Eight Energies, Five Steps, Two Weeks, and a Lifetime of Practice: Training at Beijing Sports University 2025

I had the great privilege of training in Taijiquan at Beijing Sports University (BSU) for two weeks in September this year as part of JinLi’s two-yearly study program organized by Shifu Tara Brayshaw. I had trained there in 2017 and was very much looking forward to going back for the exceptional quality of training not to mention the stunning beauty of the university itself.

Our training program for 2025 was focused on the 13 Taijiquan primary techniques – Bafa Wubu (see explanation below), and we were incredibly fortunate to have Professor Wu Dong as our teacher and mentor for the two weeks.

Professor Wu Dong is a distinguished figure in the world of Wushu and a leading authority at Beijing Sports University’s world-renowned School of Chinese Martial Arts (Wushu). With a background as an elite athlete, he has seamlessly transitioned into a role of professor, respected international Wushu judge, and influential coach. Professor Wu was instrumental in the creation and standardization of Bafa Wubu, the modern Taijiquan form helping synthesize elements from five major traditional styles into a cohesive and accessible system. As the primary demonstrator and global ambassador for this form, his performances set the official standard for precision and intent. Through his work at BSU, he has shaped generations of champions, coaches, and enthusiasts, blending deep theoretical knowledge with practical excellence to promote Wushu worldwide.

At the heart of Professor Wu Dong's work at Beijing Sports University is a pioneering research agenda dedicated to the scientific deconstruction and modern systematization of Wushu. His scholarship is not confined to theory alone but is intensely practical, focusing on the biomechanics of movement, the standardization of teaching methodologies, and the pedagogical sequencing of complex skills. This was perhaps most vividly realized in his foundational role in developing Bafa Wubu, where his research involved analysing and synthesizing core elements from Chen, Yang, Wu, Sun, and Wu (Hao)-style Taijiquan to create a new, scientifically informed curriculum. His work ensures that Taijiquan evolves as both a preserved cultural art and an accessible, globally relevant discipline, bridging the gap between ancient tradition and contemporary sports science to shape how the art is learned and judged around the world.

You may be asking, what is Bafa Wubu?

If you're new to the world of Tai Chi, allow me to introduce you to Bafa Wubu, a beautiful and relatively new form that is rapidly becoming the standard starting point for learners worldwide. Created through a collaborative project led by the Chinese Wushu Association and officially launched in 2020, Bafa Wubu was designed to solve a common problem: traditional Tai Chi forms are often long and complex, requiring years of dedicated practice before a student feels a sense of mastery. This form condenses the essential principles of Tai Chi into a short, accessible, and elegant routine. Its name gives away its secret: "Ba Fa" refers to the eight core hand techniques (Péng - Ward Off, Lǚ - Roll Back, Jǐ – Press, Àn  - Push, Cǎi - Pluck/Pull Down, Liè – Split, Zhǒu - Elbow Strike, and Kào - Bump/Shoulder Strike), while "Wu Bu" refers to the five fundamental footwork patterns and stances(Jìn Bù - Advance Step, Tuì Bù - Retreat Step, Pàn - Look Right / Step Right,  Zǔ Gù - Look Left / Step Left, and  Dìng - Central Equilibrium / Stability)

Think of it as a "greatest hits" compilation, drawing the most characteristic movements from the five major traditional Tai Chi families; Chen, Yang, Wu, Sun, and Wu (Hao) and weaving them into a single, cohesive sequence. By learning Bafa Wubu, you aren't just learning a simple form; you are building a solid foundation in the core vocabulary and internal principles that unlock the door to all styles of Tai Chi. It’s a modern masterpiece, crafted for the contemporary student, that honours the rich, ancient art it represents.

The Adventure at Beijing Sports University
Our adventure at BSU commenced with an incredibly warm welcome at Beijing International airport by a contingent of students from the China Wushu School at BSU. After our long journey from Australia, it was so uplifting and unexpected to be met in this way. The following morning, we were treated to an orientation of the BSU campus by some of the students whom we’d met the previous evening. That afternoon we commenced our first training session with Professor Wu. I was immediately wowed by his passion, knowledge and humor. The afternoon’s training was capped off with the Beijing Wushu Team giving us a spectacular welcome performance. If all of that wasn’t enough, that evening we were invited to an Official Welcome Dinner off- campus by the Director of the BSU China Wushu School, Professor Cang Hai, and Professor He Ying. We were warmly welcomed with an invitation of friendship, exchange of ideas and culture, and a shared passion to further the understanding of Wushu around the world. The meal not only looked spectacular but was delicious. Such a treat.

Our training started with a “Hot-Qigong” warm-up to open our joints, relax our sinews and heat the body. This was quite different from any of the many Qigong forms I have learnt and practiced. The Hot-Qigong did indeed heat the whole body from the top of the head to the feet. It started almost as a gentle meditation, becoming more vigorous, involving movement, stretching, massaging specific acupoints and meridians, and breathing. While this was not our core focus, we were lucky to learn this routine over the 2 weeks, and it’s something I have incorporated into my daily routine since returning.

Next followed the 8-Power Qigong; specific movements to emulate the internal power of the 8 primary techniques; Péng, Lǚ, Jǐ, Àn, Cǎi, Liè, Zhǒu, and Kào. This was performed slowly with focus and intention, building to more intense high-speed movements, exploring the Yin and Yang nature of the power associated with each primary technique. At one point we used resistance bands in combination with the 8-power Qigong movements to get a sense of the power behind each technique. While some muscular effort was used it gave a sense of the internal power that can be potentially generated, and a way to train back the muscle use. This was followed by partner work giving each other resistance to help generate the associated “power” with each of the first four primary techniques. We made huge improvements using these techniques.

This led onto Yang Style Taijiquan Tao Lü Bafa Wubu (form work). Firstly, standing Tao Lü; with the feet at shoulder width while performing the eight primary hand techniques. The Yang Style Bagua Tao Lü was next, introducing the five directions (stepping) using the bagua trigram. We started at the Centre, which was represented by the Yin Yang symbol, then in turn the directions; north, south, east, west, northwest, southwest, northeast and finally southeast, expressing each of the first 8 primary techniques in each of these directions.

We then progressed to moving-step Yang Style Tao Lü which was compact and straight forward; stepping and moving through the 8 primary techniques in a straight line, then turning to repeat the movements in the direction just travelled.

Returning to the powers we’d developed in the partnered 8-power Qigong, we applied that to Taiji Push Hands and finally, as a natural progression, Professor Wu connected all these aspects into martial applications training toward the end of our second week. To achieve this, we had a choreographed dual to work on where Partner ‘A’ performed the Yang Style Bafa Wubu Tao Lü essentially as learned, while Partner “B” fed into it.

Suffice to say, our minds were blown by this stage. It became obvious toward the end of our time that Professor Wu had led us on a very cleverly orchestrated journey giving us a true understanding of the Bafa Wubu.

Professor Wu said, paraphrasing: “Many people practice very soft, relaxed Tai Chi which is good to a point, but not so good for health as it’s not balanced like the Yin Yang symbol. Too much Yin not enough Yang.” This was a surprise to me, but we began to understand his meaning as our training evolved. He felt that this concept was very important for overall health and truly understanding Taijiquan. He was not saying that gentle, relaxed Tai Chi practice was bad. He was indicating that greater health benefits can be achieved by inclusion of the Yang aspect; a fundamental when “real” Taijiquan is studied and used.

Personally, I immediately felt the benefits of the ‘hot qigong’ in opening the joints and sinews. I arrived at BSU with a lingering lower back issue, which resolved in a matter of days with Professor Wu’s training methods. I also noted an improvement in a chronic foot problem. The proof was in the pudding as they say!

According to Professor Wu, to truly practice Taijiquan all the joints must be open, the sinews and channels (meridian channels) must be open to achieve ‘Song’ – the purpose of his Hot Qigong. In fact, this was his definition of ‘Song’. It wasn’t just about active relaxation of the muscles of the body.

There was great emphasis on using Dantian to drive the movements and applying Yin Yang to every aspect of any movement. He demonstrated and taught us how to ‘move’ the Dantian, even in simply stepping out with the commencement of the form.

He also placed emphasis on physically training the body with the resistance bands and partner work when doing the 8 Power Qigong and Tao Lü to give a sense of the power required and to keep the body strong for ongoing health. It was amazing to experience the incredible internal power he had when practicing with him in partner work.

From an instructor’s point of view, I learnt a lot about how to teach, and he was more than forthcoming with this information and on how to improve our teaching ability, given there were a number of instructors in our group. 

To our surprise, or maybe just mine, the group were also given individual assessments on how to improve our practice of the 13 Primary Techniques, as Professor Wu had been watching and observing us over the two weeks. This was invaluable and was another example of the Professor’s holistic approach not only to Taijiquan but his teaching as well. 

Professor Wu is a leader in Taijiquan research and has developed scientific ways of demonstrating the effects of his training program on health. We were privileged to see a piece of equipment he developed for this purpose as well as some of the methodology he uses in this research. He is truly passionate about the amazing health benefits that can be achieved in his method of teaching Taijiquan.

The whole experience during the 2 weeks at BSU, while being quite intense, has definitely given me a greater depth of understanding, both felt and intellectual, of the 13 Primary Techniques and Taijiquan in general. It further reinforced the importance of Yin Yang in training, health, lifestyle and Taijiquan. Professor Wu also emphasized how the practice of Taijiquan as he believes it should be done, can lead to much greater health and longevity, which he reinforced on numerous occasions. It was his heart-felt wish that we would all benefit from this. As he jokingly said, with a glint in his eye, “If you practice as I have told you to, you may live to 200 years of age.”

On the last afternoon of training we were all formally presented with a Certificate of Participation and gifts by Senior Professors of the China Wushu School and Director of the Office for International Exchange and Cooperation.

The fortnight of training concluded with another special banquet off-campus, hosted once again by the Director of the BSU China Wushu School, Professor Cang Hai, with Professors Wu Dong and He Ying, the Director of International Exchange and some of the Senior Wushu students who had assisted us throughout the 2 weeks. Many speeches were made, again the wish for exchange of ideas and culture were expressed, the promotion of Wushu, and building networks and collaboration internationally. Each of us was then invited to stand up and speak about our experience and take aways from the last two weeks. It was an evening of much joy and sadness, knowing our time at BSU was coming to an end.

I cannot thank the Beijing Sports University China Wushu School enough. They looked after us at every turn making the entire experience wonderful and unforgettable.

Our Cultural Experience
There were a few days over the two weeks where we had a break from training, so we could recharge our batteries and enjoy the magic that is Beijing.

One of the things I was hoping to do was go back to the Summer Palace . We were lucky enough to spend the best part of the day there. Such a beautiful place and wonderful experience.

We managed to see quite a few things in those few days including the 798 Arts Precinct, Prince Gong’s Mansion, Beihai Park and the Lama Temple. We also went to a Peking Opera, saw some fantastic acrobatics and ate at some great local restaurants. 

I did forget to mention that one of my other highlights was living on-campus at the university. The rooms were great and the meals were beyond amazing; a banquet for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The campus is green, quiet and magnificent. The perfect place to train. I honestly didn’t want to come home.

Suffice to say, after all of that, I’m already saving up to return in 2027.