We recently completed our UK seminar tours with Master Shou Guan Shun.
This year Rose Oliver organized a series of workshops around the UK with the help of several old friends and colleagues.
This year Rose Oliver organized a series of workshops around the UK with the help of several old friends and colleagues, hosting events in Brixham, Devon; Dursley, Gloucestershire with Mark Collins’ martial arts school; Manchester in cooperation with DDA member, regular camp participant and old friend David Thorpe at his school; plus in London with Danny Fajardo, another very old and dear friend.
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This year, Master Shou Guan Shun, who is one of DDA’s regular Shanghai martial arts camp instructors, concentrated on basic foundation exercises, “Shen Jin Ba Gu” or “exercises to relax and stretch the ligaments and tendons and open the joints”, which are suitable for all levels of martial artists and a tremendous base for any style, plus pushing hands applications, timing and techniques.
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Master Shou, who was on his first trip to the UK, was accompanied by Rose Oliver, who also acted as translator throughout the trip.
The tour started with a weekend seminar in Brixham, Devon, at the grade-listed ‘Lupton House’, situated in its own beautiful private grounds.
The seminar was attended by around 20 participants over the two days, many of whom were old friends of Rose and her husband Rey’s “Masters from China for Britain” tours from the 1990’s, as well as new friends joining DDA’s workshops for the first time.
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The atmosphere was friendly and fun, with Master Shou, after first performing short sections of both the Yang Style Taiji and Sun Style Taiji forms, taking everybody through the Shen Jin Ba Gu exercises in detail, linking how each of the movements were applicable to both form practice and push hands applications.
Master Shou’s very detailed and clear explanations made certain that everyone understood the exercises’ functions and key requirements, and also ensured that the participants could continue their practice correctly in the future.
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The weekend seminar also covered two-person training in several push hands and form applications, breaking down the movements into a step-by-step process, allowing students to be able to execute the techniques with the minimum of effort and identify the correct timing and exact positioning and application of energy and power to the opponent.
Master Shou allowed every student ample access and opportunity to “try” the techniques both on himself, as well as on each other, to make sure that everyone got plenty of “hands-on” time and practice, to enable them to be able to use the techniques correctly.
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His generous and interactive approach to teaching enabled everybody to really feel for themselves how the martial techniques should be used, how to use the minimum of physical effort and power, and be able to utilize the opponent’s energy to successfully execute the moves.
During the weekend, Master Shou, who is also a highly skilled Tuina and Chiropracy therapist, treated several participants who had injuries and other health issues, as well as offering some private tuina treatments to a couple of patients who booked a session after the weekend seminar.?
The first weekend workshop ended with a group photograph in the fantastic grounds of Lupton House, in front of an ancient and huge, old, oak tree, on a beautifully warm summer’s afternoon, setting a marvelously friendly and enjoyable tone for the remainder of the tour.
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Leaving the beautiful scenery of the Devon south coast and Dartmoor’s breathtaking moorlands behind, Rose and Master Shou next traveled to Dursley in Gloucestershire for the next workshop, organized with Mark Collins for his Cotswold Tai Chi School.
The seminar reunited Rose and Sally Webb, one of Rose and Rey’s earliest students from their old school in East Anglia.
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Sally now runs her own acupuncture and health clinic in Dursley and studies with Mark learning Chen Style Taiji at his school.
The two hour evening seminar focused on the Shen Jin Ba Gu foundation exercises and applications, again with lots of hands-on interaction with the large group of participants, most of whom regularly attend Mark’s classes.?
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After a wonderful time in Dursley, the tour next traveled to Manchester for a weekend seminar at David Thorpe’s school in Gee Cross, Hyde, just outside Manchester.
David and his students are very old friends of Rose and DDA, as well as regular participants at DDA’s Shanghai Camp.
The Saturday all-day seminar again focused on basic foundation exercises, but working in greater depth as David’s students attended the 2009 DDA Shanghai Camp, where Master Shou first introduced the exercises to camp attendees; in addition to two-person training and push hands applications.
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On Sunday 11th July Master Shou gave several patients tuina treatments for a variety of different ailments and conditions; including someone suffering from tinnitus, a patient with curvature of the spine following a spinal fracture, and who also had one leg shorter than the other, plus various back and shoulder/neck injuries.???????
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Master Shou was able to realign and straighten the patient’s spine and rebalance both legs, so that they were the same length, much to the patient’s and onlookers’ astonishment and delight.
The lady suffering from tinnitus also had a very pleasant surprise, as Master Shou was able to realign and rebalance the inner ear and jaw and neck which were causing the incessant tinnitus.
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David, Colin Jefferson and Kip Akram also invited Rose and Master Shou out to dinner with their families to welcome them, as well as putting them up for the weekend at their home.
A big thank you to David and his family for their kindness and hospitality and to David, Colin and their students for their continued support, generosity and friendship!
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Master Shou and Rose’s last leg of the seminar tour was in London’s Lewisham, on Monday 12th July, co-organized by Danny Fajardo, another very old friend of Rose and Rey’s and DDA’s, as well as a frequent visitor to Shanghai as part of the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s Asian tours. Danny and his family also very kindly hosted Rose and Master Shou at their home for the weekend.
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The evening seminar was attended by Sheila Gent another regular participant of DDA’s Shanghai Camps, in addition to attending our regular UK tours with Master Ren Gang, Master Wang Ming Bo and Master Wu Mao Gui in the past; as well as several practitioners of Wing Chun, Xing-Yi and Taiji and MsLiu Li, organizer and promoter of the annual “SENI” martial arts competition and exhibition.
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The workshop centered on foundation exercises and push hands applications and was a fun and enjoyable evening, where everyone happily “tried” out the techniques on each other in a fantastically friendly and cooperative atmosphere, with Master Shou patiently letting every participant try each technique and giving them corrections and encouragement throughout.
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The seminar ended with a group photo and the tour wound up with another really enjoyable and educational workshop.
Throughout the workshop tour all the participants were impressed with Master Shou’s level of skill, teaching ability, candour, generosity, personality and demeanour.
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Thank you to everyone who participated and supported DDA’s Taiji seminar tour and to all who looked after Rose and Master Shou during their trip.
We hope everybody enjoyed and benefited from the workshops and we look forward to seeing everyone again next year!
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