- Powerful Qi
- Strong Bones & Joints
- Improve Fittness & Health
- Weight Loss
- Build Strength & Power
Hard Qigong has been around for many hundreds of years. It was a skill originally used to train the body to withstand strong blows and attacks in the days when there were no guns but only the traditional weapons of spears, staffs, broadswords and knives. Today, we can see touring Shaolin Monks lying spread-eagled on the point of a revolving spear or lying on a bed of steel spikes or breaking spears against their throats. Whilst all this seems quite amazing, it is actually just training the body through traditional Chinese skill which uses special breathing techniques and movements to make both the internal and external body stronger.
Unlike Western body building, Hard Qigong is not just concerned with building muscles and developing power. It has both a Yin (soft) and Yang (hard) side. The Yang side involves training the muscle, skin and bones. This includes repetitive striking of the body with the hands and in later stages, special bamboo poles and iron bars along with special stances and breathing techniques. The Yin side is the meditation. Without meditation, we will not be able to cool down the fire that is created with the exercises. Meditation is a very crucial part of the training and should not be neglected.
To understand Qi you need to know hard and soft.
Training
There are seven levels of the Hard Qigong which is taught by the Tse Qigong Centre. The first level commences with special breathing techniques to more robust and intensive training. Each level has its own special test to show a student’s level. Grandmaster Tse says, “If a student has not achieved a good standard of Qi, then they could harm themselves if they go on to the next level. Testing helps the student know what level they have achieved and what they need to work on and if they are ready to train more.”
“Hard Qigong can be a very powerful skill and so proper instruction is very important, but so is checking our movements and to make sure that we are doing them correctly after we have learned them. If we do not do the movements correctly, then we will not get the maximum benefit for the time of our practice. Chinese have a saying, ‘Every poison can be a medicine and every medicine can be a poison.’ No matter how good a skill, if we do not respect it and where it came from, then instead of getting benefit we may get something else.”
Grandmaster Tse continues, “When I learned Hard Qigong, we had to do many different kinds of tests, the final one being run over by a large lorry. Of course, it is not easy to reach this standard and it requires a lot of dedication. A Hard Qigong test is not one you can fake or otherwise you can be injured.”
Due to the structure of its practise, Hard Qigong is not taught in weekly classes. Instead, it is taught over a series of seminars.
In order to progress through to more advanced level, students are required to train for a fixed period and pass an exam before being able to move on to the next level. Please see our seminar timetable for upcoming courses.
- Grandmaster Michael Tse
- United Kingdom
- Chen, Chun Yuen, Qigong, Wing Chun
- Grandmaster Michael Tse
- United Kingdom
- Chun Yuen, Qigong, Wing Chun
Grandmaster Tse testing students
Hard Qigong is not just for martial artists or men wanting to be stronger. Grandmaster Tse says, “Many of my students are ladies who want to improve their circulation or help make themselves healthier. Because of the kind of breathing techniques involved, Hard Qigong is very good for developing the lungs and helping such problems as asthma and depression. It is also very good for developing the bones and energy levels.”
“Many people think that taking lots of supplements can make the bones very strong. However, if we do not develop more Qi than we use in our everyday living, our bones will slowly get weaker with age. Bone marrow is actually what feeds our bones and marrow is created from blood and Qi. Blood and Qi are connected with the kidneys.”
“So when we do Qigong, the first energy we create relates to the kidneys no matter whether it is soft or hard Qigong. However, Hard Qigong creates very powerful Qi and so it is good for healing a lot of illness as well as for martial artists.”
Student Comments
