The Degree System
Requirements by Degree
- Level 1
- Falls
- Squat rolls
- Stepping back
- Side step with slap
- Forward: Kneeling
- Backward: Kneeling
- Stationary Four Corners
- Stationary Leading Rollback
- Push * (* indicates this technique also has a dynamic form)
- Whole Body Neutralizations
- Falls
- Level 2
- Basic Routine
- Rollback Variations:
- Rolloff Rollback
- Roll Off Escape
- Inside Rollback
- Leaning Rollback
- Shoulder Sluff
- Dynamic Four Corners
- Level 3
- Press Uproot *
- Ward Off
- Straight Pull
- Elbow Pull*
- Basic Spiral*
- Level 4
- Cheng Hsin Tai Chi Mini-Set (12 moves on both sides)
- Cheng Hsin Body-Being Basics (5 Principles, 7 Points)
- Level 5
- Yielding
- Pressure-No Pressure
- Folding In/ Game F
- Game A
- Level 6
- Pa Sik Po
- Falls:
- Forward: Standing
- Backward: Standing
- Standing breakfall
- Rolling breakfall
- Pin Foot throw ex.
- Roll Down*
- Inside Wrist Technique*
- Level 7
- Turn Out Projections*
- Centrifugal*
- Pull Through
- Spiral Down *
- Pull Down* and pin #1
- Armpit Spiral Down *
- Level 8
- Brush Knee Projection *
- Body Throw *
- Outside Foot Sweep/Foot Propping
- Pa Kua Techniques:
- Opening the Door Entrance
- Revolving Door Entrance
- Basic Blend
- Changes
- Level 9
- Spiral Extension*
- Inside Foot Sweep
- Turn Out Follow Up:
- Shoulder Stroke
- Bounce
- Inside Wrist Follow-up:
- Corkscrew into the Body
- Inside Wrist Counters:
- Spiral Down
- Slapping the Rock
- Game B / Game O
- Intrinsic Strength Practice; Outreaching; Following
- Level 10
- Cheng Hsin T’ai Chi Set (64 moves)
- Level 11
- Brush Knee Pull*
- Holding the Palm Pull
- Drop Back Spiral Extension*
- Horizontal Spiral Down*
- Shoulder Throw*
- Level 12
- High Pat Spiral Extension *
- Circular Spiral Extension
- Elbow Splitting:
- Raise Hands*
- Body*
- Elbow Twisting* and pin #4
- Level 13
- Spinning Brush Stroke* and pin #2
- Central Spiral Drop
- Spinning Spiral Drop
- Downward Wrist Technique (and pin #4)
- Kneeling Spiral Down* and pin #3
- Level 14
- Inside Leg Sweep
- Elbow Twist Counters:
- Elbow Escape — Snake Creeps Down
- Horizontal Spiral Down
- Armwrap Spiral Counter
- Downward Wrist Counter:
- “Become the Sword” (and spiral down)
- Hi Pat Follow up:
- Spiral Extension (Reversal)
- Roll Down Counter:
- Drop Back: counter to roll down attempt
- Level 15
- High flip breakfall
- Rolldown Flip
- Inside Wrist Flip
- Armpit Flip
- Game C / Game J
- Wu Tasn Chun ( Misty Body Boxing )
- Interactive Skills: Yielding, Outreaching, Following, Joining, Leading, Folding, Intrinsic Strength
- Improved Freeplay/Sets/Body-Being: Ball and Chain, HandUp-YouDown, Extension
- Level 16
- Hand Sacrifice Throw
- Backward Spiral Extension *
- Outside Wrist Technique and pin #3
- Outside Leg Lift*
- Body Corner Throw*
- Level 17
- Inside Leg Lift*
- Bent Leg Lift*
- Major Outside Foot Sweep/Rear
- Floating Hip Throw (Uki Goshi)
- Follow Up: Shoulder Throw (attempting Pa Kua blend)
- Level 18
- Circular Press
- Shifting Push
- Elbow Splitting Throw
- Rear Leg Lift*
- Brush Stroke*/Turning in/Turning out
- Follow Up: Spinning Brush Stroke (counter to spinning out escape)
- Spiral Upward Wrist Technique and pin #5
- Level 19
- Opening Spiral Drop
- Rotating Spiral Drop
- Wrap Around Sacrifice Throw
- Rear Sacrifice Throw
- Outside Wrist Counters:
- Become the Sword Variation
- Spiral Extension
- Spiral Upward Wrist Counters:
- Spinning Brush Stroke
- Spiral Extension
- Level 20
- Freeplay
- Sword Set and Sword Play
- Improved Sets/Body-Being: Waterdrop, 8 Attitudes, Intrinsic Strength
- Skills: Advantageous, Cutting, Borrowing, Joining variations, Leading variations
- Level 21
- Circular Spiral Drop
- Foot Assist Sacrifice Throw
- Kneeling Corner Throw
- Wrap Around Throw
- Level 22
- Standing Corner Throw
- Sacrifice Corner Throw
- Foot Sacrifice Throw
- Level 23
- Rear Hip Throw (Ushiro Goshi)
- Scooping Throw (Sukui Nage)
- Body Drop (Taiotoshi)
- Neutralizing Kicks:
- Spiral Down — Low
- Backward Spiral Extension — Slanting Flying
- Inside Leg / Foot Sweep
- Leg Lift ( Bent, Outside, Inside, Rear)
- Open Response
- Level 24
- San Shou
- Open Attacks/Multi-person Attacks
- Choy Lin: T’ui Shou with strikes
- Basic Ontology (written exam)
- Level 25
- All Techniques
- All Skills
- Level 26
- Cheng Hsin Sets
- Level 27
- All Techniques
- Level 28
- Cheng Hsin Tui Shou – Create 10 Techniques
- Level 29
- Cheng Hsin Skills
- Level 30
- Cheng Hsin Huan Sheng
- Cheng Hsin Tui Shou — Create a domain of techniques
- Cheng Hsin Huan Sheng
Be the founder or train a degree 7.
Advice for Passing Each Degree
Skills and Dynamics - 50 Dynamics in 7 Categories
- Principles of effortlessly effective body state, structure, and movement (relax, center, ground, whole, calm; align with gravity, 3D awareness, drain down, use feeling-attention, etc.)
- Listening (constant perception)
- Outreaching (feel and connect with whole body of other)
- Sensation Awareness (immediate feeling-experience of the moment)
- “Other” Awareness (feel what they see/feel)
- Center Intelligence (center all perceptions and response)
- Neutralizing
- Yielding:
- Unconditional Yielding/Melting/Mosquito Pressure
- “Sensation” Yielding
- Outreaching-Sensation/Yield to Outreaching
- Evasion
- Absorption
- Effortless Power
- Intrinsic Strength/Compression
- Intrinsic Strength Practice
- Intrinsic Grip
- Intrinsic alignment (keep in front)
- Projection through compression
- Balance vs. off balance
- Controlled stepping
- Stepping vs. Throwing
- Uprooting
- Sticking-Yielding
- Offering and Taking Away
- Advantageous
- Following*
- Folding-In
- Complementing*
- Borrowing*
- Joining*
- Contributing* (adding on; helping out)
- Central Joining
- Integral Joining — Connective Energy (one inch moves whole)
- Cutting*
- Leading*
- Sprouting*
- Choiceless*
- Changing*
- Completion/Timelessness*
- Inclusion*
- Footwork (four corners, pa sik po, etc.)
- Extension
- Whirlpool Attraction Energy
- Falling
- Spiraling
- Criss-Crossing/”Gyro”
- Sacrifice/Dropping Energy
- Pinning
- Joint Locking/Twisting
- Two-Fold Stepping
- Tilting: Side/Rear Corner/Front
- Flipping
- Leverage: Wrist, Wedges, etc.
- Timing: Intent/Impulse/Commitment
Skills and Dynamics by Degree
- Basics of CHBB (See Structure and Principles) — exposure to all of the body-being material, and trying it on.
- CHTS: Introduction to the Basics.
- Beginning of Receiving Skills
- Introduction to Ground Relations
- Fundamental CHBB — Begin to have CHBB show up effectively.
- CHTS: Cross section of major categories.
- Beginning Perceptive Skills
- Better Receiving Skills
- Introductory Power
- Some Ground Relations
- Rudimentary Interactive Skills
- Introduction to Some Technical Dynamics
- Better CHBB
- CHTS: Bulk of the CHTS techniques.
- Increased Perceptive Skills
- Most Receiving Skills
- Competent Power
- Good Ground Relations
- A few more Interactive Skills
- Most Technical Dynamics
- Good CHBB
- CHTS: Sensitivity and skill.
- All Perceptive Skills
- Increased Power
- Complete Ground Relations
- Most of the Fundamental Interactive Skills (through Cutting)
- All Technical Dynamics
- Very Good CHBB
- CHTS: All of the techniques and dynamics.
- All Receiving Skills
- All Powers
- Mastered Ground Relations
- Better Interactive Skills (through Changing)
- Skillful Technical Dynamics
- Excellent CHBB
- CHTS: natural mastery.
- Honed Power
- All Interactive Skills
- Masterful CHBB
- CHTS: States and principles.
- Mastery of Huan Sheng skills
Be the founder or train a degree 7.
Glossary of Terms
Tai Chi Mini-Set: twelve fundamental Tai Chi Postures. The set of movements is be done on both the left and the right sides.
Cheng Hsin Body-Being: all that’s involved to obtain an effortlessly effective body structure, movement, and function.
T’ai Chi Short Form: 64 Postures, the whole Cheng Hsin Tai Chi set in which the Cheng Hsin Body-Being is practiced and developed.
Pa Sik Po: eight Ways Stepping — footwork studied in four stepping patterns.
Breakfalls: a falling technique to handle harder falls when a person is thrown straight into the ground without recourse to rolling out, involves a slap.
Game B: Cheng Hsin Tui Shou freeplay without struggle or resistance, each can yield to any attempted throw or uproot, but cannot use any strength or engage in any struggle to do so. If any strength needs to be used, or any struggle begins for any reason one must allow the technique to be applied, frequently even assisting the opponent in finding it.
Wu Tsan Ch’un: “Misty Body Boxing” — light “misty” strikes all over and constant; evasion
Effortless Striking: striking without strength, using intrinsic strength.
T’ai Chi Kim (Sword): straight double edged sword, application is surgical in nature rather than hacking.
Game C: Cheng Hsin Tui Shou freeplay where absorption, and absorption-joining is allowed.
San Shou: free Hand — technically open free play, but actually a two-person set of movements and skills incorporating a complete range of mock-fighting techniques from uproots to kicks, knees, shoulders, joint locks, throws, and pins. In the set, each is neutralized as application is attempted, and the tables are turned.
Basic Ontology: understanding the foundation principles of Cheng Hsin ontology, such as Nothing, Not-knowing, Honesty, Questioning, Concept vs. Experience, Perception, Distinction, Direct Experience, Authenticity, Communication, Intention, Commitment, Self, Being, and Freedom.
T’ui Shou Freeplay: spontaneous play or competition with tui shou skills.
Interactive Skills: skills that involve interactions such as boxing, tui shou, swordplay.
Multi-person: being attacked by more than one person.
Boxing: using gloves, learning hitting and dodging skills.
Choy Lin: to Pluck the Right Flower — mixing up all techniques and skills (throwing, striking, uprooting, etc.) and doing what is appropriate in the moment.
Free Fighting Skills: all around “boxing” skills, with tui shou mixed in as appropriate.
Swordplay: fighting with swords.
Create Techniques: come up with a technique not seen before.
Domain of Techniques: i.e. Uprooting, Spiraling, Pinning, Joint Techniques, etc.
Huan Sheng: “To Appear Everywhere, as Prolific as Thought” Ralston’s highest levels of skill.