Tai chi fighting method | ||
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Speculation versus fact
There are many discussion threads on-line in which people
compare/contrast tai chi's fighting method with that of other arts e.g. wing
chun. Such conversations are spurious.
They reflect a limited understanding of tai chi and no grasp of the art.
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 tai chi must look like tai chi.
What does tai chi look like?
Tai chi looks like tai chi.
The form, pushing hands,
you know... tai chi.
If your martial expression of tai chi does not
look like tai chi, it probably isn't tai chi (see above).
When asked how he overcame his opponents, Hadrat Ali explained,
"I never met any man who did not help me against himself."
(Hadrat Ali)
Legendary skill?
Imagine for a moment that you are working for the Manchu Emperor... You've
been taught tai chi by the martial arts legend Yang Lu-chan.
Do you expect to be fighting with your bare hands, performing pushing hands
or form exhibitions? Really?
Armed combat
Soldiers carry weapons and the Manchu Emperor's Elite Palace Guards were
equipped with swords and knives. It would be rare indeed for a soldier to
set aside their weapon and engage in unarmed combat.
Many of the tai chi fighting skills hark back to armed combat. The
qualities of nimbleness, agility, whole body movement and whole body power
are essential for armed combat.
Whole body
Tai chi teaches students to do everything using their entire body. It
reduces the risk of injury and significantly increases their physical
strength and striking power.
But such skill is not easy. Considerable patience and long-term challenging
practice are required.
Applying yin/yang
The tai chi fighting method is based on the yin/yang concept. Force is not
blocked. There is no bracing. No aggression.
Instead of opposing strength, we draw it in and re-direct it. Rather than
meet an opponent head-on, we work around the attack. A sharp, pliable,
focused and expansive mind is necessary.
Combat skills
Broadly speaking, the tai chi fighting method can be split into 3 broad
areas of skill:
Every
training method in the syllabus serves to prepare
the student for combat.
Rough stuff
As a boy and a young man, Sifu Waller trained a lot of wing chun,
judo and ju jitsu. He became very fond of the
grappling arts.
Striking or grappling?
If you punch somebody it may hurt them or it may not. Grappling is
different; the applications and techniques can be trained rigorously in
class and then applied in real life, with simply an increase in
power.
Our students are taught how to strike, but skill with grappling must come
first. Simply because it is more reliable.
Get real
Form trains the body to move in a strategic, powerful, balanced manner,
capable of evading attacks and delivering punches, kicks and grapples.
Wallbag work, striking drills, jing, neigong and weapons training amplify
the ability to strike. Chin na and shuai jiao are grappling skills; they are
different ways to deal with a close quarters attack.
Pushing hands is also grappling - a bridging method - culminating in one of
the 3 stated outcomes.
Boxing?
The popular book Chinese Boxing by Robert Smith refers to kung fu as
being 'Chinese boxing' which is what kung fu has historically being called.
The word 'boxing' summons images of fists and punching.
Taiji is supreme ultimate (yin/yang)
and signifies the process of dynamic balancing.
Quan is fist (combat/martial art/boxing).
Dynamic balancing boxing renders the art as a process.
Consider this: Most people live
lives that are not particularly physically challenging. They sit at a desk,
or if they move around, it's not a lot. They aren't performing manoeuvres
that require tremendous balance and coordination. Thus they settle into a
low level of physical capabilities - enough for day-to-day activities or
maybe even hiking or biking or playing golf or tennis on the weekends, but
far from the level of physical capabilities that a highly trained athlete
possesses.
The reason that most people don't possess extraordinary physical
capabilities isn't because they don't have the capacity for them, but rather
because they're satisfied to live in the comfortable rut of homeostasis and
never do the work that is required to get out of it.
The same thing is true for all the mental activities we engage in. We learn
enough to get by but once we reach that point we seldom push to go beyond.
(Anders Ericsson)
Qi power?
If you are looking to develop mythical qi power, wake up... You
cannot defeat your opponent using qi. Stop dreaming.
5 missing pieces
Many tai chi classes lack 5 important elements necessary in order
for tai chi to function as a martial art:
Neigong (whole-body strength)
Martial concepts (what combat constitutes and how to do it effectively)
Chin na (the art of seizing)
Shuai jiao (take downs)
Jing (whole-body power)
Without these 5 components, tai chi is lacking something and may not work in
combat.
Strength
Tai chi doesn't get easier. You
get stronger. But only if you practice.
Hard work
Hard work alone is not enough, though. Simply working hard will not
necessarily lead to progress.
It needs to be deliberate, focused improvement designed to improve your
practice by developing key skills outlined by your instructor.
The student must implement corrections, study the recommended books,
undertake assignments and challenge their comfort zone.
Starting out
Tai chi students cannot begin lessons by immediately engaging in combat.
They have no internal skill whatsoever. What would be the point? The
fighting would not be 'tai chi'.
It would be a waste of time.
Fitness
New students learn how to relax, to move, to coordinate, to be strong, to be
sensitive, to connect their separate-seeming body parts together...
Very few students last long enough to even commence martial training.
You must get fit
All martial arts require the student to be fit for combat and tai chi is
no exception. There are many lazy tai chi classes in the world. This is
naive in the extreme.
Cross-training tai chi
Our students train: massage, leg stretches, qigong, neigong, form, partnered work, martial sets & drills,
combat and weapons.
The training is done carefully, gently - in a controlled manner - without
exertion or strain.
Brain work
Working the brain is the real key to success. A strong, pliable, flexible,
adaptive brain is required for learning this art.
Brain work includes: meditation, awareness, clarity, composure,
metacognition, constructive reading, memory and rest.
Step by step
Once physical fitness has been gained, the student develops their technical
skills. These are extremely important.
It is necessary to have a high degree of physical aptitude and no remnant of
tension. When the mind and body move as one, the student can really begin to
fight.
Confronted by limitations of
effectiveness, the martial arts of the West responded with a continuous
crafting of superior equipment. Confronted with similar limitations, the
Asian warrior responded by fashioning a better self. The warrior turned not
to technology in making his sword a better tool for fighting. Influenced by
contemplative aspects of Taoism and Buddhism and by the self-discipline of
Confucianism, he turned inward. He fine-tuned his body and mind in order to
better manipulate his sword.
(Dave Lowry)
Arcane books
The root of the fighting principles
contained within tai chi can be examined
further by reading translations/interpretations of
ancient books:
The Way and Its Power
The Book of Changes
The Book of Five Rings
If the
nuances are lost on your modern mind, try approaching the problem
indirectly. Start by reading some books by Krishnamurti, Gladwell, Wiseman or Leslie. Then try the books listed above?
What relevance do tai chi fighting
skills have in modern life?
Simple. Tai chi teaches you how to defend yourself from harm.
The world didn't suddenly become safe. People are assaulted the world over
for the most ridiculous reasons, and confrontation isn't going anywhere
soon.
Tai chi skills lead to less fear, greater confidence and the ability to
identify (and avoid) dangerous situations.
Tai chi fighting method
If you want to find out what the tai chi fighting method
constitutes, read this website. It does not offer
shortcuts or techniques. It challenges you to have integrity and find things
out for yourself.
Should you disagree with anything written in these pages, that is fine.
Clearly the website was not written for you...
Worth reading
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Biomechanics
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Incapacitation
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Sensitivity
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Page created
7 July 1996
Last updated 18 April 2015
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