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| Paradigm shift | ||
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Have
you ever seen the movie The Matrix?
Morpheus tells Neo that The Matrix construct is a program. It is
built on rules. The rules can be bent and broken.
Tai chi is like this. Compared to other
martial arts it appears to be
breaking/bending the rules. But is it?
Fighting expectations?
Most examples of fighting involve people trading blows, using
aggression and force against
force. Typically, the faster, stronger or more
skilful person wins.
Example #1 - blocking
Most martial arts rely on blocking to counter an
oncoming strike... Although blocking may successfully prevent a punch from hitting you,
it does not stop you from being hit.
It merely transfers the force of the blow to another body
part. Now, consider Newton's 3rd Law of Motion:
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Damage?
Blocking, struggling, forcing, striking a balanced opponent... these are
also harmful to your own body.
In defeating your opponent you may also harm yourself.
If defending your own body results in injury to your body, is this success? Have you not failed in your intention? Bruises, sprains, stiffness, soreness, cuts and damage are all bad for you.
Example #2 -
emotion
Many martial artists lose their temper in combat.
They fuel their responses with aggression and adrenaline.
This may prove effective, but it puts the
body and brain under duress.
Anger actually makes the mind stupid.
This is a medical fact. It narrows the vision, limits
coherent thought and causes the body to tense-up.
Example #3 - hitting a solid
object
When you strike a balanced, stable opponent there is adverse feedback.
We're back to Newton's 3rd Law already.
If you are tense, then much of it will bang off your attacker's body and back
into you.
There is a concussive shockwave that travels along your arm, into your spine and
throughout your body. This is not good for your health. It also reduces how much
power is being delivered.
Example #4 - tensing-up
In combat, most people tense-up. Their
body is under strain. They're not moving in a natural, safe, comfortable
manner.
Tense muscles prevent the joints from moving freely.
Tense muscles are in fact weak muscles.
They are not healthy, balanced and toned. They are
over-working and
straining.
Your nervous system is sending and receiving faulty information from the
muscles.
Another drawback of tension is joint health. Joints allow the body to have
'spring' - like a car's suspension? Without flexibility in the
joints, the body has no 'give'. Locked joints are bad for you.
Example #5 - using the arms
independently of the body
If you look at the size of your leg muscles, back muscles, buttock muscles
and compare them to your arm muscles, you'll find that the arms are
comparatively feeble.
Your legs can generate way more power than your arms can. Most martial
artists rely on localised arm strength and this prevents them from utilising
the full strength of their body.
Nature's rules
Taoism is about learning and following the rules of nature.
Tai chi students must discover what these rules
are. The rules pertain to physics, objects in
motion, balance and
human anatomy.
e.g. the very title of the book The Way and Its Power is an
equation: if, then. In other words: if you adhere to
nature, then you get to use natural power.
Physics
The word 'physics' originally came from the Greek language and refers to
the nature of things. Therefore the subject of physics is concerned with how
things operate in nature.
Taoism is the ancient Chinese equivalent of
physics. In martial arts if you ignore physics (e.g. Newton's 3rd Law of Motion)
this isn't very efficient or intelligent.
Biomechanics
Biomechanics is the study of the structure and
function of biological systems
e.g. balance, stance (foot position), mobility, coordination, use of
energy, alignment, posture and poise.
Most people are not very energy efficient.
They put strain on certain muscles,
tax a particular joint, meanwhile other parts of
the body no longer move correctly (e.g.
sacroiliac).
What 'feels right' is not necessarily healthy or
advisable - since 'normal' is outcome of habit and
familiarity - not understanding.
It is very common to see people
over-reaching, over-striding or over-working
without any awareness that they are doing these
things.
Follow the rules of nature
Tai chi is based on following the rules of nature. Is this true of
other martial arts? Apparently not. Bruce Frantzis once pointed out that
most martial arts basically destroy the human body.
How come? These martial arts go against physics and they ignore human
anatomy (which is why so many external
martial artist get bad knees).
As you grow older, hard-style
martial arts, sport and conventional exercise become increasingly
difficult
to perform.
A martial art may work in combat just fine but what about the rest of your
life?
Age
A young person can get away with ignoring their
body and ignoring physics. They can fight in a manner that is harmful to
their own body, and they may well recover.
As you get older this is no longer the case. Injuries last. They don't just
vanish. Injuries sustained in martial arts training affect your
day-to-day body use and health.
Effort to reward ratio
Defeating the attacker at your own expense is essentially a 'sacrifice'
tactic.
This is not how tai chi operates. Commitment is limited.
Over-commitment is a major fault.
The aim is to make the least amount of effort and receive the greatest
reward.
More...
Page created
18 April 2005
Last updated
16 June 2023