Form
Control your movements so that they are
slow, even and continuous, gradually your inner force will develop which will
become unceasing. Think of the circular path of each movement, in tai chi
every movement is in curve or circle that has no ending or beginning.
(Dr Paul Lam)
Form
Most people have seen groups of tai chi students moving together in a dance-like
sequence.
This is referred to as 'form'.
Movement
Tai chi form teaches the body to move in a certain fashion.
You learn how to flow through circular manifestations of movement, never
stopping or tensing the body.
This fluidity becomes habit.
Rounded, natural body movements feel comfortable and easy to perform.
They ensure a smoother, flowing, more abstract motion; which is perfect for kung
fu and effortless change.
The aim is to flow like water.
Connections and associations
If you just train one style of tai chi, you begin to
see connections and associations throughout the form sequence.
There are less than forty truly unique/distinct postures. Everything else is a
variation on a theme.
Patterns emerge in the form. Possibilities. Options. Choices. Strategies.
Rhythms.
This level of awareness is only possible when your
mind is unpolluted by other concerns, by other
styles or systems.
Training
A tai chi person is not random.
They move in a controlled, deliberate manner designed to maximise efficiency.
Form helps you to accomplish this.
Training your body to move in the required way is no easy task.
Even if your imagine yourself to be well-coordinated, this may not be the case
when faced with form.
5 stages
There are 5 stages to learning any form:
(i) The pattern
The outline, the sequence of movements.
This stage of learning is often called 'the
square form' because it is crude and largely inaccurate.
The form is practiced slowly.
It is necessary to have the form regularly corrected, so that a process of
ongoing refinement and improvement takes place.
Accurate positioning, attention to detail and a growing awareness of nuances is
vital.
Once the form pattern has been learned, it must also be mirrored.
Unfortunately, most tai chi people
only learn the first stage, and remain a perpetual
beginner.
Neglecting the remaining stages leaves the form meaningless and empty.
(ii) Internal strength
Internal
biomechanical concerns are incorporated.
The way
in which the body is used is now the concern.
Every single movement is imbued with internal strength.
An understanding of The Way and Its Power,
the tai chi classics and taoism
is necessary.
(iii) Application
Traditionally, it is said that there are at least seven applications for every
form posture.
There are three types of martial application within form:
chin na,
jing and
shuai jiao.
Competence in all three areas of skill is required.
A student must be capable of skilfully applying the form in a
thorough and convincing way against an earnest attacker.
All applications adhere to the tai chi principles (4
ounces of pressure, softness, stickiness, yielding, peng etc).
(iv) Shen
Shen is a vitality that can be seen
shining through a person; it enlivens the body and refreshes the mind.
The eyes look expressive and alert.
For 'shen' to manifest, a person must lose all self-consciousness.
There is no more self or other, just movement, just sensation/feeling.
Instead of feeling apart from what is happening,
we feel the physics of the movement, the kinetic flow.
(v) Natural
Instead of
glossy, flamboyant, outward show, the attention turns inward.
The tai chi is not ornate.
It is simple, direct, flowing and natural.
Within the slow spirals, curves and gentle steps can be found a grace that
is difficult to articulate.
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Page created 2 March 1995