Da Lu and Chinto an Intersection

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Da Lu and Chinto an Intersection

I am an Isshinryu stylist, however because of a personal interest I also became a Yang Long Fist T'ai Chi Chaun stylist too. Then in the course of my long journey into both arts, I discovered an amazing link between the two arts.

When I began my Yang Long Fist T'ai Chi Chaun with Ernest Rothrock my only interest was just to learn t'ai chi, nothing else. But as my studies progressed I was also shown various exercises to accompany my t'ai chi studies.

Specifically they were:
The stepping drill using t'ai chi stepping

Then these 2 person exercises:
Stationary the Single Push Hands
Stepping Single Push Hands
Stepping and Turning Single Push Hands
Stationary Double Push Hands
Stepping Double Push Hands
Stepping and Turning Double Push Hands

These 2 person drills were more to teach not to put more energy into a technique (that could then be used against you) and to recognize when someone was putting too much energy into a technique and how to extend what they were doing to neutralize them.

Very useful to use t'ai chi for self defense. But I really was not studying t'ai chi for self defense. For me these drills were more for developing better t'ai chi flow.

Then after 2 years of weekly lessons I learned the entire form.

Next decades of more study. I also read so much about what T'ai Chi Chaun was about. This was before youtube. I read that there was another 2 person drill called Ta Lu, though I had never seen it. I wrote to Earl Montogue in Australia to order a video showing Ta Lu. But it never really registered with me.

More years passed and of course many more articles and books. Frequently I read that Ta Lu was a necessary study. Then YouTube entered the picture and I saw more Ta Lu videos.

Then over my years I discovered many uses for the full body movements of Chinto Kata. This was prior to meeting Sherman Harrill and gaining many time many more.

One Sunday morning working with my T'ai Chi group, I decided to attempt the Ta Lu drill with them.Then me played with it for a while. I grew to like what it showed. feeling as it was an expansion with the Pushing Hand drills, abet with different techniques. Of course properly done the 2 individuals would continually neutralize each other.

Suddenly I saw something new. The T'ai Chi Ta Lu drill, was using the same 2 movements in Chinto kata for exactly the same potential use.

I am not suggesting T'ai Chi is a precursor to Chinto kata. Just that the movements in that section of Chinto kata work the same way as Ta Lu.

Believe it or not, Of course without the years of work on the Yang 108 form that I had, it might be difficult to accept. For me this was a done drill.

Here are two video sequences. The first a Ta Lu drill. The 2nd my students performing Chinto in 2 different directions at the same time.

Perhaps your eyes can see to what I am suggesting.

Ta Lu drill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byl6GNjGNqc