I. Posture Practice
Posture practice is the foremost issue in mastering Tai Chi. What postures are required for Tai Chi practice? There are numerous Tai Chi postures, including Kai He Zhuang, Xia Kun Zhuang, Ma Bu Zhuang, Shou Hui Pipa Zhuang, Ti Shang Shi Zhuang, Bai He Liang Chi Zhuang, and so on. In fact, every movement of Tai Chi is a posture. To achieve the basic requirements of Tai Chi posture practice, one must practice to the point where it is difficult for two or three, even three or five people to push or pull you, and no matter how strong the young man, they cannot lift your arms.
II. Headwork
The requirement for the head in Tai Chi practice is to keep the head upright and slightly retract the chin. This is called ’empty lead top strength’, with a slight retraction of the chin, the energy penetrates the top. If the head’s hanging strength is lacking when pushing hands and sending people, it may not be possible to send them, or send them far. With the strength of the hanging head, it is possible to send them or send them beautifully. Therefore, ’empty lead top strength’ is indispensable. Facial expressions should be natural, not grinning or grimacing. In summary, no matter how difficult or easy, facial expressions should be natural, as if nothing has happened.
III. Eyework
When practicing Tai Chi, the gaze should always cooperate with the movements. When looking forward, look forward; when looking at the front hand, look at the front hand. No matter where you look, it should feel natural and appropriate. For example, after the White Crane Spreads Its Wings, the fixed position should look straight ahead; and for the Left Wild Horse’s Mane, when holding the ball with the right hand on top and the left hand below, the eyes should look at the right hand’s index finger.
When the left foot steps out and slowly becomes a left bow step, the left hand also arrives at the left chest, and the right hand stops beside the right hip, the eyes should look at the left hand’s tiger mouth or index finger. When looking at the left hand, neither glaring nor lost, but with both eyes focused and looking at the front hand.
IV. Breathing Practice
Tai Chi should be practiced with natural breathing from beginning to end. Practice by coordinating the actions with inhalation and exhalation, making the breath gradually longer. It is best if the breath is inaudible to the ears, and the breath should not be interrupted. It should be known that practicing Tai Chi is different from practicing morning exercises with two-eight breaths or four-eight breaths, but should be coordinated with the difficulty and length of the movements.
From the starting position to the ending position, it should be inhaling on rising and exhaling on falling, inhaling on collecting and exhaling on releasing. Over time, the movements and breathing can be combined. With more effort, the state of qi and strength can be achieved. Of course, there is a more profound breathing skill, which is practicing Tai Chi, and suddenly feeling a thunderclap by the ear, not realizing one’s own breathing, which is fetal breathing.
If one can often achieve the state of fetal breathing, longevity is undoubtedly certain.
V. Ear Practice
I mentioned earlier that breathing is inaudible to the ears, so what does the ear listen to? I believe the ear should listen to cicada chirping. What is cicada chirping? Cicada chirping is the ‘er’ sound emitted by the brain when we are quiet. As long as one can eliminate distractions, not let the spirit disperse, and focus on listening to cicada chirping, over time, in an instant, there will be a ‘crash’ by the ear, like thunder, and one will be in a state of tranquility.
At this moment, one only knows practicing boxing and is oblivious to other things. See as if not seeing. See people as if not seeing them, see objects as if not seeing them, and see everything as if not seeing it. This is the best effect of seeking tranquility in movement as talked about in practicing Taijiquan. After a long time of tranquility, movement emerges. This movement is not the movement of Taijiquan actions, but the movement of a bit of true yang energy.
This bit of true yang energy is the movement of spontaneous erection without thoughts. (Therefore, to practice real Taijiquan, especially health cultivation skills, one cannot practice in a group. It is even more inconvenient for men and women to practice together. The key lies here.)
Sixth, tongue skills. When practicing Taijiquan, start from the preparatory posture by curling the tip of the tongue upward and pushing it against the Tianchi acupoint. There are two acupoints at the root of the tongue. The one on the left is Jinjing acupoint, and the one on the right is Shiquan acupoint. As the movements are performed slowly, the two acupoints under the tongue will secrete saliva. In jargon, this saliva is called ‘jade fluid’.
Seventh, shoulder skills. When practicing Taijiquan, no matter what movement is being done, whether rising or falling, the shoulders are always sinking. This sinking is not a stiff sinking but a natural and relaxed sinking. People who don’t know how to practice boxing often think that sinking the shoulders has no effect. The shoulder is the root joint of the arm. If the shoulder can sink naturally, then ordinary people definitely cannot lift your arm.
The same applies when releasing someone. If the opponent is relatively heavy, then by slightly lifting one’s own shoulder, the opponent will immediately lose strength. Because when the shoulder is lifted, the arm is separated from the whole body and from the elbow and wrist, so there is no strength. Only when the shoulder is relaxed can the arm and the whole body become a tightly locked whole and be integrated with the elbow and wrist, so that the strength can be effectively used.
The predecessors called the shoulder the root joint of the arm, while the elbow is the middle joint and the wrist is the tip joint. This shows the important position of sinking the shoulders in Taijiquan. When practicing Taijiquan, except for individual movements such as the lower stance, the two shoulders should always be on the same horizontal line no matter how difficult the movement is. In pushing hands, shoulder leaning is a very powerful attacking technique.
If the opponent pulls me, then I can just take advantage of the opponent’s pulling force and lean towards the opponent’s middle. A light lean can send the opponent several meters away, and a heavy lean can immediately cause the opponent to go into shock. This shows the great power of sinking the shoulders and leaning with the shoulder.
Eighth, elbow skills. When practicing Taijiquan, it is emphasized to sink the shoulders and drop the elbows. If the shoulders are relaxed and sunk but the elbows are slightly lifted outward or caved inward, it will immediately destroy the effect of sinking the shoulders and the strength will be dispersed. The elbow is the middle joint of the arm. If there is a problem with the middle joint, both the root joint and the tip joint will be affected, and the strength cannot be complete.
Therefore, no matter it is ‘Parting the Wild Horse’s Mane’, ‘Bend Knee and Push Forward in a Cross Step’, or other movements, the elbows cannot be lifted outward or caved inward. Even in the ‘Four Corners Shuttle’ movement, lifting the elbows is not allowed. In pushing hands, the lethality of the elbow is extremely fierce, so masters often do not want to use the elbow to hit the opponent. If the elbow hits, for example, on the ribs, several ribs will be broken.
At least, the opponent will spit blood. Therefore, using the elbow is strictly prohibited in pushing hands competitions. Lifting the elbow is even more powerful. Even if it hits on the opponent’s back, the opponent will be unable to bear it, let alone hitting on a vital part.
Ninth, wrist skills and fingertip skills. When practicing Taijiquan, it is emphasized to sit the wrist and spread the fingers so that the shoulder, elbow, and wrist become a unified whole.
If the shoulders are heavy, the elbows drop, but the wrists do not settle, then the strength of the arms cannot be unified, and the strength of the shoulders and elbows lacks a reliable guarantee. As the two gates of the upper body, the shoulders, elbows, and wrists must form a unified whole to be used freely. Once the shoulders, elbows, and wrists are unified, the strength of the fingers cannot be fully exerted without the extension of the fingers, so the issue of finger extension should not be overlooked.
In pushing and releasing movements, the fingers are at the forefront; to push someone out without the rolling of the wrist (as in the挤 posture, without wrist rolling, it is ineffective) and without the flickering strength of the fingertips is also insufficient. The extension of the fingers also lacks from a performance perspective. During Tai Chi push hands, the fingertips should be like a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner feeling the pulse; with slight contact, one should clearly and distinctly perceive the opponent’s strength and skill.
In practicing Tai Chi, the strength of both arms embodies circular motion, which the ancient martial artists referred to as ’embracing the original and guarding the one.’ This ‘one’ has been explained in my work on ear training, and I will emphasize here that it is the innate vital energy, the true yang without thoughts. Mr. Sun Lutang said, ‘Tai Chi is like a balloon, while Xing Yi is like an iron ball.
‘ Mr. Sun’s reference to Tai Chi as a balloon does not mean a deflated one but one that is fully inflated, with every part being circular, leaving the opponent with nowhere to attack. For instance, during push hands, if both arms are rounded like a balloon, where can the opponent find an opening? When the opponent has no way to attack and there are no vulnerabilities, this is the effect that should be achieved by embracing the ball.
Speaking of the shoulders, they should be round, with enough space under the armpit to fit a fist; regarding the waist, it should be like an axle, flexible and easy to use everywhere; concerning the back, it should be round, and like a bow, it has endless strength; when discussing the crotch, it should be rounded with the anus raised and the crotch wrapped; regarding the legs, the supporting leg in the back (like a bow stance) should be round; when discussing the hands, the tiger’s mouth should be round; when discussing the raising and lowering of hands, the raising hand should be an arc, and the lowering hand should also be an arc.
In professional terms, this is ‘the raising hand should be light and agile, the lowering hand should be heavy and composed.’ So-called light and agile in raising hands, heavy and composed in lowering hands, means that the practitioner does not deliberately use strength, yet to an expert, there is an implicit hidden strength everywhere. Many people believe that practicing Tai Chi is just a casual exercise, without exerting any strength.
This statement is erroneous. If practiced strictly according to the Tai Chi standards, without arching the chest, protruding the belly, or sticking out the buttocks, even a single round of the twenty-four forms can make the average person’s legs tremble.
The chest work in practicing Tai Chi has very strict requirements. If the head is raised, the elbows are dropped, the wrists are settled, and the fingers are extended, but the chest is protruded, it will destroy the unity mentioned above. The requirements for the shoulders, elbows, and wrists mentioned above are all for the sinking of strength, and if the chest is protruded, the qi will surge upwards and stagnate in the chest.
Tai Chi requires the whole body to be unified, with strength relaxing to the feet. If the qi surges upwards, it is impossible to relax to the feet. Only by slightly retracting the chest can the qi descend to the lower dantian.
Gently retract the chest, allowing the back to maintain a round posture, which helps the breath adhere to the back. Tai Chi, Xing Yi, and Bagua all require the chest to be retracted, and even Western boxing demands the same.
Only by retracting the chest can the force from the shoulders be extended forward, to the left, and to the right. If the chest is protruded, the force is dissipated and blocked by the chest, making it impossible to extend. Tai Chi emphasizes the convergence of spirit and energy into the bones, with the breath adhering to the back, which necessitates the retraction of the chest. Therefore, not retracting the chest not only obstructs the force but also prevents the energy from sinking into the Dantian.
Hence, regardless of gender, it is essential to retract the chest when practicing Tai Chi.
In practicing Tai Chi, the abdomen is also crucial, with the emphasis on sinking the energy into the Dantian. The Dantian is located one inch and three parts below the navel. When the energy is sunk into the Dantian, the abdomen appears round and filled with energy. If one holds the stomach up, claiming that the energy has sunk into the Dantian, is that possible? A protruding stomach indicates a deflated abdomen, which means the energy has not sunk into the Dantian.
If the energy does not sink into the Dantian, it will inevitably surge into the chest. Therefore, both holding the stomach up and retracting the abdomen are major taboos in practicing Tai Chi well. A skilled Tai Chi practitioner, with energy sunk into the Dantian, can withstand several punches or kicks to the abdomen. In Tai Chi Pushing Hands, the abdomen’s fullness is even more emphasized. Masters of Tai Chi Pushing Hands, such as Mr.
Hao Jiajun, can strike people with their abdomen with much greater force than an average person’s hand. Often, with a simple inward pull and a rebound of the abdomen, they can send someone flying several feet away. The power of using the abdomen to dispatch someone is even more effective than using pushes and squeezes.
The waist and abdomen are connected, so why discuss them separately? It is because the martial arts predecessors often discussed the waist, so I separate the waist and abdomen to focus on the abdomen. In practicing Tai Chi, the waist leads the limbs, acting as the master of the body. The predecessors said, ‘The waist is like the axis of a cart.’ When practicing Tai Chi, it is the rotation of the waist left and right that leads the hands and feet; if the waist does not move, the arms will hardly move at all.
Tai Chi experts, by using their waists effectively, often make movements that go unnoticed by ordinary people. It should be known that the waist’s rotation is not a side-to-side swing or a twist. If it is a swing or twist, that would be a big mistake. Therefore, in practicing Tai Chi, every movement involves the waist, and every stillness involves the heart and the mind. Taking the ‘Left Parting the Wild Horse’s Mane’ as an example, when the left foot steps out and lands, the toes are raised, and the heel is on the ground, the hands slowly separate to the left and right.
On the surface, it appears that the hands are moving, but in reality, it is the waist slowly rotating to the left. If the waist does not move, the movement stops immediately. Similarly, in ‘Cloud Hands,’ it appears that the hands are moving left and right, but in reality, it is the waist rotating left and right, with the wrists simply flipping over when the waist turns. If only the hands are moving and the waist does not rotate left and right, that can only be considered as practicing Tai Chi at a beginner level.
Pushing Hands further emphasizes the strength of the waist. If you are in pain in the waist while pushing hands, can you push effectively? Without waist training and the ability to rotate in all directions, can you withstand a push from an opponent? It is clear how crucial the waist is in practicing Tai Chi and in Tai Chi Pushing Hands.
Fourteen, the hip technique in Tai Chi requires strict control over the ‘reining in’ of the buttocks. From a holistic view of the human body, the buttocks occupy a crucial position. If the buttocks are protruded, the force of the entire body will be interrupted at the buttock area, preventing the integration of upper and lower body, leading to a disconnection of force throughout the body. The force from the head to the waist should be coordinated and directed downward; when the buttocks are reined in, the force of the entire body can relax to the feet, unifying the force of the upper and lower body into one, which then descends to both feet.
This allows for the unified force of the body to be effectively utilized, transmitted from the heel to the leg, to the buttock, to the abdomen, to the waist, to the chest, to the shoulder, to the elbow, to the wrist, to the hand, with coordination from top to bottom. This forms a complete system of force throughout the body, highlighting the importance of reining in the buttocks. Practicing Tai Chi involves maintaining a posture with the head up, shoulders down, elbows drooping, wrists seated, fingers extended, chest contained, abdomen solid, buttocks reined in, and anus lifted, all in a balanced stance.
The movements should be light and agile when initiating and heavy and composed when settling, with a blend of hardness and softness, which is the style and taste of Tai Chi.
Fifteen, the leg technique, having discussed the stance, now focuses on the leg work of the bow step. As mentioned earlier, the inability to rein in the buttocks reflects in the bow step as a ‘waist pulling’ issue. The requirements for a Tai Chi bow step are: to rein in the buttocks, form a natural, flexible bend in the back leg, and then to stretch the back knee outward as much as possible, aligning the knee with the back toe, and not allowing the front knee to pass the toes.
Only by achieving these requirements can it be considered a Tai Chi bow step; otherwise, it is not.
Sixteen, footwork, practicing the new Yang style Tai Chi, has very strict requirements for the feet. The new Yang style Tai Chi, which includes the eighty-eight style as the main body, encompasses twenty-four, thirty-two, forty-eight, forty-two, sixty-six styles, and so on, all of which are new Yang style Tai Chi.
There is a strict distinction between the requirements for the feet in new and old Yang styles. The new Yang style advances by first placing the heel on the ground, and as the center of gravity moves forward, both hands and the front foot arrive in unison. The old Yang style steps with a flat foot. The new Yang style advances by first retreating, shifting the center of gravity backward, lifting the front tip of the foot, placing the heel on the ground, and as the body moves forward, the front foot lands at about a 45-degree angle, followed by the rear foot.
The old Yang style pivots in place, then steps forward; the new Yang style splits and thrusts the leg directly. The old Yang style arcs out in splitting or thrusting. The new Yang style does not allow the foot to be raised high, whether advancing or retreating, but rather moves the foot through the ankle joint forward or backward. After the liberation, the routines edited by the national sports committee, all belonging to the Yang style, are mainly based on the new frame.
Seventeen, the mirror serves as a tool to check the correctness of one’s own or another’s Tai Chi movements. This mirror’s function is to constantly reflect on one’s own Tai Chi movements and those of others to avoid deviation. Regardless of who practices Tai Chi, using this mirror will immediately reveal the true form.
What is this mirror? It is the method of restoration. The method of restoration involves returning movements to their original state without any adjustment.
Except for a few specific movements such as ‘Xia Shi’ and ‘Hai Di Zhen’, where a slight forward lean is permissible, all other movements should be restored without any adjustments. For instance, in the ‘Qi Shi’ posture, if the movement leans forward, restoring it without any adjustment will immediately reveal the ungraceful posture of leaning forward; if it leans backward, restoring it without adjustment will immediately reveal the ungraceful posture of leaning back, protruding belly, and chest; if one shoulder is higher than the other in the ‘Qi Shi’, restoring it without adjustment will immediately reveal the ungraceful posture of uneven shoulders; if the ‘Qi Shi’ is performed with a protruding buttock, restoring it without adjustment will immediately reveal the ungraceful posture of sticking out the buttocks while practicing.
In conclusion, today I have comprehensively introduced the rules of Yang’s new frame Tai Chi. Since it is Tai Chi practice, one should at least understand and implement the most basic rules of Tai Chi, such as head up, shoulders down, elbows falling, wrists seated, fingers extended, chest contained, abdomen solid, buttocks内敛, and waist relaxed. Otherwise, even if the purpose is only for fitness, the effectiveness will be greatly reduced.
Our Tai Chi ancestors have repeatedly reminded us that practicing Tai Chi is a matter of ‘a difference of a hair’s breadth, a mistake of a thousand miles’. The pseudo Tai Chi, characterized by a raised face, squared shoulders, lifted elbows, straight wrists, formless fingers, protruding chest, raised belly, protruding buttocks, and straightened waist, is not just a matter of a hair’s breadth different from the true Tai Chi, which is characterized by head up, shoulders down, elbows falling, wrists seated, fingers extended, chest contained, abdomen solid, buttocks, and waist relaxed.
In fact, there is no common ground at all between them, so the mistake is not just a thousand miles, but a world of difference.