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Taijiquan combat | ||
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Recognisable style
If you watch wing chun applied in combat, it looks distinctly like wing chun.
The same could be said of judo, aikido, ju jitsu, pencat silat etc.
By the same reasoning, applied taijiquan must look like taijiquan.
What does taijiquan look like?
Taijiquan looks like taijiquan.
The form, pushing hands,
you know... taijiquan.
If your martial expression of taijiquan does not
look like taijiquan, it is probably not taijiquan (see above).
Habits
If somebody were to attack a beginner unexpectedly,
the response would not look like taijiquan.
It would most likely involve flinching,
bracing, blocking...
There would be force against force,
aggression,
panic and muscular tension.
These habits are not taijiquan.
The essence of taijiquan
The student needs to really examine, contemplate and research the
design elements that led to the creation of taijiquan.
Understanding these factors enables the student to
recognise the differences in taijiquan styles, systems and approaches; why certain schools emphasise
particular qualities which others discard.
This will aid you in making your taijiquan combat look like taijiquan rather than
karate.
Dig deeper
By studying Taoism, The Tai Chi Classics,
biomechanics and combat applications (featuring a wide
variety of scenarios) a more informed,
in-depth, discerning eye is cultivated.
Opinions, expectations and hearsay are replaced by a
growing insight into the nature of the art.
Ultimately a student can learn what the
essence of taijiquan is.
Their training can be honed to accentuate these
factors and draw them out.
The taijiquan can become something that Yang
Lu-chan would not be embarrassed by.
The function of form
In some martial arts, the forms
are practiced rigorously yet often discarded in application.
This seems odd.
Many taijiquan classes adopt the same
attitude.
Follow the form
Consider the words: 'form', 'perform' and 'formal' - they all have the
connotation of doing things a particular way.
Your martial application must follow the style of the form.
That way, your art will look, feel and work
as taijiquan.
Form is how you move
Our approach to taijiquan treats the form as a
functional sequence.
Taijiquan form is stylised combat; the
strikes, throws and applications of
taijiquan have been smoothed together into a flowing
routine.
The sequence trains habit patterns in the body; unconscious movements deeply
ingrained by repetition.
The fighting movements are being trained with every
step you take.
To use taijiquan in combat you must take the form
and give it function.
If the movements of the form cannot be used in realistic combat, there would
seem little point in practicing it.
Movements
The essence of taijiquan is the 13 postures.
These movements are not fixed structures like yoga,
but rather 'principles' or qualities.
They were designed to generate energy release.
To use the taijiquan form in combat, you must find the unique
physical signature for each movement.
Essence
Every movement has its own
characteristic and this is not just the placement of the hands.
By moving the torso, shifting the weight, spiralling the body, flexing the spine
and adjusting the limbs - you create a movement.
What is the essence of 'single whip'?
To produce the movement, you must move the body in a
certain way.
Once you can feel the essence of each movement, you can generate the
jing and this is what you use in
combat.
Taijiquan fighting method
For every form movement you must consider what it can be used to counter.
Imagine attacks: what angle of approach is your opponent using and which
limb?
Employ the physics; see the arc of the attacking limb
relative to your body.
Match a viable form movement to the attack; using the pattern appropriately.
Make no assumptions about the attacker.
Avoid fixity of mind
Do not distort the essence of a given movement to accommodate an attack.
If the movement is unsuitable, use another rather than change its essence to fit
the application.
You should feel comfortable applying the movement; it should be easy and
natural, and adhere to the taijiquan principles. The purpose of lessons is to move your responses closer and closer to taijiquan.
Eventually, your responses must look like taijiquan.
External ideas
Hard-style arts approach combat differently to
taijiquan, with the emphasis upon localised muscle
strength, speed and aggression.
Many external systems use
techniques and strategies that are
discordant with taijiquan.
Mixing hard-style ideas with taijiquan is a waste of time; taijiquan was
designed with fundamentally different precepts
in mind.
The external way of using the body is in
complete contradiction with taijiquan.
The physics do not match up; taijiquan and the external arts are in no way
compatible.
More...
Page created
18 May 1997
Last updated
14 December 2019