Canadian Tai Chi Academy
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Western Region Sabre Workshop - Cowichan BC, January 30-31, 2026
Posted February 6, 2026
Our intrepid CTCA President David deBelle, who had been taught directly by Mr. Moy, led the sabre workshop. There were about 40 participants and only a few knew the set at the start of the workshop. It was a steep learning curve for the group but David always encouraged questions. It was a fun-filled 2 days.
Many of the concepts presented for sabre are similar to the 108 Tai Chi and Lok Hup sets:
- Use the forearm to move the hands/sabre, not the wrist. The hand turning foundation movement is used repeatedly in the sabre form.
- Use the motion of one part of your body to move a different part. 'Turn and chop' and 'Hide Sabre and Push' both use the downward force of the lower hand to help you stand tall. The paqua steps in all 3 sets stop the body from turning one direction and start the turn in the opposite direction.
- Load your weight into your leg. The release of that tension propels you into the next move.
- Stretch hands in front quickly. This applies whether you are lunging with the sabre or pushing with both hands at the front of a toryu. "You have a sabre in front of your face when you're stretching forward. Get it way in front."
The weight of the sabre helps us to feel the connections between the hands, the core and the feet. It helps remind us to keep our shoulder blades back, not 'cape' them up. The sore muscles the next day helped us realize the areas we need to focus on.
One of the highlights of the workshop was listening to David's stories during the breaks describing what it was like to be trained by Mr. Moy.
The adventure didn't stop when the workshop ended. The next day several people had their flight out of Nanaimo completely cancelled and had to scramble to find other flights home. Others had their flight delayed.
What do you do when waiting at the airport after a sabre workshop? Why, you practice sabre of course! The airport authorities in Nanaimo and Vancouver would definitely not appreciate sabres being waved around. However, there were no rules against moving with pens, leading one of us to say, "The pen is mightier than the sabre."
It was a great time with a lot of learning and lots of laughter. Many new connections were made with people from across the country.
A big thank you to the Cowichan BC location for hosting this event, and of course to David deBelle for his enthusiastic leading of it.
Nancy Hillmer (with input from other attendees)
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