On Taiji Stick and Ruler Training

The Taiji Ruler (Chih)

There are many types of physical exercises from which the health-conscious person can choose. One set of exercises is that of the
Taiji ruler, or chih. The Taji ruler is a set of exercises originating in China that are practiced for health and general well-being. The
exercises are a type of qigong or energy work that are gentle and nurturing in nature and can be practiced by persons of all ages and
all levels of physical fitness.
The set of exercises involve holding a short, contoured wooden stick, called a
ruler, between the palms of ones hands while one performs a series of
repetitive movements that are synchronized with ones breathing. The
choreography of the exercises is very simple and is easily taught and learned.
However, to distinguish this practice from any other form of gentle stretching
and calisthenics, one must delve deeper into the practice than simply copying
the choreography of the exercises. Hidden beneath the simple choreography is a
detailed and specific method of using the body to perform the actions. The
historical practice of teaching this method only to close students and formal
disciples is still largely maintained while in recent years the choreography has been taught publically, the internal methods are rarely
explicitly discussed or taught.
The Taiji ruler finds its way to modern practitioners via two sources. The first traces its origins to Taoist monks, while the second
traces its origins to Chinese royalty. Despite the commonality of their names, the Taiji ruler is a separate practice from Taijiquan, with
different origins, though there are Taijiquan practitioners who practice the Taiji ruler as an adjunct, complementary exercise.
Perhaps the first in the West to actively publicize the practice of the Taiji Ruler was Terry Dunn who, in the early 1990s, offered a
book and a video detailing his practice of the ruler as a type of Chinese Yoga. Both the book and video are still publically available
for purchase though they contain little beyond the choreography of the exercises.
Feng Zhiqiang learned a set of ruler exercises from his teacher, Hu Yaozhen who was skilled in Daoism, martial arts and medicine. In
the late 1990s and beyond, Feng began to publicize and publically teach a set of ruler exercises. While he did not author books or
make videos on the practice, there is some video footage of him demonstrating portions of the exercises, some of which can be found
on Youtube and elsewhere. Fengs students and students of students - have written books and made videos on the practice as it was
taught to them by Feng, one example of which is the book and video by Wang Fengming that is commercially available.
The Taiji Stick (Bang)
A variety of Chinese martial arts include practices that involve twisting and untwisting a
wooden stick the circumference of which is forcefully griped in ones hands. One of the
arts to include this practice is Taijiquan. In contrast with the ruler exercises, whose focus
is general health and well-being, the primary purpose of stick training has historically
been to strengthen and condition the arms and hands for martial application. While the
ruler is gently held between the palms, the stick is gripped forcefully and is used to
apply leverage to the joints and connective tissues as the stick is twisted. Doing so
strengthens the grip while increasing the range of motion and strength of the joints.
While it is true that the stick exercises are much more physical than the ruler exercises, it would be simplistic to characterize one as
being internal training and the other as external training. It is more accurate to state that the stick exercises are applied internal
training.
The inclusion in the practice of Taijiquan of exercises with a stick is attributed to Chen Fake in the early part of the 1900s. Feng
Zhiqiang, one of Chen Fakes students, taught a series of exercises with a stick to his students. In the late 1990s, Feng combined
some of the stick exercises with some of the ruler exercises to formulate a set of exercises he called Special Taoist Stick and Ruler
Qigong. By the mid-2000s, the use of the ruler in performing this combined set of exercises was largely abandoned in favor of using
only a single apparatus the stick to perform both the stick and ruler exercises found in the set. (Doing so eliminated the need to
alternate between the stick and the ruler, which is disruptive to the practice of the set.) In more recent years, the use of a single
apparatus has lead to some confusion and loss of distinction between the two practices and the set of exercises is now most often seen
performed as a homogenous series of qigong exercises, having largely lost the original intent and flavor of the martial training of the
stick. It has become common practice amongst practitioners as can be readily witnessed on the internet to refer to a stick as a ruler
and a ruler as a stick, using the names synonomously.

Although Feng left little in the way of instructional materials regarding the practice of the stick and ruler, a number of his students
have taught their students stick and ruler practices. Amongst those students are Fengs son-in-law, Wang Fengming, who has both a
video and a book on the practice. Several of his students have instructional videos on the practice.
Listed below are a few on-line resources regarding the practice of the stick and/or ruler. There is a wide variety of content to be used
at your own risk.
Stick and Ruler Resources:
Video
Feng Zhiqiang demonstrating a few stick exercises and a few ruler exercises: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTO3FyDCBhw
Feng Zhiqiang demonstrating a few stick exercises: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRjGz_aWhIU
Feng Zhiqiang demonstrating a few ruler exercises: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B453Dm_1mg8
Wang Fengming demonstrating portions of the Special Taoist Stick and Ruler Qigong:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJFjMoRoWxU
Special Taoist Stick and Ruler Qigong: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96_J93fdE9I
Ma Hong demonstrating stick exercises: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwQ5xB_WBqg&feature=related
Charles Tauber instructional video of one representative stick exercise:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_89rO_F4Zw&feature=related
Joanna Zorya demonstrating stick exerices:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9PKwwu1sOo
Chen Xiang demonstrating Special Taoist Stick and Ruler Qigong: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfTjn5_nqDM
Jesse Tsao demonstrating Bang Flute Ruler: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgZg1yCAKQ8&feature=related
DVDs
Special Taoist Stick and Ruler Qigong, Wang Fengming,
http://www.worldtaiji.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6&Itemid=12
Tai Chi Ruler, Terry Dunn, http://www.taichimania.com/other_videos.html
Books
Special Taoist Stick and Ruler Qigong, Wang Fengming,
http://www.worldtaiji.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6&Itemid=12
Tai Chi Ruler, Terry Dunn, http://www.taichimania.com/other_videos.html
Sticks and Rulers
Charles Tauber, charlestauber.com/sticksandrulers/
Wang Fengming, Special Taoist Stick and Ruler Qigong, Wang Fengming,
http://www.worldtaiji.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6&Itemid=12
Terry Dunn, http://www.taichimania.com/other_videos.html