Student Experiences Studying with Joseph Zeisky

Master Ken Van Sickle

holding a posture from the Cheng Man Ching Yang Style Taichi Sword Form.


I have been observing Joseph Zeisky for the last 20 years. Some people are born with a gift, others must struggle to progress.  Joe started with a special energy and enthusiasm, he chose great teachers, embraced the principles and trained relentlessly to embody them. Intensive study of the Tai Chi classics and the Taoist system has made him an excellent teacher as well. We hear much about Chi in the internal art culture, to watch Joe do form you will see it, to push hands, or spar with him, you will feel it.

KENNETH VAN SICKLE--Master of Tai Chi, Taichi Sword, Photography, Cinematography and Taoist Philosophy.




Robert Kamen

at his home in New York City with Joseph Zeisky.

I began my study of Martial Arts in 1965, when schools and instructors were as rare as hen’s teeth. I had the good fortune of stumbling across a great instructor who introduced me to the traditional system of Okinawan GoJu Ryu Karate-do, which I trained in, religiously for the next thirty years. In thirty years of training I had the opportunity to meet and observe dozens of teachers and dozens of styles. I never found any that made me want to forego my original Art, or my teacher, until I met Joseph Zeisky. From the very first lesson I had with Joe in Yang style Tai Chi, I sensed I was in the presence of a true Master. Joe’s understanding of martial arts goes to the very core of the principles, not only of his Arts, but of all the Martial Arts. One day after Joe and I had been training for a few hours, I introduced him to a good friend of mine from China, a master of Tai Chi, Hsing-I and Praying mantis Kung Fu. After working out with Joe for a half hour he turned to me and said: “ Your friend understands the true meaning of Martial Arts.

 

He has found his Inner Master.” I have been a devoted student of Joe’s for eight years. His teachings have opened a whole new world of Martial Arts for me. He is one of those very rare Martial Artists who can take what he has been taught and pass it on to others with a deeper meaning. I know Joe will blush when he reads this because, like all true Martial Artists, he has a genuine humility about his skill and his abilities. This quality, combined with his bottomless devotion to perfecting his Arts, makes him a teacher that any student would be honored and lucky to have.


ROBERT MARK KAMEN--writer, producer and creator of the popular motion picture series, The Karate Kid. Also, he created the TV show "Black Sash" for the WB, showcasing baguazhang on primetime tv for the first time. Other films: Taps, The Fifth Element, Lethal Weapon 4, Transporter series, Unleashed and many others. Robert is also a fine wine maker.



Jennifer Harmer

 

"My work with Joseph has had a phenomenal impact on my life both physically and spiritually. Joseph is a truly gifted instructor; a wise and caring disseminator of information and spirit. I learn so much in his class, not only about Bagua, but what it means to be an inspiring role model and instructor myself. It was extremely satisfying to notice such quick strength results and changes from Bagua in my dance training. Overall, my legs are much stronger than ever before, and literally, if I go to class Thursday night, Friday's company rehearsals are much stronger and garner more positive feedback than, say, Monday's rehearsals. I also use sequences from class for warming up before performances- twenty minutes of Bagua makes a huge difference in terms of what I am able to give onstage. Spiritually, I feel much more grounded and centered when I am in attendance regularly; a 'resetting' happens in Joseph's classes that must be experienced to be understood. He guides and provides tools for his students to deal with the complexities and multiple foci of modern day urban life, and for that, and everything else, I am grateful."

JENNIFER HARMER --is a contemporary modern dancer based in New York City. She is a founding member of Misnomer Dance Theater and a senior company member of Murray Spalding Movement Arts. Since graduating from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, she has worked with Sara Pearson/Patrik Widrig & Co., Mark Dendy, Tina Croll, Axis of Eve, Dance Anonymous, and has filmed a ballet video for Finis Jhung. She is currently performing as The Baronass von Harmer with the burlesque group, Lady Rizo & The Assets, and will premiere a dance solo as a guest with The Kinesis Project. Her choreography has been shown at Vital Theatre, Lot 61, the Fringe Festival, Battery Park, in the public schools, and as a mobile installation piece on the streets of New York. Jen is a certified Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis Yoga Instructor.


Andrea Marazzi Coakley

 

When I met Joseph a few  years ago, I was a newcomer to Manhattan trying to survive life in the “big city”. At the time I was beginning my studies to become an acupuncturist.  Since then Joseph has been a significant influence in my life, as his teaching of Baguazhang and the internal arts have shaped my development as an acupuncturist, a healer, and a person.  My health is improved, I have more clarity in my thinking, and I am better able to manage stress and anxiety. I have gained an inner strength and faith in my own abilities that I had previously not known.  Training with Joseph has helped me to effectively integrate external movement with internal awareness.  His approach to teaching the internal arts truly integrates physical, emotional, and spiritual components.  It is through training with Joseph that I have worked to cultivate this unique balance of skills that has enhanced my abilities as an acupuncturist. Joseph is a wonderful teacher and mentor who graciously shares his knowledge of these extraordinary arts so that his students may develop the skills and strength of character necessary to navigate life’s many challenges.

ANDREA MARAZZI COAKLEY, MS, L.Ac. --licensed acupuncturist.


Shem Guibbory

 

“It is not difficult to determine that Joseph Zeisky is a MasterTeacher. Right from the beginning it becomes apparent that his broad knowledge of and long experience in the martial arts informs his every comment. The most critical factor that he demonstrates is that he can grade and adjust his instruction, demonstrating precisely to the level that the student can hear, feel and experience at that moment.”

 SHEM GUIBBORY --Violin soloist and chamber musician, member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and music director of the Chamber Music Conference and Composers' Forum of the East



John Lad

holding the Taijiquan posture called, "Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg."


I have been studying and practicing taijiquan for thirty years, half my life. I especially enjoy push-hands (tui-shou) and have practiced with many skilled players whom I consider my peers. But I have known for a long time that Joseph Zeisky is unquestionably at a higher level, both in knowledge of and skill in internal martial arts. Early in 2003 I accepted Joseph’s invitation to join his classes in Bagua Zhang. The classes continued for several months, then after a break of about a year resumed again in fall, 2004. These classes have deeply influenced my practice and understanding, and have had a real effect on my health. Joseph leads a significantly more athletically vigorous workout than I had been accustomed to in practicing taijiquan, and I was not sure at first whether my knee joints, which had chronic injuries in recent years, would be capable of the strength and flexibility demanded.


John Lad walking in circle and holding the Baguazhang posture called "Single Palm," while taking Tuesday night Bagua class with Joseph in New York City.


But Joseph has taught us qigong practices that are highly effective for healing and opening up all the joints of the body, and I now find myself not only able to execute movements of the bagua palm changes I would have thought impossible, but enjoying freedom of action in the legs to a degree I have not experienced since much earlier in life. In a wider sense, Joseph’s teaching is enabling me to understand my taiji practice from a much larger perspective involving both practical application and underlying philosophy. His classes are never routine, always different, and gradually reveal to the regular participant a vast world of knowledge that has ever more interesting facets. I still find every time I attend class that I discover something new I had never thought of before. Even before I became his student I was impressed that Joseph did not simply overwhelm people with his skill; he seemed to practice with each person in a way appropriate for his or her experience.


 

In Meditation - John Lad demonstrating the looseness and flexibility of a young child, as he quietly practices the cooling down techniques that are done after a vigorous Bagua workout.

In his class I notice this same degree of sensitivity in his approach to each student, and so his teaching always has a personal dimension in addition to the communication to the group. I have been a student my whole life, and have studied mathematics and philosophy with noted academicians, music with famous teachers, and taijiquan with three truly great instructors. I myself have taught at the college level since1971. Against this background of experience I cannot think of a teacher more effective than Joseph Zeisky in combining substantial expertise in his subject with skillful communication and inspiration to students.

JOHN LAD --Columbia University professor of Philosophy, Tai Chi Teacher at Barnard and Columbia College and concert violinist.