Tai Chi (May, 2013)

It is a great pleasure to learn that Master Wu Kung Cho (吳公藻) is about to publish this comprehensive book on Tai Chi Chuan (太極拳), the Wu style… This book represents the accumulation of generations of experience and knowledge of the Wu family in Tai Chi Chuan, and deals with the theoretical, practical, physiological and historical aspects of the art in a most thorough and comprehensive way… The author hopes that this book will provide useful references for those who are genuinely interested in Tai Chi Chuan, and that it will be contributive to the promotion of physical well-being of the human race… Tai Chi Chuan is a fascinating set of physical exercise or Chinese martial art, the origin of which dates back to 1,000 A.D. or more, and is now attracting more and more attention in the West. It is a unique Chinese system of soft-intrinsic martial art which involves a combination of breathing, meditation and exercise in a smooth, round and continuous movement to reach every inner and outer part of the human body. The essence of the movements of Tai Chi Chuan lies in the co-ordination of the mind and the body. Because of its relaxed postures and its gentle and graceful movements which neither over-activate the heart nor over-strain the muscles, it is suitable for people of all… Its name derived from a concept of Chinese philosophy meaning the “Supreme Ultimate” or the “Absolute End”, which represents the highest development of an ancient Chinese physical and psychological principle. It is also called “Shadow Boxing” because a major self-defense technique of Tai Chi Chuan is to follow and to tenaciously adhere to the opponent like a shadow to its object… The whole set of exercise takes about half an hour to complete when performed in slow motion and it can be regarded as an art that stresses gentle breathing, balanced and relaxed postures and absolute calmness of mind. Emphasis is laid on mental and physical co-ordination. The body is the form, and the mind, which is the spirit of all the movements, is the actual moving force. A characteristic of Tai Chi Chuan is slow-moving. It is common knowledge that food is chewed slowly, it can be more fully digested and its taste can be more fully enjoyed. Likewise, the slow-moving in Tai Chi Chuan requires attentive control and entails clarity and distinctness of movement. It also enables the mind to function to its fullness in recognizing and appreciating the essence of every move. Another characteristic of Tai Chi Chuan is smoothness. Though the movements are done slowly, there is no interruption. No movement is sudden or abrupt and all the postures flow evenly and gracefully without pause from start to finish. A third characteristic is that the movements are composed of arcs and circles, big or small. Theses circular movements which embrace the theory of Yin and Yang have both a neutralizing and a counter-attacking effect when put into practical use. One more characteristic is that there is no independent movement of limbs, the head or even the fingers in Tai Chi Chuan. The great variety of forms and movements are so constructed that the various parts of the body move as a well-knitted unit, and the feet, the legs the head and the waist must act as one continuous whole. As the “Theory of Tai Chi Chuan” puts it, “All parts of the body are connected like a string of pearls” and “Every movement is rooted in the feet, developed in the legs, directed by the waist and expressed through the finger.” There are many misconceptions about the use of Tai Chi Chuan for self-defense. Because of its slow and ballet-like movements, Westerners usually regard it as only a health exercise, but we must not forget that Tai Chi Chuan is basically a martial art and that every movement has its logic in practical use. Of course, self-defense involves rapid actions that are much faster than the movements executed when Tai Chi Chuan is practiced alone. So after becoming skilled in the practice of the forms of the set exercise, the next step is to practise Tui Shao (推手) or push-hand exercise with a partner to develop the technique of self-defence. There are several fixed or basic patterns of Tui Shao to master before the free style matches are practised. The object is to uproot your opponent while remaining firmly rooted yourself. Tui Shao helps the player to develop intrinsic strength and to acquire an acute sensitivity of touch. In Tui Shao, the player is trained to give himself up and to follow and adhere to his opponent. This may sound astounding to the conventional boxer. Well, to illustrate, when a Tai Chi expert meets an opponent who strikes at him, he neither opposes nor counters the blow; instead he yields before the force and by skillful manipulation of the circular movements, shifts his opponent’s force to another direction. Then, taking advantage of his opponent’s momentum, he adds a pull or a push so that with the augmented resultant force, the opponent, meeting no resistance, is thrown to the ground. This explains the principle of “toppling a thousand pounds with only four ounces”. The four ounces do not squarely meet the thousand pounds of course, but rather cause the heavier force to defeat itself. The keynote therefore is not to meet force with force, but to make use of the opponent’s force. The technique lies in keeping light but tenacious adherence to the opponent. There should be neither resistance nor letting go. At the opponent’s slightest advancing pressure, you yield to him; at his slightest retreat, you stick to him. Over a period of long and correct practice in the push-hand exercise, the self-defence technique of Tai Chi Chuan, you will acquire such sensitive audible power in your skin on any slightest movements of your opponent that you will be able to precisely detect his moves just before he makes them. Tai Chi Chuan also includes the use of weapons (lance, the one-bladed sword and the double-bladed sword). Weapons are regarded as an extension of our arms. Therefore a player has to master the set exercise or the Chuan itself first before he learns to use weapons…