Martial Tai Chi

There is a lot of discussion as to whether people can use their Tai Chi as a Martial Art.

When John Kells was teaching a class at the Centre in London, a student remarked that the posture " Deflect downwards, intercept and punch " was the first martial movement they had seen.

What this student, and many others, missed is right at the start, when we need to relax. If you can't relax then you will not be able do much other than exhibit fear and tension.

So " Relax " is the first martial principle.

Tai Chi Masters Battle

Straight Spine

One of the biggest mistakes that can be made is to use force to adjust the lower back, pelvis, pubic bone in order to achieve what we think is a straight back.

This will result in tension in the body and mind, exactly the opposite of what we are looking for.Yang Cheng Fu exhorts us to relax and use mind, not force. Funny how often we ignore this or pay lip service.

What we really want is to allow the spinal cord to hang in a straighter fashion. This can be achieved by visualising and relaxing from a point in the back. I'm not going to reveal it but have fun investigating the idea.

Yiquan Poem 6

Here is Poem 6.

Tranlsated by Professor Chang Shao Quan and Heron Beecham. Reproduced with permission.

The body moves smoothly as though dancing with waves;

With the mind and energy as though walking on water.

A moving dragon plays virtuoso to a white crane;

With a grin on its face like that of a terrifying snake.

Strength and power are stored in the muscles and tendons;

The spirit only appears when the frame is properly formed.

Maybe a moving cloud can swallow the beautiful moon;

Upright chivalry is strong enough to pierce through a rainbow.

About Uprooting

To uproot does not mean to unbalance.

It means that the feet of the other person leave the ground in such a way that they have no control or certain knowledge of what has just happened. As they come down you can whack them.

John Kells told us that we must attack the root from the outset.

In the picture below you can see the person's feet coming off the ground. We practised lots of uprooting exercises so that the body/mind set required would be hardwired into our approach to the Form.

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In It

Be alive in your Tai Chi.

Don't just "perform" the form.