The Australian Branch of Great River Taoist Centre opened in January 2006 with two excellent events. The weather was kind to us. Although predictions had been for temperatures higher than +40C, it was, instead, misty and rainy for most of the time. This made training much easier, since the chosen venues were quite suitable for these conditions. Taijiquan Seminar Millions of people in the world today practise taijiquan (t’ai chi ch’uan). Instruction is available just about everywhere and of all the styles available to us, Yang is the most widely practiced. Such popularity of the art speaks of its effectiveness, especially when we consider its origin with one man in a distant part of China. What is it, then, that makes taijiquan so desirable to people in our modern world? Most would point to the health benefits as their reason for training in the art. An Australian martial arts teacher alerted his students to the fact that practitioners of taijiquan seem to outlive other martial artists by a significant stretch of time.
	While health is clearly a side benefit of taijiquan, we must remember that the art was not developed with this in mind. It was created as a means of self defence and even used to train soldiers in skills for the battlefield. Since it is based in the martial tradition of China, full realization of its benefits cannot be attained by ignoring this. Taijiquan is a full package - martial skill, stress relief, exercise, confidence to meet the challenges of our world without fear, whether they are physical dangers or just the pressures of life. We cannot separate it into “martial” or “health”. Ignoring the martial aspects will diminish the health and meditative value of the art. This seminar, held in St Marys, Western Sydney, addressed taijiquan as a whole system. Some of the participants had studied other forms of the art before, although most were beginners. Rodell Laoshi demonstrated applications for the Yang Family Michuan empty hand form, as the students were learning it. His teaching made the purpose of the form clear and relevant as part of a complete martial arts system. People new to taijiquan were given a good foundation for further practise. They learned good body mechanics and left the seminar with enough understanding to make wise choices in their future training. Participants discovered that the Form is more than a sequence of gentle movements. Each of those movements has martial applications. It was excellent training and gave the local people a thirst for more.

Chinese Swordsmanship Camp The first Australian event of its kind, the Sword Camp brought people together from Australia, New Zealand and the United States. The Camp was a complete treatment of the sword art. Participants trained in all aspects of Jian swordsmanship; from basic cuts to free swordplay, under the expert instruction of internationally renowned teacher and author, Scott Rodell. Morning sessions focussed on training in the essential ingredients - the Eight Basic Cuts of the Yang Family Michuan Taiji Jian. Students progressed through precision cutting practice into two man drills. They also learnt the first four sections of the Yang Family Michuan Jian Form. There was plenty of opportunity for practical expression of skills in free swordplay. To broaden our understanding of Chinese Swordsmanship, some less formal sessions were devoted to Miao Dao training. The Miao Dao is a rare form of Chinese two handed swordsmanship arising out of a long history of two handed sword use in China. More recently this tradition was developed during the Ming dynasty by General Qi Jiguang. The Miao Dao was taught during the Chinese Republic at the Central Military Academy and employed by agents sent behind enemy lines during the Japanese invasion. The camp was a truly great experience. Participants went home with many new skills and plenty to work on. We look forward to future camps and seminars with Scott Rodell.		Training in Sword Form
		Basic Cuts precision work
Two-man drills	Kim preparing to spar	Form practice
Free swordplay	Cutting

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