In Tai Chi Chuan, whatever the style, we all subscribe to certain basic principles.
Correct Posture
In the Song of the Thirteen Tactics we learn that ‘when the coccyx is Zhong Zheng, the spirit connects with the headtop’. Zhong literally means central; Zheng can mean straight, upright or correct. Famous masters Yang Cheng-fu, Chen Wei-ming, ung Ying-jie and Sun Lu-tang, all of whom can be seen with straight, but not an upright back.
Correctness of Stance
Alignment of the knee and foot is Crucial.
In a front stance, both feet should be flat on the ground. The front knee should be bent directly over the toes, but without going way past them. The rear foot generally be pointing forward, and particularly so when the next move involves stepping back.
The rear foot does not always face exactly the same direction as the front foot, as in Seven Stars Style, but for balance and to protect the joint the rear foot is normally turned in so that it makes an approximate 45-degree angle with the front foot.
Horse-Riding Stance, most important is that the feet should not be parallel: if they are, you will not be able to sink into the stance properly. You should sink into the stance so that ideally the thighs are almost parallel to the ground.
Distinguishing Yin and Yang
That is, distinguishing the substantial and the void, or the full and the empty. For example, in a front stance the front leg bears most of the weight and is therefore full, substantial or Yin, while the rear leg is empty, void or Yang. Yang is the positive force and represents movement; Yin is the negative force and represents stillness.
Co-ordinated Movement
The aim is for all parts of the body to start and finish a movement together;
‘From the feet, to the legs, to the waist,
All must be completely uniform and
simultaneous,
Whether moving forward or back,
This will result in good timing and
correct movement
There are other essential types of coordination such as mental and physical, soft and hard, internal and external, stillness and motion. To sum up, if there is no co-ordination then there is no technique, and with no technique here is no power.
Achieving Smoothness, Intent and Focus
On the one hand Tai Chi practitioners should seek to achieve a smooth transition from one technique to another, but on the other hand their techniques should exhibit both intent and focus.
In Tai Chi Chuan the knee of the forward leg, the nose and the hand(s) should all be aligned in the same direction when striking, kicking or pushing. This is correct focus, and when it is achieved the whole weight of the body is behind the strike, kick or push.
We should be able to see the intent (Yi) expressed not just through the physical movements, but also in the eyes. Rather than looking at the hands, the practitioner should be looking at where they, and therefore their hands are going; the eyes should express the intent behind these movements. And it is the character of the movements which dictates the speed of the form, just as the terrain through which a river passing dictates the speed of the river.
Balanced Turning and Stepping
This to a large extent is the corollary of good posture and stance, and correctly distinguishing Yin and Yang. In addition many students have poor balance because they are top heavy due to their failure to sink and to keep their centre of gravity low. As for turning and stepping, difficulties arise because of failure to a-line the lowered foot by placing it too close or too far from the supporting leg.
Relaxation and Softness
‘Light and relaxed’ does not mean an absence of muscular movement or muscular tension, but that there is no stiffness. Muscular strength is, and should be employed in practising the hand form, but this strength is trained, and it is relaxed and contains a high degree of elasticity.
To perform Tai Chi Chuan form well, it is necessary that the techniques should be both aesthetically pleasing and contain martial spirit.
Correct Posture
In the Song of the Thirteen Tactics we learn that ‘when the coccyx is Zhong Zheng, the spirit connects with the headtop’. Zhong literally means central; Zheng can mean straight, upright or correct. Famous masters Yang Cheng-fu, Chen Wei-ming, ung Ying-jie and Sun Lu-tang, all of whom can be seen with straight, but not an upright back.
Correctness of Stance
Alignment of the knee and foot is Crucial.
In a front stance, both feet should be flat on the ground. The front knee should be bent directly over the toes, but without going way past them. The rear foot generally be pointing forward, and particularly so when the next move involves stepping back.
The rear foot does not always face exactly the same direction as the front foot, as in Seven Stars Style, but for balance and to protect the joint the rear foot is normally turned in so that it makes an approximate 45-degree angle with the front foot.
Horse-Riding Stance, most important is that the feet should not be parallel: if they are, you will not be able to sink into the stance properly. You should sink into the stance so that ideally the thighs are almost parallel to the ground.
Distinguishing Yin and Yang
That is, distinguishing the substantial and the void, or the full and the empty. For example, in a front stance the front leg bears most of the weight and is therefore full, substantial or Yin, while the rear leg is empty, void or Yang. Yang is the positive force and represents movement; Yin is the negative force and represents stillness.
Co-ordinated Movement
The aim is for all parts of the body to start and finish a movement together;
‘From the feet, to the legs, to the waist,
All must be completely uniform and
simultaneous,
Whether moving forward or back,
This will result in good timing and
correct movement
There are other essential types of coordination such as mental and physical, soft and hard, internal and external, stillness and motion. To sum up, if there is no co-ordination then there is no technique, and with no technique here is no power.
Achieving Smoothness, Intent and Focus
On the one hand Tai Chi practitioners should seek to achieve a smooth transition from one technique to another, but on the other hand their techniques should exhibit both intent and focus.
In Tai Chi Chuan the knee of the forward leg, the nose and the hand(s) should all be aligned in the same direction when striking, kicking or pushing. This is correct focus, and when it is achieved the whole weight of the body is behind the strike, kick or push.
We should be able to see the intent (Yi) expressed not just through the physical movements, but also in the eyes. Rather than looking at the hands, the practitioner should be looking at where they, and therefore their hands are going; the eyes should express the intent behind these movements. And it is the character of the movements which dictates the speed of the form, just as the terrain through which a river passing dictates the speed of the river.
Balanced Turning and Stepping
This to a large extent is the corollary of good posture and stance, and correctly distinguishing Yin and Yang. In addition many students have poor balance because they are top heavy due to their failure to sink and to keep their centre of gravity low. As for turning and stepping, difficulties arise because of failure to a-line the lowered foot by placing it too close or too far from the supporting leg.
Relaxation and Softness
‘Light and relaxed’ does not mean an absence of muscular movement or muscular tension, but that there is no stiffness. Muscular strength is, and should be employed in practising the hand form, but this strength is trained, and it is relaxed and contains a high degree of elasticity.
To perform Tai Chi Chuan form well, it is necessary that the techniques should be both aesthetically pleasing and contain martial spirit.