Intimately
involved in the fight or flight response, the psoas can curl you into a
protective foetal ball or flex you to prepare the powerful back and leg
muscles to spring into action.
Because the psoas is so intimately involved in such basic physical and
emotional reactions, a chronically tightened psoas continually signals your
body that you're in danger, eventually exhausting the adrenal glands and
depleting the immune system.
As you learn to approach the world without this chronic tension, psoas
awareness can open the door to a more sensitive attunement to your body's
inner signals about safety and danger, and to a greater sense of inner
peace.
(Liz
Koch)
Involuntary reaction
Jerky, fast, forceful action will alert your opponent's
nervous system. This will enable them to
react
to your movements.
Aggressive, sudden physical contact invariably triggers a reaction.
This is a natural response to unexpected stimuli.
Tai chi is practiced
smoothly and
slowly
in order to avoid triggering your opponent's nervous system.
If we can use timing and positioning skilfully, it is possible to trick your
attacker's body into failing to perceive the threat.
Drills
Most of the drills we explore teach you how to move without
advertising your intentions.
This requires a lot of practice.
Listening and
sensitivity must be cultivated.
Eventually all of your training must consolidate and be applied in self defence
practice.
If you cannot pull it together in self defence, your tai chi drills are useless.
A secondary feature of the drills is to train your own body to overcome the
involuntary physical response to unexpected stimuli.
Everyone reacts when startled.
A tai chi person must learn how to rapidly shed the effects of the surprise and
move on.
In time, the reflexive response becomes almost imperceptible.
No threat
If you can move without alerting your attacker, you create a window of
opportunity.
You create time.
There is no need to move quickly. Just carry on doing what you are doing.
The very act of
not alerting your attacker has bought you time.
There is no need to rush. Use the opportunity wisely.
Force
Seeking to
force a result will also create an involuntary
nervous system response.
The attacker's body will resist without any conscious thought being involved.
Instead of
forcing, we must allow. We must find accord.
What you are seeking is to move with the attacker.
Force
versus force is not tai chi.
Trick the opponent's body into complying with you.
Startle
It can be advantageous for you to alert your attacker's nervous system.
If they are momentarily startled, they lose composure and become distracted.
A shock can also result in
fear.
Knowing how and when to use this requires training.
The ability to throw your assailant mentally and emotionally 'off-kilter' can
give you an edge.
Page created 13 June 2002