Serge Dreyer instructing GRTC students
Great River welcomed back Serge Dreyer for another intensive 2-day seminar, this time on the principles of fixed and moving-step tuishou. As a 20+ year student of the Yangjia Michuan system and a practitioner of baguazhang and xingyiquan, teacher Dreyer brought a unique perspective to taijiquan’s two-person work.
The seminar began with an investigation of yielding techniques, including drills for cultivating what teacher Dreyer called “inner space,” used to create room within one’s own body for yielding and neutralizing. He also described methods for changing the surface of one’s body during yielding, giving the duifang no firm place on which to push.
From there, Dreyer took up the classic theme of “investing in loss.” Using segments of the form, he showed how accepting the pushes of the duifang presents the opportunity to neutralize and counter automatically. To instill this proper tuishou attitude, he used many drills that forced the students to yield with their whole bodies, giving them no opportunity to block with their hands. Only in this way, he taught, will with the appropriate counter-technique arise spontaneously.
Finally, the seminar focus turned toward stepping in tuishou. Here again, teacher Dreyer took directly from the form, examining the stepping contained in the “Wield the Pipa” movement. He demonstrated how maneuvering with this step changed the “spine-to-spine” axis of the two players, removing the defender from the line of the duifang’s attack. This gave students new insight into how stepping technique is codified in the form.
“Its always a pleasure to see my old classmate Serge,” school Director Scott Rodell said. “His seminars are very useful because he teaches the same principles we are working on, but from a slightly different angle, this adds depth to what students have learned. Also sometimes, a student needs a fresh or different perspective to grasp a principle that was elusive until then. Serge’s visits provide this fresh view.”