Author: Oscar Agramonte

Do your values match your behavior?

Oscar AgramonteMindset & Philosophy

Are you the type of person who keeps track of their macronutrients with a nutrition app, uses a fancy fitness watch for steps and activity, or maybe goes old school with a paper planner?

All of these have value because they give us a moment to think.

But a challenge is getting caught up in the exact metrics of our training. We want the perfect routine, with the exact number of reps to reach our goals. 

Taking a moment to think and plan is incredibly valuable, but have you noticed that if something is truly valuable to you, it shows up in multiple places?

Look around your life right now.

  • If you care about learning, books begin to pile up around the house.
  • If you care about people and community, gatherings start to happen naturally.
  • If you care about health, you suddenly find yourself walking more or making better choices without having to force it.

The same thing happens in your martial arts training.

If you value your Kung Fu or Tai Chi skill, you will find a way to practice… even if you can’t make it to the Temple to train. Someone who values movement will always find time to stretch, practice their forms, or simply play.

Your values leak into your behavior. 

This explains why overly complicated training systems or extreme diets almost always fail. They try to force a set of behaviors without ever addressing your underlying values. If you don’t actually value the outcome, no chart, tracking app, or new program is going to save you.

But once a value is clear in your mind, the system becomes incredibly simple. You don’t need external motivation to do the things that truly matter to you. They begin to show up on their own, seamlessly blending into your day.

I like to get steps in when I do yard work or am cleaning up around the Temple. I don’t need a complex system to make it happen; I value the movement, so the behavior follows.

I also value the amount of money I spent on the pants I currently own, so I usually turn down the extra serving of cookies or cake (not always! but usually).

Take a moment to look at your daily habits today. What values are leaking into your behavior right now?

See you in training,

Sifu Oscar

 

P.S. Make movement a value. People often fail to start training because they think they need a complicated system to begin. You don’t. You just need to show up. If you are ready to build a new habit, here are 2 ways I can help:

  1. See it for yourself: The best way to understand Wah Lum is to see it in person. Comment with OBSERVATION and we will set up a time for you to come visit a class.
  2. Start from home: Comment with FOUNDATIONS and I’ll send you the details for our 21-day remote prep program.

Manipulate vs. Motivate (Whose job is it?)

Oscar AgramonteMindset & Philosophy

There are two words that are confused in leadership and teaching, but understanding the difference can change how you approach your training:

Manipulate and Motivate.

At their core, the difference is simple:

  • Manipulation is getting people to do what you want them to do.
  • Motivation is getting people to do what they want to do.

Is the goal of a martial artist to manipulate? The answer is both yes and no, depending on who is standing in front of you.

When to Manipulate (The Opponent & The Body)

In the physical realm of Kung Fu or Tai Chi, manipulation is a requirement.

If I am facing an opponent, one goal is physical and psychological manipulation. I want to draw them off balance. I want them to react to a feint so I can open a line of attack. I am trying to get them to do exactly what I want them to do.

As a teacher, I also use physical manipulation with students. When I physically adjust posture, correct a stance, or move an arm into the proper angle for a block, I am manipulating a body to show the correct path.

When to Motivate (The Student & The Mind)

But when it comes to the mental game of teaching students, leading and learning from my martial arts family, manipulation fails.

I cannot trick a student into being disciplined. I cannot manipulate you into loving the art or putting in the hours of practice when no one is watching. If I force a student to train, they are doing it for me at that moment. That isn’t sustainable.

A good teacher (and always a student first) must have the ability to manipulate the body, but the skill to motivate the mind.

One goal as a teacher is to provide tactical insight that is specific enough to make you think. That is motivation and something that is harder to do. Example: my constant failures at motivating students!

Your Job: Manipulating The Variables

Here is where the two concepts meet.

I can attempt to motivate your mind, and I can physically manipulate your body to show you the standard. But eventually, you have to take ownership.

Motivation only sparks the fire. To be successful, you have to put in the work to apply the lesson. You must become a master of manipulating the variables in your life.

  • You have to manipulate your schedule to ensure you have time to train.
  • You have to manipulate your environment to remove distractions.
  • You have to manipulate your own stiff joints and tired muscles to do the work.

The instructors at the Temple will continue to work on providing the motivation. You have to execute the manipulation.

See you in training,

Sifu Oscar

 

P.S. Motivation gets you started. People wait for the perfect moment to start training, but the truth is, you have to manipulate your own schedule to make it happen. If you have the internal motivation to start but need a structured path to follow, here are two ways I can help:

  1. See it for yourself: The best way to understand Wah Lum is to see it in person. Comment with OBSERVATION and we will set up a time for you to come visit a class.
  2. Start from home: Comment with FOUNDATIONS and I’ll send you the details for our 21-day remote prep program.

Do you need to add, or do you need to shed?

Oscar AgramonteMindset & Philosophy

Hello, Wah Lum Family!

The author James Clear shared a thought that struck a chord with how we approach our training:

“There are two ways to grow: by adding or by shedding. Do you need to add something or do you need to shed something?”

Our default setting is usually to add. We want to learn a new form, pick up a new weapon, lift heavier weights, or train more days a week.

But often, the biggest leap in our progress comes when we choose to shed. And usually, what we need to shed is the expectation that we must excel at everything all the time.

You cannot be at your best every day

We put an immense amount of pressure on ourselves to perform perfectly every time we step onto the training floor. But as my strength coach Brett Jones has reminded me many times:

“Only the mediocre are at their best all of the time.”

If you are always at your “best,” it means you are staying entirely within your comfort zone. You aren’t pushing the boundaries of your mobility, your strength, or your mind. Real growth is messy. It means having days where your stances feel weak, your mind is foggy, and you feel like you are taking two steps back.

Implementation over Ideas

When we accept that we won’t be perfect every day, we realize a fundamental truth about Kung Fu and life: What prevails is rarely the best idea, but the best implementation.

You don’t need a secret, magical training protocol. You just need to show up and do the work, even when you aren’t at your best.

It is only now, after 25+ years in Wah Lum, that I can truly appreciate this. As I reflect on my own limitations and what I might humbly call my own “mediocrity” compared to the ideal, I am more in awe of Grandmaster Chan than ever. His great skill didn’t come from being perfect every single day; it came from relentless, decades-long implementation.

The power of the “Amateur”

So, if we aren’t going to be perfect, and if we are constantly humbled by the art, why do we keep doing it?

There is a great quote from the show Mozart in the Jungle that captures the mindset we need to cultivate:

“You say ‘amateur’ as if it was a dirty word. ‘Amateur’ comes from the Latin word ‘amare’, which means to love. To do things for the love of it.”

Shed the need to be perfect. Shed the frustration of not being at your best today.

Embrace being an amateur. Step onto the floor, put in the reps, and train simply for the love of the art.

See you in training,

Sifu Oscar

 

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are ways we can help you get started.

1. Schedule a time to observe a class.
Interested in Kung Fu or Tai Chi?  First step is to watch a class and see if we would be a good fit! Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for an appointment.

2. Become part of my exclusive Coaching Group with CYH Remote Coaching.  Get personalized coaching delivered right to your phone and catered to your specific goals.
Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for info.

Stop Competing With Your Ideal

Oscar AgramonteMindset & Philosophy

I’ve been thinking a lot about the words we use, and how they shape our Kung Fu and Tai Chi training. There are two words that are often mixed up, and confusing them can mess with your progress:

Ideal and Optimal.

The Trap of the “Ideal”

The Ideal has to do with comparison.

My ideal for Wah Lum Kung Fu is Grandmaster Chan (GMC). When I look at his movement, his mechanics, and his expression of the art, it’s the gold standard.

The reality is that we have different body types, different past injuries, and quite frankly, a different dedication to practicing the art.

For example, Sifu Tu is another ideal for me. When standing, we are different heights, but when sitting, we are the same height. Sifu Tu started at around 10 with full splits and a lot of focused training; I started in my 20s with shoulder injuries, overall stiffness, and exercise ADD (always having different training goals).

I can and do use GMC, Sifu Tu, or Sifu Mimi as ideals to motivate me and give me a North Star to aim for. 

But I will not compete with my ideal. 

Treating the ideal as the standard, I have to perfectly match every day, which places me in an external competition that I cannot win. I would constantly feel like I am falling short, which ultimately leads to deep disappointment and burnout.

The Power of the “Optimal”

Your optimal self is not a fantasy version of you. It isn’t even the best you hope to be five years from now.

Your Optimal is the best you can do today. Right now.

It’s the best you can do with the body you bring to the training floor today. With your current physical reality. With the stress you are carrying from work. With the sleep you got last night.

  • The Ideal is external comparison.
  • The Optimal is internal competition.

When you stop comparing yourself to the Ideal and start competing with yourself to find today’s Optimal, that is when true, sustainable improvement happens.

Preparing for the Unknown

This shift in mindset changes how we train.

We don’t train just to plan for one specific, “ideal” scenario, because in training, as in life, the ideal scenario rarely happens.

Instead, we prepare by building an optimal mindset. A mindset that doesn’t shatter when things aren’t perfect. A mindset that can handle uncertainty and still execute the best possible response with whatever tools are available in that exact moment.

Let the Ideal inspire you. Let the Optimal drive you.

See you in training,

Sifu Oscar

 

P.S. Stop waiting for the “ideal” time. People delay starting martial arts because they are waiting for the ideal time—when work slows down, when they lose 10 pounds, when life is less stressful. The ideal time is a myth. The optimal time is today, with your life exactly as it is. Here are 2 ways I can help:

  1. See it for yourself: The best way to understand Wah Lum is to see it in person. Comment with OBSERVATION, and we will set up a time for you to come visit a class.
  2. Start from home: Comment with IDEAL and I’ll send you the details for our 21-day Foundations program.

How to get stronger without “working out”

Oscar AgramonteConditioning, Mindset & Philosophy

Have you ever looked at a high-level student perform a deep Tam Tui (one-legged squat) and wondered, “How do they have the strength to do that?”

The answer usually isn’t that they spend hours in the gym destroying their muscles.

Yes, some students have the prerequisite mobility and natural strength to make this look easier than others. But just because it isn’t easy for you right now doesn’t mean you can’t build it.

The same goes for a perfect One-Arm Pushup. How do you get the strength to do that?

The answer is to treat strength as a skill, not just a physical attribute.

There is a concept in strength training called “Greasing the Groove” (GTG). It was popularized by Pavel Tsatsouline in his book The Naked Warrior, and it is the perfect methodology for martial artists.

Here is how it works and how you can use it to master your bodyweight mechanics.

The Concept: Strength is a Skill

Imagine you are trying to learn a new song on the piano. Would you practice it once a week for 5 hours until your fingers bled and you were exhausted?

I guess that is an option. But the better option would be to practice it for 10 minutes a day, every day. You would play it perfectly, stop before you got tired, and come back to it later.

Greasing the Groove is the same concept applied to strength.

When you do an exercise, your brain sends a signal through your nervous system to your muscles. The more often you send that signal without fatigue, the more efficient the “groove” becomes.

The Rules of GTG

  1. Frequency over Intensity: You do the movement throughout the day, but never to failure.
  2. Stay Fresh: You should feel stronger after the set than when you started. If your max is 5 reps, you only do 1 or 2.
  3. Perfect Form: Because you are “grooving” a neurological path, every rep must be perfect. If you practice sloppy reps, you are greasing a sloppy groove.

The “Naked Warrior” Combo for Kung Fu

If you want to build full-body tension and power for your forms, try applying GTG to these two movements:

  1. The Tam Tui (One-Legged Squat/Pistol) In the fitness world, this is called a “Pistol.” In Wah Lum, it’s the strength behind our Tam Tui kicks and deep stances.
  • The Progression: If you can’t do a full one yet, don’t force it. Use a box to sit down on, or hold a doorframe for assistance.
  • The Groove: Every time you walk through a specific doorway in your house, do one perfect rep on each leg.
  1. The One-Arm Pushup This teaches total body integration, connecting the hand to the core to the feet.
  • The Progression: Start doing them on an incline (like against a kitchen counter or a staircase). As you get stronger, move lower to the floor.
  • The Groove: Every time you go into the kitchen, do one perfect rep on each arm.

The Result

By the end of the day, you might have done 10-20 reps of each exercise. By the end of the week, that can be up to 140 reps.

You aren’t sweaty. You aren’t sore. But your nervous system is learning how to fire those muscles with incredible efficiency.

So, pick a move you want to master. Stop trying to “workout” until you drop. Start greasing the groove.

As my strength coach Brett Jones would remind me about GTG, the reps are done fresh, frequently, and flawlessly. You need all three for each rep.

See you in training,

Sifu Oscar

 

P.S.  There are 2 ways I can help you Start the groove. 

  1. See it for yourself: The best way to understand Wah Lum is to see it in person. Email us kungfu@wahlum.com with Observation and we will set up a time for you to come visit a class.
  2. Guidance: The best way to get strong is to start small and be consistent. If you are looking for a program to help you build the habit of daily movement, Control System: Foundations is the blueprint. Email us kungfu@wahlum.com with FOUNDATIONS and I’ll send you the details.

What Mozart Told the 21 Year Old

Oscar AgramonteMindset & Philosophy

Hello Wah Lum Family,

There are two ways to climb a mountain.

You can start at the bottom and make every single mistake from scratch on your way to the top. Or, you can take a Sherpa with you and master the best of what others have already figured out.

We often hear that “mistakes are the best teachers.”

I don’t know about that.

Your mistakes aren’t the best teacher; they are just the most expensive. The successful learn by example; they learn from the experience of their Sifu and their seniors. The foolish insist on firsthand pain.

However, there is a trap here.

While you need a guide, you cannot rely solely on asking for directions. Advice is overrated, and action is underrated.

There is a story about Mozart that perfectly illustrates this point:

A young man asked Mozart how to write a symphony. Mozart replied, “You’re far too young to write a symphony.” The young man protested, “But you were writing symphonies when you were 10 years old, and I’m 21!”

Mozart smiled and replied, “Yes, but I didn’t go around asking people how to do it.”

You can read all the books, watch all the videos, and ask your Sifu every question in the book. But ultimately, advice-gathering can quickly become procrastination in disguise.

The Balance:

  1. Trust the Sherpa: Don’t try to reinvent the system. It has been refined for longer than you’ve been alive so you don’t have to make the “expensive mistakes.”
  2. Be like Mozart: Don’t just ask how to be good. Go train.

Take the advice, act on it, and adjust accordingly.

See you in training,

Sifu Oscar

 

P.S. There are 2 ways I can help you stop “advice gathering” and start taking action:

  1. See it for yourself: The best way to understand the system is to see it in person. Email us kungfu@wahlum.com with Observation, and we will set up a time for you to come visit a class.
  2. Start right now: Reading about Kung Fu or fitness won’t change your life; doing it will. Don’t wait until you know “how” to write the symphony. Just start playing the notes. Our Foundations program is the perfect place to start.
    Click here to stop researching and start training.

10 minutes a day to build muscle? (Actually, yes.)

Oscar AgramonteConditioning

Last week I told you that “10-minute Tai Chi walks” won’t build muscle. I stand by that.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t build muscle in 10 minutes. You just have to change the intensity.

I recently came across a study shared by Dr. Andy Galpin (worth following if you’re into this stuff) that completely changes the conversation for anyone who claims they are “too busy” to train.

Quick disclaimer: 10 minutes of air squats isn’t the same as actual training. We’re not delusional here.

But it turns out 10 minutes a day can build real, measurable muscle. Not magic, just science.

The Study: “Exercise Snacking” 

Researchers at the University of the Bundeswehr Munich wanted to solve a problem: despite resistance training being critical for health, most people don’t do it.

They took 30 women with sedentary desk jobs, the kind of jobs where you sit so long you forget you have legs, and split them into two groups.

  • Group A: Lived their normal lives.
  • Group B: Did “Exercise Snacks,” brief 10-minute bodyweight workouts during work hours, 5 days a week.

(You can read the full study here: Resistance exercise snacks improve muscle mass in female university employees)

The Results (The “Muscle Miracle”) 

After 12 weeks, the results were undeniable:

  • The Snacking Group: Gained 0.42 kg (about 1 lb) of lean muscle.
  • The Control Group: Lost muscle (which is typical as we age).

Now I know what you’re thinking. “Less than a pound? That’s it?”

But here’s where it gets interesting. Women typically lose about 1.1 kg of muscle per decade. These women reversed nearly half a decade of muscle loss in just three months, all while wearing their work clothes.

Why It Works 

You’ve probably heard that you need heavy weights to build muscle. Like, “lift 70-80% of your max or don’t even bother.”

Turns out? Your muscles are pretty dumb. In the best way possible.

When you do as many push-ups as you can for 60 seconds straight, here’s what happens: the first 20 seconds feel fine. But by second 50, you’re struggling. Your arms are shaking.

What is happening is your easy-to-recruit muscle fibers are tapping out. They’re done. So your body has to call in reinforcements, the bigger, harder-to-activate fibers that usually only show up when things get heavy.

By the end of that set, you’re recruiting nearly as many muscle fibers as you would with a loaded barbell. Your muscles don’t actually know the difference between “this weight is heavy” and “this effort is hard.” They just know they’re being challenged.

The Protocol: How to use this 

If you are already lifting heavy in the gym, keep doing that. But if you have been “meaning to start” for six months, or you spend most days sitting… this is your golden ticket.

Your 10-Minute Protocol: Set a timer for 10 minutes. Perform each exercise for 45-60 seconds (AMRAP: As Many Reps As Possible), then move to the next.

The “No-Gym” Menu (Pick the option that fits your joints):

  1. The Squat Slot: Standard Squats OR Wall Sits (if knees are sensitive)
  2. The Push Slot: Push-ups OR Wall Push-ups (stand further back to make it harder)
  3. The Single-Leg Slot: Reverse Lunges OR Standing Side Leg Raises (Great for balance, zero knee impact)
  4. The Core Slot: Plank OR Standing Knee Raises
  5. The Posterior Chain: Glute Bridges OR Standing Calf Raises
  6. The Finisher: Repeat your favorite one from above until the timer beeps!

The Secret Sauce 

You must do AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible). Don’t just go through the motions like you’re checking a box. Make it hard. Feel the burn. Give yourself something to actually adapt to.

The Bottom Line 

This study matters because it removes the excuses. 

  • Can’t afford a gym? Don’t need one.
  • Don’t have time? It’s literally 10 minutes.
  • Don’t know how to use equipment? Bodyweight only.

Every single person in the study who finished it said they’d keep doing it afterward. That is unheard of in fitness research.

You don’t need to lie about Tai Chi to sell health.

If you want to lubricate your joints, regulate your nervous system, and build the kind of deep stability that prevents falls? Do Tai Chi.

And let’s face it: it is cool that you are practicing a traditional martial art. There is so much more you get from it than just physical health, like the martial intention, the mental focus, and the journey toward becoming the best version of yourself.

If you have 10 minutes and want to reverse muscle aging? Do Exercise Snacks.

-Sifu Oscar

 

Want to try the Exercise Snacks? Comment to this blog and let’s talk about how to make this work for your schedule. If you tell me your biggest “trouble spot” (knees, shoulders, or just lack of time), I can help you pick the right 6 moves from the menu above.

Curious about the Tai Chi side? If you want to see what “The Evidence in the Temple” looks like in real life—and see the balance and focus we talked about—come visit us.

You can view our Class Schedule Here. 

Better yet? Come see it in action. Comment with the word “OBSERVE” if you’d like to stop by and watch a class this week.

We Need To Talk About That Shirtless Guy On Facebook

Oscar AgramonteTai Chi

We’ve all seen the videos scrolling through our feeds lately.

There is an influencer (usually shirtless, usually sporting six-pack abs and veins popping out of their biceps) doing a “Tai Chi Walk.” The caption promises that this simple, slow movement is the secret ancient hack to melting belly fat and getting shredded.

It is time for a reality check.

That guy didn’t get that body from Tai Chi.

He got that body from heavy resistance training, progressive overload in the gym, and a strict caloric deficit. He is using a physique built by iron (and probably extra “supplements”) to sell you a practice built on softness.

It is a marketing lie, and frankly, it is disrespectful to the art we practice.

The “Physique Mismatch” 

If you come to Tai Chi expecting to get ripped, you are going to be disappointed. And worse, you might quit before you experience the actual magic of the practice.

Here is the simple physiology: To build bulging muscles, you need to tear muscle fibers with heavy resistance so they grow back larger. To lose significant weight, you need a caloric deficit.

Tai Chi is roughly equivalent to a gentle walk in terms of calorie burn. It is low impact. It is low intensity. 

That isn’t a flaw in the system; that is the entire point.

The Evidence in the Temple 

I look around and see students who have been practicing Tai Chi faithfully for 10, 15, even 20 years.

They are 70 years old and have great balance. They have reduced the risk of serious falls, while their peers are recovering from broken hips.

If Tai Chi were a weight-loss drug, these 20-year veterans would have failed. But Tai Chi isn’t a weight-loss drug. It is a longevity strategy.

What You Actually Get (Better than Abs) 

When we stop chasing the “six-pack lie,” we can appreciate what Tai Chi actually offers. It offers things that a calorie deficit cannot give you:

  1. Proprioception & Fall Prevention: We are training the nervous system to know exactly where the body is in space. This is the difference between stumbling and recovering versus falling and breaking a bone as we age.
  2. Joint Lubrication: Think of Tai Chi as WD-40 for your body. It gently moves synovial fluid through the joints, keeping them healthy without the grinding wear-and-tear of high-impact cardio.
  3. Stress Regulation: The “influencers” aren’t totally wrong—Tai Chi does lower cortisol (the stress hormone). While this might not melt 30 pounds of fat overnight, it stops the stress-cycle that ruins our health in modern life.

The Bottom Line

If you want to lose weight, look at your nutrition. If you want to build big biceps, go lift heavy weights.

But if you want to be able to move those muscles without pain when you are 80? If you want to tie your own shoes, play with your grandkids on the floor, and navigate the world with confidence and stability?

That is why you are here.

Don’t let social media distort your reality. 

Your practice is working, even if your waistline stays the same. You are building a body that lasts, not just a body that looks good on Instagram.

See you in class.

-Sifu Oscar

 

P.S. I know some of you do want to build muscle but feel like you don’t have the time. Next week, I’m going to share a new study that proves exactly how 10 minutes a day can build real muscle (and no, it’s not by walking slowly). Keep an eye out.

 

P.P.S.

1. Schedule a time to observe a class.
Interested in Kung Fu or Tai Chi?  First step is to watch a class and see if we would be a good fit! Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for an appointment.

2. Become part of my exclusive Coaching Group with CYH Remote Coaching.  Get personalized coaching delivered right to your phone and catered to your specific goals.
Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for info.

“What We Compress, Expands”: Why We Wear the Uniform

Oscar AgramonteMindset & Philosophy

Hello Wah Lum Family,

When you walk into the Temple, you see a sea of black uniforms (and some white, for our Tai Chi classes).

It looks professional, and it signifies that we are all part of the same team. But have you ever stopped to think about the deeper value of wearing the uniform?

On the surface, the benefit is obvious: Simplicity.

You don’t have to waste mental energy deciding what to wear to class. You don’t have to worry if your outfit matches or if it’s appropriate for training. You simply grab your uniform, and you are ready. But this simplicity unlocks something much more powerful.

“What we compress, expands.”

Renowned strength coach and author Dan John uses this phrase to explain the hidden benefits of uniformity. It begs the question: By “compressing” our choices of what to wear, does our training actually expand?

We believe the answer is yes.

When we remove the distraction of designer logos, expensive shoes, and fashion statements, we strip away the superficial. When everyone wears the same thing, we stop looking at the outfit and start seeing the human person.

By compressing the external variables, we expand what truly matters:

  • We notice the intellect and ideas: We focus on the students’ questions and their understanding of our martial art.
  • We notice the quality of work: Without the distraction of what you are wearing, the focus shifts entirely to how you are moving.
  • We expand our focus: Your mental energy isn’t on how you look; it is on your stances, your power, and your spirit.

In a Wah Lum uniform, we are all on equal ground. We are there to work, to learn, and to grow.

The uniform doesn’t suppress individuality; it reveals your character by removing the distractions that usually hide it.

So, the next time you put on your uniform, remember: You aren’t just getting dressed for class. You are clearing the clutter to make room for your Kung Fu or Tai Chi to expand.

See you in training,

Sifu Oscar

wah lum kung fu temple

 

P.S. Ready to join the team? Training Kung Fu or Tai Chi is easier when your daily habits line up with your goals. Our Control System: Foundations is a 21-day remote program designed to simplify your nutrition and movement habits so you are ready to train. Email back with Foundations if you’re ready

What Sei Ping Ma Really Means

Oscar AgramonteKung Fu, Tai Chi

At Wah Lum Kung Fu, when we think “horse stance,” most people picture low legs and burning quads, because that is the ideal way Grandmaster Chan shows us how to do it. 

Let’s break down the meaning of Sei Ping Ma (四平馬) so we can see that it is more than just a posture or basic stance.

It’s a lesson in balance, awareness, and control.

四 (sei) means four.

平 (ping) means level, even, balanced.

馬 (ma) means horse stance.

So Sei Ping Ma = the Four-Level Horse Stance.

Why “four”?

Because the stance teaches you to level and align the four main checkpoints of the body:

  • shoulders
  • hips
  • knees
  • feet

From above, the stance creates a square. From within, it builds evenness. If you study the Chinese character for the number four, you’ll see the structural similarity.

In our Kung Fu practice, this stance teaches you how to root, breathe, and stay centered even when the legs get tired. It’s both a martial arts stance and a practice of staying balanced in all four directions. 

You can also see your mobility (ankles, hips, and thoracic spine) revealed in how well you can hold this stance.

For our extra-mobile students: a strong Sei Ping Ma isn’t about how low you go, it’s about how level you stay.

How Tai Chi Differs

In Tai Chi, our open stance is a horse stance, or Ma Bo, but at a slightly higher elevation. Tai Chi emphasizes softness, relaxation, and ease, so Sei Ping Ma’s structure and tension would be counter to what we’re trying to accomplish in Tai Chi practice.

Cantonese Terms

  • Horse stance: Ma Bo (馬步)
  • Sei Ping Ma: Sei Ping Ma (四平馬)

How’s your horse stance training going lately? Next time you drop 

into Sei Ping Ma, check those four checkpoints and see what your body is telling you.

See you in training, 

Sifu Oscar

 

P.S. Feel like your hips or knees are too stiff to hold a stance? You can fix that from home. I have a remote coaching program called Active Mobility designed to help you build the flexibility and strength you need for life (and Kung Fu). Email kungfu@wahlum.com with MOBILITY and we’ll send you the info.