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| Paper tiger | ||
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Paper tiger
A paper tiger is a person who appears to have power but
is in reality ineffectual.
Some martial artists are paper tigers.
They spend years training a system but cannot deliver
effective strikes or use the art against a
realistic opponent.
Tai chi is particularly prone to ineffectual
students.
Tai chi
Tai chi is a Chinese martial art.
If an instructor claims to be teaching tai chi, then they should be capable of
using the art in combat.
There is nothing macho about this.
The science of the essence
Were you to purchase a car, you would expect it to work.
You should be able to get in, turn the ignition and be capable of driving
somewhere.
It is the nature of a car. It is what makes a car a
'car'...
Yet, so many tai chi students lack even the most
basic sense of how to use tai chi in self
defence. Why?
Do not stray
If you want to gain internal tai chi combat skills,
you need only consider training
tai chi.
Looking to other martial arts for input
and ideas is utterly fruitless.
You will only get good at tai chi by
training tai chi.
Read the classics, the Tao Te Ching,
I Ching and Chuang Tzu. Study
The Art of War and The Book of Five Rings.
Put the insights into practice.
A
blustering, harmless fellow they (the Chinese) call 'a paper tiger'.
(John F. Davis)
Striking with ease
Not all internal strikes need to use fa jing.
It is possible to deliver a potent strike using body weight and very little
physical effort.
Any master should be capable of
demonstrating this on you.
There should be no pushing,
aggression, speed or change in emotional
state.
Internal
A tai chi punch should be easy, comfortable and natural-looking, yet
potentially wind the recipient as it penetrates deep into the body.
Any sign of effort or force indicates inexperience.
The master should seem to be genuinely playful
and friendly.
It should be unlike an external
punch. Not remotely similar to karate,
wing chun, boxing or ju jitsu.
There is no jarring. No banging. No adverse feedback. No sense of punching
through the body.
Combat
If you try to grapple with a student, it should feel
as though you are attempting to hold water.
There should be no purchase.
A student should be capable of very creative body
use.
They can shift and move in a
powerful,
internal manner without using
strength or applying force.
Slippery and cunning, a skilled tai chi exponent
can employ a wide range of chin na skills without
needing to plan or think about them.
Be advised - if you 'try it on', expect the student to respond
accordingly.
Multiple opponents
Tai chi is ideally suited to
multiple opponent scenarios.
It does not employ locks, holds or any kind of committed action. It is agile and
changeable.
It is adaptive and responsive.
A skilled exponent should be capable of working with a number of simultaneous
attackers, using timing, distance and
positioning to produce on-going
appropriate counters.
Feel
Jing is the science of touch and expression.
A master should be an expert with jing.
They should be capable of utilising the eight
powers in a diverse manner of ways.
Sensitivity skills are just the beginning.
The range of jing at your disposal are considerable and their applications
varied and surprising.
Freedom
For jing to work effectively, the exponent must move
naturally and freely.
No postures. No posing or preparing.
Every movement should be casual, yet
decisive. Soft, yet deeply penetrating.
Page created
18 April 1995
Last updated
16 June 2023
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