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Locks and holds
Many martial arts employ locks and holds successfully. They are an
effective way of restraining an opponent and/or damaging the body.
Unfortunately, locks and holds require commitment.
We seldom use anything akin to a hold.
Grab
Grabbing hold of somebody is only used in tai chi when you are
seizing.
Instead of grabbing, we use:
A grab is not a good
strategy
for tai chi. It assumes too much.
Seizing
Seizing is concerned with obtaining an abrupt grip. The grip must be
penetrating and cause immediate pain. It should ideally take the balance
instantly.
This is not a hold. You are not seeking to restrain the person pending
submission. Seizing is designed to gain the attacker's complete attention.
The discomfort they experience prevents coherent thought and calm emotions.
Keeping hold
Some people consider 'holding' to be a viable skill but we will not be
learning any conventional holds or locks. If you hold somebody, you are
committed to maintaining the hold using sustained strength.
At some point you must let go and your opponent is free. What happens
then? Also, what if they have friends or are armed? What if they are
stronger or more aggressive than you?
We train chin na to be a fleeting action, it involves minimal commitment and
the 'baby grip' is commonly used. All 'misplacing the bone' chin na must
eventually be performed as a strike.
Strength
If you are grappling with somebody, softness is
your means of escape. Strength is an immediate indication of failure.
Force against force is fruitless even if you are the stronger person; it
costs energy and wears you out. Use your intuition, your wit and your
sensitivity - not your aggression.
Be like water; have substance without tension.
The Tao cannot be avoided.
By attuning to its way, we seem to move less and less with a disturbing
wilfulness;
we move with rather than against the nature of things.
Self interest gets in the Way of the Tao.
When we move selflessly, we move with grace,
ease and harmony amid apparent confusion.
(Ray Grigg)
Holding
The notion of holding is concerned with fixity.
Tai chi is
fundamentally opposed to holding.
Tai chi is about yielding, flowing and moving.
It is not about fixity.
The fault of 'holding' can be found in different places within your tai chi:
Rigid, fixed ideas bout things
Patterns of tension within your body
Habitual responses
Emotional reactions
A need to force/control/have your own way
Pride
Stubbornness
A lack of openness to new/unfamiliar ideas
An unwillingness to try things
Clinging to the known/fear of the unknown
Page created
18 April 1995
Last updated
16 June 2023
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