{"id":4601,"date":"2016-07-12T16:28:56","date_gmt":"2016-07-12T20:28:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tambulimedia.com\/?p=4601"},"modified":"2023-07-24T14:59:04","modified_gmt":"2023-07-24T18:59:04","slug":"secrets-of-chengs-taiji","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tambulimedia.com\/secrets-of-chengs-taiji\/","title":{"rendered":"Secrets of Cheng’s Taiji"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Koh Ah Tee and\u00a0Nigel Sutton<\/span><\/p>\n

The whole of Taiji can be reduced to one word, song (alert relaxation). That\u00a0is the essence, the root, everything. Relaxation is the most important thing,\u00a0for without having achieved this gongfu then you cannot acquire jing (Taiji\u2019s\u00a0whole body power). Without jing you cannot reach a high standard in Taiji.\u00a0Taijiquan is without shape, without form. It is on the inside, not the outside.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you look at external martial arts they seem to be easier to use, easier to\u00a0apply. Taiji, on the other hand, appears more obscure. This is because it is\u00a0concerned with the internal. If you\u2019re not clear on this then you will be unable\u00a0to see to the heart of how Taiji may be applied. In Taiji the outside is soft,\u00a0the inside is hard. If you look at the exterior it looks like it can\u2019t really be\u00a0used but if you look deeper you will see the real usefulness of Taiji. So to\u00a0answer the question of how to acquire Taiji\u2019s fighting skills, this is a matter\u00a0of continuous, diligent practice of the form and pushing hands. No special\u00a0training, just Taiji training.<\/span><\/p>\n

Neigong is very important. This is the skill that Chen Zi Chen (Better known\u00a0in the West as William CC Chen) helped Grandmaster (Cheng Man Ching)\u00a0with. That was when Chen Zi Chen was young. There is no doubt that this\u00a0method of neigong comes from Grandmaster Cheng. If you really want to\u00a0reach the highest levels of Taiji skill and make practical use of its techniques,\u00a0then you must train neigong.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Cheng<\/a>This skill is essential for protecting the body. Exactly where Grandmaster\u00a0learned it from I could not say because he learned from so many teachers.<\/span>
\nWhether it came from the Yang family or the Zuo system, I don\u2019t know. Yang\u00a0Lu Chan was known as \u201cYang the invincible,\u201d so he must have had this skill.\u00a0That is certain, but when Grandmaster grew older he changed many of the\u00a0methods he had learned. His system of neigong is not the same as the \u201ciron\u00a0shirt\u201d of other martial arts. \u201cIron shirt\u201d is hard but Taiji\u2019s neigong is springlike.\u00a0Taiji\u2019s neigong is the \u201cneedle in the cotton,\u201d the hard in the soft.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our neigong is relaxed, it\u2019s not muscular effort. You can hit me while we\u2019re\u00a0talking, it doesn\u2019t matter. It\u2019s relaxed and natural. You don\u2019t need to prepare.\u00a0The highest level of Taiji skill is easy to talk about but very hard to do and it\u00a0is simply this: when the opponent touches you he flies off, one touch and he\u2019s\u00a0gone. As soon as he raises his fist his fate is assured. This is very difficult to do;\u00a0no fixed method, no fixed form. Ultimately no si zheng tui, no da lu, nothing,\u00a0just your opponent defeated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jie jing is what we\u2019re trying to train for. Correct Taijiquan is not dependent on\u00a0the length of form that you practice but rather depends on how closely your\u00a0art matches the principles laid down in the classics. Being an expert in Taiji\u00a0is not the result of studying several different styles; it is a question of whether\u00a0your method is correct, whether you do it right. It doesn\u2019t depend on who\u00a0learned from the Shifu first, or who spent the longest time with him. Rather\u00a0it depends on whether your movements are smooth, continuous, without\u00a0interruption and correct according to Taiji theory. If you feel the 108-posture\u00a0form to be in some way superior because of its length then do the 37-posture\u00a0form three times, but you\u2019ve missed the point. Some people interpret the fact\u00a0that Taiji was originally called \u201clong boxing\u201d to mean that the form must\u00a0contain a lot of movements, but that is not the case. It refers rather to the\u00a0quality of the jing, the applied power. If your movements contain a smooth,\u00a0continuous, uninterrupted power then this is long boxing.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

In Taijiquan every movement, it doesn\u2019t matter what style you train in, if it\u00a0deviates from the 13 aspects (peng, lu, ji, an, cai, lieh, zhou, kao, forward,\u00a0backward, left, right, central equilibrium) it is not real Taiji. Their importance\u00a0lies in the fact that they are the \u201croot\u201d of Taijiquan; the foundation upon\u00a0which the art is based. You cannot separate the art from the root. It doesn\u2019t\u00a0matter which movement, they are all based on one of the 13 aspects or a\u00a0combination of them. If, as an example, you take external martial arts and\u00a0do them slowly, are they Taiji? No they are not because they do not contain\u00a0the 13 aspects. It doesn\u2019t matter which style of Taiji you practice or which\u00a0movement you are doing it must contain something of the 13 aspects. This\u00a0is essential.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Koh<\/a>No matter who the teacher is or what the style, if the teaching is based on\u00a0Taiji principles then it must be correct. In order to check whether you are\u00a0doing Taiji correctly you must constantly check that every movement reflects\u00a0the thirteen aspects. In this way you can determine for yourself whether you\u00a0are on the right track.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Some people say that to become competent in Taijiquan takes a long time\u00a0but I think that if you are diligent then in about two years you should\u00a0have acquired the basic skills. Constant improvement is possible if you just\u00a0continue training. If, however, you are intent on finding the Dao of Taijiquan\u00a0then it is not a simple thing. We are not talking about a few years\u2019 work, we\u00a0are talking about a lifetime and even then it is not guaranteed. Unless you\u00a0have the right method and the right approach, the right character even you\u00a0will find it very hard to walk this Dao.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the most important things that makes Cheng Man Ching\u2019s style\u00a0unique is the \u201cFair Lady\u2019s Hand.\u201d No other style stresses this unique hand\u00a0formation, as far as I know. What is important about the \u201cFair Lady\u2019s Hand\u201d\u00a0is that when you have got it right it leads to greatly improved ting jing. You\u00a0will have acquired Taiji\u2019s light touch. This is an important specialty.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

In Malaysian Taiji there is sometimes to be found an insistence that students\u00a0should use sandbags to condition their hands. Most of this originates with Lu\u00a0Tong Bao. When I trained with Shifu Lau we used to practice these methods\u00a0but now I think that this kind of training is not only unimportant but also\u00a0has a bad effect on your ting jing. Fair ladies seldom hit bags if they wish\u00a0their hands to stay fair. You look around my house, I don\u2019t have any of this\u00a0kind of equipment. Taijiquan relies on relaxation, timing and borrowing the\u00a0opponent\u2019s force, not on hand conditioning.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

When Grandmaster Cheng was younger he trained in\u00a0one method which involved hitting bean curd with\u00a0a bamboo stick. In doing so, he had to use a very\u00a0precise measure of strength to avoid destroying the\u00a0bean curd. This was a part of his training for dian\u00a0xue (vital point striking), because you have to use\u00a0just the right measure of force. He trained this\u00a0way for three years but eventually came to the\u00a0conclusion that Taijiquan was all that he needed.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Grandmaster was a very strange old man. He\u00a0was secretive about his training history and was\u00a0supposed to have had over 20 teachers. One of his\u00a0teachers told him that if he met a monk he was to bow\u00a0his head and treat him as his Shifu and this he did right into\u00a0his old age. Some people called him crazy because of his eccentric habits.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The first and foremost reason for practicing the solo form is to relax the sinews.\u00a0From relaxation of the sinews comes relaxation of the muscles and so of the\u00a0whole body. The form connects mind, heart, qi and body. Use the mind to\u00a0control the heart. The heart controls the qi and the qi finally moves the body.\u00a0Taijiquan is not a question of moving the hand or foot on its own. Instead\u00a0it is the qi that is the motivating force. The qi moves the limbs. Secondly,\u00a0whether the lower body controls the upper body is determined by whether\u00a0your form practice is correct or not. That is the power must be derived from\u00a0the yong quan (\u201ckidney 1\u201d) acupuncture points.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe power is rooted in the feet, directed by the legs, controlled by the waist\u00a0and expressed through the arms.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The form may be regarded as a compendium of the techniques, strategy and\u00a0tactics of the art. Let\u2019s look at two specific movements: Step Forward, Move,\u00a0Parry and Punch and the second one, Brush Knee and Twist Step.\u00a0In the first movement, when punching, we punch at the center of the body,\u00a0the soft parts. In the second movement we use the open hand to the face or\u00a0chest, both hard parts. We are using yin against yang and yang against yin.\u00a0But also if we look at the body mechanics and the laws of physics involved,\u00a0we can see that to punch high is unnatural in the sense that it requires tension\u00a0in the shoulders and the upper body. A high open-hand strike, on the other\u00a0hand, is both relaxed and natural. This is the reason for the difference and this\u00a0same reasoning, in terms of application, may be applied to every movement\u00a0in the form.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"beautiful_ladys_hand\"<\/a>Taiji is a form of qigong. You could say that it is qigong boxing; but you\u00a0cannot call other qigong methods Taijiquan. There are thousands of types of\u00a0qigong but even if you are an expert at one of these types it doesn\u2019t make you\u00a0an expert on Taijiquan. If, on the other hand, you are an expert at Taijiquan\u00a0then you can talk with some authority about qigong. If you want to learn\u00a0supplementary forms of qigong then you must be careful that you choose a\u00a0soft method as a hard one will not benefit your Taiji. In fact it might even\u00a0harm you.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Form practice naturally circulates the qi. The connection this has with a\u00a0person\u2019s health is very simple. When your sinews are loose and relaxed the\u00a0joints open and the qi flows naturally. When the circulation is natural and\u00a0unobstructed many illnesses are prevented from ever happening. Also when\u00a0we do the form all our internal organs move. This is as if we are giving the\u00a0internal organs a shower, making them clean so that the body\u2019s health is\u00a0naturally restored and protected.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

I think that intent is of greater importance in Taiji than qi. The mind should\u00a0be on the spirit not the qi. The intent motivates the qi. If a person has no\u00a0spirit (vitality or awareness) then what sort of qi does he have? A person who\u00a0sleeps all the time, what kind of qi does he have? He might say that his qi\u00a0is very good. That is patently untrue; that\u2019s my opinion. Qi embraces many\u00a0different factors: the nutrients in our food; our own level of self cultivation;\u00a0all these are in qi. If we get to the heart of the matter then it is intent that is\u00a0important. Intent motivates qi.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

More amazing insights into Cheng Man Ching’s Taiji are found in the\u00a0historical interviews conducted by Sifu Nigel Sutton in his book, Wisdom of Taiji Masters<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"taiji<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cSutton\u2019s book works not just on a technical level, but also an emotional level.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>\u2013Ben Judkins,\u00a0Chinese Martial Arts Studies<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNigel Sutton has done us a great favor in compiling this book\u2026\u00a0heartily recommended.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013Bernard Kwan, Be Not Defeated by the Rain<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSutton\u2019s interviews with these masters offer broad and deep insights into the multi-faceted art of T\u00e0i J\u00ed Qu\u00e1n.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>\u2013Nick Scrima, Journal of Chinese Martial Arts<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the first interview I was completely gripped\u2026\u00a0There\u2019s plenty of food for reflection in this book.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>\u2013Paul Brad, Ancient to Future<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe book\u2026\u00a0explores the meaning of, and extreme dedication to taijiquan for these men\u2019s lives, with many insights into practice\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>\u2014Taijiquan Journal<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

About the Author<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Nigel<\/a>Nigel Sutton is a martial artist with more than forty years of experience who has spent the last two decades living, training and teaching in Southeast Asia. The author of a number of books on the Asian martial traditions and a lineaged initiate in many of these systems, Nigel continues to research, through practice and participant observation, the martial traditions of the region. Working from his foundational knowledge and experience of the taijiquan of Cheng Man Ching Nigel has broadened the scope of his studies to include other Chinese martial arts, multiple styles of silat, traditional Filipino Eskrima (Eskrima De Campo JDC-IO) and Thailand\u2019s Krabi Krabong. Nigel holds instructor rankings, many of them at a senior grade in Taijiquan, Xingyiquan, Baguazhang, Liangshi Wushu, five styles of Silat, Eskrima DeCampo JDC-IO and Krabi Krabong. His current research is focused on the core elements common to all martial arts which constitute effective martial movement.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Koh Ah Tee and Nigel Sutton The whole of Taiji can be reduced to one word, song (alert relaxation). That is the essence, the root, everything. Relaxation…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4613,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"template-page-builder.php","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[320279954,320279131,320279138,320279303],"tags":[783416,320279032,320279336,320279337,320279335,53108062,320279334,320279033,320279333,11682838,64854,77022,320279340,320279339,137124,320279338],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nSecrets of Cheng's Taiji | Tambuli Media Body-Mind Health and Martial Arts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The whole of Taiji can be reduced to one word, song (alert relaxation). 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