Tai Chi Journal

Finer Points

Last night we had our final weekly Tai Chi class of the current session, with the next trimester (or whatever it's called) at Tai Sophia beginning in May. I was grateful to pick up a few of the finer points of Yang-Style form.

(1) Instructor Brad says that when the form is done as intended, motion never stops ... except of course at those points where still meditation, not motion, is what is intended. Pauses between movements, though optionally permissible, are generally not done. When we pause in class, it is for illustrative purposes only.

(2) The hands are usually held so that there is nearly a right angle between the thumb and extended index finger, with the other fingers held loosely apart. There are, of course, specific exceptions such as what the hands do in the Press movement.

(3) There is generally a reason for the seeming oddest motions of the form. The rationale usually has to do with the martial-arts aspect of Tai Chi: hand-to-hand combat. For instance, the hooked hand of Single Whip movement evolved from using that hand to snatch the opponent's hand or arm as he attempts to strike a blow ... as the other hand moves in such a way so as to seize the underside of the same arm of the opponent. If that maneuver fails, the top of the hooked hand can be used to rap the opponent under his chin, or the pointed fingers can be poked into his eye. Imagine that, the next time you think Tai Chi is just about loveliness!

Of course the form, practiced as a moving meditation, has evolved well beyond assault and battery. For example, the down-pointed toe of White Crane Spreads Wings was originally lifted much higher, in such a way as to strike the opponent's privates. And the heel-down empty steps so often found in the form were at one time kicks at the opponent's legs. To me there is something profound in contemplating how what were at one time purely combat moves can have evolved into a form of ballet.

(4) Brad showed me how the hand motions in Double Ward Off/Press/Push work. From Ward Off, with the hands forward, we sweep the hands down and back, then around, up, and forward again for Press, such that, overall, they describe an oval. Then for Push, the hands go up and back followed by down, forward, and up, such that the oval they describe is the reverse of the first oval!

It seems to me that this describe-an-oval concept applies to a great many — perhaps all — of the flowing hand motions in Yang-Style Tai Chi. Even the seeming end points of movements are really points at the "narrow end" of (potentially quite flat) ovals.

(5) Brad also clued me in that in general, when there is a seemingly concurrent outward movement of the feet and also of the hands, the step out (or whatever) is done first, and only then is the outward positioning of the hands done. For example, the Double Ward Off Right that follows involves both a foot and hand extension. From Single Ward Off Left we (a) pivot the upper body counterclockwise as we form Hold Chi Ball with the right hand on the bottom; (b) make an empty step forward with the right foot; and only then (c) bring the hands forward in Ward Off position, as the body's weight comes forward over the right foot.

This has two purposes. In martial arts theory, the empty step is actually a preliminary kick at an opponent's legs before warding off his return blow (see above). In practice, taking a foot-first approach keeps us from lurching too far forward; the planted foot (even with no weight on it) limits how far we will move the hands.

posted by eric @ 9:56 AM