The training is
nothing.
The will is everything.
(Batman Begins)
Is tai chi self
defence?
Not necessarily - it depends on
how you practice it.
Tai chi is a
martial art and a martial art is not
always trained for self
defence.
Learning a martial art is about
technical skill, physics, positioning and
strategy.
Students explore applications in a stylised, controlled manner.
Self defence is concerned with escaping from danger.
There is no opportunity in self defence for stylised or exaggerated
movement.
Only the instinctive, immediate, effective responses to attack are
relevant in self defence.
Anything else will fail.
Bridging the gap
You may be skilled at pushing hands and form, but can you deal
with an earnest attacker?
Our school has a number of excellent training methods for
helping students take their tai chi into self defence.
These methods take the controlled classroom exercises into increasingly
unpredictable circumstances.
Clarity of spirit
Thought is the enemy of action and ruins self defence.
Only through
habitual reflex response can a person
hope to respond to an assault effectively.
When you are attacked, the tai chi must come forth - expressed with
shen.
The one thing that will serve you in self
defence is the will not to be beaten into the ground, stabbed, burned,
raped or otherwise injured.
You must also be calm and composed.
Self defence training must be akin to
play
fighting so that you can remain relaxed and emotionally balanced at all
times.
When you
play
exuberantly, you don't take things too seriously.
You try less and you yield more - your body lets go and you can release energy.
Also, if your responses are not premeditated, you have a chance of using them in
reality.
A tai chi self defence class must be a safe environment in which to express
yourself naturally and easily.
It must be a place where you discover yourself and find out
what works for you.
You also find out what is stupid and what will get you beaten up.
Page created 2 July 2000