The strong and the rigid are broken and laid low.
The soft and the weak will always overcome.
(Lao Tzu)
Under attack
In order to assault you, the opponent
must usually come very close.
By breaching your assumed 'personal space' the aggressor makes you very
uncomfortable.
The act of coming in close indicates that they do not respect your
boundaries and intend to make physical contact without your consent.
You feel vulnerable psychologically and physically exposed by the attack. Your body will have learned certain conditioned responses to this incursion
and these actually work against you in
self defence.
You must let go of what you are familiar with.
Intimacy in tai chi
Tai
chi partner work operates in a
very
intimate way.
Two people must move together - it must be a very sensitive sharing
experience.
They must allow the other person to move them and let the resistance soften.
When you can make contact with another person and move as they move, you can
begin
tai chi self defence.
Remaining extremely close to another person and developing a tactile
awareness of their movements is a very intimate sensory experience.
Your body will learn to feel every movement another person makes.
You will learn not to
resist and stiffen. This is a very useful skill.
Self defence requires
close proximity
In order to defend yourself effectively you need to get
close to the opponent.
Rather than wait for the attack to reach you, you must move in and counter.
You must be comfortable being physically close to other people.
It may feel awkward to be so close to a stranger but with practice it feels
natural.
By remaining receptive to the other person you increase your ability to
respond intuitively and instinctively.
You must
let go of your tension and
learn to embrace whatever is happening without trying to anticipate or pull
back.
Page created 15 February 1999