Tai chi combat | ||
classes qigong tai chi kung fu about us reviews a-z
Recognisable style
If you watch wing chun applied in combat, it looks distinctly like wing chun.
The same could be said of judo, aikido, ju jitsu, pencat silat etc.
By the same reasoning, applied tai chi must look like tai chi.
What does tai chi look like?
Tai chi looks like tai chi.
The form, pushing hands,
you know... tai chi.
If your martial expression of tai chi does not
look like tai chi, it is probably not tai chi (see above).
Habits
If somebody were to attack a beginner unexpectedly,
the response would not look like tai chi.
It would most likely involve flinching,
bracing, blocking...
There would be force against force,
aggression,
panic and muscular tension.
These habits are not tai chi.
The essence of tai chi
The student needs to really examine, contemplate and research the
design elements that led to the creation of tai chi.
Understanding these factors enables the student to
recognise the differences in tai chi styles, systems and approaches; why certain schools emphasise
particular qualities which others discard.
This will aid you in making your tai chi combat look like tai chi rather than
karate.
Dig deeper
By studying Taoism, The
Tai Chi Classics,
biomechanics and combat applications (featuring a wide
variety of scenarios) a more informed,
in-depth, discerning eye is cultivated.
Opinions, expectations and hearsay are replaced by a
growing insight into the nature of the art.
Ultimately a student can learn what the
essence of tai chi is.
Their training can be honed to accentuate these
factors and draw them out.
The tai chi can become something that Yang
Lu-chan would not be embarrassed by.
The function of form
In some martial arts, the forms
are practiced rigorously yet often discarded in application.
This seems odd.
Many tai chi classes adopt the same
attitude.
Follow the form
Consider the words: 'form', 'perform' and 'formal' - they all have the
connotation of doing things a particular way.
Your martial application must follow the style of the form.
That way, your art will look, feel and work
as tai chi.
Form is how you move
Our approach to tai chi treats the form as a
functional sequence.
Tai chi form is stylised combat; the
strikes, throws and applications of
tai chi have been smoothed together into a flowing
routine.
The sequence trains habit patterns in the body; unconscious movements deeply
ingrained by repetition.
The fighting movements are being trained with every
step you take.
To use tai chi in combat you must take the form
and give it function.
If the movements of the form cannot be used in realistic combat, there would
seem little point in practicing it.
Movements
The essence of tai chi is the 13 methods.
These movements are not fixed structures like yoga,
but rather 'principles' or qualities.
They were designed to generate energy release.
To use the tai chi form in combat, you must find the unique
physical signature for each movement.
Essence
Every movement has its own
characteristic and this is not just the placement of the hands.
By moving the torso, shifting the weight, spiralling the body, flexing the spine
and adjusting the limbs - you create a movement.
What is the essence of 'single whip'?
To produce the movement, you must move the body in a
certain way.
Once you can feel the essence of each movement, you can generate the
jing and this is what you use in
combat.
A method
For every form movement you must consider what it can be used to counter.
Imagine attacks: what angle of approach is your opponent using and which
limb?
Employ the physics; see the arc of the attacking limb
relative to your body.
Match a viable form movement to the attack; using the pattern appropriately.
Make no assumptions about the attacker.
Avoid fixity of mind
Do not distort the essence of a given movement to accommodate an attack.
If the movement is unsuitable, use another rather than change its essence to fit
the application.
You should feel comfortable applying the movement; it should be easy and
natural, and adhere to the tai chi principles. The purpose of lessons is to move your responses closer and closer to tai chi.
Eventually, your responses must look like tai chi.
External ideas
Hard-style arts approach combat differently to
tai chi, with the emphasis upon localised muscle
strength, speed and aggression.
Many external systems use
techniques and strategies that are
discordant with tai chi.
Mixing hard-style ideas with tai chi is a waste of time; tai chi was
designed with fundamentally different precepts
in mind.
The external way of using the body is in
complete contradiction with tai chi.
The physics do not match up; tai chi and the external arts are in no way
compatible.
More...
Page created
18 May 1997
Last updated
16 June 2023