I have included 2 articles, a list of training methods taught by Mr. Lee Shiu Pak within this system of the Yang style, and a few movement poems from a series titled “Bones”. These poems emerge from an ongoing collection of writings called “Images”.
The image writing records my personal research into the fundamentals, principles and movement dynamics of Tai Chi Ch’uan. All of the images derive directly from experiences and insights I have had while training, and from movement related dreams. They reflect my practice as a work in continual progression. I began documenting them in 1981 after I had been studying with Mr. Lee for 10 years.
At that time, my understand of ways of movement began to change, and often in ways opposite to what I had previously thought. I questioned Mr. Lee about them. Some were affirmed and others were declared “not important”. This gave me the confidence to explore progressive approaches in my practice of Tai Chi Ch’uan, which I tested in reference to the fundamentals of the exercise and the efficiency of it’s martial applications. I have recorded many of these insights, and I include some of these notations in their original form. Some have added explanations.
Elements of Tai Chi Ch’uan Training
The essential elements of the T'ai Chi Ch’uan training are sequence, placement, alignment, body mechanics and movement principles. These aspects of the training are very detailed and precise, but they are not arbitrary. They have been developed over centuries, and are integral to the study of movement from the standpoint of this art.
1. Sequence: This refers to the chain of individual postures which make up the exercise form. They flow continuously from the beginning to the end. It also refers to the sequence of movement components within each individual posture. This inner sequence is very important; it insures that the motion of the body flows harmoniously and with synchronicity, in a fluid wave like manner. If the inner sequencing is incorrect, the body will not move properly. The joints will jam, and the internal and external directions of one’s energy and intent will be in conflict.
2. Placement: Placement refers to where the feet and hands are in relation to each other, and to their relative angles and intensity to each other within the geometric space one occupies within any particular posture. It also refers to the position of the hands and feet in their relation to the body’s vertical alignment, and major paired joints – hips and shoulders, knees and elbows, ankles and wrists. The stepping and weight shifting methods are key factors within this element. They are one of the sources of locomotion in the T’ai Chi exercise, and are the first things that are learned after the standing posture.
Correct placement of the body’s sections in relation to each other creates a balanced body proportion, which makes one more comfortable when maintaining a still posture. It also confers a greater efficiency and ease of mechanical movement.
3. Alignment: There are three major alignment configurations. The first is the maintenance of an erect spine (plumb erect) through the relationship of the body’s three primary centers. These are located at 1.5 in. below the navel (the Tan Tien), behind the sternum (the heart point), and in the head between the eyebrows. This vertical alignment allows the weight of gravity to pass unhindered throughout one’s body, and is the source of grounding and rooting. Grounding does not result from pressing oneself down into the ground, but from allowing the force of gravity to flow through and around the body so that it can accumulate under one’s feet. This force then rebounds, rising up through the body along the line of the vertical spinal alignment. This transforms the force of gravity into a continuous convection current which both roots and uplifts. The rooted vertical alignment insures that there are no stress accumulations anywhere that would inhibit movement and function.
The second major alignment structure is the “4 corners”. These are the shoulder and hip joints, and they align horizontally and diagonally. They constitute the perimeter of the inner circle, and are the gateway from the trunk of the body to the function of the arms and legs. The correct alignment of these two primary structures establishes the “central equilibrium,” which is maintained throughout the performance of the solo exercise. It is also essential to the self-defense training. This allows one to be continuously centered, grounded and aligned while expressing varying modes and textures of movement in any direction. Central equilibrium guards against the error of “inclining,” or leaning the body’s alignment in any direction. Inclining inhibits proper breathing, as well as the internal and external body functions – it makes one unable to move.
The third alignment structure is delineated by the “five external points”; the top of the head, the palms of the two hands and the soles of the two feet. The “5 points” constitute the perimeter of the outer circle, and they are always related to, and aligned with the other two major alignment structures. The bones and joints of the arms and legs function and align as pairs – hips and shoulders, knees and elbows, ankles and wrists.
Note: Sequence, placement and alignment describe a more static and structural aspect of the T’ai Chi Ch’uan training. They form it’s foundation. A deeper understanding of the art will be dependent upon how proficient one becomes in these aspects. The 2 following methods of body mechanics and movement principles are concerned with how one moves, while adhering to the fundamentals of sequence, placement and alignment.
4. Body Mechanics: The focus of this aspect of the training is to analyze and implement the most efficient mode of mechanical body movement. The joints of the body do not move by active muscular intent. The movement of the limbs is achieved through the folding and unfolding of the elbows and knees around the rotation of the shoulder and hip joints. This is true of both the arms and the legs. Movement functions by the synchronized folding, unfolding and rotation of the interrelated paired joints. Moving in this manner maintains the central equilibrium.
The physical and energetic movement of the T’ai Chi exercise proceeds in a wavelike manner, circulating through the body from location to location. The correct timing of the folding and unfolding of the joints of the limbs is important in accomplishing this. One should employ a syncopated rhythm.
5. Movement Principles: These principles give guidance to the practitioner. They provide an understanding of the essential nature of movement within the art of T’ai Chi Ch’uan. The movement principles are often expressed through imagery and metaphor from comparisons to the rhythms of nature.
One of the most important principles is that of the interrelated differentiation of yin and yang. Examples of yin and yang are yielding and firm, cold and hot, down and up, in and out, etc. It is this differentiation that makes motion possible. There are examples of this in nature. Water moves because of differences of elevation. Air becomes wind because of differences of temperature. Generation occurs because of differences of gender. The examples are limitless.
The principles of slow and relaxed movement encourage an openness of body and mind. This helps blood and air (chi) to circulate through the body with greater ease, increasing one’s endurance. Movements that are tense and rapid can make one breathless and exhausted.
Another principle governs visual activity. The unification of the focal and peripheral visual fields allows one to maintain one’s interior alignment within a larger and more dynamic field of activity. This is most clearly understood in the practice of self-defense because it is a partnered activity. Some principles describe breathing rhythms and the coordination of stillness and motion. There are principles that describe the locations and timing of where movements gather, and from which they give expression. Other principles govern the coordination of the physical and mental activity.
The gravitational field establishes the vertical alignment. It is the grounding force. The union of gravity with the spark of impulse within oneself is the generative source of movement. All movement is essentially vertical, and the horizontal movements are the result of the folding and unfolding of the limbs around this vertical field. When the vertical and horizontal forces are set into motion within the spatial differentiation inherent within ones stance, the movement of the exercise becomes both circular (external) and rotating (interior).
One unites the in and out; and the up and down motions with the in and out breaths. With the correct timing and coordination of the movement of the arms and legs, the exercise form functions as a pump – a bellows, so that the exercise form moves and breathes itself. The unification of stillness and motion with body and space creates movement that is self perpetuating – like that of the rhythms and cycles of nature, the seasons, the planetary motion.
Copyright, December 9, 2000 by Sam Slutsky.
Why Boxing
To help oneself and other people, and to create and maintain harmony in the world are the ideals of the Tai Chi philosophy. And yet the boxing is one of the traditional aspects of T’ai Chi Ch’uan. To many people this appears to be a contradiction. They feel uncomfortable about learning self-defense because they abhor violence, and because it can bring out their latent aggression. Never the less, one must acknowledge that there is conflict and danger in the world, and that it is not correct to allow oneself and other people who cannot defend themselves to be overtaken by it. “It is not the Tao to let other people hit me”. To be defenseless is to live in fear. The study of the boxing teaches one how to relate to power, and how to restore harmonious relationship. Yet, it is not correct to use these skills as an aggressor to harm others. “T’ai Chi is for gentle people”.
If one wants to learn the martial arts for the basics of defense and attack only, one does not have to study for a long time. One continues to train to learn the art. Before the advent of modern weapons, training in fighting skills was essential to self-preservation. Guns have made this obsolete. The Chinese often refer to the study of martial arts as playing. Practicing T’ai Chi self-defense enhances ones understanding of the principles of the T’ai Chi Ch’uan exercise, integrates one’s knowledge of the art as a whole, and – it’s fun. It is good to practice with people who do the same style, and with people who do other martial arts. In this way, one learns to adapt one’s technique to varying situations.
In practicing boxing applications and push-hands, it is important to make some striking contact on one’s partner’s body in order to determine the effectiveness of one’s technique. The contact should be light so that no injuries occur. “If you can touch, you can hit”. To think of touching rather than hitting not only reduces the possibility of injury, but also improves one’s delivery. It is softer, faster, it does not telegraph the mind intent, and it reinforces the body dynamics that are more in keeping with T’ai Chi principles. It is best to train at the speed that does not exceed one’s ability to control the force of the blows. Your training partners lend you their skills and their bodies to practice with, and it is important that you respect and take care of them. There are various training methods and apparatus that can be used to develop and test ones striking power. Since there is always a possibility of accidents, it is essential that any T’ai Chi school that teaches the martial aspect should have some knowledge of the hit-fall medicine. If these injuries are not attended to promptly (especially internal injuries), they can become debilitating problems that interfere with one’s training, and with one’s life in general.
One should avoid conflict unless confronted by physical violence. A non-aggressive response will often defuse tense situations. Slander, name calling and ridicule reflect the ignorance of the other person, and they are best ignored. It is not worth the trouble. If you fight you may be injured, or you may hurt the other person and then feel uneasy about seeing them again. There is always the possibility of revenge. It is best to “do the never mind”. If one is attacked physically, one should try to dissuade the person by using evasive walking techniques and asking them to stop. If they don’t desist, one may counter-attack on the third attempt – “the third time can come back”. This approach is appropriate to someone with a high degree of skill, and not for the novice who would be well advised to respond more promptly. Mr. Lee said that in pre-revolutionary China, there were three situations in which one could kill (“can for the other people to die”); to protect one’s country, to protect or avenge the family; and to save from, or avenge rape.
Martial knowledge and skills should not be displayed (“not for the other people to see”); neither to gain recognition for oneself, nor to threaten others. People do not like braggarts or bullies. This type of behavior encourages others to challenge us, and then there is no end to trouble. If you do not push your face forward, you are less likely to lose it. Concealing one's knowledge is also advantageous in the boxing because the opponent “cannot know me” (my technique).
Traditionally, T’ai Chi schools did not have belts, degrees or uniforms, and to participate in competitions was considered to be unrefined. To compete is to try to prove oneself to be the best to other people. This creates bad feeling. It also draws a light around oneself, which invokes envy and challenge. T’ai Chi competitions are quite popular at this time. They cater to more common forms of the T’ai Chi exercise, and limited aspects of the martial training. Many practitioners now train almost exclusively for push-hands competitions, which allow very few actions and techniques. This can lead to the loss of many of the techniques and training regimes that comprise this art.
The highest ideal of T’ai Chi boxing is “not win – not lose”. In this way, one saves oneself without hurting others. If we think that we have to harm people to defend ourselves we are in trouble, because we would always be “armed” and defensive, and therefore more prone to provoking violence. When one looks at the world one sees so much pain, conflict and destruction due to separateness and self-interest. If we do not take the world into our hearts, how can it heal and be harmonious? If we do not achieve this we can never be safe, for all our knowledge of war.
* All quotes are from Mr. Lee Shiu Pak.
© Sam Slutsky, March 17, 1993.
Training Methods
The purpose of this small paper is to enumerate and briefly explain the various training methods contained within the study of Tai Chi Ch’uan, as taught by Mr. Lee Shiu Pak. Because it is difficult to cover all of these methods adequately within the period of any one class (or within one month of classes), this list is designed to give an overview of the many areas of work that make up one inter-related body of study.
Most of the training methods come from Mr. Lee’s work, while others are derive from some of his advanced students. There are other practices that can be developed, but these grow out of the basics.
THE FOUR ASPECTS OF TAI CHI
1. exercise – to make the self strong.
2. medicine – to help other people (open the heart).
3. boxing – to protect oneself and other people, and to learn how to relate to power.
4. philosophy – to open the thinking.
This outline will describe the exercise form and boxing aspects:
1. Preliminary Exercises
Walking: 2 kinds; with and without turns.
Leg Strengthening Exercises: (to be done on both sides).
a) One leg solid, the other moves up and down.
b) One leg solid, the other does heel kicks.
e) Full squat (heels down).
d) Squat - one leg out.
e) Up and down on one leg.
f) Hold two positions - Play the Pi Pa and Raise Hands for 3-5 min..
Two breath-hand exercises
One hand and two hands. Hands move up or in (gathering) during the in breath; the hands move down or out (expanding) during the out breath.
2. Exercise and Applications
The exercise form is the most central and important of the training methods. Because this area of study is so vast, it cannot be developed within the context of this small list. All the exercise forms have martial applications, and it is important to understand and practice them on both sides.
3. Push-hands
When practicing push hands and boxing techniques, it is important to be guided by the principles and dispositions inherent in the exercise form. It is also to be remembered that your partners lend you themselves to practice with, and so you must respect and take care of them. A touch is enough to signify a strike.
1. One hand:
a) fixed; center, up and down.
b) free; push, pull, twist, hit, with steps.
c) one person attacks, while one person defends only.
2. Two hands: Free style.
One can do anything. There are other choreographed two hand methods of push hands (fixed and moving), but Mr. Lee did not encourage their practice.
4. Boxing methods
1. Five steps:
Central equilibrium, advance, retreat, gaze to the left, look to the right.
One can also practice large and small steps.
2. Two turns: Front and back stance.
3. Four way stance:
Most stances contain four positions – 2 front and 2 back stances. This method unites the steps and turns.
4. Five hands and two feet:
Defenses to counter center, high, low and two round hand attacks; and defenses to counter straight and round kicks.
5. Grappling attacks and defenses.
6. Attacks:
Practice various attacks and combinations using different parts of one’s body. One can practice in the air or use various apparatus (i.e. punching bag). One can practice a single attack repetitively in lines with steps and turns.
Mr. lee always encouraged each student to develop one or two “special” techniques that would form the foundation of their individual approach to self-defense.
How to learn: Don’t wait for the knowledge to come to you. Pursue it.
1. Look.
2. Hear.
3. Ask.
4. Feel.
5. Imagine (do it in your mind).
6. Do it often.
7. Sift and reassemble (study).
8. Help less experienced people in the class. They will show you what you do not know.
9. Enjoy the subject.
© Sam Slutsky; Oct. 29,1989.
Bones
Helix
The vertical spinning stillness;
ascending and descending on currents of air –
through the bone.
Body breath and Mind
Letting go of speed and embracing slowness – gravity
Giving up movement and direction – pulsating
Being whole and part of the whole – vacuous
Shadow Boxing
At the intersection of stillness and motion,
the corporeal shadow awakens
and inhabits the space that space contains.
Living in the contraries – both distinct and united,
the breath is the other side of the air;
the space –
of the body.
Anti Matter
The essence emerges
unwoven backward
out of the structures, feeding
back through to
the re creation of the heart.
In Congruity (dedicated David Saxe)
Having been and becoming,
Reflecting and revealing the other side;
Being still
the same place.
A collection of movement poems by Sam Slutsky, copywrite 1993.
Images
Wriggling within the skin of the form (like cats do when one grabs their paw) – sinew. The layers of body tissue are connected yet detatched, so that they all move around each other.
Marble Movement - endless spherical undulation
The moment of stillness and lightness at the apex and at the bottom.
Waves flowing through and around each other (up and down creates around; always different – everywhere, gathering at and radiating from the center) – shimmering back and forth like two stones thrown into a still pool in proximity to each other. Where the waves have passed toward and through each other, the water is completely still.
Things are not always as one thinks they should be. Employ the idea of contraries and reversals.
The T’ai Chi is round, so it always brings you back to yourself.
The vertical alignment in harmony with the gravitational flow.
Umbilical. T’ai Chi practice can bring one to the root of oneself – to the center so that all processes and relationships emanate from and gather there.
The gateway. Because we are a conduit of the life force, we can live in the continuous present of time continuum. This presence is a continuous gateway of ones relationship to everything.
Action is stimulated by an external-internal impetus; like music moving us to dance. The impulse stirs the stillness or potential of gravity (the vertical plane), creating wave like undulations that move us by moving through us.
The bouncing ball rises to the still lightness at the top (where the up and the down forces neutralize), letting the hand come up with the upward momentum of the ball, allowing the descent to be induced by gravity before coming down behind it (dribbling). This unites the up and the down.
The magnetic dynamic of by-polar relationships.
Emptyness is the first impulse, surrounded by stillness.
The gravitational force is the plumb line, through which the verticality aligns itself.
Spinning backward – the energy flows back to the straight leg, and that is the limit. It’s continuance becomes it’s other.
Throwing away T’ai Chi after almost 25 years of it, feeling the freedom of what I saw in it that first day. It was very important for me to embrace double weightedness within single weightedness. I believe that if the rules are too stringently applied, one gets led astray. It lacks humor and balance. Single without double is double weighted (stagnant). Through the polarization of polarity, unity is born. The madness of duplicity will drive one to it.
Activate the peripheral vision, which seats and houses the focal vision. The peripheral is the yin aspect of seeing.
Stretching. There are no layers and levels to knowing, to being and becoming, though the pattern of evolution might lead one to perceive things in this way. One starts with the seed root, and everything one knows and learns and does becomes an integral part of an expanding whole.
Moving within the slipstream of one’s own movement.
Activate the slip stream of one’s own movement from behind. The physical goes out, and the energy spins in backward.
The form must transcend itself to the truth of movement inherent within the self and in all things, and that movement is always relational.
That which is sent out is an echo of what is within.
The act of yielding fills the empty space of the opponent.
Intersecting with points in space to create a continuum.
Soft – no power. Power does not belong to us; we are vessels through which it flows. Softness allows the air to come down, contained within the body, moving, silent, continuous and everywhere. The void is the strongest power because it absorbs all.
There is equality because of relatedness, not because it is the same.
Allow the stance to slide under the body on the light releasing bounce of air and energy (where things assimilate) at the points of transition, to express energy (in a hydraulic manner) interiorly and exteriorly.
When something begins to work for you, it tends to become a “trick”. Look for the error in the structure and basics. The feeling and movement is everything, and that is what the study is about. But to persist in following feelings that are at odds with the basics is to live in a fools paradise. It is difficult to give up the things that make one feel safe and comfortable even though it becomes stagnant with time. Todays illumination is tomorrows dogma.
Like drawing a string through a labyrinth, because coming back is where you’re going to.
Counter turns and moves in all dimensions at all times.
Moving fulcrum
The power is released when the movement is interupted by an obstruction.
A dream: (1998)
I am standing in a field at the edge of a forest at night. I want to move through the forest but I am afraid because it is dark and I may bump into the trees. I sense that if I adhere to the continuous space in which the trees exist it will be OK. I run through the forest at speed, not attached to (or avoiding) the trees, and move through the space without effort or incident – joyously.
Oscillating rhythm of movement and air.
The true adversary is oneself.
A dream:
I am standing on the earth. I begin to bounce up and down on the surface, keeping continuous contact with the ground. The initial movements are more rapid until the earth under my feet begins to move with the rhythm of my motion. As the movement becomes deeper and more synchronized, I slow down my motion and the whole surface of the world is undulating (like an enormous trampoline).
All positions seem to be final – to end, but are actually fulfilling and recognizing themselves.
The gravitational field establishes the vertical alignment. This force of gravity, united with the force of impulse within onself, is the generative sourse of movement. It is set in motion around the spine through the rotational differentiation of the spatial relation within the stance. This makes the movement of the exercise both circular (external) and rotating (interior).
The still point is hollow – a vortex
Copywrite, Sam Slutsky. 1985.