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Tai chi fighting method
Tai chi is associated with old people moving
slowly around community halls or out in the park.
Not many people are even aware that
tai chi for health is derived from
tai chi - a martial
art.
In most cases, tai chi classes are
health classes.
Very few contain a credible, functional,
comprehensive martial
syllabus.
Missing it by a little will
lead many miles astray
Tai chi is often practiced badly.
People get really muddled up concerning
basic skills and fail to study
The Tai Chi Classics deeply enough.
They make major assumptions about
tai chi based upon what other
martial arts are doing.
The weak art?
Usually in combat, tai chi students just
tense-up and start using
external martial arts
skills.
Others go floppy.
Neither approach is correct.
Sung:
To relax and sink.
A distinction should be made between the relaxation of the whole body and a
limp or flaccid condition of the whole body.
When the head is picked up, the joints are thrown open and the relaxation of
the body is uniform.
(Lo/Inn/Amacker/Fo)
Yielding
Yielding refers to a
dynamic relationship with the attacker in which the limbs are neither floppy
nor tense.
It requires peng, sensitivity
and an understanding of 4 ounces of pressure.
The aim is to adjust continually in order to
maintain the advantage.
Withdraw
The aim is to create space without being
out of range for countering.
Unless the tai chi student sustains dynamic tension
whilst making space, they cannot immediately
affect the attacker.
Advanced practice requires the student to keep the
attacker slightly off-centre and off-balance whilst
withdrawing.
Folding
Folding is not collapsing, crumpling,
buckling...
It is a variety of things, including:
Play in the joints
Yield, store, bounce back and release
For every movement, the arms draw into the centre, move outwards and then return to the centre again
Maintain groundpath whilst switching from hand to wrist, wrist to elbow, elbow to shoulder
Your body must be
square on the inside and round on the outside.
This removes any scope for weak framework or stiffness
in the body.
Qigong/form framework
All of those countless qigong exercises,
form movements and neigong
qualities function to create a framework of strength.
This network of connected body parts exists at all times. It is inherent.
You do not need to tense-up or apply contracted muscle power.
All you need to do is trust that this framework exists, and
use it.
Practice builds skill
Until you understand (and can employ)
peng, you cannot use your
tai chi properly.
You will continue to assert.
Seeking to demonstrate your strength aggressively
indicates fear and poor skill.
You must know that peng exists in order to use
it.
To do this, you must practice hard,
get in condition, relax and let-go of
tension.
Luke Skywalker: I don't believe it.
Yoda: That is why you fail.
(The Empire Strikes Back)
Striking the air is bad
Striking the air when applying an application is very bad practice.
It cultivates the habit of not hitting
the attacker.
We want to train the opposite...
Impact
Impact is essential.
It affects things.
Having your body at the correct angle for a
strike is paramount.
Commitment makes you move in closer.
It exposes you to counter-attacks.
It trains you to see the attack in terms of line
of force, angles of
strength and
weakness.
You must also allow for effect and gauge the
risk of adverse feedback.
Patter-cake
Playing patter-cake with your attacker is
also bad practice. It indicates a lack of groundpath.
You must always affect the assailant.
Tapping the outside of their body will not harm them in any way or
deter the attack.
If anything it will do the opposite because you will have shown the ineffectual nature of your counter.
More...
Page created
2 December 1996
Last updated
16 June 2023