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.


A 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.

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Page created 18 May 1997
Last updated 05 March 2021