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There is a popular folk story that credits a Daoist monk, Zhang San Feng, a master of Shaolin Chuan (Shaolin Fist style), for the creation of Taijiquan. The story claims that one day, Zhang San Feng observed a fight between a crane and a snake. Zhang was impressed with how the snake did not fight against the crane's blows; it avoided the crane's hit. After realizing that force is not needed in combat, Zhang combined the Daoist teaching of opposites (the Yin and Yang theory), the fighting techniques of the crane and snake he observed, and the techniques he learned from Shaolin into what is now known as Taijiquan, the grand ultimate fist style. This story is disputed by many Tai Chi practitioners. Historians believe that Taijiquan was created in the Chen Village, Honan Province, which is near the Shaolin Temple. Chen Wang Ting, an ex-military officer and an expert in Shaolin Chuan, was the actual founder of the art. There is proof that Chen Wang Ting actually lived and practiced Taiji, whereas it was never recorded in Chinese history that Zhang practiced or created Taijiquan. Reprinted from a description at Wu Tan Kung Fu and Tai Chi Institute Taiji deals with the interplay of Yin-Yang, the basic essential qualitative duality of existence: soft-hard, yielding-firmness, insubstantial-substantial, female-male, etc. Physically, Taiji trains one to move continuously alternating between opening and closing the body driven by relaxed internal strength (the unique optimal and sophisticated use of the ground strength in opening and whole-body connectedness augmenting gravity in closing). Most styles of Taiji are characterized by training the unique form of strength and sophisticated tactics of Taiji through slow, continuous movements connected together in a long form. In some styles, most notably Chen style, practitioners occasionally practice short, explosive, yet relaxed movements releasing startling power (i.e., fajin). Beginners in Taiji may start with static standing practice, followed by individual simple movements (termed Silk Reeling Exercises or Chan Si Gong in Chen style), empty hand and weapons form practice and push hands training with a partner. Mechanically, Taiji trains manipulation of the waist coordinating the relaxed driving power of the legs against the ground (or the relaxed conduction of the force of gravity) with the simultaneous transmission of that power through a relaxed upper body. As Li I Yu stated, "The Jin (internal force) begins in the foot, is directed by the waist and manifested in the fingers." All motion is directed by the mind and initiated from the body's center of mass (dantian) in an efficient, integrated and coordinated manner ("one part moves, all parts move"). Tactically, Taiji utilizes four directions of unusual relaxed power (upward, inward, outward, and downward) termed peng, lu, ji and an (wardoff, rollback, press, and push) and four additional techniques derived from that power known as cai, lieh, zhou and kao (pluck, split, elbow, and shoulder or bump). It has been suggested that some Chen style teachers also emphasize an additional four core techniques, teng (jump), shan (dodge), zhe (fold) and kong (empty). Strategically, Taiji seeks to neutralize an opponent’s attack by listening to, sticking with, and following the opponent’s force, "leading the opponent to emptiness," unbalancing them in preparation for throwing, locking, or striking. Zhan uses the opponent's reaction to force the opponent to follow you, Nian gives the opponent subtly increasing difficulty while continuously sticking to him, Lian prevents the opponent from escaping by continuous contact, and Sui prevents the opponent from controlling you by following him without resisting. A high level practitioner can perform all these actions in one motion, seeming to beat someone just from a touch. Stuart Olson, in translating Yang family texts attributed to Chen Kung (Yen-lin), has suggested that Zhan-Nian-Lian-Sui directly correlate to Peng-Lu-Ji-An, respectively, and represent the correct way to perform those basic Taiji tactics. Reprinted from a description at Six Harmonies Press publishers of "Internal Martial Arts". Taiji as a Martial Art? |
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