Utilisation of the Back Power

For an internal martial art practitioner, power is acquired through awakening the sleeping parts of the body, so that he can utilise coherent bodily force.

In Taiji, this is called the "Know your own self" stage . After you have revived your body and mind coordination, you can then enter the "Know others" stage to learn the application techniques. It is an incorrect approach to learn the application skills (know others) before your body has been revived back to the original conditions (know your own self), as your body and mind coordination is not yet fit enough to manage the application techniques.

An important part of our body which needs to be awakened, for the purpose of regaining coherent bodily force, is the muscles on our back plus the related power transmission channels. Whilst we do use our back muscles in our daily activities, many of us could not utilise these muscles to their full potential. The inborn ability to use the back power gradually disappeared as we started to learn to use our muscles separately and independently. Without going through proper training, we will not be able to regain this ability and we have little control over our back muscles. It is normal that a person does not feel the existence of his back muscles unless they are being touched by external objects. If one cannot coordinate the waist, the back and the shoulders to work together simultaneously, there is serious dissapation of power in between these parts.

One of the methods to call up the back muscles and the related power channel, and to enhance the coordination of different parts of the human body, is to practise standing exercises. Some standing forms, like the "Santi Forms" are specially designed for this. They are effective tools which help activate the back muscles and open the related power transmission channels. Appearing to be relaxed outside, a practitioner feels great tension from within while doing these trainings. Through these trainings, an internal martial artist re-acquires the ability of utilising his back power. It is not an exercise on the back muscles alone (otherwise the practitioner should go to the gym and consult a coach on this rather than doing internal martial art) but an exercise to facilitate the coordination of the mind and the body as a whole. The involvement of will power (for opening up the power transmission channels and control of the back) is more important than simply strengthening the muscles.

An indicator of success is a control of the back muscles at will and utilisation of the back power in combat. The practitioner should feel that he is now more powerful. He can "hit" with the back (a very important and decisive achievement) and can "float" up an opponent by making use of the movements of the back.

He should then be able to use the technique of "sticking" at the later training stage and should be in a position to really appreciating what it is meant by "Chi at the back" as referred to in the Taiji Classics.

[last adjustments: 12.06.2011

Footwork- Entering the Taiji Ring Circle

"A teacher only teaches hand techniques to his student; the footwork is kept to himself. If not, the student can defeat the teacher."

" Retreating from the Ring Circle is Easy; Entering the Ring Circle is difficult,"


Footwork is not really that secret but it is true that the same is often taught in the advanced level in most martial art systems. In the preliminary stage, a junior student learns how to coordinate his mind and body in a static position. There is no point to teach the juniors any footwork as their body condition is not fit enough to master the skill. The demand for coordination is much greater if one moves forward or backward. Yet, footwork is not limited to coordinating the body and mind whilst moving forward and backward.

Footwork provides a martial artist an additional momentum in action.

The old saying "if your feet do not follow the hands, you are not able to hit your opponent; if your feet come together with your hands, hitting your opponent is as easy as picking up a grass from the ground", refers to the effectiveness of this additional momentum.

Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, it enables a martial artist to take a good offending / defending position by moving around his opponent - an effective way to avoid locking horn with the opponent. Some footwork are designed to get oneself to an advantageous position in split seconds without alerting his opponent - I see you, but you don't see me; I was in front of you a moment ago, but I am now at your back..

In the taiji martial art system, footwork is not explicit in the taijiquan form. Other than some turn arounds, it seems that you move forward in a straight line in the form training. If you move in a straight line, how can you execute centripetal force or centrifugal force effectively in action? The best you can do is to "roll" vertically or horizontally or in whatever angle a static ball can do.

The taijiquan form is not an all inclusive system. Whilst it may be arguably correct to say that the form has footwork embedded in it (e.g. before stepping forward, the front leg should make a slight outward turn), you need a teacher to decipher it for you - just like you need a teacher to decipher the application techniques embedded in the form. In any event, you have to train on the footwork as deciphered separately and intensively, as the movements in the form training are far from sufficient to enable a practitioner to be fit enough to apply the technique. You are then in fact practising a different set of skill. That is not to say practising the form is useless - it is an essential element in fine tuning the body / mind control (if you know how to do it) - but a practitioner should know its limitation.

The circular footwork are taught at the advanced stage. The disclosed form (i.e. what you can see from the published material) includes the "Da Lei" push hand form, which include a variety of circular footwork. The weapons forms also include a number of advanced footwork. Don't think that the footwork in the weapon forms is limited to weapon applications.

Footwork in Taiji enables movement of the body like a spinning top. You move from the outer ring into the centre; your opponent is driven from the centre to the outer ring.

Advanced Training Tool - Taiji Pole

This is a traditional "White-Wax Pole" and is about 10 feet in length.

The long pole is a tool for advanced training in the Taiji Martial Art System.

One most common training method is the shaking of the pole. You can find a lot of published material on this subject and there are many related videos circulating on the internet.

I do not intend to analyse the published training methods here but it seems to me that without knowing how to handle the pole; and without knowing the role of the pole in the Taiji Martial Art System, a practitioner will easily fall into the trap of the "Strong Man Principle".

If you wish to develop strong muscles, shaking the pole with all your strength may produce the desired results. But what additional benefit can you obtain by shaking a pole instead of doing weight lifting in a gym?

The Taiji Pole is a high level training tool. Before you take up the pole, you should already have a clear understanding of the fundamental principles in taiji, knowing which part(s) of your body is the focus of the pole training; and anticipating how the pole training could assist you to improve your skill.

One rationale behind the shaking is to acquire the skill of applying the force to a destinated part of the opponent's body through body contact.

Apart from shaking, there is also the training of sending out the pole through the opening and closing of the "Kua".

10 feet is the minimun length. A shorter pole cannot provide the flexibility required.

The long pole is for those who have completed the "Know you ownself" stage. Leave the pole alone if you are not yet ready for it.

Abandoning Oneself and Following the Other

[Note: this article was originally Part VII of "Occupying the Centre". A substantive part of it has been re-written. ]

A bridge is a structure that allows things to cross from one side to the other.

In order to control an opponent and to take over his centre in close quarter combat, a connection between the two bodies has to be established.

One of the "know others" techniques is the setting up of a "bridge" between oneself and the opponent through body contact. Once a connection is made, the opponent loses his centre. The two bodies merge as one and the centre of the opponent dissolves. He who occupies the centre takes charge of the next step.

Bridging is an application of the technique of connecting. A continuous connection is necessary to maintain the control. If the connection is not established, the condition amounts to the defect of "detach", the centres cannot be merged and you will be in danger of being hit.

In an ideal situation, you take over the opponent's centre once you cross the bridge. Your centre becomes the centre of the two bodies. You then unbalanced him in any way you like. It is, however, difficult to achieve this in reality. In case your opponent is alerted of your intention and retreats, a connection is difficult to establish. Your opponent will not cooperate with you to let you make the connection at will in a real confrontation. Once he feels he is in the verge of being controlled, he will move instinctively and break the bridging.

To overcome this undesirable condition, the technique of connection should be supplemented by the techniques of adhering, sticking and following. Instead of letting your opponent get away, you stick to him even if it will end up losing your center - a skillful practitioner will abandon his centre and "hang" himself on the retreating opponent and use the opponent's centre as the centre of the merged bodies. Whilst the centre appears to be staying outside of one's "own body", the connection enables extension of control from one's body to the opponent's body. This ensure continuous connection notwithstanding the opponent moves his body and tries to escape. In a continuous connection, the more the opponent moves, the more difficult it will be for him to maintain his balance as he has to support the weigh of two bodies - you and he sharing the same centre with you controlling it.

The practitioner abandons his own centre with a view to controlling the opponent's centre.This is an example of how the principle of "abandoning oneself and following the other" is put into practice.

Some notes on Chin Na

When I was young, I was facsinated by the arts of those sifus (teachers) who could easily submit a big guy with chin na technique.

It looks as if the rationale behind a chin na technique is simple: You use the strength of your arms / body to control a weak point (usually his joint) of your opponent (the "Weak Point Principle"). However, you will soon find that this is not the case, as you can not do it as smoothly as your sifu.

Your opponent will never cooperate with you as your training partner does. Your opponent will move his limbs and body instinctively, and it is quite natural, when he feels a pain in his joint. Once he modifies his posture (so as to relief his pain), the optimum position to control his weak point changes. Either you let your opponent go and you change to another technique. If not, you will find yourself end up locking horn with your opponent.

Ironically, the Weak Point Principle easily becomes another version of the Strong Man Principle.

The reality is: Whenever a sifu performs a chin na technique, he will first do some tricks to destroy the balance of his opponent. Once the opponent's balance is altered, he loses his ability to adjust his body position and is easily submitted to the chin na technique of the sifu. The best sifu can do the unbalance together with the chin na at the same time - the chin na technique is also the unbalance technique.

The key is to control your opponent's balance, not just his joint or weak point.

The Art of Throwing in Taiji

The basics of the art of throwing in Taiji can be illustrated by the ring children.

1. It involves the centre - the eye of the ring.
2. It involves circular movement - the outer ring.
3. It involves balancing - the turning babies.
4. It involves the joints - the folding arms, bodies and legs.
5. It involves the technique of Yin and Yang - the boy and the girl.
6. It is used on solid ground - where the statue stands.

Comparing taiji with other schools' throwing applications, there is no big difference in the "form" used. The difference lies in the way as to how an opponent is unbalanced before he is thrown.

Apart from Yin Yang Conversion, one of the techniques used in Taiji is the applying of a slight force on a critical joint of the opponent so that his centre of gravity is altered. The opponent can then be thrown without using strength. Many "beginners" are fascinated by such "magical touch".

Not relying on brutish force, such application technique should be supported by the body condition acquired through the basic trainings. Without the support of a natural body, this technique is only workable in demonstrations (for art appreciation) and not in a contest.

Applying a slight force on a critical joint of your opponent is the final touch before a throw. Prior to this, you have to slip (like a fish, taking advantage of the natural body - it is not breaking in using brutish pushes or pulls) into the defensive ring of the opponent, attach to him, cross the bridge, take over the centre, and convert the Yin and Yang. These should be done in one go. In fact, once you convert the Yin and Yang, you can almost do anything on your opponent. The importance of the joint movement should not be over-emphasised.

In reality, no one will let you do the final touch freely on him as you can do so in a demonstration where your partner "cooperates" with you. Without the flexibility, sensitivity and power of a natural body, it is difficult, if not impossible, to unbalance an opponent, in accordance with the taiji principles, in a real confrontation. It is therefore essential that a practitioner gets the basics correct from the very beginning of his training - the line between martial art and morning exercise should not be blurred.

P.S.

Some notes on the use of the technique on solid ground: Solid ground is the most effective venue of using the throwing technique as it will cause your opponent the greatest damage. In the old days, people practised the technique on solid ground without soft mat.

Theory & Practice and the Three Levels of Achievements in Taiji

1. Theory and Practice

The taiji martial art system comprises of two aspects: the artistic - the conceptual, the body of the art; and the martial - the technique, the use of the art.

The artistic aspect provides a practitioner the conceptual tools to work out the best positioning. The martial aspect provides a practitioner the techniques to destroy.

Dealing with the art of taiji in the pure artistic way is just like treating it as an academic subject.

Developed from the pure artistic is the artisticalisation of the martial art - the art is practised as soft physical exercise. The stress in the exercise is on the spiritual aspect and the will power.

It should be noted that, without the support of training in fighting , a theoretician (soft physical exercise is generally not sufficient, unless having reached the level of achievement), no matter how knowledgeable, is like one who has a useless body .

Dealing the art of taiji in the pure martial way is different, it stresses on usefulness / effectiveness.

Developed from the pure martial is the martialisation of the martial art. It emphasises the strengthening of both the internal and external physical power (with more emphasises on physical strength). In action it calls for meeting the positive force with negative force - using intentional softness to dissolve the positive force. This is where taiji becomes a fighting art.

It should, however, be noted that, without the backup of the artistic, a fighter can only apply the techniques in a mechanical way and will not be able to deal with an unexpected situation which he has never been taught.

2. The Three Levels of Achievements

Upper-level: The practitioner starts with both the artistic and the martial from the very beginning and get the best of the art.

Mid-level: The practitioner starts from the artistic and develops the martial subsequently in accordance with his studies. Alternatively, he starts from the martial and works out the artistic from the applications. In both cases, the practitioner reaches a higher level through devotion to his art.

Low-level: The practitioner focuses on either the artistic way or the martial way only and manages to work out the best of either stream.

The distinctions are for illustration purpose. They are not in hierarchical orders as the emphasis is on the effort and achievement of the practitioner.