Many excessively bounce around learning the next 'new' form or movement set without ever extracting the real internal value from any of them.
(Bruce Frantzis)
Working alone
Much
of your
tai chi
practice may be spent alone, training qigong,
form and solo
drills.
This is important and necessary study time.
It addresses your own body and you have time to work on the details and
understand the material.
For many people, this solo practice is all they do.
Yet, it is only half of the equation. The other half is
partner work. And we do
not simply mean 'pushing hands' or 'form applications'.
You
can be wonderful at memorising and
demonstrating your tai chi form.
For many people, this is enough.
However, what would you do if an
earnest attacker
assaulted you?
Self defence
You may think that
self defence is not for you, and is ugly and unnecessary.
But, without the self defence knowledge and skill, your understanding remains
partial.
The martial insights teach you how to
cultivate and release
kinetic energy.
Lacking these skills, you are training the
outward form of tai chi but not the
inner.
Ultimately, tai chi is an internal
martial art.
Partner work
The
main thing you learn in partner work is
feedback. Feedback is everything.
Solo work addresses your
own body whereas partner work addresses your
partner's
body.
The effect of your actions becomes your primary concern.
You must successfully apply the
tai chi in self defence,
incapacitating the attacker
without compromising
your own body.
This
caveat is one of the main
differences in
attitude between internal and external martial arts.
An external art may well work in combat, but it may also mean harming your own body.
It is a tool that harms the user.
Effect
Jing
is all about effect. What happens to your opponent as a consequence of your
actions?
In combat, this is the main concern.
You can do the most effective-looking movement solo, but what happens when you
try it against a moving, non-cooperative, adaptive
opponent?
If you have a fixed way of looking at things, you will find that your material
fails to be effective.
Your timing if off, the positioning is wrong, it is inappropriate, you are using
brute
force.
Brute force is the last refuge of the
clumsy student.
Without partner work, how do you know whether or not your strikes even hurt?
Never assume
What works in
theory will not necessarily work in
reality.
A genuine opponent will not respond in the
formal, stylised ways associated with
pushing hands or form applications.
They will
challenge and tax you at every turn.
You cannot make any assumptions.
Stylised?
Each posture moves the body in a particular manner in order to generate
power,
utilise structure and affect the opponent.
If you are too stiff or stylised in your
tai chi, this simply will not happen.
The so-called postures serve to shape
movement and apply it in a
strategically
practical manner.
Your body serves as a
conduit for the transmission of kinetic energy.
The aim initially must be to evade the incoming blow, circumvent the
opponent's
strength and strike.
When your skill has improved, you must power your response by using your
opponent's kinetic energy.
Diversity
In modern times you must learn how to defend yourself against
multiple opponents
who may be unarmed or
armed.
Solo training will not prepare you for self defence.
If your training is lacking extensive and diverse partner work, it is imbalanced.
Page created 28 November 2000