Saturday, October 27, 2018

Tai Chi Press

 

I realize none of you care about this, nor will you read on. But I am doing my best to record everything for my students. Not for the tai chi, for they are not tai chi practitioners. Rather to understand the process I went through to analyze a motion, any motion at all. And perhaps learn something from that.

 



 At times things get so entangles that I forget how many steps I went through for each discovery I have made.

 

I have studied and practice Yang Tai Chi Chaun continuously since 1979, and I know not so long a time. When Ernest Rothrock instructed me on the form for 2 years, it was just that form instruction. Movements were impressed into my existence. At first it is sections, or poses, one learns.  And I remember postures that would cause a charly horse on one strand of the quadriceps, karate did not prepare you for the study.. But quickly you learn.

 

So many things which were different. Stepping, the continual flow of both hands and arms throughout the form, use of breath to consciously slow down. The continual movement of the head rolling through the form, the focus of the eyes over the hands constantly changing, the realization that tai chi was not a collection of postures, rather you entered the flow and then you left it. The constant demands of conscious thought throughout the execution of the form to accomplish all those things.

 

The study of Yang Tai Chi Sword. Where you had to do all of the above and control a sword in your hands as you did it.

 

Single Pushing Hands, Stepping Single Pushing Hands, Stepping and Turning Pushing hands. Double Pushing Hands, Stepping Double Pushing Hands, Stepping and Turning Double Pushing Hands. Too often just mentioned without the detail beginning to be discussed. Much more in depth than realized. Perhaps some day that might make an interesting topic.

 

I realize there is much more there, but this is what my studies covered. I was not interested in the martial use of Yang Tai Chi, and except for basic description, such was not what I studied.

 

Then time passes, a lot of time, Then one day Ernest showed me the remainder of the Yang Sword form, and of course life got more complicated.

 

A number of different things intervened. For one thing I read as much Tai Chi literature as I could find, finding the topic even interesting. I was especially interested in Advanced Tai Chi 2 by Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming. That book concerned itself with the martial applications of Yang Tai Chi Chaun. And while there are thousands of varying Yang forms, what was shown was very close to what I studied. I even showed the book to Tristan Sutrisno, who I was also studying with, in Shotokan, Aikido studied and Tjimande Studies. He looked through the book and was amazed, proclaiming “These were the things his father taught him.” And he did not do tai chi.

 

Tris grabbed a technique at random, and performed it on me (painfully), then technique after technique. I believed him.

 

However I did not run out an work on it, I had way too many other things I was working on. The book just sat on the shelf and became another occasional read.

 

Then I reached the point, Ernest changed my Yang practice, by dramatically showing me how correct alignment in my tai chi chaun works.  My form did not  change, but my understanding how, why and what I should be doing became greater, understanding how correct alignment increases the force of a gesture, or conversely how incorrect alignment could become a weakness that could be attacked.

 

Back to practice.

 

I was teaching Yang to a small group of my karate students who each were interested in the topic. In a year they learned the form, then the Sunday morning group became more fun, getting deeper into the study. At times, for fun, I would randomly select a technique from Dr. Yang’s book and every time I made it work. It was an interesting time.

 

My own studies into Isshinryu application potential were progressing. No small part of it was something I learned from Dr. Yang’s book ‘Advanced Tai Chaun 2, the martial applications.’ For every movement he demonstrated there were at least 3 possible applications. 

 

Downing the Opponent meaning using the technique as a takedown of throwing technique.

Chin Na controlling techniques which could also project the attacker.

Cavity Strikes or where the technique strikes into the body for effect.

 

I explored this far more in my karate research.

 

Tai Chi Chaun for the group was more focused on those aspects I had studied.

 

I also was studying with Sherman Harrill and his incredible wealth of Isshinryu applications. That would continue for a decade.

 

After some time I started to get creative. At times on the conclusion of the tai chi class, a karate application would come to me, and of course I grabbed someone to try it on in slow motion, and of course most often damaging them in the process.

 

Then at times an the conclusion of an adult karate class a tai chi application would come  to me, and of course I grabbed someone to try it on in slow motion, and of course most often damaging them in the process.

 

Very quickly everyone suggested I stop mixing the arts at their expense. And for quite some time I did.

 

I was getting deeper in to the arts in which I had been trained, deeper into my own Isshinryu studies, deeper into those things I was learning from Sherman Harrill. So whether intentional or not, I began thinking about the tai chi possibilities too.

 

The reason I was practicing tai chi was not for martial purposes. But I clearly saw they were there too.

 

One of the things I saw was articles explaining the Yang practice of Da Lu. This was before youtube. Among the early explanations for DaLu was this one by Earl Montague


 I explain some of what I saw in Isshinryu contrasted with the DaLu practice in the Yang System here.  https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2017/01/chinto-and-da-lu.html

 

In no small part a portion of my mind was thinking about my Tai Chi.

 

I realize these musings are going all over the place, Of course this was what led up to what followed next. My discovery of the actual nature of the tai chi press.

 

When you learn the Yang Long Fist Tai Chi Chaun, in the beginning there are 4 postures that are very famous. Meaning tons has been written about them.

 

The Tai Chi opening postures

 

* Peng – ward off-intercept and control opponent’s advance upward  {1 of 4 straight directions}

* Lu -rollback- deflect opponent down and back   {1 of 4 straight directions}

* Ji (chi) – follow-apply force forward   {1 of 4 straight directions}

* An – press weight into opponent, downward  {1 of 4 straight directions}

 

One of the things I had learned was that even the most insignificant motion in karate could have devastating application potential.

 

So one day I decided to focus on the tai chi press, A very small motion within the Yang form. After you have rolled or drawn away from an attack, both hands beginning from the waist, have the left palm touching the right wrist and then both hands press into an opponent, done as the hip shifts to the right, supporting the strike.

 

Done slowly seemingly the slightest of motions. In fact the two hands hardly travel 1 foot, surely not for much impact.

 

So one day in tai chi practice, I ‘borrowed’ Dennis Driscol and asked him to strike at me in slow motion, for having an idea I wanted to see what it was like.

 

Dennis came in with the strike. It was a standard linear stepping punch.

 

I remained still and then stepped slightly towards him and performed the press movement exactly as in the Yang form. My right hand struck into his chest,

 

Dennis was most soundly struck and went down to the driveway.

 

I rushed to help him up and of course apologized, for I never intended to strike him so hard.

 

But still curious about what had happened, I asked Dennis again to step in and strike, Promising to go even slower.

 

Again he struck. I moved ever so much slower this time, And I hit even harder, almost to the point of caving in Dennis’s chest. That was not my intention. Enough for that day.

 

That being the first thing on a Sunday morning the remainder of the day I tried to work out what was happening.

 

Later that day I called Rothrock Laoshi, and explained to him what had happened.

 

Laughing he replied, “Victor, don’t you remember I told you never do that to your students.” Which was even privately funnier as we had not explaord tai chi as for martial application.

 

Of course I very quickly worked things out.  And it was supported by many things he had taught me about the use of alignment in tai chi.


There were a number of things happening at the same time.

 

1. When you use the ‘press’ your left palm touching the back of your right wrist in the execution of the movement, automatically aligns the left side of your body with the right side. This becomes a very powerful force enhancer.

 

2. Whey you execute the ‘press’ your hip (or core) rotation rolls toward where the press is intended. That rolling motion is another force enhancer.

 

3. Those two force enhancers working together make a more powerful strike.

 

I then began to work on just that subtle motion, rolling my hip into that press, using smaller and smaller motion. Quicker and quicker execution. I did learn how to control myself not to damage my students, but there was another key force enhancer in play. I knew my form, I trusted my form.

 

It was something I worked on for myself. A slight subtle movement with with I could surprise as opponent, coming seemingly out of nowhere.

 

My tai chi students were very good students, but the day came each of them for their own reasons moved on, leaving the flow so to speak.

 

I never did stop.

 

And of course I now had a new toy…. One among thousands of others.

 



 
Here is a demonstration I once did using the opening of the Yang form. You can see the press as I studied it. 

 

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