Freeform
If it is to your
advantage, make a forward move;
if not, stay where you are.
(Sun Tzu)
Self defence
Freeform self defence is the whole point of the intermediate syllabus.
By the time you reach the 5 challenges you need to be capable of
responding to any sort of attack in an internal way.
Our school emphasises yielding, whole-body movement, flexibility and gravity.
These should be reflected in your application.
'Freeform' means that you just move and it works.
Consolidation
Having learned all 10 silk arms drills you need to start consolidating
your skills.
Tying together silk arms, chin na escapes, pushing hands, pushing legs, yielding
and monkey paws will help you to see how tai chi might be applied.
Turn your attention to the form and start deconstructing the postures.
What can they be used against?
How can the power be generated?
Partnered training
In the early syllabus you employ escapes, stepping and striking against
an attacker.
In the later parts of the syllabus you will need to start incorporating silk
arms and form application.
Skilled students need a response.
That is the whole point of freeform: developing a viable response relative to
the incoming attack.
Training needs to be progressive and structured - moving from evasion onto
countering by following a series of methodical steps.
Attempting to hurry this process or miss stages out will only result in careless
practice.
Slow
Your partner needs to be just fast enough to encourage a response but no
quicker than that.
Start slowly: this is still just an exercise and undue zeal will hamper
progress.
When you feel to be dreamily wandering around in slow-motion but your attacker
finds you to be fast, you are getting the hang of it.
Speed is not a sign of skill, it is a sign of panic - be calm and relaxed, loose
and smooth.
Variety
The attacker needs to explore a variety of angles and attacks.
Attack to the front, back, side, off-centre - using straight, cross, roundhouse
and uppercut.
Start from a casual stance or hold a 'boxer' style posture with a guard.
Although the style of the attack wants to look more 'street-smart', adhere to
the principles of connection, avoiding over-commitment, using intention (not
tension) and not locking your joints.
Grapples
Grapples need to be worked-into the attacks.
There must be a combination of punches, kicks and grappling.
Build new attacks in slowly.
Counter-attack
Tai chi students are expected to deal with all manner of attacks.
If you counter the initial attack effectively, it should be difficult for your
partner to retaliate further or block your attack.
Make sure that you allow for follow-ups and apply the response effectively.
Good positioning will reduce your partners options whilst increasing your own.
If
correct timing and position are not achieved, the body will become disordered
and will not move as an integrated whole; the correction for this defect
must be sought in the legs and waist.
The principle of adjusting
the legs and waist applies for moving in all directions;
upward or downward, advancing or withdrawing, left or right.
(Chang
San-feng)
Blocks & counters
Tai chi students are not initially expected to deal with counter-attacks or blocks
from the attacker.
If your partner does choose to be awkward, respond as smoothly as you can,
following the flow of the form or drill.
If you want your partner to counter your response and re-attack, ask them openly
to do this.
Relax
The key to effective self defence is relaxation: physical, psychological and
emotional.
When you are calm and composed, and your body is flexible, you can move easily
in response to an attack.
A clear head allows you to see all manner of possibility.
Stepping
If you can step, you can evade and counter successfully.
Yielding to an incoming force and stepping out of the way is important.
Aggressive tactics are not the tai chi way.
Students learn an extensive range of skills associated with stepping.
Pre-emptive & withdrawal
Usually it is better to respond as soon as your attacker makes a move.
Waiting for commitment may not be to your advantage.
Should you be overwhelmed, withdraw.
Do not confuse withdraw with just stepping backwards.
Do not confuse pre-emptive strikes with aggression - you must remain dreamy and
calm.
Pre-emptive responses and skilled withdrawal will offer a variety of responses
when faced with varied attack.
Multiple attackers
The ability to step and use the basic neigong will come into its own here.
Circularity, uniting upper and lower, opening and closing - these are what you
need.
Be strategic and rounded, fluid and heavy.
Be calm and playful.
This is the way to complete the 5 challenges.
Ready for freeform?
Freeform can be trained as soon as you can perform the intermediate material
skilfully and apply the palm changes in some fashion.
Eyes-closed walking
Yielding - locate & take the centre
Chin na - escapes using the whole body
Pushing hands
Pushing legs - close
Monkey paws
Silk arms 1-10
Countering punches, kicks & grapples
Yielding/chin na
These 9 basic drills
combine to create drill 10 - freeform.
Your first taste of freeform is drill 8 - which is quite a challenge.
Beyond limitation
As the freeform practice becomes less predictable, the challenge of keeping to
the drills and form will tax you.
Ultimately your responses will break down and become sloppy.
Work to keep them smooth, relaxed, natural and comfortable but do not worry if
your responses drift far away from the formality of the drills and form.
So long as you are not disconnected, tense or using force against force,
everything is going as planned.
Ideally, the attackers should become reluctant to attack.
In time, your skill will reach a level of freeform; where everything that you do
will be internal, reflect the tai chi way of moving, and be successful.
But give it time.
Page created 5 August 1999