Do not employ aggression when none is needed.
(I Ching)
Taoist mentality
Taoism
is neither adversarial nor cooperative, so we adopt this attitude in partner
work.
As a beginner, none
of the exercises are
full-contact or intended to be ‘realistic’ – they are training drills designed
to develop foundation skills.
As an attacker,
be careful not to hold too tightly as this can perpetuate your habit
patterns of tension.
Use mind, connection and gravity (via relaxation) instead.
Give your partner something to work with but be
sensible.
As a defender, be soft, slow and smooth.
If you need speed or strength, you have gone astray and should start the
exercise again with the basics.
Cooperation
A very common mistake is to move your own limb
rather than let your partner do it.
Martially, this is crazy - akin to punching yourself or putting your own arm
in a lock - who would do that?
In pushing hands beginners forget to take turns
sending and receiving.
The exercise becomes a dance whereby both parties drift their hands around
in a circle and nobody is really doing anything constructive.
Cooperation can be as bad as aggression.
Ideally, you need to adjust your behaviour according to
who you are working with and the skills they are demonstrating.
Unpredictable, adaptive practice is ideal when your partner is experienced.
A beginner might feel somewhat intimidated if you expect too much of them at
first, so be patient and considerate.
Responsibility
It takes courage to allow your partner to manipulate your body in ways that
could potentially damage you.
Take this responsibility seriously.
When your partner trusts you, they can relax.
If you hurt people, nobody will want to train with you.
Control
If you cannot control how you apply the tai chi, there is no hope of ever
being mastered by it.
You must learn just how far to go.
Applicability and appropriateness are basic skills.
Knowing instinctively when to stop reflects your
accord with the situation you are part of.
Forcing your will onto your partner simply demonstrates inexperience.
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Page created 6 May 2000