Yang Family Tai Chi Discussion Board

What about the two "empty steps": Raise Hands or Fist Under Elbow, and White Crane? I was taught to separate yin/yang by putting all of the weight on the supporting leg and leaving the front leg empty.

Cai, as "pluck" or "pull," usually requires a degree of sticking or grabbing. In the steps, Cai may be applied with the foot or ankle. For example, in Wave Hands, the right foot pulls in to follow the sideways shift of the body. To become Cai, the foot hooks behind the opponent's...

I've only seen it in videos from Yongnian. I can't even say whether it was the "real" form.

An in the footwork looks very similar to Ji. However, the energy (as you know from Grasp the Bird's Tail) is quite different. An is like a long wave, beginning in the rear foot and pushing towards the front. However, lacking the upper body and waist action, using An in the legs has less power than t...

Ji is a "squeeze" or "press" (depending on the translator). This is fairly easily manifested in thelegs, and is one of the simplest energies to execute. The two examples I cited in the original (in "Push Legs" under the "Push Hands" discussion) exemplify Ji as...

To begin, I should state that my basic maxim in fighting is "hands against hands, feet against feet." This is only proverbial; meaning that the upper and lower gates are most easily defended with the limbs that are already there. Obviously you wouldn't want to block a high kick with a high...

If your only usable response is a block/punch combination, then use it. But what you just described is a lot of theoretical material that will reduce the speed of your response. Perhaps, as I said, consider using your waist to make both happen at the same time, i.e. the block contacts the offending ...

P.S.
I'm sliding this discussion over to the Principles and Theory discussion.

I was coming to that :-) As to the question of whether footwork may apply the eight methods or categories of taijiquan technique, we must examine each aspect individually. The easiest answer is "yes," because the legs are involved in all of the energies. But, can the legs themselves expres...

As I understand it, Chi development is not the key intent of Push Hands. That is not to say that it won't happen, but if chi is your goal, you might be better served practising forms for three hours a day rather than push hands, as you can concentrate more on breathing and relaxation without having ...

Also, I don't think in a real threat situation it is necessary to bait your opponent, unless the fight is engaged. Yes, we respond to action, but we do not need to initiate action. Remember "If my opponent is still, then I am still." Stillness is as crucial to diffusing a conflict as actio...

Michael, You are correct, of course. I think my maxim is not as detailed as it should be. It is rooted in the concept that so long as you remain without strategy, the opportunity to strike will present itself. In other words, attack at the first opportunity...not attack first. Therein lies the diffe...

Here is another example, just to make the point clear: In the connection between Raise Hands and White Crane Spreads Its Wings there is a clear Kao implied in the quarter-turn. The footwork is crucial to the success of this delivery. The stance for Raise Hands, as you know, is an Empty Step with the...

As with all things in Taiji, some movements are more obvious than others. One of the clearest examples of a step that can have a direct application is in Step Up, Deflect Downward, Parry and Punch. In this step, the right leg crosses and twists slightly into a Cross-legs stance; partly because it is...

I have some friends who are adepts of Wing Chun Kuen. Wing Chun's "Sticking Hands" (Chi Sau) operates on very similar principles to Push Hands. At the higher levels, this technique is extended to include sensitivity and sticking with the legs (as a Southern art, Wing Chun has had to develo...