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Yang Style Tai Chi Homepage

http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Philosophy/Taichi/yang.html

Yang Cheng-fu practicing Tai Chi.

Known as 'Yang the Invincible' he had four sons; the eldest Yang Chen- Ming (also known as Yang Shou-chung); the second Yang Chen- chi; the third Yang Chen-tuo; and the fourth Yang Chen- kuo. He also had a number of outstanding students including Wu Hui-chuan, Chang Yin-lin, Tung Ying-chih, Hu Yuen-chou and

Over time there have evolved a variety of styles or schools of Tai Chi Chuan. These reflect both a growth and devlopment of the form in general, as well as differences of style and emphasis between different techers. Elements of other martial arts forms have made themselves felt in Tai Chi, and this has changed its character as well.

Most of the different schools or styles of Tai Chi have been given the surnames of their founders. The following are the principal schools of Tai Chi that are in existance today.

International Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan Association List of affiliated groups, description of ranking system, seminars, Seattle, Washington class schedule, discussion board and photographs. www.yangfamilytaichi.com/ - 2k - Cached - Similar pages

Yang Lu chan, Yang Shaohou and Yang Chengfu are said to have demonstrated some fast taiji solo form. Can you tell us about the fast Yang taiji and the two person sparring set?

Originally Yang family members engaged in paired practice on individual moves only; they did not have a continuous two-man form per se. A student of Yang Chengfu named Chen2 yan4 ling2 created a two-man form by connecting up some of the single move elements that Yang Chengfu showed. The same thing with the fast form. The Yangs themselves did not have a fast form; some of Yang Chengfu's students created these fast forms.

 

 

The Ten Essentials of Tai Chi Chuan, part 2 (6-10)

Orally transmitted by Yang Chengfu, recorded by Chen Weiming

6. Use Intent Rather than Force:

The taiji classics say, "this is completely a matter of using intent rather than force'. When you practice taijiquan, let the entire body relax and extend. Don't employ even the tiniest amount of coarse strength which would cause musculo-skeletal or circulatory blockage with the result that you restrain or inhibit yourself. Only then will you be able to lightly and nimbly change and transform, circling naturally. Some wonder: if I don't use force, how can I generate force? The net of acupuncture meridians and channels throughout the body are like the waterways on top of the earth. If the waterways are not blocked, the water circulates; if the meridians are not impeded the chi circulates. If you move the body about with stiff force, you swamp the meridians, chi and blood are impeded, movements are not nimble; all someone has to do is begin to guide you and your whole body is moved. If you use intent rather than force, wherever the intent goes, so goes the chi. In this way - because the chi and blood are flowing, circulating every day throughout the entire body, never stagnating - after a lot of practice, you will get true internal strength. That's what the taiji classics mean by "Only by being extremely soft are you able to achieve extreme hardness." Somebody who is really adept at taiji has arms which seem like silk wrapped around iron, immensely heavy. Someone who practices external martial arts, when he is using his force, seems very strong. But when not using force, he is very light and floating. By this we can see that his force is actually external, or superficial strength. The force used by external martial artists is especially easy to lead or deflect, hence it is not of much value.

7. Synchronize Upper and Lower Body

In the taiji classics 'Synchronize Upper and Lower Body is expressed as: "With its root in the foot, emitting from the leg, governed by the waist, manifesting in the hands and fingers - from feet to legs to waist - complete everything in one impulse." * When hands move, the waist moves and legs move, and the gaze moves along with them. Only then can we say upper and lower body are synchronized. If one part doesn't move then it is not coordinated with the rest.

8. Match Up Inner and Outer

What we are practicing in taiji depends on the spirit, hence the saying: "The spirit is the general, the body his troops".
If you can raise your spirit, your movements will naturally be light and nimble, the form nothing more than empty and full, open and closed. When we say 'open', we don't just mean open the arms or legs; the mental intent must open along with the limbs. When we say 'close', we don't just mean close the arms or legs; the mental intent must close along with the limbs. If you can combine inner and outer into a single impulse *, then they become a seamless whole.

9. (Practice) Continuously and Without Interruption

Strength in external martial arts is a kind of aquired, brute force, so it has a beginning and an end, times when it continues and times when it is cut off, such that when the old force is used up and new force hasn't yet arisen, there is a moment when it is extremely easy for the person to be constrained by an opponent. In taiji, we use intent rather than force, and from beginning to end, smoothly and ceaselessly, complete a cycle and return to the beginning, circulating endlessly. That is what the taiji classics mean by "Like the Yangtse or Yellow River, endlessly flowing." And again: "Moving strength is like unreeling silk threads". These both refer to unifying into a single impulse. *

10. Seek Quiescence within Movement

External martial artists prize leaping and stopping as skill, and they do this till breath (chi) and strength are exhausted, so that after practicing they are all out of breath. In taiji we use quiescence to overcome movement, and even in movement, still have quiescence. So when you practice the form, the slower the better! When you do it slowly your breath becomes deep and long, the chi sinks to the cinnabar field (dan1 tian2) and naturally there is no deleterious constriction or enlargement of the blood vessels. If the student tries carefully he may be able to comprehend the meaning behind these words. 

* Literally "one chi". This could also be rendered as "one breath". 

Translated by Jerry Karin

 

Translation Copyright © 2001 International Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan Association.  All rights reserved.

 

The Ten Essentials of Tai Chi Chuan

Orally transmitted by Yang Chengfu, recorded by Chen Weiming

1. Empty, lively, pushing up and energetic *

'Pushing up and energetic' means the posture of the head is upright and straight and the spirit is infused into its apex. You may not use strength. To do so makes the back of the neck stiff, whereupon the chi and blood cannot circulate freely. You must have an intention which is empty, lively (or free) and natural. Without an intention which is empty, lively, pushing up and energetic, you won't be able to raise your spirit.

2. Hold in the chest and pull up the back

The phrase 'hold in the chest' means the chest is slightly reserved inward, which causes the chi to sink to the cinnabar field (dan1 tian2). The chest must not be puffed out. If you do so then the chi is blocked in the chest region, the upper body becomes heavy and lower body light, and it will become easy for the heels to float upward. 'Pulling up the back' makes the chi stick to the back. If you are able to hold in the chest then you will naturally be able to pull up the back. If you can pull up the back, then you will be able to emit a strength from the spine which others cannot oppose.

3. Relax the waist

The waist is the commander of the whole body. Only after you are able to relax the waist will the two legs have strength and the lower body be stable. The alternation of empty and full all derive from the turning of the waist. Hence the saying: 'The wellspring of destiny lies in the tiny interstice of the waist.' ** Whenever there is a lack of strength in your form, you must look for it in in the waist and legs. 

4. Separate empty and full

In the art of Tai Chi Chuan, separating full and empty is the number one rule. If the whole body sits on the right leg, then the right leg is deemed 'full' and the left leg 'empty'. If the whole body sits on the left leg, then the left leg is deemed 'full' and the right leg 'empty'. Only after you are able to distinguish full and empty will turning movements be light, nimble and almost without effort; if you can't distinguish them then your steps will be heavy and sluggish, you won't be able to stand stably, and it will be easy for an opponent to control you. 

5. Sink the shoulders and droop the elbows

Sinking the shoulders means the shoulders relax open and hang downward. If you can't relax them downward, the shoulders pop up and then the chi follows and goes upward, causing the whole body to lack strength. Drooping the elbows means the elbows are relaxed downward. If the elbows are elevated then the shoulders are unable to sink. When you use this to push someone they won't go far. It's like the 'cut off' energy of external martial arts. ***

Notes:

* This four-character phrase is probably the most difficult one in all of tai chi literature to translate. I have chosen to regard each of the four words as filling the function of a predicate or verb-phrase. Another fairly obvious approach would be to take the first two as adverbial and the last two as subject-predicate: "Empty and lively, the apex is energetic." Many other interpretations are possible.

** In Chinese thought the waist tends to be regarded as the space between two vertebrae, rather than a circle girdling the middle of the body.

*** External martial arts such as Shaolin are thought to use energy from parts or sections of the body, as opposed to the 'whole-body' energy of tai chi.

Translated by Jerry Karin

 

Translation Copyright © 2000 International Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan Association.  All rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

Traditional Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan 103 Movement Hand Form

 

 

 

A Talk on Practice           by Yang Chengfu

  Although there are rather a lot of different styles of Chinese martial arts, they are all alike in that successive generations have striven all their lives and with all their might to explain the principles and theory contained in these techniques, but these efforts have never been totally successful.  Nevertheless, if  a student will expend the effort of one day of practice, he will receive the achievements of a day of work.  Over days and months this accumulates till everything falls into place naturally.

Tai Chi Chuan is the art of letting hardness dwell within softness and hiding a needle within cotton; from the point of view of techniques, physiology, and physics, there is considerable philosophy contained within it.  Hence those who would research it need to undergo a definite process of development over a considerable period of time.  Though one may have the instruction of a fine teacher and the criticism of good friends, the one thing which is most important and which one cannot do without is daily personal training.  Without it one can discuss and analyze all day, think and ponder for years, but when one day you encounter an opponent you are like a hole with nothing in it - you are still quite inexpert, lacking the skills (kung fu) borne of daily practice.  This is what the ancients meant by “thinking forever is useless, better to practice”.  If morning and evening there is never a gap, hot or cold never an exception, so that the moment you think of it you proceed to do your training, then  young or old, man or woman, you will alike be rewarded with success. 

These days from north to south, from the Yellow River regions to the Yangtze River regions, more and more comrades are learning Tai Chi Chuan, which is heartening for the future of martial arts.  However, among these comrades,  there is no shortage of those who concentrate and practice hard,  study sincerely, and whose future ought to be limitless, yet typically they fail to avoid two kinds of pitfall: in the first case they are very talented, still young and strong, able to apply one criticism to many places, their understanding surpasses that of most people;  alas once they make some slight achievement, they are satisfied too quickly, stop in the middle and never really get it.  In the second instance, the person is anxious to make rapid progress, throwing it together sloppily, so that before a year is through, they have gone completely through barehand, sword, knife and spear.  Although they can ‘paint a gourd by following a template’, they really haven’t achieved the enlightenment in this.  The moment you scrutinize their direction and movement, upper and lower body, internal and external, none of it turns out to be standard.  In order to correct them, you have to correct every move, and corrections given in the morning are forgotten by evening.  That’s why you often hear people say: “it’s easy to learn tai chi, but hard to correct it”.  The reason for this saying is people trying to learn too fast.  Such a group takes their mistakes and transmits them to the next generation, necessarily fooling both themselves and others, and this is the most discouraging thing for the future of the art.

In Tai Chi Chuan, we first learn the form or frame.  That is to say, according to each posture name from the manual, we are taught the postures by a teacher, one at a time. The student does his best to calm his mind, and silently attentive, pondering, trying, he performs the moves: that is called ‘practicing the form’.  At this time the student focuses on ‘inner’, ‘outer’, ‘upper’ and ‘lower’.  ‘Inner’ means ‘using intent rather than force’.  ‘Lower’ means ‘the chi is sunk to the cinnabar field (dantian)’.  ‘Upper’ means ‘Empty, lively, pushing up and  energetic (xu1 ling2 ding3 jing4 - refers to requirements for the head).   ‘Outer’ means:  the entire body is light and nimble, all the joints are connected as a whole, (movement proceeds) from foot to leg to waist, sink the shoulders and keep elbows bent (low).  Those beginning their study should first take the above several instructions and perfect them, pondering and trying morning and evening.  Move by move, you must always carefully seek these.  When you practice a move, strive for correctness, and only when you have practiced it till it is right go on to the next move.  Proceed in this way until you have gradually completed all the postures.  This way there is nothing to correct and you do not tend over time towards violating the principles.

In practice as you are moving, the bones and joints of the entire body must all relax and extend and be natural.  The mouth and abdomen must not block breathing.  The four limbs, the waist and the legs must not use strong force.  Something like these last two sentences is always said by people learning internal arts but once they start to move, once they turn the body or kick the legs or twist the waist, their breath becomes labored and their body sways; these defects are all due to stopping the breath and using strong force.

1.     When you practice, the head must not incline to either side or tilt forward or backward.  There is a phrase  ‘you must suspend the tip of the head’.  This is as though something were placed on the top of the head.  Avoid at all cost a stiff straightness!  That’s what is meant by ‘suspend’.  Although the gaze should be directed levelly ahead, sometimes it must turn in accordance with the position of the body.  Even though the line of the gaze is empty, it plays an important role in transformations and supplements what is left wanting by the body and hand positions.  The mouth seems open but it’s not, seems closed but not quite. Nose and mouth inhale and exhale:  do what is natural.  If some saliva accumulates below the tongue, swallow it; don’t spit it out.

2.     The torso should be centered and not leaning.  The line of the entire spine should  hang straight and not be bent to one side.  But when you encounter transformations between open and closed you should have the flexibility of waist turn which comes of sunk chest, pulled-up back and lowered shoulders. This is something you need to attend to in the beginning stages of learning.  Otherwise, as time goes on it will become hard to change and will turn into stiffness, so that although you have put in a lot of practice, it will be hard to improve your applications.

3.     The bones and joints of the two arms all need to be relaxed open.  The shoulders should hang down and the elbows should bend downward.  The palms should be slightly extended and the fingers slightly bent.  Use intent to move the arms and chi to suffuse the fingers.  As the days and months of practice accumulate, the internal energy connects and becomes nimble, and mysterious ability grows of itself.

4.     In the two legs you must distinguish ‘empty’ and ‘full’.  Picking up and dropping (of the feet) should be like way a cat moves.  When your body weight shifts to the left, then left is ‘full’ and the right is termed ‘empty’.  If you shift to the right, then right is ‘full’ and the left is termed ‘empty’.  What is termed ‘empty’ is not really empty, the position still hasn’t been abandoned, but rather there is the intent of (possible) expanding or shrinking left there.  What is termed ‘full’ is just weighted and that’s all, it is not using too much force or fierce strength.  So when the leg bends it should go until it is straight up and down, further than that is called excessive force.  The torso will tip forward and then you will have lost the centered posture and the opponent gets an opportunity to attack.

5.     In the kicks we must distinguish between the two types: toe kicks (in the manual left and right separate leg, also called left and right flap legs)  and heel kicks.  In toe kicks, pay attention to the tip of the foot, whereas in heel kicks pay attention to the entire sole of the foot.  When the intent arrives then the chi arrives and when the chi arrives then energy arrives by itself.   But your bones and joints must relax open and you must stably kick out the foot.  This is the easiest time to give rise to strong force.  If the body is slightly bent then you will be unstable and the kicking foot will not deliver much force.

 

In the process of learning Tai Chi, we first learn barehand form (a solo exercise), such as Tai Chi Chuan, or Tai Chi Long Fist; after that comes single-handed push hands, fixed step push hands, moving step push hands, big rollback (da4lu3), sparring (san4shou3); and finally comes the weapons such as Tai Chi sword, Tai Chi knife, Tai Chi spear (13 spear).

As to practice times, every day after getting up practice the form twice.  If you don’t have time in the morning, then twice before bed.  You should practice seven or eight times a day, but at very least once in the morning and once at night.  If you have been drinking heavily or have eaten a lot, avoid practice.

For places to practice, a courtyard or large room with good air circulation and lots of light are suitable.  But avoid places directly exposed to strong wind or places that are shady and damp or have poor air quality.  Because once the body starts exercising, the breath naturally becomes deeper so strong wind or poor quality air, because they would go deep into the belly and harm the lungs, might easily cause illness.  As for practice clothes, loose Chinese clothing or short clothing along with wide-toed cloth shoes are suitable.  When you practice, if you happen to perspire a lot don’t remove all your clothing or rinse with cold water; otherwise you might get sick. 

Translated by Jerry Karin

Translation Copyright © 2000 International Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan Association.  All rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

Palm Methods (zhang fa)
 

The palm methods are a sub-category of the hand methods. The palm methods can be broadly divided into two classes, comprising approximately nine types.

 

The first class, "seated wrist upright palm" (zuo wan li zhang xing) contains five types of palm methods:

• standing palm (li zhang)
• square palm (zheng zhang)
• downward palm (fu zhang)
• outward turned palm (fan zhang)
• level palm (ping zhang)

 

The second class, "straight extended" (zhi shen xing), contains four types of palm methods:

1. upward palm (yang zhang)
2. inclined palm (ce zhang)
3. downward hanging palm (chui zhang)
4. straight palm (zhi zhang)

One: The special characteristics of "seated wrist upright palm" are that when the palm extends forth it must always have the wrist seated and the palm upright. As for its technique, above all, the wrist of the hand must sit solidly. Then, allow the palm of the hand to stand up; that is, lift it upwards, and gradually let the fingers point up and the heart of the palm face forward. When the standing up of the palm reaches a certain degree, it will then produce a kind of internal sensation (nei zai de ziwo ganjue). This type of sensation is called "energy sensation" (jin gan). If the practitioner's physical training has a firm foundation, this type of "energy sensation" can immediately thread throughout the entire body. Beginning students, however, may manifest a local sensation of stiffness (the hands and arms ache or become numb).

The above two categories of sensation are entirely different. In light of this, beginning students should above all avoid raising the palm insufficiently, with the production of weak, hollow, and nebulous sensations. However, a stiffness or dullness produced by an excessive lifting upward is also not the goal of our pursuit. If you can only feel the sensation of energy, then if it is not right, you can correct it. But if you can't sense it then it will be empty, and cannot be self-adjusted. This palm method controls, in a clearly established order, the containing of energy (jin), the expression of vital spirit (jingshen de biaoda), and the achievement of hardness [within] softness, with the result that it will penetrate [or 'thread'] from joint to joint (jie jie guan chuan), and the entire body will be coordinated. In order to train well in Yang Style Taijiquan, you must seek this "energy sensation" in the upright palm.

The following are a few methods of the "seated wrist upright palm".

1. Standing palm (li zhang) When the fingers point up, or incline upward, and the palm does not face squarely forward, but in another direction, this is called standing palm. An example is the upper palm in Brush Knee Twist Step, and Step Back Repulse Monkey; the lower palm of Jade Maiden Threads the Shuttles, etc.
2. Square palm (zheng zhang) When the fingers point up, and the palm faces forward squarely, this is called square palm. Examples are the Push (An) in Grasp Swallow's Tail, and in Like Sealing As if Closing, etc.
3. Downward palm (fu zhang) When the heart of the palm faces down, or obliquely downward, no matter what direction the fingers point to, this is called downward palm. Examples are the lower palm in Brush Knee Twist Step, Wild Horse Parts its Mane, White Crane Displays Wings; the left palm in Punch Downward, and Punch to Groin, etc.
4. Outward turned palm (fan zhang) When the fingertips point to the side, or obliquely to the side, and the palm faces outward, this is called outward turned palm. Examples are the upper palm in Jade Maiden Threads the Shuttles, White Crane Displays Wings; and the palm as it turns from Ward Off (Peng) to Pluck (Cai) in Cloud Hands.
5. Level palm (ping zhang) Regardless of the direction the fingers point, the palm faces down or circles levelly to the left or right. Examples are the transitions to Single Whip, or Observe Fist Under Elbow.

The above palm methods are all based on the seated wrist and upright palm form. If, when performing these postures, one does not seat the wrists and make the palm upright, there will appear in the body a looseness and softness, a nebulous emptiness. Experiment with this, then you will be able to make an appraisal.

Two: The special characteristics of "straight extended" and its techniques are: You only need to have the palm extended straight (not rigidly stiff) -- let it be level, let it be expanded and drawn out, then you will have it. This does not require that the wrist be seated and the palm upright, but it also has the self-sensation of internal energy (nei jin de ziwo ganjue), and a penetration throughout the entire body. Although there are differences with the seated wrist upright palm in the expression in shape and form, as well as in methodology, the action and results produced are the same. The two are interdependent and work in mutual coordination. One should regard them equally.

The following are a few methods of the "straight extended" palm:

1. Upward palm (yang zhang) In cases where the heart of the palm is up, or obliquely upward, and the fingers point forward or incline forward, this is upward palm. Examples are the lower palm in Step Back Dispatch Monkey, and High Pat on Horse; or the upper palm in Oblique Flying, or Piercing Palm [of High Pat on Horse with Piercing Palm].
2. Inclined palm (ce zhang) When the palm is toward the inside or inclined to the inside, regardless of what direction the fingers point, this is called inclined palm. Examples are Left and Right Ward Off in Grasp Swallow's Tail, and Ward Off in Cloud Hands, etc.
3. Downward hanging palm (chui zhang) When the palm is facing in or inclined toward the inside, and the fingertips point down or incline downward, this is called downward hanging palm. Examples are the two arms hanging down in the Preparation Posture, or when the arms orbit down in rounded arcs, etc.
4. Straight palm (zhi zhang) When the palms are down or inclined downward, regardless of the direction the fingers point, this is called straight palm. Examples are the turning transition from Push (an) to Single Whip, the two arms rising upwards in the Beginning Posture, etc.

When the Taijiquan postures are in the process of circling, there emerges a reciprocal alternating and advancing of the various palm methods. For example, in transitioning from White Crane Displays Wings to Brush Knee Twist Step, the right arm circles down from above to in front of the thigh (kua). The palm is up, the fingers toward the front, forming an upward palm. Continuing down in a circular arc, the palm turns toward the outside, the fingers pointing down, forming a downward hanging palm. Now again the arm bends upward, turning the fingers to point up, the palm facing obliquely outward, forming a standing palm.

Regarding whether in the above discussion there is a relationship between the palm methods (zhang fa) and the proper hand shape (shou xing), they both have an indivisible relationship. As to hand shape, it has already been explained in the "Ten Essential of the Art of Taijiquan": "The palm should slightly extend (zhang yi wei shen), the fingers should slightly bend (zhi yi wei qu)".* However, in actual practice, there is still another requirement: "The spaces between the fingers should be slightly open ". This is also important, and requires that the fingers not be gathered together, and also that they not stretch wide apart. In this way the outer shape and appearance of the palm of the hand will increasingly tend toward perfection, there will be hardness contained within, and it will still have a pliable outward appearance, natural -- refined and elegant -- one could say that form and spirit are complete and prepared (xing shen ju bei). It is hoped that students will memorize (mo shi), comprehend (ti wu), and ponder (chuai mo).

One's ability to accomplish each of the palm methods rests entirely on the foundation of "fang song" (relaxing, loosening). If you are able to properly understand the significance of "fang song", and your practice is correct, there is sure to be a good result. Because of this, one must have proper guidance in one's training -- only then will you be able to utilize each type of palm method correctly, and gain the result of one palm representing the entire body.

~~~~~~

*Translator's Note: I looked for this sentence in Yang Chengfu's "Ten Essentials of the Art of Taijiquan" (Taijiquan Shu Shi Yao), but it does not appear there. It does appear in Yang's "A Discussion of Taijiquan Practice" (Taijiquan zhi Lianxi Tan).

 Fang Song

 

 

Traditional Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan 103 Movement Hand Form

 

 

  Bow Steps: Two Important Points

In Yang Zhenduo's book, Zhongguo Yang Shih Taiji, 1997, for each move there is a section called "Important Points".  The important points are combined for left and right ward off.  Points three and four of this group are particularly eloquent, and we include a translation of them here.

3. When you make a bow step, as the weight shifts from one foot to the other, you should pay attention to the symmetrical arrangement of the two opposing forces - one leg pushing and the other pushing back or resisting. Whether the front leg is pushing backward and the back leg resisting, or the back leg is pushing forward and the front leg resisting, the forces must be coordinated, so as to avoid pushing out too hard or resisting too hard, or pushing out emptily without any compensating resistance. The waist, if firmly in command, can propel the four limbs, cause the upper and lower body to work in concert, and better complete every move and posture. But if you fail to control the lower limbs and they do not match what is going on in the rest of the body, although the waist has the capability of commanding the four limbs, it's no use. So in the Tai Chi world when we particularly emphasize utilizing a whole-body movement, that is actually this matching of opposed forces, the mutually restricting coordination of the entire body. As people often say, 'Tai Chi is a whole body exercise' and is different from activities which involve moving sections or parts of the body only. I hope you will work hard to incorporate this point in your form. 

4. Here's how to step into the bow step: Whenever the foot which is stepping out descends to the floor, first touch the heel to the floor, next the toes grab the floor, and then finally, the knee bends and moves forward. During the entire process, as the weighted leg pushes forward and the empty leg resists, one sending and one receiving force, (especially in the case of of the resisting, empty leg) you must never stop pushing or resisting but you must also not push or resist too forcefully. If you stop one of the opposing forces then you will lose your balance and if you use too much force then you'll be stiff; neither of these is good. If you can achieve just the right balance in this, it will create favorable conditions for upper and lower body to work in concert during transitional moves. When extending the weighted (back) leg to its ultimate position in a bow step, just as in the extension of an arm, extend until it is almost fully extended but not quite. If you over-extend then it becomes forced and looks stiff. If the back leg is bent too much, the pushing force cannot come out, and it will seem as if you have a lot of power but can't use it. The resistance of the empty leg goes through a process of gradual engagement. First touch the floor with the heel, continue by allowing the flat of the foot to touch, then the toes grab the floor, and then let the knee bend forward, letting the bending knee and shin slightly incline forward and increasing the resistance from the front leg so as not to allow the knee to pass the toe. This way, with one leg pushing and one leg resisting, neither force subsiding or becoming too strong, the lower body will become a great deal stronger and more stable. Note that if the knee and shin of the forward leg are standing perpendicular to the ground then it is hard to utilize the resisting force and the back leg won't be able to develop power in its push forward. If the knee goes past the toe, you'll lose your balance and the back leg again won't be able to develop much power. Only when you make the knee and shin slightly incline forward, with the knee not going past the toe, can you thoroughly get the full strength of the two forces, pushing out and resisting, to come into play. 


Translation Copyright © 2000 Yang Zhenduo.  All rights reserved.

 

 

 

Translator's Comments

 

This week we published a short essay by Yang Zhenduo with his commentary on the Twenty-Character Motto. I think this is a very good tip for Tai Chi players - it really works! For those who have not heard this explained by Yang Zhenduo himself at one of the seminars, I thought I would add a few remarks of my own to help clarify (I hope) the meaning.

When Yang Zhenduo explains this at a seminar, he usually does a move such as right ward off. He then takes his left index finger and points it at the inside of his right elbow. The finger points in the same direction as the right elbow. He then mimes using the finger to push the elbow outward, and seminar participants can actually observe the elbow moving outward and downward, maybe an inch or so (it's hard to quantify this but you can definitely see the elbow move outward). You can see the right shoulder relax downward too as the elbow goes outward. He sometimes turns and points to show that the same movement has opened up a space under the armpit. It seems to me that the movement outward is a combination of relaxing the shoulder downward and opening up the shoulder and elbow joints, so that the upper arm seems to grow in length. In any case, it's just that easy. Anyone who practices tai chi can try it. When you do it correctly, there should be an immediate, noticeable sensation, which Yang Zhenduo describes in the essay. Try it!

 

Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan Twenty-Character Motto
- Excerpt from Yang Zhenduo, Yang Shih Taiji, 1997

(Requirement for upper limbs)
Translated by Jerry Karin; copyright Yang Zhenduo, 2000

 

"Extend the elbows outward; leave a hollow in the armpits. The elbows pull down the tops of the shoulders, connect the wrists and carry along the fingers."

 

The Twenty-Character Motto is very brief, yet its meaning is very profound and worth pursuing. Although only the various parts of the upper limbs are mentioned, following this motto can set in motion a chain of causality in which changes here affect the other parts of the body. This connection is not just mental, but you can actually feel that precisely this movement of the upper limbs causes you to 'hold the chest in', which in turn induces 'pulling up the back', leading to 'relaxation of waist and hips' and ultimately bringing about '(movement proceeds) from feet to legs to waist', so 'all the joints are working interconnectedly as a whole'. You can get an internal sensation of the integration of all these principles and how they support each other. The sense of energy (jing4 gan3) created by this, and the sensation of the whole-body working together are things which every player must work toward and actually experience. This is crucial to successfully learning taiji. From this we can see that the Twenty-Character motto separately relates to every individual posture of taiji and as a whole determines the connected completion of the entire form. I hope that students will diligently seek to understand this, and experience the 'sensation of energy' induced by this 'extend','hollow','pull down', and 'connect'. This will aid your overall level of training as well as the practice of connecting the internal and external.