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| Paradigm shift (2) | ||
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Unorthodox
In tai chi the exponent must adhere to certain requirements that
differ from other martial arts:
The limbs and the torso move together
Yielding to force is paramount
Creating space facilitates greater movement
Flexible of body and mind offers more choices and possibilities
Working without tensing-up increases speed and reduces physical resistance to movement in the body
Remaining composed means that fight, (freeze) or flight doesn't kick in
Moving the whole body means that you offer a mobile target and your blows/leverage contain greater mass and unified strength
Being loose and heavy means that gravity can add considerable power to your actions
Going with the flow enables you to deal with what is taking place rather than get caught up in an idea/concept
Responding without thinking is faster than planning and evaluating; and taps the subconscious mind
New students
When people start tai chi lessons they have all kinds of poor
physical habits and notions pertaining to the experience of fighting. This
is to be expected.
On what basis is the new starter assessing the
tai chi?
How are they measuring the skill?
What criteria are being applied?
Which qualities do they consider to be valuable?
The new starter assesses the quality of the
tai chi on the
basis of their own opinions, values and judgements.
They draw the criteria from memory and experience.
The tai chi is measured relative to their
expectations.
It is compared with what they want to
see or might imagine they will see.
Discover the truth
People who attend a good
tai chi class for the first time are
often surprised to find themselves exploring
body use.
They expected to be memorising a
beautifully
choreographed sequence and walking away with a feeling of bliss.
Instead they are invited to
discover how they
are currently using their own body.
This usually proves to be an eye opener.
Process
Unlike most
martial arts,
tai chi is more concerned about the process of combat rather than simply
the outcome.
Yes, nobody wants to be harmed.
However, the means by which the result is achieved is not separate from the
conclusion.
People argue that the end justifies the means... Yet, the end cannot be
separated from the means.
Means and end are part of the
same process.
Without the means there would be no end.
The means is the vehicle or mechanism for the
production of the end.
Wrong means = wrong end.
Tai chi’s neigong is like
a spring; the hard in the soft, the needle in the cotton.
It is relaxed and not a matter of muscular effort.
Nor is preparation needed.
When you want it, it is there.
This comes only after hard and diligent training
(Cheng Man Ching)
Words and ideas
Modern culture perpetuates the
misconception that anyone can understand
anything providing it is properly explained to them. And that the failing of the
individual is caused by a shabby explanation.
This is absurd. If a concert pianist patiently taught you how to play
the piano, could you hope to match
their skill? A ballerina? An airline pilot? A surgeon? A chef? A tailor? An
engineer? A mechanic?
Words have severe limitations.
Blind and lost
To understand anything we
need context. Reference points.
Case examples. A comprehensive
mental
representation. A
knowledge base.
We need experience,
parameters, guidelines,
limitations,
applicability. We need to know
where the
pieces fit together, how and why.
A novice does not and cannot possess this. No
matter how eloquent or detailed the explanation nor how thoroughly they
study.
Bad habits
Many health problems are caused by the way
in which we stand, walk, sit and use our bodies during
everyday activities.
Headache,
fatigue, stiff neck, bad knees, back problems are usually
caused by our own bad habits.
Incorrect muscle use,
imbalance, poor physical awareness, work and many
forms of exercise only serve to perpetuate poor fitness and muscle
tension.
Conventional
training
As you grow older, hard-style
martial arts, sport and conventional exercise become increasingly
difficult
to perform.
Many exercises promote muscle tension; resulting in a stiff neck and
immobile joints.
Injuries are common.
The slogan 'no pain, no gain' is often used
in conjunction with exercise. Being healthy sounds like an ordeal.
Exercise expectations
People expect to sweat their way to fitness
and good health but is this really necessary? Not all forms of exercise are necessarily
good for you.
For example, running may improve
cardiovascular health but is also very hard on the
joints.
Lifting heavy weights can cause significant tension to accumulate and - if the
muscles are large enough - adversely affect the
skeleton. Most forms of exercise have
pros and
cons; especially
sport.
Optimal
Tai chi is concerned with re-training the body for optimal functioning.
To use the body skilfully, you must dynamically balance muscles within the body
and use the bone structure in a healthy way.
We teach people to become incredibly aware of their own bodies.
It is so tempting to stretch, to extend, to
reach.
To force, to push. Don't do this.
Just do what you need to do to accomplish the
result and nothing more.
Aim for this ratio: minimal
effort achieves
maximum results.
Physical intelligence
A tai chi student acquires
knowledge and
skills by following a clearly defined tried
and tested syllabus. The training methods
instil muscle memory, cultivate
awareness and encourage
mindfulness.
Throughout the early stages of their learning process the student must simply do
what they are told. Without alteration, improvisation or real
understanding.
The student may have modest glimmers of
insight
but these are partial and fail to reflect a
more comprehensive grasp of the material or its
true nature and
purpose.
Counter-intuitive?
The body use
principles and
rules employed in tai chi often run
contrary to what people expect. They are very
surprised to discover for themselves that system actually works.
No belief,
faith or qi
magic was involved. Just good biomechanics
and physics. Often, students remark that tai chi is
"counter-intuitive". This admission is quite telling.
The art is not counter-intuitive at all. Tai chi follows nature.
The problem lies with the individual student's major
misconceptions. And their lack of
'physical intelligence'.
e.g. the tai chi
teacher didn't discover the folly of
bracing and blocking... Sir Isaac Newton did.
And before him, the
ancient Taoists. The
knowledge is old and it is publicly available.
The energy of an object in motion
increases with the square of its velocity. Or in even simpler English: when
you’re hitting something, speed is more important than mass. If you double
your mass, you’ll hit with twice the force. But if you double your speed,
you’ll hit with four times the force, and so on. Quite handy to know when
you only weigh 140 pounds.
(Anna Spysz)
Back to
The Matrix
So, is tai chi bending or breaking the rules? No. It follows
them. The rules of nature. Physics. Human anatomy. In fact, it is the
other arts that are not following the rules... Get it?
e.g. taekwondo is based on
concepts. Concepts and ideas that are not in accord with either nature,
physics or human anatomy.
Page created
18 April 2005
Last updated
16 June 2023
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