Parting Wild Horse's Mane Application

Here's a nice presentation of "Parting Wild Horse's Mane" by Michael at San Diego Fitness.
This is exactly the kind of work Tai Chi Chuan students need to do to understand what the hell they are practicing in their form. As we know, Tai Chi Chuan (Grand Ultimate Fist) was once considered the most sophisticated fighting art in China, with Dim Mak pressure-point striking, takedowns and weapons systems. Many masters were lost to war early last Century, and when State Communism adopted Tai Chi as a health program, they pretty much dropped the "Chuan", or "Fist". Hence the "New Agey" profile of much of Tai Chi today.
Here Michael utilizes a low arm-pass to set up a takedown, and the sequence at the end is worked off a hitting combination. We have used the exact same technique (with a different set-up) from the Xingyi system as taught by Tim Cartmell:

I think this shows how much these arts have in common.
On an aside, if I remember correctly, Michael in the first video was kind enough to be a designated driver and drop ol' Dojo Rat off at his hotel room after all the guys had dinner and (many) Beers following a Mike Martello seminar. Whew; that kept me from getting in trouble on the mean-streets of Seattle...