Longfei-Taijiquan Association of Great Britain

Richard Watson - A Biography
Longfei News Letters - Volume 2, Issue 1

Part 1 - by Simon Watson

DICK has a wide knowledge of Taijiquan routines and more importantly he has read extensively about his subject and for a "Westerner" has quite profound knowledge of Daoist and Taiji philosophical concepts.

His martial training began in 1949 at the South London School of Judo. This club was run by two instructors he fondly remembers: George Chew and Eric Dominy. His judo training ended around 1968-69. In addition to south London his training took him to the Budokwai, the central YMCA and clubs throughout Hertfordshire. During his judo period he trained in Wado Ryu Karate with Tatsuo Susuki. However, his fondest memory is in the early 1950s when he was on the judo mat with Gunji Koizumi, generally accepted as the first Japanese to bring judo to Great Britain just after the First World War.

Dick's introduction to Taijiquan was at the Renshuden Judo Club. This was at the time the training headquarters of the Liu Academy of Taijiquan. He only spent one year with Liu for in 1974 "Master Chu King Hung" arrived in London and introduced his school which was 
to be called the _International Tai Chi Chuan Association". Dick became a student with the ITCCA in the latter part of 1974, an association which was to last till the end of 1992.  Although the classes were intended to be group lessons, at the early arrival of Master Chu and with a lack of students, the lessons tended to be one to one. In their early acquaintance two lessons a week were augmented by classes at the Sobell Centre and St Lukes Hall, at Harringay and Hammersmith. In 1976 the student body had grown and a collection of the longest serving students gathered at Chu's house twice a week for three hours. The advanced class trained in advanced Form, Qigong, Tui Shou and two man San Shou applications. My father reminds me that in the early days of one-to-one training after spending time on form corrections, the emphasis was on blocking techniques, punching and kicking.

From 1976 to 1981 the training took place at master Chu's house in Wembley. During this period a nucleolus of students came together as the advanced and longest serving ITCCA practitioners and were invited to attend an initiation ceremony and become initiates of Master Chu and the ITCCA in 1979 (see photograph).

Dick had assisted Master Chu at St. Lukes from 1976, taking warm-up excercises and helping beginners. By 1979 he was the ITCCA senior student and was nominated by Master Chu and subsequently elected in that role by the Advanced Class of Students. In 1981 the ITCCA moved to Drummond Street, north of Tottenham Court Road and went through a growth period with a student body of some 400 students. A number of groups were amalgamated with the advanced class creating a core of dedicated trainees of some thirty students. At this time the ITCCA was enjoying success throughout Europe and Master Chu's absence from Drummond Street placed more emphasis on the need for Dick to become involved in teaching both the advanced groups and other trainees of some experience. This training pattern continued through 1986 with Master Chu travelling abroad for longer durations. It was during these periods that the learning process continued with monthly one-to-one lessons at Wembley. In all, Dick trained with Chu for a period of 19 years and it was a unique opportunity to understand and experience the Yang family tradition. 

Master Chu and Richard Watson in 1979

With his direct connection with the Yang family transmission, it was a rare privilege to connect with Chu King Hung in 1974. Chu was one of only three disciples of Yang Sau Chung who in turn was the eldest son of this century's most famous member of the Yang family Yang Cheng Pu. I think that under Master Chu, Dick learned the very essence of Chu's Yang Style. Hours of dedicated practice, private lessons, classes and five years of Form Revision bringing an understanding of the Yin and Yang, opening and closing, spiralling arm and leg movement, sinking and turning of the centre. All the attributes of internal work of Taijiquan. Qigong were covered during the association and although many later Chinese visitors claim to be the first to introduce Zhan Zhuang, Chu King Hung was teaching many Zhan Zhuang postures way back in 1976.

My own introduction to Master Chu was in 1974 when I used to accompany my father on Sunday morning to St. Lukes Church Hall. It was on these occasions that Chu would encourage me to train rather than sit and watch!

All students that trained with Chu in the early days were intrigued by the strength and quality of his "Fajing" and "Peng Jing" ability. In the early mid and late seventies these skills were quite unique in London as were the application of the thirteen kinetic postures/applications. The internal principles of this work were difficult to learn but they are the very core of Yang Style Taijiquan. These internal methods and principles can only be received from a competent teacher and they take time, practice and patience to mature and can be improved on throughout one's lifetime.

It was some five to six years before Sword (Jian) training took place and seven to eight years for the Broadsword (Dao). Years of form practice was combined with Push Hands (Tui Shou) and Big Pull methods (Talu) application and understanding Whole Body Peng 
Jing. In 1978 Master Chu traveled to Hong Kong and Dick joined him there for an introduction to his teacher Yang Sau Chung. He also accompanied him on teaching and training excursions to Switzerland and Belgium. Unfortunately the ITCCA ceased to function in the mid 1990s. However the legacy from this association and transmission is 
invaluable and one that Dick and I are both proud.

When my father retired it was his intention to train harder to cultivate his understanding of our intriguing art. In 1989 he took his first visit to China and was fortunate to meet Professor Li Deyin. Many of you have met and trained with Prof. Li and it will be easy for you to understand why Dick was drawn to the expertise in movement, the skills in coaching, the vast body of knowledge and the passion behind these attributes and Dick's decision to pursue an understanding, albeit small, of Li Deyin's lifetime of experience.

The first visit to Beijing in the spring of 1989 was with a group of Taiji practitioners led by the late Jifu Huang. It was on this first trip that he also met Master Wang Janji. This was also the first time he was introduced to Master Li Tianji. Although from his own confession he was only to realise Li Tianji's stature in the Taiji community at a later date.

At the conclusion of the spring visit with the help of Jifu Huang, Dick was able to arrange to return to Beijing in the late summer/autumn of 1989. The return was to be on a one-to-one basis with Li Deyin. 

When he speaks about this fortunate experience he likes to think the Karmic influences must have been favourable for him. Unfortunately the dates were fixed only twelve weeks after the Tianamen Square problems and martial law prevailed throughout Beijing - the Foreign Office were advising UK citizens not to travel to China and in particular Beijing. However, following his own instincts (not supported by my mother!) he decided to go. This adventure was to capitalise on the first trip and to learn the then quite new Forty Two International Competition Routine. This had been developed during the 1980s along with six other Wushu routines: Nanquan (Southern Fist), Changquan (Northern Fist), Dao (Saber), Jian (Sword), Qiang (Spear) and Gun (Cudjel).

These routines had been compiled for international competition and were to have their preview in the Eleventh Asian Games. Professor Li was one of the main compilers of this routine hence Dick's Karmic feel about his Taiji training under Prof. Li's tutelage.

The following year, 1990, was the year for the Eleventh Asian Games and Beijing was to be host for the first time. Tickets for the opening ceremony would have been at a very high premium but thanks to Professor Li they were made available for my father and myself. So I was to get my first taste of China on a great occasion, practice Taijiquan and have our appetites whetted for Taijiquan competitions. This has been successfully noted both in the UK and Europe, but on the world stage of course, it's a veritable mountain to climb. Whilst competition and modern Taijiquan was a departure from the traditional direction of Dick's training, he feels they are complimentary and to some extent the best of both worlds. 

During 1980-90 Master Dong Zenchen made many visits to the UK. Dick attended many seminars by Dong and his son Alex. In this period he learned the Dong family's Yang Style routine, the Fast Form and Push Hands drills. Master Dong Zenchen is the third major Taiji influence on Dick's training, the other two previously mentioned being Master  Chu King Hung and Professor Li Deyin. He has studied briefly with many experts visiting the UK and worked with others in the Far East.

Lastly, but by no means the least I must mention Master Wang Yanji who visits the Longfei School several times a year and from whom we learn to hopefully fine hone our Push Hand Skills and applications. His own school in Sweden is named after Master Li Tianji with whom Wang was a dedicated student. In a later issue of our newsletter we hope to present a biographical introduction to Master Wang's background.

To be continued in the next issue...

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