My sword background is primarily with Japanese and Korean sword work, so I found Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming’s DVD “Sword Fundamental Training: Solo Drills and Matching Practice” different from what I’m familiar with, but very interesting and very well done for an instructional DVD.

I’ve been very impressed with Dr. Yang’s DVDs on Chin Na, especially since my primary art of Hapkido also consists of many joint lock and pressure point techniques. So I wanted to learn more of the sword fundamentals from the Chinese arts that Dr. Yang teaches. This is a very good DVD to introduce those concepts and training methods.

The DVD is divided into six main chapters: Intro, General Knowledge, Techniques, Solo Practice, Matching Practice, and the Conclusion. These six main chapters are divided into more than 60 chapters to help you skip to the section you want to review and study. The entire program is a little over three and a half hours long, so you will want to take notes and skip back to the sections as you progress. There are subtitles that go along with Dr. Yang’s instruction. I don’t think they are necessary, but having them there does not hurt. They do not match the exact words of Dr. Yang, but convey the general concepts he discusses.

An obvious question at this point might be so what makes Tai Chi Qi Gong? That is a very big question because the answer could and does fill books. I will try to shed some light on it here.

First of all in Tai Chi are the physical structural alignments which are a necessity for the proper flow of energy through and around the body including through the acupuncture meridians of the body. This is part of the reason that so much emphasis gets put on the moves at the beginning of a students training and why it stays an important issue in training as one progresses. Incorrect and bad posture impedes and blocks energy flow so it is important to get it right. While you are learning and working on this you are not really performing Tai Chi yet but are simply learning something you need to understand to perform the real art.

One of the first things you learn in is known as Sung which translates as relaxation both inside and out. Any tension in the body will impede or stop the flow of energy through the body. This can be structural tension (bad or improper positioning), physical tension (like holding tension in your shoulders or neck simply because you do not allow them to relax) or mental or emotional tension that is manifested in the body such as jaws clenched and a tight face when someone is having a bad day.

So you first need Sung relaxation and proper posture. Once you have these you can really perform the art.

Reminds me of the airplane ride I took to the tiny island of Grenada when I was in the Army all those years ago. While I sat there, staring at the far side of the plane and thinking about what I would do when I hit the ground in a real combat zone (assuming we didn’t get shot down first), I heard other guys farther back in the aircraft actually crying. Ironically, these were the same guys who, during practice field exercises where we “played” war, ran around like John Wayne and Steven Seagal, acting tough and reminding everyone that they were ready to “kill a commie for mommie” right now. Well, here they were - here was their chance - and they were the least prepared to deal with the shocking reality of the situation.

Your training must make sure that you can deal with both the assailant’s physical attacks, whatever they may be, and you must be able to focus and commit yourself to winning by dealing with the rage and raw brutality is a natural part of combat. Two sides to the same coin. Both necessary for success.

So, review what you’ve learned so far, and make sure that your do so through the eyes of a critic, not a blind believer. Watch the news. Ask some police officers, bouncers, or even combat veterans what it’s really like inside a real situation with someone who wants to beat, break, or kill you. Then, all bias aside, fill in the gaps to make sure that you’ll come out on top, and not end up flat on your back!

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