TCFE - 8th TCFE Chinese Internal Martial Arts Championships in St.Petersburg

A Competitor’s Experience at the Championships in St. Petersburg

29,30 October, 2016

The competition was held in Saint Petersburg on the weekend of October 29 and 30. It was organized by the TCFE. This 8th edition welcomed around 300 participants from 11 European countries.

The events of Taijiquan and Tuishou (fixed and moving step) took place in the beautiful winter gymnasium. The taolu (forms) were performed individually or in groups, barehanded or with weapons. Each individual event, whether with bare hands or weapons (sword, saber, sticks, fan, etc.), lasted 4 minutes. This gave the judges time to evaluate common criteria across all styles: rooting, fluidity, density, martial spirit, etc. There were also choreographed duels, both with weapons and bare hands, in this category.

In tuishou (push hands), two partners try to unbalance each other in either fixed or moving step. This takes place on a soft surface. It is quite physical, but the most skilled and experienced practitioners use a different kind of energy — techniques and dynamic positioning — to uproot their opponent.

This competition is above all a moment of sharing — a friendly gathering that allows participants to discover both ancient and more modern styles, to showcase traditional practice, or to enrich themselves through all these many unique and precious moments that will form our memories as practitioners. I’ve gathered here the impressions of two friends from the French national team, because I wanted each person to have a voice so that this article reflects what we experienced together — especially the cohesion and great atmosphere of these two days of practice.

From the very beginning, we felt like a team, thanks to the FFAEMC uniforms provided by the federation. We were proud to form a united Team France, through good times and bad! All for one and one for all, motivated to bring back medals!

Here is Saint Petersburg — the city, beautiful by day and by night — it charmed us all. The Russian language, a bit unsettling at first, remained a mystery! The hearty and varied cuisine truly satisfied us. In short, everything was in place for our stay to be pleasant, unusual, and inspiring. Saturday, October 29, 9:30 a.m. The gymnasium with its purple floor awaited us, and I felt my heart beat faster as I stepped into the arena. In an hour, we would perform on four designated areas, each overseen by a table of expert judges. Competitors, dressed in their finest outfits, created a vibrant and colorful tableau.

The opening ceremony gathered all the competitors by country. We formed a rectangle around our judges, who performed a demonstration in the center — all together, each in their own style. I found this moment very moving, as it was filled with concentration, respect, and a harmonious diversity.

The competition began — the microphones crackled and began calling names, as competitors performed one after another. All performance areas were active, with scores being handed down again and again. Some practiced on the side, others relaxed. On the tatami across from us, fights unfolded — pushing, pulling, diverting, throwing... The enthusiasm of the spectators and supporters brought a charged, festive atmosphere to the event! The competition days had the air of a vivid, colorful celebration: a martial and expressive ambiance for the taolu, and a high-energy, friendly one for the tuishou.

Sabers sliced, swords cut through the air, sticks struck, fans snapped. The expressions on the competitors' faces during Taiji forms conveyed the martial essence of each movement.
For two days, duels, group performances, and matches followed one after another. Participants gave their all with visible joy. You could almost see the invisible opponents circling us! It’s this invisible presence that gives meaning to our gestures, evasions, blocks, strikes, and pushes — our steps back and dynamic movements...
The gestures are spiral, curved, and wave-like — but the intention is straight and determined.
Then came the time for podiums, medals, and applause. More than anything, we were happy to have participated in this event. Bound together through practice, the competitors would soon part ways — filled with memories and the shared desire to return.

Norman Pradès (Gold and silver medalist in sword and saber) Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose — and I’m about to show you just that...

This photo was taken by a very kind Russian photographer, who sent it to me and said I had become "one" with my sword and that it was powerful. That made me happy!

Now let’s come down from the pedestal:
In front of the judges, I started my staff routine... and BAM! Right from the start, I had a blank. I was tired after the other events and already knew it was over for me.
But I didn’t want to stop, even though I was two seconds away from doing so. So I started walking around, hopping like a little goat and waving my staff in all directions, hoping the judges wouldn’t notice (so naive!). This gave me time to get into position for the next sequence.
I was trying to regain my bearings and focus, but nothing was coming back. I was obsessed with not stopping, so the mental process didn’t start properly. And when it did, I started the wrong way!
Those seconds felt endless. At one point, I caught the eye of one of the judges, who clearly had no idea what I was doing (neither did I, to be honest), and seemed to say:
"What on earth is he doing?" To which I replied, silently: "Yes, I’m doing something truly ridiculous!"
Eventually, I managed to get back on track and finish decently — but still! I came in last, but I didn’t stop. Honor preserved! In the end, it’s a funny memory. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose — again! What matters is taking part!

It's always a pleasure to travel to other places. It was my first time in Saint Petersburg and it made me want to go back. I love meeting people from different cultures who train hard, sharing a common passion, and making new friends.

That joy is magnified by being part of a group that represents your country. It’s something I just discovered: each one in their own specialty, yet everyone supporting one another.

It was a wonderful atmosphere with amazing teammates — they really make me want to do it all again! Bravo to everyone and thank you to the FFAEMC and TCFE for bringing us all together!

Régine Zanini (Medalist in forms, sword, saber, fan, etc.) I wanted to express my admiration for the practitioners from all the participating countries. I saw beautiful forms from all styles and schools, and it brought me great joy to watch talented children performing.

I’m thankful to our leadership team and the entire group. Even though each of us was focused on preparing our forms, I felt great support from everyone. A kind look says more than long speeches.

A big thank you to the organizing team and to the judges, who were very fair.

Opening Ceremony and Demonstration

– Magali Canté, France

A judge's experience of St.Petersburg (translated from German to English)

29,30 October, 2016

We arrive in the rather chilly St. Petersburg early in the afternoon. Fortunately, we immediately find the bus that takes us part of the way into the city from the airport. Then we take the subway to get close to our hotel. Our travel experiences in China come in handy here—after all, you can still more or less guess the writing, and the younger generation seems to know a few words of English. So we quickly find our hotel, check in, drop off our luggage in the room, and head curiously into the city.

St. Petersburg is culturally very impressive, especially due to its historic city center. There are also many small shops and restaurants. We feel at home right away, despite the cool, cloudy weather and the intermittent rain. Without the Taiji European Championship, I probably would have never come here. I'm once again grateful for all the experiences I've had through my involvement with Taijiquan and Qigong.

On Friday afternoon, there's the referees' meeting, and the groups are assigned. We get an introduction and have a chance to get to know each other a bit. After all, we'll be sitting side by side for two days and judging the participants together.

On Saturday morning, the opening ceremonies begin at the Zimniy Stadium. I'm impressed—the stadium is huge, with many participants, spectators, and an atmosphere of joyful anticipation. I don't understand much of the speeches—nothing in Russian, and the English translation is so distorted by the microphone and the size of the hall that I only catch a few words. But that's okay—I take the opportunity to look around, watch the participants in their beautiful Taiji uniforms, see many groups—mostly Russians, and only a few from the West.

And then it begins. The three of us—two Russian women and myself—are assigned to platform four. We also have a timekeeper and a young woman who tallies our scores and enters them into the computer. We are judging the women's Taiji weapon forms. There are many groups: beginners, intermediate, advanced, and seniors, as well as the different styles and weapons.

Anyone who thinks this is easy is mistaken. Two women perform at the same time on the carpet. My gaze constantly shifts back and forth between them. I try to be as objective as possible, to watch carefully, and so the hours pass. Of course, the schedule is impossible to stick to. Sometimes someone is missing because most participants perform at several platforms, and they show up late to ours. So I often have to mentally rewind, piece together the groups of women in my mind, and compare their movements. After seven hours, I'm pretty exhausted and would love to trade my eyes in for a new pair.

The next day, the top three in each category compete against each other for gold, silver, or bronze. Now and then, I can catch a glimpse over at the Push Hands platforms, which are right next door. Things can get quite intense there—someone is often on the ground. Anyone who thinks the women are more restrained is wrong.

Finally, in the afternoon, all disciplines are completed, and a big award ceremony follows. Many medals are handed out, as there are so many different categories. Some people leave with three or even more medals. There's clapping, clapping, and more clapping. Joy and winner's pride fill the air. It was a great and well-organized event, and I'm glad I was a part of it. Youtube impression

– Franziska Rüscher, Austria

A Competitor’s Experience at the Championships in St. Petersburg

29,30 October, 2016

Being the only participant from my country in the 8th TCFE Internal Martial Arts Championships in St. Petersburg, as well as a non Russian speaking one, I expected to run into some problems. But from the first e-mail contact Mrs. Anna Hilmi guided me through the process and helped me to feel at ease from the moment I arrived at the airport.

During registration someone helped me to figure out what to do where and at what time on Saturday. During the competition all the people from the organization were so helpfull and caring as if I was the only participant. I want to congratulate Mr. Andrei Seredniakov and Mrs Hilmi and all the others with the result of their extensive preparations. For me this was one of the most impressive competitions I ever participated in and surely one I will never forget. Thank you to all the people who helped to organize this event.

– Ineke Bouman, The Netherlands