Understanding form (2) | ||
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Balancing the body
Form enables the student to shift through a wide range of
movements that provide the framework for functional day-to-day healthy body use.
Both sides of the body are employed in a varied, non-strenuous manner.
Agile, careful
stepping trains the
student to step easily and naturally in a balanced, whole-body fashion.
Mirror everything
New starters learn the form with the right hand
dominating.
Mirroring the form movements encourages
ambidexterity; allowing the left hand to take turns being dominant.
Every aspect of the tai chi syllabus should be
practiced with the right and left
hand.
Central equilibrium
Tai chi requires the student to be totally
balanced
at all times. To achieve this, minute internal
adjustment is necessary.
A dynamic process of awareness and subtle
change
enables the
tai chi exponent to remain stable whilst in motion.
The form is an exploration of the
13 methods
Each form movement is comprised of a combination of the
13 methods.
If a student does not understand how and why the
13 methods operate, their
practice lacks whole-body power and
cannot be applied martially in a tai chi
way.
Application
In order to apply the form, your form needs to be something worth
applying.
If your form is careless, clumsy, unbalanced and sloppy... then how can
you expect your applications to work?
They won't work. That is the sad
truth.
Lacking the necessary balance, connection, coordination and flow, the
student resorts to
local arm
strength and brute force.
But that is not
tai chi.
Length
strength
'Connection' is a major theme for tai chi students: it is the most
simplistic neigong concern. Without it, nothing will really work in
application.
Qigong
teaches basic connection by lengthening the
soft tissues of the
body whilst the feet are
static.
Form explores an enormous range of
dynamic connection
possibilities whilst
moving. The
feet are required to step in
coordination
with the rest of the body; ensuring length strength at all times.
Disconnection
Over-stretching pulls
the joints adversely and therefore represents one extreme of
'disconnection'.
The other extreme is sagging; whereby insufficient connection prevents
whole-body
movement.
Connection
For every form movement, the student has the opportunity to sustain
length and cultivate the optimal configuration of unified body parts.
This is a real
challenge.
Mindful, slow,
careful practice
is essential.
There is no scope for
spacing out.
Unbroken strength
With sustained daily form practice, the tendons, ligaments, fascia and muscles become united.
The exponent can use less and less
effort for each movement.
This means that the muscles are less tired and do not hold residual
tension.
There is no longer a need to exert. Whole-body strength is
now present continuously.
How do you move?
Form reflects the way in which you
personally move in
tai chi.
If your form is
clumsy, then you are
clumsy and that is useless for
combat.
Your tai chi must be
fast,
sensitive, alert,
powerful and
lively.
The cat-like grace of
tai chi encourages
agile, strong movement, excellent poise, high
energy levels and a feeling of
vigour.
Invest in
form
Students normally underestimate the
significance of
form.
Bad form = bad
tai chi. It is that simple.
Your form highlights and determines how you
move, how you use your body.
Invest as much
time as you
can in form practice. The better your form, the easier all aspects of the
tai chi will be to pull off.
Long Yang form
The complete sequence will take at least 15 minutes to perform;
ideally 20 minutes.
Then it must be mirrored.
Every pattern of movement has its nature, meaning and
purpose, and must be researched and studied before it can be really
understood.
(Yang Jwing-Ming)
Training tip
The more time you commit to
form practice, the better your tai chi will be.
Practicing form
every
day at home will aid with
coordination,
mobility,
strength,
relaxation and
balance.
Even 10 minutes a day is worthwhile. Do
more if you can.
Familiarity is essential
A beginner only knows 2 minutes of form, so
repeating it 5 times each day will instil necessary
habit patterns. Without habit patterns, what is going to emerge martially?
Nothing.
Nothing at all.
Drilling
For every correction, isolate that movement
and drill it independently for a good 5 minutes;
until the new insight becomes
familiar.
Worth reading
•
8 stages of form
•
Dynamic
•
Form
(whole-body movement)
•
Form applications
•
Form is movement
•
Form pattern
•
Form without function
•
Free the movement
•
Slow
Page
created 21 May 1997
Last updated
16 June 2023
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