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CHARACTERISTICS AND FUNDAMENTALS OF TAI CHI CHUAN (TAIJIQUAN)

I must say, first of all, that I have not checked the following information with any master. I have only written common knowledge among all practitioners of taiji quan, perhaps a bit under my own point of view.

On the other hand, these fundamentals are very general and sometimes, in a particular style or routine, one may find exceptions or different techniques.

Regarding the order of appearance, it is just of my own and I might change it in the future whenever I have the time to have a deeper look into it. But I did not want to delay this chapter anymore because I think it can be of use for beginners.

RELAXATION/CALMNESS

Essential conditions. Never enough. It should not be mistaken as flaccid. Let us take a baby as an example: he has a lot of energy, but he is soft and at the same time turgid. A baby is never stiff. If tense we are stiff and, although it might seem the opposite, easier to manipulate. A cat or dog puppy, for instance, has also a lot of energy and is soft: for this reason it is difficult for us to hold them if they don’t want, in spite we are much larger!

The whole body must reach this state of attentive relaxation, from feet to head, without forgetting the variety of muscles in the face: especially forehead, eyebrows and mouth. You must feel also the neck, shoulder, chest, bottom, thighs…

Further, being relaxed our qi flows more easily and allows ease of movement.

SLOWNESS

Usually – but not always – in taiji quan the movements are performed in a slow, deliberated fashion. This slowness helps to concentrate in the execution and perfection of movements, and to allow qi to flow plentiful through the body.

SOFTNESS

Softness overcomes hardness. It is like water eroding a stone, the wind making its way everywhere, or the flexible bamboo windswept but not tore up like a standing oak tree. Softness also helps qi to flow easily.

CONTINUITY

The movements are executed with continuity, with neither breaks nor obstructions. In spite of the fact that in some styles, like for instance the Chen and Zhao Bao styles, the speed is not fully homogenous and there appear to be small breaks, these are little pauses or changes in pace like those found in a symphony but not like those in a scratched record. Each movement has to be finished but at the same time connected with the following one, without a power cut in between.

Fluidity: When executing the movements, there must be no obstructions, no breaks in the movements, like in a symphony. This fluidity is more evident in the Yang style. In Chen style, the pace is not always homogenous because in occasions you punch the air with some force, emitting jinr (fa jinr); these emissions or pao chui (bomb-like blows) are characteristic of this style and are not incompatible with fluidity.

UNITY – HARMONY

Of your body. When executing the movements, the body must be a whole unit in such a way that there cannot be any movements separated from their parts, and that when we move even if is only a single finger all the body must move with it. For instance, we cannot move our arm making a circle but with the rotation movement ending up in the shoulder plate: it should also involve, for example, even the tip of the opposite foot. If anything moves, everything moves. One must be aware, however, that sometimes this movement can happen unnoticed by the observer, so small it can be - but you still must feel it. It is like if we were a puppet: when one of the lines is pulled, the movement is transmitted everywhere.

Coordination: Similarly, there must be a correspondence between the movements from the upper part of the body and the ones from the lower part, like when we walk and our arms oscillate harmoniously with the leg movement.

CIRCULARITY

In taiji quan movements should be executed in a circular form: not in a straight line but in a curve. Without angles, with a sinuous movement.

GRAVITY

Rooting in the ground. Let all the weight of your body rest on the feet.

Keep the gravity centre low and balanced. It is obvious that you become more stable when your posture is low (what is easier to bring down, a thin and high object or a short and thick one?) Human beings are easier to bring down when we stand in a high position and with close feet. The lowest our posture and the better we root down the ground (stick on it), more difficult to move us. It is like that toy, the tumbler that can never be knocked down. Besides the physical lowering of the body (which will depend on our flexibility, the movement and style we are practicing), lowering the qi to the dantien also helps rooting very much.

Keep centred. The need to be balanced just follows the laws of physics. If our gravity centre is not well located, even in a low posture, it is easy to unroot us. This happens if our posture is not centred but shows excessive bent.

The movement, besides being harmonious, should never be taken further that its right measure. This means that if we extend our arms too much while executing a movement, it will be easy for the opponent to unbalance us. It is a good practice to find your own measure. You can test to which extent you can still keep control of the posture and where you start to feel forced or easy to be controlled.

Sink the qi in the dantien.

BREATHING

This aspect will deserve a chapter on its own. Here I will only mention that as a rule breathing should be, first of all, natural. The best is not to force it. Although when learning the Yang routine from Beijing (24 movements) it is taught that in the closing movements we have to inspire and in the opening ones, expire, this breathing method must come on its own: If breathing is forced to achieve such rhythm, we won’t be able, for instance, to relax.

EMPTINESS

Perhaps the most important feature to impregnate our practice. Why? Because if we are able to achieve, feel and practice the true emptiness (emptiness is the best translation for köng, but still sort of imprecise), then anything is possible in this art. In a way, that would be the trick. Emptiness means like the cessation of the hòu tian processes (posterior heaven). It would be like pausing our thoughts, emotions and judgements. It would be like being in pure existence, in the present, fully conscious. Being köng the qi flows freely and naturally, without obstructions and adequately spread throughout the body.

An example: it would be like that kind of instantaneous and not premeditated reaction that allow us to catch a cup of coffee dropped accidentally from the table while talking with a friend. In other occasions when trying to avoid its fall, we fail. One does not really know how he/she managed to do it, simply has done it.

CORRECT POSTURE

HEAD. Straight up, not bent in any direction (neither to the side nor forward or backward). It is said its position should be like if hanging from the crown of the head; others say the right position should be in such a way that the back of your neck lightly touches the collar of your shirt. Usually you must tuck your chin a bit in to help raise the head, but without exaggerating to avoid blocking the throat. Our neck shouldn't be stiff.

SHOULDERS. Not risen and not bowed, neither forward nor backward. When we put no tension on them they return to their natural position. Usually you do not keep the arms tight close to the body, in order to leave a little space in your armpit. This way qi can flow more easily.

ARMS and LEGS. While executing the routine they are never fully extended (straight). The degree of curvature varies with the type of movement. They should never be bent in a very acute angle, because then you would block the flow of qi (like when you bent a hose running water) and also because it would be risky in case of a fight.

ELBOWS. They must be heavy, in a low position.

CHEST. In most styles the chest must be slightly sunk. This really means relaxed more than really sunk (it should be the opposite to thrust one's chest out). This way the back is slightly rounded in the horizontal, but not bowed.

BACK. Straight, but not stiff. The vertebras must rest one on top of the other, in order but loose. The cervical vertebras are aligned when the position the head as mentioned above, and this position helps straighten up the whole spine. Below there is the explanation regarding the lumbar vertebra.

LUMBAR AREA. One has to reduce the lumbar curvature to keep the spine as straight as possible. To do that you must tilt the hips forward. During the routine you must avoid also the bottom to tuck out.

PELVIS. When you tilt the hips forward, you also move the pelvis forward, like when sitting on a stool.

KNEE. They are kept just a little bit bent, not straight. It is not necessary, at least in the beginning posture, to bend them much – in the rest of the routine it will depend on the style and our physical capability. The bending of the knees helps to keep the hips in the right position and the back straight, and this posture can be maintained for long periods of time without much trouble.

FEET. In the beginning posture they are usually parallel at shoulder width. They must rest totally on the ground, with the weight evenly distributed (which also indicates we are well centred). We don’t have to put more weight on the edges (inner and outer), neither on the tip nor the heels. While executing the routine, they are usually kept at 45 degrees one from the other, or at 30 degrees, etc (there is variety on that).

TONGUE. The tip must touch the palate, close to the teeth. This way the energy circuit does not break. The tongue is kept in this position until the end of the routine.

VERTICALITY. Commonly the body is not bent or leaning over a side, but there are exceptions (Wú routine, Snake form…).

If you find something missing or incorrect, please let me know at taijidao@yahoo.es

(translation from Spanish: Enric Saiz)