|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 7:56 am
Although most people in the West these days consider Tai Chi nothing more than a pleasant diversion or a way to loosen up and relax themselves, the fact is that Tai Chi was originally and remains a very potent, deadly martial art. Focused primarily upon the cultivation and use of internal energy, Tai Chi is considered one of the three nei jia quan, a grouping of internal martial arts including Tai Chi Ch'uan, Bagua Zhang, and Xingyi Quan. Tai Chi is the most mainstream of the three and blends elements of the other two into itself to form something of a middle ground between the three.
The founding of Tai Chi is somewhat shrouded in mystery. Apocryphal legend suggests that an unnamed monk had a dream at the foot of Taoism's holy Wudang Mountain in which he was given instructions on how to perform the art by a goddess. Another tale tells of a Taoist monk who observed a fight between a crane and a monkey and codified the movements into the first Tai Chi forms. The most likely explanation is that it was created by the Chen family (who gave their name to the original and most martial of Tai Chi's forms) based upon the simpler movements of a qigong (moving meditation) form in response to attacks upon their village by bandits. Originally, Tai Chi was taught only to members of the Chen family, but eventually other students proved their worth, giving birth to a plethora of other styles.
The most popular style of Tai Chi in the world today is the Yang form, typically taught to people as a set of 28 movements designed primarily to cultivate chi with the secondary goals of martial training and relaxation. Other forms include the original Chen (old frame and cannon bashing styles), Wu style (noted for being particularly subtle and the most internally based of the types of Tai Chi) and Sun style, which is considered the most showy of Tai Chi's forms.
Practitioners of Tai Chi who are serious about both the martial application and the chi cultivation aspect can expect to study for a minimum of ten years before they can even consider themselves capable of mastery. Most Tai Chi masters will quickly admit that there is no way a human can truly master the deepest aspects of the style, as many of the oldest secrets of the art have been lost over the years. In my own private classes, I make certain that students understand I am only beginning to plumb the depths of the more mystical aspects of the art and much of what they learn will be mechanical in nature. Most Tai Chi students are expected to discern the deeper meanings of each movement with little or no guidance from their sifu.
In the West, much of Tai Chi has been corrupted from its martial purposes and co-opted into a simpler but more flawed type of moving meditation. As a direct consequence, many Tai Chi "instructors" in the West can expect to come under severe scrutiny by actual masters and their teachings are typically considered inferior to those of masters actually descended from one of the original masters.
There is no ranking system in Tai Chi as recognized by true masters. If you are being told otherwise, the person either learned from a flawed teacher, or does not possess the knowledge they are actually trying to impart. For convenience purposes in Tai Chi competitions (a misnomer, they are more demonstration than competition), Tai Chi players are referred to by basic ranks. A starter student is called simply a beginner, while at the largest of competitions one might have the honor of witnessing a match between grandmasters. These matches often result in no contact of any sort as the masters simply assess one another's chi and decide who would win a contest of wills between them.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 12:48 pm
The deceptively soft motions of Tai Chi often garner criticism as too slow and soft to be applied as a martial science. It is important for a teacher to impart the lesson that while the forms themselves are important (indeed, essential!), this is the part that most people think of when they think of the art. Much like the kata and forms of other arts, they are merely a training tool, designed specifically to teach the student the difficult type of movement involved in Tai Chi while strengthening key body areas and teaching proper breathing. When in combat, the motions (or rather, the way of moving) is sped up exponentially.
Another critical component of Tai Chi is the Push Hands game. To outsiders, this often appears as a form of mutual meditation or perhaps a type of stretching. Push hands accomplishes the same general task as sparring in other arts. It teaches appropriate ways to absorb and deflect force, as well as serving to help a player align their qi to that of another person. Again, it is simply a tool to teach a certain form of movement and interaction. In real combat, Tai Chi is subtle and blisteringly fast. Many of the motions possess complexity that the uninitiated or neonate students will never see or understand.
The primary mechanic of Tai Chi involves motion of a subtle, rarely thought of grouping of musculature deep inside of the core of the body. All of the strength is generated by flexing and motions of this core (hence the reason students of other arts are taught to throw from the hip, which is approximately in the same area.) By cultivating the strength and energy of this area, the Tai Chi player can perform astoundingly powerful motions with a minimum of external motion. For those willing to believe in it, this is the center of the body's qi system as well, where the internal energy is cultivated. It is disconcerting to learn to use this area at first, but eventually it becomes natural to move this way.
Most of the contact in Tai Chi is reactionary, that is the motions are thrown only in response to attack. This philosophy is echoed in most throwing arts, such as Judo and Aikido. It enables the Tai Chi player to use the opponent's force against them. Apocryphal legends tell of Tai Chi masters who did not even need to move against a punch. They would let it strike, and their mastery of qi would rebound the energy against the striker, harming the attacker more than his target. There is some truth to this. A Tai Chi player's low stance and mastery over their own body allows them some leeway in directing forces exerted against them. A kick that might throw someone else across the room can have its force significantly minimized by a well trained player. The force is "collected" and directed into the ground through their deep root, while the subtle bodily control they possess over their musculature enables them to minimize the impact of the remaining strike. Similar techniques are taught in every branch of the martial arts, whether it's the hardening of Muy Thai or the stomach tensing isometrics of Kyokushin-ryu Karate. The general lesson is that it is easier to let an opponent expend his energy to harm himself than to do it for him.
Tai Chi's striking is fairly rudimentary in nature when compared to other arts. The basic strikes are executed with the fingers, fist, elbows, forearms, and (rarely) feet. Due to the emphasis placed upon rooting, it is rare to see a Tai Chi practitioner kick. Primarily, the art uses grappling techniques and pressure point blows to neutralize the opponent with a minimum of force rather than the brutish strikes of other arts. As a reactionary art, Tai Chi tends to deflect blows directed against it and in the same motion utilize a counter strike or Chin Na grapple. It is atypical for a Tai Chi practitioner to seriously injure even a determined attacker. The process typically follows a specific order of events:
- Allow opponent to attempt strike, compromising their own balance.
- Deflect or absorb the strike in a fashion minimizing impact upon the player.
- Simultaneously, either strike a sensitive area or perform a throw or lock on the opponent.
- If opponent is neutralized, the fight is over. If not, simply stand ready to again defend.
Many arts echo these sentiments. Tai Chi is one of the oldest martial arts in existence, and its influence is seen in many other arts in vestigial form, especially the related internal arts of Bagua Zhang and Xingyiquan. Due to their proximity to the mainland, the Okinawan martial arts particularly were influenced by this sort of martial art, which could be practiced surreptitiously without creating undue suspicion by authorities.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
