Author Archives: steveehrenreich

About steveehrenreich

I am a long time practitioner of martial arts and Yi Chuan student of Master Cheuk Fung.

Please Keep the ‘Martial’ in the ‘Martial Art’

Often I hear from people who practice Yi Chuan for health purposes.  They really have no interest in developing their self-defense capacity, rather they would like to benefit from the energy and health benefits associated with the art. There is nothing … Continue reading

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Is Standing Like a Tree Making You Board?

They tell you to stand there, like a tree, hold still, eventually you will understand…. Perhaps a fairy will come along and sprinkle some magic dust on your head after 1, 2, 3,…5,..10 years of obedient practice..?!!? Maybe not. I’m … Continue reading

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Recipe for a Yi Chuan Practice Session

No fixed forms, no fixed rules. You hear that over and over again when studying Yi Chuan.  While enlightening to someone who has been repeating the same forms or moves over and over again for years that phrase can be … Continue reading

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The Way of Yi Chuan

Yi Chuan can be called an ancient method in a modern package.  While Yi Chuan (also know a Da Cheng Chuan or great achievement fist) was systematized in the early 1900’s by Grandmaster Wang it is based on a method that … Continue reading

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The Opposite

Many times in my experience with Yi Chuan the right path was the opposite of what I thought it was.  For you Seinfeld fans out there I felt like George Costnaza…..if I just did The Opposite of what I thought it was I would … Continue reading

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Yi Chuan Puts Standing First

Most martial arts systems start by teaching new students basic techniques.  Stances, blocks, punches, kicks, break-falls, joint locks and other techniques are practiced and improved through repetition. Yi Chuan is different; in that, the method clearly asserts that it has … Continue reading

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Straighten Up!

Do a quick survey of your posture as you read this.  Are you sitting down in a chair, back slumped and spine hunched?  If so, you are not alone.  Most people, myself included, have a bad habit of collapsing their … Continue reading

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Three For One

Yi Chuan is a holistic approach to cultivation because it helps build health, increase energy and improve self-defense capabilities simultaneously.  Like the three sides of a triangle, health, energy and self-defense mutually support one another.  How could you have good energy … Continue reading

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Getting ‘Out of the Box”

The box is everywhere, its all around us.  Its how we think, what we see and how we control the world in which we live.  From infancy what is real has been defined by our teachers, ingrained in us, from … Continue reading

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Integrated Strength

Most people have never experienced integrated strength.  Before meeting my teacher I had only heard stories and read historical accounts of people who had achieved the skill.  With an athletic background that included extensive strength training and years of martial arts practice under my … Continue reading

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