Thirty spokes converge in a single hub;
It is the centre hole that allows the wheel to turn.
(Lao Tzu)
Large
movement
It is easy for most people to perform large, extended movements
that rotate the shoulder joint or bend the elbow.
No particular skill is involved.
Our students are not taught to practice in this way.
Whilst large movements may indeed exercise some of the muscles and the
joints, they fail to address the full range of potential movement.
The real
skill lies in the small,
in the subtle.
Slow movement
Making very small
movements is difficult initially.
In modern society, our bodies are not encouraged to make small, smooth,
controlled movement.
Everything is
jerky and abrupt.
In the first movement of the form, we must place the palms down (as if on a
table) then smoothly lift the arms up to shoulder height.
As the arms lift, the wrists must gradually flex so that the hand changes
from a flat shape to a bent shape.
The arms then lower and the hand moves from bent back to flat again.
This movement of the wrist must be very slow, smooth and gradual.
If you simply flick the wrist, the joint is not exercised properly
but if you move the wrist extremely slowly, you feel a very notable stretch
throughout the entire exercise.
Small movement
The joints of the body are capable of a wide range of movement.
We encourages students to explore
this range more completely and thereby gain a better workout.
If you watch an Asian dancer, the hands perform intricate
shapes and minute movements which look simple but are very hard to
replicate.
Tai chi does not use the hands in this way (all hand movement is caused by a
whole-body undulation wave) but the degree of dexterity and control is
similar.
The 'reeling
silk'/waving skills associated with
Dynamic Balancing Tai Chi require
an extensive range of controlled motion.
Jerky, sharp movement is coarse
and unrefined; lacking the flow necessary to allow your body to emulate the
essence of water.
Internal movement
Ultimately, the
external movements need to begin within
the body.
The opening and closing of the joints, the shortening and lengthening of the
muscles, and the flexing of the spine all produce
kinetic energy/movement.
Tai chi aims to employ these movements in an exceptionally small way;
curves, spirals, ripples and arcs propelling force from the
ground,
through the
centre, out
to the extremities and then back.
Page created 1 June 1999