Those who are
harsh and aggressive are like fire,
burning whatever they touch.
Those who are ungrateful are like ice,
chilling whomever they encounter.
Those who are obsessive and inflexible
are like stagnant water
or rotten wood,
already void of life.
(Huanchu Daoren)
Self defence training
Techniques and formal applications are hard to remember when
you are under pressure.
Your body needs to respond
naturally and
comfortably, so we do not teach techniques.
Instead, you must adapt and
change according to
the demands of the situation.
A good student of tai chi should be able to playfully cope with a variety of
attacks without feeling overwhelmed.
Self defence
training should ultimately build up to situations that feel as real as
possible whilst remaining safe.
There are two ways to practice this with a partner: different contact and
power without speed.
Different contact
'Different contact' is the ideal way to mimic the vigour of combat with the
risk of damage.
It is performed in a loose fashion; the blows are like slaps, uncomfortable
but lacking power.
Speed can be used, but not the force behind it.
This trains restraint.
Power without speed
Substance can be used to flex the opponents joints and twist their body to
the point of discomfort.
The body must remain soft and loose, but
pressure can be exerted.
Practice remains controlled and sensible.
Bag work
A 3-tier wall bag is an excellent training tool for practicing substance
when striking.
Filled with dried peas, it offers the opportunity to hit as hard as you
like.
If the blow has too much pressure, it will feed back through your own body
and hurt.
Pushing peng
By using a wall, the
groundpath can be developed.
This hidden substance will be present in every movement a tai chi student
makes.
It trains the use of pressure and
intent.
Realism?
If you train full contact attack and
defence then it will emulate reality, but both people will suffer damage.
Boxers often experience brain damage from years of fighting full contact.
This seems to miss the whole point.
You don't want to be injured when training self defence.
The truth is
that you can't honestly guarantee that self defence will work when you need
it because there is no way of predicting the circumstances of the attack or
how you will respond.
Life offers few guarantees.
Page created 29 November 2000