Shuai jiao | ||
Take downs | ||
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Take downs
Shuai jiao is believed to be the world's oldest
martial art.
It is a straightforward martial art skill that can be acquired
rapidly and employed pragmatically in a variety of situations.
Students explore:
Escape from locks & holds
Take the opponent to the floor quickly
Cope with an attack whilst on the ground
Combat throws
Stand alone or incorporated
As a style of combat, shuai jiao can
be practiced in its own right or as an aspect of other systems. Tai chi forms feature countless
shuai jiao applications.
Martial art
We teach shuai jiao for combat.
There are no competitions, weight categories etc.
All martial students learn shuai jiao as they proceed through the
syllabus.
Reasonable force
Reasonable force means that you only do what you need to do in order to
defend yourself.
This is an ambiguous notion, so be careful.
Shuai jiao is ideal for this.
The aim is not to strike somebody or break bones.
Instead: wind them, embarrass them, dissuade them, make them fall to
the ground. Do only what is necessary and then walk away.
The way
most people do tai chi, it's not a martial art. They could never use it the
way they're doing it. Everything's in their hands, they just fill in the
rest with fantasy talk.
(Paul Gale)
'Internal' shuai jiao
'Internal' shuai jiao uses the fighting skills attained in
pushing hands:
balance, listening, rhythm, stickiness and timing.
Various jing skills can also be used.
The applications are performed in a smooth, fluid manner. There is no
struggling or fighting. There is no time to breakfall. Shuai jiao is not
used to escape locks and holds.
'External' shuai jiao
Not all shuai jiao in the world is
internal.
It is often taught as an external system; akin to
judo. Force, tension and
aggression are used. There are even fighting
competitions.
Shuai jiao is used to escape locks and holds. This is not what we teach.
3 levels of skill
Students work through 3 levels of shuai jiao application:
Fixed
Flowing
Freeform
Fixed applications are taught
to 'skilled' students. Flowing and freeform come later.
Do we teach
techniques?
No.
A technique is a step-by-step formula for addressing a particular type of
attack.
The purpose of shuai jiao applications is different.
Students discover how to manipulate and manoeuvre their opponents body in an
effective, comfortable, flowing, natural fashion.
The principles used can be applied to a variety of different attacks.
Tai chi fighting method
In terms of combat, tai chi does not put
shuai jiao first.
More energy efficient methods are preferred:
Striking
Shuai jiao
There are a vast range of
striking methods and four main areas of chin na skill.
Shuai jiao tends to be used by the more nimble and
flexible exponent.
Spur of the moment
As a student advances through the our syllabus, their responses should become
spontaneous and easy.
The appropriate application should emerge without contrivance or
conscious thought.
Eventually, the student switches very rapidly between shuai
jiao, chin na and striking. This enables fast
counter-attacks; with the
exponent changing tactics unpredictably and effectively.
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Page created 2 March 1995
Last updated
23 October 2023