Andreas W. Friedrich

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Andreas W. Friedrich

Andreas W. Friedrich (AWF) (born April 24, 1954 in Hamburg ) is a German Taiji master of the Yang style .

life and work

Friedrich was born as the youngest child of the entrepreneur Otto A. Friedrich and half-brother of the journalist Karin Friedrich . He is the grandson of the surgeon and university professor Paul Leopold Friedrich .

After graduating from high school in 1973, he studied philosophy , philosophy of science and psychology at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich .

Friedrich has been practicing Taijiquan since 1983. From 1983 he learned Taijiquan from Toyo Kobayashi (Munich) and one year later began his training in the traditional Yang style with Frieder Anders , Ping-Liong Tjoa and Chu King-Hung , a master of the "old, authentic" Yang style. In January 1986 he passed the exam with Chu King-Hung and was officially appointed as a lecturer at the International Tai Chi Chuan Association (ITCCA). He held this teaching position in his own school in Munich until May 1993 . On June 1st of the same year he opened his own free and independent Tai Chi Chuan Institute (TCCI) in Munich.

He completed further training courses with well-known masters of other styles of Taijiquan and Qigong , such as B. Bruce Frantzis , Jan Silberstorff , Howard Choy, Zhi Chang Li and Jumin Chen. With Jumin Chen he passed the exam in the long form of the traditional Yang style and received the master's title in 1993. By studying these internal martial and movement arts and in particular by integrating the Alexander Technique , which he had with Daniel Süsstrunk studied, a profound adaptation of the inner martial arts movement principles succeeded. The "old, authentic Yang style" served as the basis for a comprehensive innovation in accordance with traditional principles.

So Friedrich modified and modified the specialization levels introduced by Chu King-Hung in the sense of the classical scripts. According to the universal rhythm of Yin and Yang, he teaches "work on Yin", the center movement, including leg spirals and "online-offline" in the feet. Only then does “work on yang” follow, the differentiation of arm, hand and polar head movements (neck or neck spiral). He created the conscious technique and the terminology "SfHD", the "step-functional hip rotation", in order to protect the knees and enable optimal strength development. Furthermore, he introduced the term “ASoFB”, the “application and structure-optimizing foot movement”, which didactically refer the practitioner to the possibilities of individually optimizing their step positions. He clarified the somewhat diffuse different ways of counting the traditional, long yang style form (108 and 124) in a nomenclature corresponding to the yin-yang rhythm: 169 yin phases or movements and 169 yang movements. The integral Yang style in 169 Yin-Yang phases preserves the classic sequence of the Long Form, but complements application-oriented variations of the most important Taiji techniques: 4 Peng (fend off), 3 Lü (roll back), 2 Ji (press) and 5 Yin-Yang-An (push); 2 needles, 2 fans, 5 different kicks and 3 different cloud hands, to name just the most important.

The holistic AWF teaching system also includes elements of the other two internal martial arts, Xing Yi Quan and Ba Gua Zhang , in which he was trained by Jumin Chen. The three directions of moving, breastfeeding and Chan Mi- Qigong also belong to the system, not least the experimental Zen arts, in which Michael Vetter appointed him as a teacher and is entitled to bear this title. These three pillars, Tai Ji Quan, Qigong and Experimental Zen Arts, are networked in many ways and thus form an integral system (cf. Jean Gebser , “Origin and Present”).

As a result of this own integral approach, he renamed his free and independent Tai Chi Chuan Institute (TCCI) the Institute Integrales Tai Ji Quan and Qi Gong in 2007 .

His developments include a walking stick weapon form, a long stick weapon form in 94 actions, as a "baby" of the long traditional form a short form in 16 sequences in left and right opening including their contact form with 32 contact points. Based on the Contact Combat Form Part I by Chu King-Hung, AWF also developed a sequence with 291 contact points for Parts II and III of the Integral Long Form, as well as a comprehensive system "The Art of Standing" with 64 positions and integrated Yiquan -Moments. In 2011, he also significantly modified the sword contact form, which was created by Chu King-Hung, in a martial arts-oriented manner. In 2014 he choreographed a two-handed short club shape (" nine cun clubs "), which is performed with two Tai Ji rulers.

AWF running the short club form, 2014

Since 2007 he has been a member of the German umbrella organization for Qigong and Taijiquan and a recognized instructor for Taijiquan and Qigong.

He is known to a wider audience from several series in the Tele-GYM series and as the author of various publications.

In addition to Tai Ji Quan, Qi Gong and the experimental Zen arts, he is particularly interested in the arts , to which he is equally passionate.

Selected publications

  • Master exercise - imperial exercise. 2nd edition 2014, ISBN 978-3-942830-06-5 , eBook 2014, ISBN 978-3-8442-9377-7
  • All sorts of I, all sorts, articles. 2014, eBook: ISBN 978-3-8442-8982-4 ; Print: ISBN 978-3-942830-04-1
  • Anything II, This & That, Crumbs. 2014, eBook: ISBN 3-7375-0015-0 ; Print: ISBN 978-3-942830-07-2
  • Tai JI weapon forms - spear - sword - stick - saber - walking stick. DVD, 2012, ISBN 978-3-942830-03-4
  • The Tai Ji short form in 16 sequences. Introduction to the basic principles, teaching part and teaching system. DVD, 7th edition 2011, ISBN 978-3-942830-02-7
  • Tai Ji Quan. Practice DVD for the Integral Yang Style - Part I The Earth. DVD, 2nd edition 2010
  • Tai Ji Quan. Practice DVD on the Integral Yang Style - Part II Heaven. DVD, 2nd edition 2010
  • Tai Ji Quan. Exercise DVD on the Integral Yang Style - Part III Man. DVD, 2nd edition 2010
  • The 4 miracle animals and other exercises of moving Qi Gong. DVD, 2010, ISBN 978-3-942830-00-3
  • Ba Duan Jin & Tai Chi Gong. (Tele-Gym 12 & 16), DVD, PSF Film- + Video, 2008
  • Tai Ji Quan. Rest and movement in balance. (GU Multimedia), Gräfe und Unzer Verlag; 1st edition 2005, ISBN 978-3-7742-7197-5
  • Integral Qi Gong. (Tele-Gym 22), VHS / DVD, 2005
  • Qi Gong Ba Duan Jin: The Eight Noble Exercises. Publishing house Peter Kirchheim; 2. edit again Edition 2003, ISBN 978-3-87410-061-8
  • Qi Gong - the way to vitality and balance. Self-healing powers through relaxation and imagination ... Südwest-Verlag; 2002, ISBN 978-3-517-01868-3
  • Integral Qi Gong. Life energy for everyday life. The accompanying video for the TV series of the BR Tele-Gym., 2000

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Experimental Zen Arts
  2. AWF-art