Do not hesitate, but do not hurry or force the pace.
(I Ching)
Striking
Our approach to striking requires you to
remain totally relaxed, even on impact. The hand never tenses and the fist is not actually clenched.
This will seem very strange to a beginner.
People are conditioned to tense-up from a young age.
Fa jing
Fa jing usually involves a 'coil-release-coil' action to deliver the strike.
The body opens and closes in an instant to deliver the blow.
A beginner cannot perform fa jing because they lack the necessary neigong.
Instead, the beginner focuses upon gaining the ability to deliver
energy using their body.
This process is powerful but unrefined.
Intermediate and
experienced students learn to refine jing and produce very deliberate types
of release.
Without a foundation in jing, fa jing is simply not possible.
Other training methods focus upon hitting and being hit.
The ability to fully connect the body in a soft, loose framework is
essential for striking.
Penetration
In our school of tai chi we deliver into the body, not through it.
If you strike a person and knock them backwards, energy is wasted.
The student must be capable of delivering a loose, connected, full-body
strike which penetrates.
Rather than use strength, we must rely upon body weight and the
application of
pressure.
No
thought
Group work is an ideal way to disorient students and remove
thinking time. When you can no longer think, you act.
How you act and whether or not it is effective can only be known by pressure-testing.
Students are encouraged to introduce more and more of the
syllabus into group scenarios but ultimately what comes out
comes out.
Play
Adults forget the joy of
play.
When a group of people work together in self defence they remember how
enjoyable it is to play.
Nobody is frightened or worried about being injured so they
relax and become
receptive.
Page created 7 November 2002