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Sifu Waller's
tai chi
All of Sifu Waller's training shares the
same characteristic style of moving, whether it is tai chi, weapons, combat or qigong.
Even his applications follow a common theme:
- there is nothing superfluous, flowery or unnecessary
- no embellishments
- no flourishes
- nothing redundant or aesthetically-motivated
- shen is present in every movement
- he 'holds down the pillow' constantly
Classical
Art moves through 3 stages:
New
Classical
Baroque
Many modern tai chi forms are baroque; separated from functionality
and true purpose.
Not in our class.
There are no wasted movements. No crowd-pleasing displays.
The art is 'classical': simple, direct, focussed and effective in combat.
Each movement, each step, each
small degree of advantage becomes too important.
(Wolfe Lowenthal)
Compact
The movements we use are motivated by neigong considerations and
martial
application.
Students are not permitted to lean, reach or over-commit.
Disconnection is unacceptable.
Tension is unnecessary.
Functional
The movements are natural, comfortable and useable.
Nothing is exaggerated, stylised or awkward. Small circle movements are favoured over sweeping ones.
Students are required to use jing rather than li.
Slow
Many tai chi students have only encountered the 1st form and draw
erroneous conclusions based on their limited
understanding.
It is easy to see why they imagine that tai chi is large frame, lumbering
and slow.
Few people ever experience the compact, sharp power
of more advanced practice or the continual adjustments found in application.
If you have good timing, if you have a strong enough punch, you don't have
to do fifty movements - you condense all the possibilities into one action.
Make one cut, hurt him, Boom... it's over, down he goes. Enough already with
all the screaming and excessive movements. Just do the job, get it over
with, and go on to the next thing.
(Bruce Frantzis)
Dynamic
The weapons forms and partnered drills found in our syllabus
encourage nimble footwork.
Students become playful, agile and responsive.
Through sensitivity and listening skills they learn to adapt, change and
improvise with ease.
3 methods
There are three methods we employ to affect the opponent:
Chin na
- cavity press
- dividing the muscles
- misplacing the bones
- sealing the breath
- seizing
Jing
- projections
- striking
Shuai jiao
- escapes
- floor work
- take down
- throwing
Our aim is not to
advertise our intentions, so all movement must be immediate and spontaneous.
Internal
All movement is generated using the entire body.
This removes any need for flamboyance.
Subtle curves, spirals and stickiness - combined with a skilful use of peng
- provide the necessary in-roads to penetrate defences and
incapacitate the
attacker.
Every action involves every body part moving as a combined network of
strength.
This provides a pliable, yet powerful means of utilising the body in combat
and everyday life.
Practice
To accomplish this, a great deal of whole-body
strength must be cultivated.
Patience, practice and long hours of dedicated work over many years is
required.
If I concentrate while he divides, I can use my
entire strength to attack a fraction of his.
(Sun Tzu)
Subtle
Sifu Waller's tai chi looks very
simple.
Yet, to date, no student has come close to emulating it.
The subtlety reflects a high degree of sophistication and
whole-body
strength.
Direct
Everything stems from a sparse functionality.
Graceful, but direct.
Realistic, but not coarse or vulgar.
Energy efficiency and secrecy dictate that the
internal arts should be
practiced in a minimalist way.
Give nothing, take everything
The understated nature of Sifu Waller's tai chi denies the opponent
any sense of what is taking place.
This is not conventional martial arts practice.
Nothing is advertised.
The power is not obvious from the body use. It only becomes apparent by the
effect.
Mind
Yang Cheng Fu advocated
using mind rather than force, and this sentiment
lies at the heart of what we practice. Clarity, composure, inner stillness and
calm enable the student to be
present at all times.
The focus is upon the essence of things.
To quote the Taoist maxim: "eat the fruit, not
the flower."
Presence
A mind that is here and now is better capable of responding to the
needs of
the moment appropriately and effectively.
To complement the mind, the form taken must be natural and easy, fluid and
restrained.
The aim is to go from a neutral state, to action, to neutral again; without
disturbing the inner harmony.
Good form is the most efficient
manner to accomplish the purpose of a performance with a minimum of lost
motion and wasted energy.
(Bruce Lee)
Page created
18 April 1995
Last updated
16 June 2023
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