all of the garbage from your understanding and practice so you can get down to the science of the Chinese Grand Masters.



It doesn’t matter if you practice any Martial Art, any sporting event, or any physical or mental practice. This 3 day seminar is an absolute must. Here are some clips of Grand Master Xu from youtube.com. Watch how simply and powerfully he moves as well as how well he specifically and rationally he explains what he is doing - and he is willing to honestly tell you exactly what you need to do to get better results out of your training and exactly how to do it!

Space is limited- we are only accepting 40 participants. So you need to enroll now! Go to http://www.GeorgeXuAsheville.com/ for more information, seminar specifics and where to stay in Asheville.

As readers of this blog know, I have been practicing various Martial Arts for over 25 years. Suffice it to say that it takes a lot to impress me these days. In a world that is full of all kinds of weird stuff people are peddling as “the secrets of the Masters” George Xu is the best Chinese Master teaching in America that I have ever met. This seminar is your opportunity to train with somebody who will literally change your entire life with just one weekend. Not in a “go team” kind of way like a motivational speaker, but Grand Master Xu has the unique ability to cut to the chase and tell you exactly what you need to do to get to the next level of your physical, mental, or spiritual practice in a no nonsense, practical and scientific manner. I absolutely guarantee that you will leave this seminar with the tools you need to get to a real high level. I know that the first time I met him and added his training methods into my system my abilities began to skyrocket from where they were before. But you don’t have to be a martial arts Master to learn from him- he will be able to see exactly where you are in your training and help you from there! Do not miss this seminar.

Sincerely,
Master Derek Croley

PS- I strongly recommend that you attend at least one or two of our preliminary seminars to make sure you are at a level to get the most out of Grand Master Xu. I might also point out that we offer CEU credits for attending our seminars with the White Oak Institute.

PPS- I also strongly recommend that you go to http://www.taichimadesimple.com/ to get a good idea of this information as well.

PPSS- As you also know, for ongoing classes go to http://www.croleysmartialarts.com/.