Response to questions about Master Chen Zhonghua and his 'Ground connection'

Some of my former students in Portugal have been puzzled by one of Master Chen's trailers posted on the Facebook group run by Neil Morley for Tai Chi Chuan practitioners  
 They could not quite follow what he meant in his Ground Connection trailer  ( find it on the group page above).  So I have taken the unusual step (for me anyway) of responding with a video explanation. 

'This question and response highlight a real issue for many modern Tai Chi practitioners, seeking to improve by virtue of You tube'

In my defence, I did try a brief written explanation on the group page first.
Like most teachers, Master Chen expresses fundamental TCC concepts in his own unique vernacular.  Where he talks about 'Connecting through the ground',  I talk about 'Grounding through a stable framework'.  Where one teacher uses phrases such as Tung Jin, another says listening,  both refer to proprioceptive skills, the term I prefer.   This  issue is simply one of terminology.

The demonstrations below were filmed without set up or rehearsal,  just before one of our regular classes, hence the noise as students enter. I was assisted by Graham Bould and Gloria on camera duty. 
The observant among you will see that my stance  wobbles a bit every time Graham pushes, this is because my legs have not yet recovered from the extensive surgery a few months ago, following breaking both legs and requiring a hip replacement.  Because of the noise levels there was an explanation for the last demonstration, I have not posted, If I can sort out the sound I may post it later. For now  I have written the explanation at the end of this blog. the videos are as shot and unedited

All of the above work in a similar manner, 

1. I absorb the push and send the force down my rear leg to Ground the energy.  
2. I redirect the force by turning into the push and expressing until I feel his weight shift back somewhat. Note that the first time I do this it is in two steps so that Graham can feel the change.
   
3. Apart from Chen's  Ground connection, there is connection through the push (see 1 and 2) at the point where my arm contacts his chest or belly, and at the knee. This is the next action push your knee sideways by opening your hip slightly, this is what Chen calls opening the Kua, it weakens Grahams root further,
4. Finally a small turn of the waist transfers energy through my arm across Grahams balance point and directs him into the void. The connection can also be made through the free arm, as when I lightly touch Grahams shoulder in video 1.
5. The last demo has a slight variation in that the teachers leg is behind the pusher's.              Step 1 and 2 are as above.                                                    For step 3  I Close the hip (Kua ) slightly to cause Graham to lean inward or brace, then by turning the waist, or by removing the leg behind, again you can see he is destabilised. 

This question and response highlight a real issue for many modern Tai Chi practitioners, seeking to improve by virtue of You tube.  A teachers terminology can be a barrier or an aide to learning, and we all use terminology of one sort or another.
If the seeker is unfamiliar with the phrases that regular students are introduced to they may be misled or at least puzzled.  Chen Zhonghua gives a clear and useful demonstration.  If you must seek knowledge at a distance, you can visit his site, and buy access to his training resources properly, and you will get further.  Alternatively you could join the Golden Rooster School,  and I will send you details of our live online courses.