Taking
something and making it your own makes a big difference. It's not just
copying something, it's breaking it down, feeling what's going on and
experiencing it for yourself.
(William Lewis)
What is form?
Form
is simply how you move. It is the shape you adopt.
Tai chi trains the body to move in a certain way, to unite all body parts and
generate kinetic energy.
This form is quite different in appearance (and
nature) to karate, kickboxing, wing chun, ju jitsu or aikido.
It is also different to
Shaolin kung fu, bagwa and hsing i.
A
bagwa person and a tai chi person move
differently. These differences are their
form.
Style
Within tai chi itself there are many styles of tai chi movement: Chen, Yang, Wu
and Sun.
Most other tai chi styles are variations of these basic approaches.
The
Yang
style of movement has certain characteristics that differ from Chen style, and
these are quite obvious when you observe the form.
Each
Yang
school also has variations in movement relative to the understanding and values
of the teacher.
Form sequence
The
form
sequence is a series of movements linked together into one long pattern.
As a pattern, the form sequence teaches flow, continuity, strategy, positioning
and stamina.
The sequence is important but how you do it more significant.
Your own way
Form, qigong, neigong
and partner work all train patterns of movement.
Your aim is not to perfectly emulate someone else's way of performing tai chi,
but to find your own.
There is no need to change the form sequence, but you do need to understand it
for yourself and express it in your own way.
You cannot wear someone else's shoes. You should not even try.
Mimic
People are told to mimic the form perfectly, to reproduce
someone
else's movements exactly.
To what end?
Becoming a replica of someone else is not the
path to tai chi
skill or
understanding.
Follow the sequence by all means but make it your own. Do not become a clone.
Jing
Form teaches energy expression, positioning and strategy. It is a vehicle
for the incorporation of
neigong.
You learn how to
generate power and deliver it in a wide variety
of different ways.
All movements should be expressed as a whole-body undulation wave rather than
simply with the isolated limbs.
Varied
Form postures were not designed with fixed
applications in mind.
Those same movements can serve a multitude of purposes, because the onus is upon
the kinetic energy rather than the hands.
Ambiguity ensures variety, choice, possibilities and change.
Do not be limited and fixed in your perception of form.
Specificity
Although each form posture has a certain pattern to it, the
interpretation and practice of that movement pattern will vary from
school to school.
This is natural and healthy.
No two people are the same; they have different physical proportions, different
perceptions, backgrounds and interests.
Tai chi form is about finding and
expressing power regardless of what you are doing.
If you can find power in the form sequence, you can find it without the sequence
too.
Page created 2 September 2007