From the central to the peripheral, from the Tan Tien to the Tip of the Finger as the masters say. Chinese martial arts has always highly regarded what is termed as the Force at the Finger Tip. Think of it as a whip lash effect.
Let us use the example of Brush Knee, Step and Push. Go to the last bit of the move after you have taken the step. You begin to transfer your weight forward, nearing the end of the weight change you begin to turn your pelvis. Your hand, following the momentum, begins to travel forward as your trunk stops moving (and actually initiates the next move). All the force of your forward step and twisting movement of the trunk is translated to your hand. That is Fa Jing. Practise this maybe a bit faster, that way you as a beginner may feel the movement better. Then when you feel it, slow it down again
Eventually, when Chi runs freely, it will move out from the Tan Tien and make the circuit to the finger tip and back to its source.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
The Tan Tien
The Tan Tien is the centre of your being. It is about 2 finger widths down from your navel (in acupuncture, the point is Chi Hai = Ocean of Chi) and about one-third way into your abdomen. The Chinese believe the Chi accumulates there.
Good health is when Chi or the energy of life circulates freely throughout the body. When Chi is blocked, ill health results. So the aim of Tai-Chi is to initiate and maintain the flow of Chi through a series of slow, graceful and continuous movements.
Do not worry about moving the Chi at the start. Worry about being so relaxed when moving that when Chi spontaneously moves, it will not be blocked. Practise the physical first. When you start a new cycle of movement by shifting your weight, start that movement from the Tan Tien.
It is interesting that Sports Science today says almost the same thing. It talks about triggering the core muscles (abdominal & back muscles) before initiating any functional moves like throwing or lifting.
Good health is when Chi or the energy of life circulates freely throughout the body. When Chi is blocked, ill health results. So the aim of Tai-Chi is to initiate and maintain the flow of Chi through a series of slow, graceful and continuous movements.
Do not worry about moving the Chi at the start. Worry about being so relaxed when moving that when Chi spontaneously moves, it will not be blocked. Practise the physical first. When you start a new cycle of movement by shifting your weight, start that movement from the Tan Tien.
It is interesting that Sports Science today says almost the same thing. It talks about triggering the core muscles (abdominal & back muscles) before initiating any functional moves like throwing or lifting.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
The moving foot has no weight
I think I worked you all hard last Wednesday. I tend to teach too much. Take home one or two important points and work on them. I am sure I will be repeating most of what I say. You will also note that I keep ticking you off for the same habits of movement. Ha! Ha! They say you have to practice a movement 5,000 times for it to become a habit. That may be a bit optimistic.
Following on the last posting, many of the masters have noted that the moving foot must carry no weight. What it means is that you have to draw your weight away from that foot to be able to lift it off the ground and then move it to its intended spot. If there is a bit of weight at the lifted foot, then the move will be hurried and both the start of the lift and the deposition of the foot will be jerky.
Therefore, it is the transition between one stance and another that is important. In order to "flow like a stream" one move must flow to the next with no noticeable pause. Beginners tend to note particular stances eg Single Whip and a following stance eg. Pat High Horse and practise these stances while in a stationary pose. This is not a good way. It is better to concentrate on MOVING from one stance to the other.
Practise the needed weight change to free one part of the body (and one leg). Once the moving leg has touched the ground, then practise the smooth flow of weight change to complete the move and set up the next move. Enjoy!
Following on the last posting, many of the masters have noted that the moving foot must carry no weight. What it means is that you have to draw your weight away from that foot to be able to lift it off the ground and then move it to its intended spot. If there is a bit of weight at the lifted foot, then the move will be hurried and both the start of the lift and the deposition of the foot will be jerky.
Therefore, it is the transition between one stance and another that is important. In order to "flow like a stream" one move must flow to the next with no noticeable pause. Beginners tend to note particular stances eg Single Whip and a following stance eg. Pat High Horse and practise these stances while in a stationary pose. This is not a good way. It is better to concentrate on MOVING from one stance to the other.
Practise the needed weight change to free one part of the body (and one leg). Once the moving leg has touched the ground, then practise the smooth flow of weight change to complete the move and set up the next move. Enjoy!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Balance
It is more than just physical balance we wish to attain. There is spiritual, mental and emotional balance as well. In fact, it will be impossible to achieve true balance if any of these aspects is out of line. In saying that, the balance we try to achieve is a balance in flux. It is constantly changing, as we ourselves are constantly changing. If we imagine a state of perfect equilibrium, we would be wrong. The ancients believe that a state of perfect equilibrium is death. Life is movement. So anything that forces us to move keeps us alive.
So in practising Tai-Chi, we need to test the limits within which we can still recover. If we move our body weight to the left, how far left can we go and still recover? Why is this important? If we are close to perfect balance (and life is perfect!), something will happen that will cause disruption. To use a physical example, if you are going for an evening walk, a jogger may come round the corner and bump into you. You will be pushed to one side. If you practise Tai-Chi movements regularly, you may be able to move so as not to be pushed past the limit of recovery and therefore not fall.
How does this apply when you are practising your movements? When you shift your weight, go as close to the limit as possible. Beginners tend to stay close to the centre and therefore closer to death. When they take a step, their movements become jerky because they have to shift their weight quickly to one leg in order to free the other to move. Not only is it not graceful, it is actually slow and inefficient.
So in practising Tai-Chi, we need to test the limits within which we can still recover. If we move our body weight to the left, how far left can we go and still recover? Why is this important? If we are close to perfect balance (and life is perfect!), something will happen that will cause disruption. To use a physical example, if you are going for an evening walk, a jogger may come round the corner and bump into you. You will be pushed to one side. If you practise Tai-Chi movements regularly, you may be able to move so as not to be pushed past the limit of recovery and therefore not fall.
How does this apply when you are practising your movements? When you shift your weight, go as close to the limit as possible. Beginners tend to stay close to the centre and therefore closer to death. When they take a step, their movements become jerky because they have to shift their weight quickly to one leg in order to free the other to move. Not only is it not graceful, it is actually slow and inefficient.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Welcome to my Tai Chi Blog
Hi there, welcome to the log I am creating mainly for my students. It gives me a quick an easy way to jot down my thoughts or lessons. You can ask questions or make comments. It will mainly be a closed blog.
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