Taijiquan or Grand Ultimate Boxing, often simply
called taiji, or tai chi in the anglicized version, is a Chinese martial art of the Neijia or soft/internal school
that uses soft, slow movements, but is a premier martial art as well. Taijiquan is intrinsically linked to the
Daoist (Taoist) philosophical, meditative, and medical
tradition.
History
Chinese legendary history attributes taijiquan’s origin
to Zhang Sanfeng, a Daoist adept who was canonized in
1459, but taijiquan enters recorded history centuries
later as a tremendously effective martial art practiced
esoterically by the people of Chenjiagou (Chen village)
in Henan Province. A form of the art was first demonstrated and taught in public in Beijing by Yang Luchan
(1799–1872), who had learned it in Chenjiagou.Yang is
said to have accepted all challenges from the many Beijing martial arts masters, never to have been bested,
and never to have injured an opponent seriously. He became known as “Yang the Invincible” and was appointed martial arts instructor to the Imperial Court.
The form publicly taught by Yang and his successors is the source of popular conceptions of taijiquan as an
only vaguely martial, though particularly beneficial,
health and longevity exercise. However, the more obviously martial and physically very strenuous Chen style
continues to be practiced, as do the derivative Wu, Hao
and Sun styles.
Rules and Play
As a martial art taijiquan employs a cultivated subtlety
of touch to sense an opponent’s strength in order to instantly redirect his or her motion so that one’s defensive movement effectively neutralizes it and becomes a
counterattack as well. Descriptions of this capacity use
such phrases as “when the opponent is still, be still;
when the opponent moves, move first,” and “use four
ounces to deflect a thousand pounds.” The technique
depends upon the ability to maintain gentle physical
contact with the opponent without resisting, i.e., to
“never meet force with force.” The taijiquan player’s
counter to the aggressive move, once the instant has
been seized and the movement’s force captured, can be
any of a number of techniques. Most simply and most
benignly, the taijiquan player can accelerate or redirect
the opponent’s motion, sending him or her many feet
away. Alternatively, any of a variety of in-fighting techniques ranging from low kicks to punches to openhand strikes and grappling techniques can be employed singly or in combination, practically
simultaneously with the blending with the opponent’s
force. The initial contact is said to be as soft as cotton,
the counter that it becomes, as springy as steel.
The sensitivity, skill, strength, and mental attitude
necessary to perform such feats spontaneously and
without effort are cultivated partly through the practice of solo forms, or sequences of patterns, and partly
by other means. Form practice is a form of meditation
in motion and requires great concentration without
tension. Paired practice routines in which one works
with a partner to simulate martial encounters exist in
varying degrees of formality, ranging from duo form
sequences to freestyle sparring. The full range of taijiquan skills includes the use of weapons as well; the
sword, broadsword, spear, and staff are used according
to the principles of the art. The expectation is that the
player will gradually learn to direct and augment the
flow of vital energy within the body with his or her
mind in harmony with the breath and that bodily functions will be enhanced as the body is renewed by the
improved circulation of the qi.
The mechanical principles of taijiquan involve natural erect stances that combine great stability with
nimbleness of foot. Movement begins at the dantian, an
anatomical point at the body’s center of gravity, just below the navel. With no tensing of muscles and with remarkable mechanical efficiency and relaxed precision,
the weight is shifted and energy transmitted via the
waist to the hands. In effect the legs, spine, and arms
become like five bows, resulting in springy whole-body
strength to be applied at the optimum instant.
From a Chinese cultural perspective the medical
and psychological value of the art as well as its martial
potential are quite reasonable expectations.
During the Cultural Revolution taijiquan was under
political attack in the People’s Republic of China, but
now it has been reinstated as a national treasure and a
uniquely Chinese form of art and sport. Basic Taijiquan
is now taught there publicly in parks and other suitable
places, as it is in other parts of the Chinese world. Advanced instruction is available, and form competitions
are held frequently.
The soft, slow movements of the popular Yang style
of taijiquan are often performed by the disabled and
the elderly in the Chinese world to strengthen the constitution generally and to promote longevity. Disciplined daily practice of the art is said to enhance the
quality and circulation of qi (ch’i) or vital energy
within the body, tone all the muscles, improve all bodily functions, and engender a calm and relaxed mental
attitude. Taijiquan is a premier martial art as well, and
one that can be utilized effectively even very late in life.
—MICHAEL G. DAVIS
Bibliography: Jou, Tsung Hwa. (1983) The Tao of Tai-Chi
Chuan: Way to Rejuvenation. Edited by Shoshana Shapiro.
Warwick: Tai-Chi Foundation. Sutton, Nigel. (1991) Applied Tai Chi Chuan. London: A. & C. Black.