Ken Gullette's Internal Fighting Arts

06/09/2026

A foot sweep in Taiji. You can find it in several movements in the form, including "Wave Hands Like Clouds." It's effective when you have the element of surprise.

06/07/2026

"Song" is not really a feeling. Like Peng, it's a functional state. Developing song is when you work on relieving unnecessary muscular tension so the body can organize force efficiently through structure and whole-body connection.

06/03/2026

Do you stay in your power zone during Taiji movements? You might see people doing movements such as "Step Back Repulse the Monkey" in Yang style, or "Single Whip," or "Stepping Back Whirling Arms" in Chen style (and "Single Whip") and their arms stretch back behind them. If you look at someone from the side, and at the end of "Single Whip" their elbows are behind their knees, they are out of their power zone.

Don't let the shoulders stretch back so that the power diminishes in the arms (Weaker photo). The shoulders are "broken" when the elbows go behind the knees. If you do Taiji this way, try an experiment by maintaining the elbow-knee connection (Stronger photo) and see if you don't feel stronger. Maintain an alignment between the elbows and knees.

Another way to test it is with a partner. Put your right arm under a partner's left shoulder and try to take them down. Do it first with your elbow behind your knee. Then try it while maintaining an alignment between the elbow and knee. See which way works better and you'll have your answer. The farther back you put your shoulders and elbows, the weaker you are. Even if you are stepping back to strike someone, you don't need to open as far as a lot of folks do. Is it an "absolute" rule? I don't necessarily believe in absolutes, but it certainly should guide your movements.

06/02/2026

You let the kick find emptiness as you load the rear leg, and as the kick falls, you spring in with a punch. Receive and return helped me win a few tournaments.

05/26/2026

Zen doesn’t have to be mysterious or sound like a riddle wrapped in incense smoke. "A Handful of Nothing" uses 88 short stories to make Zen accessible for everyday life — stress, relationships, abuse, grief, setbacks, and remaining centered when life gets messy. Learn along with a young monk as an old master points the way.

How do you use Zen Buddhism in daily life? The 88 short Zen stories in this book attempt to point the way in clear, simple language. The stories feature a young Zen Buddhist monk living in a monastery near a remote village, asking an old master questions about life, death, love, suffering, honest...

05/25/2026

What was it like to train with Wang Xi'an, one of the Four Tigers of the Chen Village who passed away in 2024? Dr. Bob Bacher visited and studied with Wang Xi'an for ten years. He is the guest in the latest edition of the Internal Fighting Arts podcast.

Ken Gullette talks with Dr. Bob Bacher, a Taijiquan teacher who studied with Wan Xi'an, one of the "Four Tigers" of the Chen Village. For ten years, while he was a board-certified Doctor of Chiropractic, Bob made visits to the Chen Village to learn from Wang Xi'an, who passed away in 2024. Ken and B...

05/22/2026

"When people ask, 'How long does it take to learn Taiji?' I say, 'From now on.'" - Dr. Bob Bacher, student of Wang Xi'an

Bob Bacher is the guest on the next edition of the Internal Fighting Arts Podcast, coming Monday.

05/20/2026

I wasn't satisfied with the cover of my book of Zen stories, so I had a design group do another one that I plan to swap out. The book is available on Amazon.

05/19/2026

I heard about this book. Published in 1961. It was supposed to be influential. I found the book online and the used copy arrived over the weekend.

Within the first page or two, it lists the four styles of tai chi being practiced in the 20th Century.

She lists Yang, Wu, Ho and Sun. No mention of Chen style. Strike one.

05/14/2026

Young Monk: “Master, where was I before I was born?”
Master: “Where is yesterday’s dream?”