Tai Chi Centre Moves

The Centre Moves the Peripherals:

By Erle Montaigue

October 7, 1989

When practicing the art of T'ai chi ch'uan one must always take important notice of where the movement originates from. For instance, ballet dancers are able to perform the movements of T'ai chi perfectly. At least they look perfect to the untrained eye but usually their movement is being originated from the hands or feet and not coming from the centre.

Every minute movement must move from the centre. Even the hooking of the fingers in the posture 'tan-pien' or single whip must originate from the centre. When this movement is performed we must not just move the fingers into place while the rest of the body does nothing, there will be a circular movement of the lower abdomen which causes this wrist movement to take place. If you were to exaggerate the movements of a seasoned T'ai chi player, you would notice that all movement comes from a slight inner tensing of the lower abdomen. At a more advanced stage this movement must also be circular. I.e.; the lower abdomen must slightly tense internally firstly on one side, go over the top and then down the other side to coincide with the circular movement of the hands and indeed this slight internal tension must make the hands move accordingly. However, there is no easy way to learn this inner movement as it must come with experience. All a teacher is able to do is to tell the student about this most important aspect and hope that they get it along the way. Usually the student will stumble across it by accident and discover how much extra power is generated.

The movement called 'fishes in eight' for instance must originate from the centre with a slight tensing of the lower abdomen so that it is the lower abdomen that causes the palms to move in such a manner. If this is not done, we lose the 'inner meaning' of the technique i.e.; a finger strike to the eyes followed by an elbow strike to 'the mind point' on the side of the jaw with a point strike to the left or right wrist area to lung and heart points.

Sounds complicated but it's all there in the movement.

This is not an easy task as we all of us are so used to superficial movement which is hand originated that it will take many years of training to get the centre to activate the palms and feet as we used to when we were small children.

It is said in the classics that the movement must come from the feet is directed by the waist and manifests in the palms. So we see from this that all movement must be directed by the waist or lower abdomen. Only when the wrists have come completely into 'sung' will the movement be able to arise from the centre and when this happens, a whole new world of T'ai chi movement will be experienced so that one will never be able to go back to originating the movement from the peripherals. So much power is gained by the execution of this classic that it would seem to some to be supernatural but it isn't. All movement is based purely upon physics and so too are the movements from T'ai chi. In the same way that physics professors are able to perform seemingly supernatural feats using simple laws of physics so too are we able to make use of those laws in our T'ai chi training.

Many people simply stumble upon these laws and because they do not know about physics they actually believe that they are performing supernatural feats when all the time they are only using physical laws, natural laws which are there for all of us sub-supermen to use.

To begin training in the use of the centre we use the group of postures called 'wave hands in clouds'. This is ideal as the movement is so perfectly rounded and allows the centre to move the waist and hands. We perform the postures with static feet standing in the qigong posture and only turn from the waist. The lower abdomen is tensed lightly internally so that the movement of the wrists only comes from this movement. Try and feel where the lower abdomen needs to be lightly tensed to cause this wrists to turn and fold. When this movement is achieved then we begin the movement of the feet. Remembering at all times that the wrists must be in total 'sung' for any internal movement to happen at all.

Another excellent training method to gain this central movement is the practice of pushing hands. You will notice that I called this exercise a training method and that is all it is and should never be used in tournament or for fighting etc. If you are able to lose all ego and allow your partner to push you over and not try to resist, only trying to rely upon the classics etc, then all that you have read about T'ai chi in those classics will manifest to you. Slowly you will find that you are not being pushed over so easily and you seem to be using less and less power to stop yourself from being attacked. This is because your sub-conscious mind is finally getting the message about the laws of physics and will cause your body to react in the absolute correct way to defend against that on-coming force.

As I said earlier we are not supermen/women (well some of us aren't) and so if it is required that the body actually give way and be pushed over then that sometimes is the only way out to stop us from being hurt. So don't worry if you are continually being pushed over. Just try to stick to the classics of straight back with absolutely no bending of the waist, use only centrifugal force to spin the force away. Tuck the chin in so that there is like an iron rod running up your backbone and turn your waist in compliance with the on-coming force and in conjunction with your palms being moved from the centre. Think about your feet. Make like a tree with the feet as the roots and no force in your upper body at all. Keep the power in your feet and the looseness in your upper body and the movement will only come from the centre.

Gradually, your push hands will place into your sub-conscious mind an internal movement which will be born of the abstract movements and techniques from the pushing hands practice so that when you are attacked, your mind will cause your body to react accordingly with any number of defensive measures which could mean that you punch him out or lock him up or throw him down. But it will all spring initially from your push hands practice. However, if you try to use push hands as a tournament exercise or for competition then you will only be trying to win and that's not what T'ai chi is all about. When you start to think about what technique you can use to defeat your push hands opponent then you will lose all idea of the internal and abstract and so never gain the internal art of T'ai chi. T'ai Chi is not wrestling, although wrestling does have it's place but that's another story.

Eyes & Space

THE EYES AND SPACE

Most martial arts tell us something about how we should emulate the actions of animals. We should move like the spritely monkey or pounce like the tiger etc. But the most important of these is that we should have the eye of the eagle ready to strike. When we read this, we usually oversimplify it and just look harder or focus harder. But upon looking further into the Chinese way of the animals in kung-fu we see that the eagle has an unique seeing system which tells us exactly how we should be seeing when fighting.

The eagle has a way of literally locking onto his prey, not just the shape but the space that surrounds it.

We have three visions; spot focus, where we look directly at a smaller portion and focus upon it, average focus, where we use our total peripheral vision to see the whole subject and surrounding area, and small peripheral focus, where we lock onto the space that the object takes up in the universe. This is a very special technique and requires many hours of practice combined with breathing techniques.

In this way we are able to move with the opponent and not wait until he has moved. In other words, we do not see a series of 'pictures' as he moves closer and focus separately on to these images. But rather our sight moves as he moves and follow the space that he displaces. A body can only take up the same amount of space no matter what it is doing and in what shape so if we fight the space displacement then we cannot fail, we move when it moves because we are locked onto that space and so we adjust our own space accordingly and sub-consciously make the right moves to counter.

Finish The Movements

Finish The Movements:

January 1, 1990

So you've finished learning your T'ai chi form and you have been practicing for a couple of years and you think that you 'have it'.

All of the postures are correct and flowing correctly into the next without breaks, you are now able to get down low enough and you feel as if you're centred. Then one day your teacher stops you and tells you that you're doing it all wrong. Why? you ask. 'You haven't finished each posture off'. He/She says.

Now, you know that you have finished each posture so next time you even putt a small stop at the end of each posture and look over at the teacher. 'No, you haven't finished the movement'. So you put an even longer pause in at the end of each posture thinking, 'there, I've finished the movement now'. Then he says, but you're stopping, there is no flow'.

Ever wondered what those strange little twists and turns are for when you see an experienced T'ai chi master perform the movements?

Little quirks that seem to come right at the end of many of the postures that you just can't seem to get by trying to perform them.

This is what is meant by 'finishing the movement'. You don't actually stop, but rather you have a slight body shake at the end of most of the postures that leads you into the next posture.

I was told to perform the postures at realistic speed and then I would find out the meaning of 'finish the movement'. Sure enough when the movement is performed at 'fa-jing' (explosive energy) pace then there must be an energy re-bound at the end of the posture.

This is why we are told to only close the fist upon immediate impact and release it directly after. If we kept the closed fist with slight tension, then the re-bound energy would be swallowed up in that tension as in karate etc. When we loosen the fist directly after impact, then we are able to send the re-bound energy into the next movement. This rebound is used to take us into the next posture and is the starting energy for that particular posture.

When we perform the movements slowly, we must still have that energy re-bound at the end of each posture only now we are able to see the movement happening. All movement, when it stops must have a finishing movement, a release of energy, this is the law of nature. So too is it with our T'ai chi movement. If we just do the movements gracefully and allow each movement to just run into the next, it feels good and may even look great but it not correct.

Even when doing the movements slowly, there must be that final release of energy at the end of the posture and this is what causes the re-bound to enable us to carry on into the next movement without stopping.

However, if we try to do the re-bound, as one of the learned T'ai chi movements then we will only be adding movements to the form.

No, the re-bound must happen as a direct consequence of performing the postures as martial applications and they must just happen naturally. For instance, when we perform the posture, chee, or squeeze, (some people call this press) right at the end of that movement there is a hollowing of the chest, a rounding of the shoulders and a bowing of the backbone. When done in a real way, this happens naturally so that the energy is exploded outward into the object being attacked. The mere name of the posture suggests to us that there is a squeezing of he body upon impact. It is this squeezing which causes the re-bound which takes us into the next movement of sit back ready.

So we have a sort of undulation at the end of each posture brought about by the correct execution of the posture in the martial way.

A ballet dancer is able to pick up the movements of T'ai chi in a very short period of time but they will only be movements and not T'ai chi. T'ai chi is a balance of yin and yang i.e.; a balance of attack and defensive movements all linked together by minute re-bound movements. These re-bound movements only come after many years of practice and application.

Watch the waist of your teacher and you will see that there is a slight movement at the end of each posture which seems to come from the waist. The movement just doesn't stop where it is. For instance after the posture of 'tan-pien' or single whip, the posture does not stop when the left palm strikes, you will notice that there is a slight turning of the waist and a contracting of the back which leads into the next movement of 'lift hands'. It is this slight contracting that gives us the immense power that is generated by this posture but if we just go straight into 'lift hands' after single whip then there is now power being generated. Just at the end of the posture called 'embrace tiger, return to mountain', there is a movement which looks like the practitioner is squeezing his/her whole body up like a tennis ball hitting a wall. This 'spring' is used to generate power for the next movement and so on.

When we are told that the movement must flow into the next, what really happens is that the energy builds up (yang) from start to finish of the posture and it is part of the release (yin) which we use to take us into the next posture. Although the movements do flow into each other, this is not the main flow. It is the flow of energy (Qi) that we are looking to gain by making use of the very laws of nature.

Fa-Jing

FA-JING: THE TECHNIQUE OF POWER

An Article By Erle Montaigue

The Power stems from the legs, is directed by the waist and shows in the hands. Or at least that's what we're told in the T'ai chi classics. But how does one gain such power? Do we push with the legs, do we twist with the waist, does the waist lead or does the attacking portion strike at the same time that the waist moves etc.

We do not have to think about all of these criteria when attacking or defending, we have been given a most powerful way of gaining power, that of the fa-jing movement. Fa-jing is one of those mystical words that many people espouse but few understand or are able to execute.

Literally meaning 'explosive energy', the whole body must be the attacking portion and not just the fist or palm or foot or shoulder, elbow etc. Fa-jing is not even a fast movement, it is beyond speed. Speed alone will not give you power. I have seen some highly ranked martial arts people who are able to strike eleven times per second but who lack even the power to knock someone out.

For there to be power there must also be mass behind the speed and if one tries for speed rather than fa-jing then the power is lost.

For fa-jing to exist there must be a combining of mass, speed, timing, coordination and breath, only then will one be able to utilise all of one's full potential in the attack. Fa-jing goes beyond muscular power, it is a sub-conscious reaction sort of like a sneeze but controlled to the point where we are able to execute it at any time unlike the sneeze.

YOUR BODY MUST SHAKE

Watch any chen style T'ai chi exponent and see how his or her body shakes as the fa-jing is executed. Not a large bodily shake but rather an internal vibration which emanates in the hands or feet and comes to a climax for a split second at impact. Some chen stylists tend to take this shaking a little too far and concentrate upon this aspect of their training too much thus losing the initial idea of the shake being an internal movement which emanates externally. If the shaking is a result of an external movement then it can never become internal.

There must be a total body commitment to the attack, every sinew, bone and muscle each adding to the total power upon impact.

There must also be an opposite reaction so if the waist turns or rather explodes to the left for a right handed attack, there must be a just as explosive right turning just after the strike so that the waist actually ends up in line with the centres in line as in the postures from the form.

The breath must be an external explosion of energy combined with a reverse breathing technique. The lower abdomen, upon attacking must expand and you breathe out. The breath must also coincide with the timing of the movement.

FOR MULTIPLE ATTACKS, THE WAIST TAKES OVER AS THE INITIATOR OF POWER

Once the initial attack has been launched and landed, one does not stop there. One must follow up with multiple attacks until the opponent is downed. In this case the speed is too great to be rocking back and forth from rear to front leg so now the waist takes over in issuing the movement to gain the power with the rear heal off the ground just balancing the body in much the same way that western boxers stand.

The Fa-jing is not only relegated to attacking. In defence we must also use this concept. Rather than just defending for instance against a front jab using p'eng and roll back, we use p'eng and choy. I.e.; we use a fa-jing movement to either rip his arm off or put his neck out. In a life or death situation anything is legal. Choy literally translates as inch energy whereby we use a very sharp explosive inch long wrench of his wrist to place great strain upon the neck. When used with THE SHAKING METHOD of the body, this makes for great power.

THE MIND IS CLEAR

Upon impact using fa-jing, the mind is completely clear and free of thought. Fa-jing should and can only be a subconscious reaction, it's as if you have not even made the attack, the whole body shakes and vibrates for that split second to gain the most possible power from your particular body type.

Shoulder stroke, elbow stroke, pushing, pulling, squeezing, drilling, hammering, throwing, locking, punching, palming all make use of the fa-jing explosion. It could be any of the above attacking movements or any combination but it must never be pre-thought about, the defence must happen as a result of what the opponent is doing to you and not what you think that you should do to him.

THERE SHOULD BE SOME SOUND

The fa-jing should be accompanied by some vocal sound. It does not matter what sound, everyone has their own preference, either made through the mouth only or through the nose and mouth. The sound should be an explosive expulsion of air, not like the karate ki-ai but a softer more explosive sound using torque which places some resistance upon the diaphragm, this somehow has the tendency to cause the attack to be more coordinated.

But how does one learn the fa-jing? Taiji has a unique way, given to us by the Yangs'. The Pauchui form or cannon fist form. Some of the movements of this form are slow but every now and again there should be an explosive attack using the fa-jing concept whereby the whole body shakes the attack out. Combine this method with the training of bag and mitt and we have indeed a most formidable way of training the fa-jing.

USE THE SOUND OF THE STRIKE TO JUDGE THE EFFECT

When using the hand held mitt or big punching bag we are able

to judge whether or not we have attained a high level of proficiency in fa-jing by listening to the sound of the strike and the amount of bag movement. This is not saying that the more bag movement, the greater your internal power. There are two types of sound and movement to watch and listen for.

When we strike to the face area of the bag, i.e.; high, we must listen for a loud almost deafening crack upon impact with not much if any movement of the bag, the impact must go inside of the bag and vibrate throughout it internally and there must be a natural rebound of the attacking portion ready for re-attack. One should be able to strike the mitt or bag from a very short distance and still gain the power.

When we strike to the body portion of the bag we must then look for more movement as the body is able to take in more movement and so we must penetrate more. The sound is also different. Here we listen for a thudding sound upon impact and great movement of the bag. However, and this is important, there must not be a great lead up to the attack on either levels. We must look for little initial energy but strive to gain a great effect. We are only able to do this using the fa-jing techniques. We are able to strike from a very short distance and gain a great effect.

Whatever your martial art, the fa-jing technique of attack and defence will enhance your power greatly, so much that you will never be able to revert back to the old way of using brute muscular strength. 'O' Sensei Dr. Chitose the late leader of the Chito-ryu style of karate told some of his senior students before he died that the fist or any attacking portion must be like a whip and indeed, I am told that when he struck, his fist was like a whip, in and out before you could see it. Many of the Chito-ryu advanced techniques resemble those from T'ai chi and Dr. Chitose told his students that at an advanced stage Chito-ryu was like T'ai chi but never expanded upon what he had said, hence many of those students now train in T'ai chi techniques as well as their karate style and the two work very well together.