Taijiquan's Three Axes

One of the most basic requirements that Taijiquan players must be aware of is the three axes that support and balance the body when standing - in the up and down direction, in the front and back direction and in the left and right direction.  These three dimensional supports are:

1. An up-down suspend and pull that is created by “ lifting the top”; through the actions of the toes gripping the ground and the mingmen and navel forming a central plate from which the upper and lower parts are “pulled” apart. 

2. A front-back spring load that is created by the actions of drawing in the kua and containing the buttocks;  enabling the pelvis to tilt down and the muscles to be stretched to the right tautness.

3. A left-right complementary opposing force that is created by the action of wrapping the knees and rounding the crotch; the lower part of the legs rotate inwards to allow the knees to wrap and fix, whilst the upper part brace outwards to round the crotch.  

In this way, the body possesses a contradictory yet unified control force in the upper-lower, forward-backward and left-right dimensions.

Four Fundamental Rules

Four fundamental rules of Taijiquan movements are: "With every turning there must be sinking; With every sinking there must be leading; With every rising there must be falling and; With every settling there must be closing”. 

“With every turning there must be sinking”:  Turning refers to transformation, which should include two aspects: one aspect is the transformation of pace, the other aspect is the change of the centre of gravity. Sinking involves loosening (song), letting go of the tension of the hips so that the body drops. Loosening is the action and sinking is the result.  The purpose is so that power can be generated from the ground, which is a fundamental requirement.  All the power source of Taijiquan practice comes from "pushing off the ground", from which the so-called "crotch strength" (dang jin) develops.  Depending on the direction of the waist, crotch actions either take a “downward arc” or a “downward back arc”.

"With every sinking there must be leading”:  Sinking in this case refers to dropping the waist and hips or relaxing the whole body.  “Leading”  (ling) refers to the hands. As the body sinks the hand must lead (upwards) instead of being allowed to drop. The position of the leading hand is not actually moving the hand, but the hand staying up as the body drops.

“With every rising there must be falling”:  the concept is applied in multiple ways  e.g. with every up there must be down;  with every forward there must be backward etc. The concept facilitates and maintains lower plane stability and should be executed throughout the form. For example, whenever a knee is raised the waist and buttocks drop as the kua relax and the leg rotates downwards into the ground.  The opposing energetic strength stabilises the centre of gravity and the stances will not be erratic and energy will not drift and float.

"With every settling there must be closing": can also be understood as "everything must be brought together". There is an obvious settling at the end of each posture that brings into play all the above requirements. The settling facilitates the commencement of the next posture and ensures the link is smooth and everything is in its optimum place. This is important in the process of unbroken intention, continuous strength, and connected postures. 

Evolutions of the Two Poles

All Taijiquan movements are composed of multiple, ever-changing conversions of Yin and Yang (insubstantial and substantial).  Therefore the core of Taijiquan practice is the process by which the human body (and mind) deals with the conversions and the evolutions of the two complementary poles. 

So what is required to actualise Taijiquan’s Yin and Yang?

On the most simplistic level people often view the weighted side as Yang, the non-weighted side as Yin; a clenched hand is Yang and a relaxed hand is Yin; a punch or a kick are Yang manifestations etc…In fact, those views are not in line with the quan theories.  Yin- Yang actualisation should be within the operation, function and performance of Taijiquan:

It must involve all the components of the physical body - head, torso, limbs, bones, joints, tendons, ligaments, skin etc,  as well as the flexion and extension, opening and closing, folding and piling, ebbing and flowing, rising and falling controlled by the mental processes.

The Yin element is realised when all the components of the body and the mental processes, under the control of yi and the guidance of the qi, gradually eliminates tension, stiffness and clumsy strength into a light, constantly-releasing and comfortable relaxation, at the same time, within a certain degree of stability and appropriate strength. 

The Yang element is actualised when all the different parts of the body and the mental processes, under the control of the yi and the guidance of qi, fills up like the spread of water that flows naturally towards gravity; like inflating a balloon, the pressure gradually increases as it fills with air.   The substantial “Yang” required by Taijiquan is full of elastic tension, weighted and heavy, flexible and strong.

Taijiquan’s "Yin” at the same time as being light and agile, is capable of instantly converting into an immovable support strength.  In the same way, Taijiquan’s “Yang" is capable of instantly changing from weightedness to ethereal.  This is what is described in Taijiquan theory as “within Yin there is Yang; within Yang there is Yin”.  

The complementary opposites are ever-changing and converting.  Without realising looseness and weightedness, flexion and extension, opening and closing, and crucially without establishing the body’s own “tension”- peng jin - the body cannot manifest its own Yin and Yang. 

Four Phases of Acceptance

The Four Phases of Acceptance:

- Belief in the system 

- Making sense of practice

- Follow the process 

- Empirical confirmation of success

Belief

It is a multi-layered discipline that encompasses a cultural philosophy, martial arts techniques, traditional medical theories, body mechanics, aesthetic expressions...The classical theories of Taijiquan can also be adopted as a guide for conduct as it is imbued with a traditional culture that emphasises modesty and tolerance. A belief that "nothing in the world is difficult, only a willing heart is needed.”

Make sense.  Follow process.

Try to understand the classic Taiji and Quan theories, even if at first they may seem  esoteric and difficult to understand. Having accepted, know that there are rules on how to practise and follow these rules.  Going on the wrong tangent will lead further and further from success.  Only through long-term practice, practitioners will have a better understanding of the principles and practice methods.

Empirical confirmation

At a certain stage, there comes not only ideological enlightenment, but also physical  realisation.  This is when a practitioner bears visible evidence of successful practice.  For example, evidence of the health benefit of practice means a change from ill health or mediocre health to good physical health;  the success of jin management sees a transformation of the body’s strength from a rigid inflexible clumsy strength to a plaint flexible usable strength;  integrating harmony in all aspects of life,  in personal interactions as well as with nature and the environment; from quantitative change to qualitative change, the ultimate confirmation is when the multi-layered principles become an integral part of life.

The three stages of learning Taijiquan

Beginners - Mould the right shape (xing)

1.  Grasp the sequence of movements.  Be clear what the arms and legs are doing; where the start and end points of each movement are; lay down the correct movement habit.

2.  Observe the core postural requirements.  Carry out the basic requirements in all movements: an insubstantial strength holding up the head; sink the shoulders and drop the elbows; contain the chest and stretch the back; loosen the waist and fold down the buttocks.

3.  Be accurate with footwork.  The human body is likened to a tree, the feet are the roots, the body is the trunk and the arms are the branches and leaves. Correct foot placements and footwork is the entry point to stability and agility.

Intermediate - Understand jin (cultivated controlled strength)

1. Differentiate the fundamental jin: soft and hard, substantial and insubstantial, round supportive strength and whole integrated strength.

2. Remember the duality of yin and yang. Within the different aspects of jin, soft/hard, dynamic/static, insubstantial/substantial, store and release, seek a dialectical unity within the contradictions, and gradually and naturally achieve the right degree of harmony.

3. Understand the 'reeling silk' mode of movements.  Movements are continuous and uninterrupted; during changes and conversions the rotational movements ensure connection and smoothness; each action is linked to the next; the posture changes but the jin continues, until whole integrated jin is achieved.

Advanced - Sync with intention (yi).  Move the spirit (shen).

1.While training shape (xing) and strength (jin) pay attention that the inner gongfu is also improving. Mainly in purpose, disposition, countenance, etc. Cultivate and improve these higher and deeper levels of effort, so that yi guides the qi and qi spurs on the jin. Xing, jin, yi and qi become one.

2. Practise how to use intention to move the spirit, to make imagery become reality.  The spirit should habitually register every move and every posture, concentrating attention on all aspects. Use the eyes to express the intention and spirit. In accordance with the content of each action, sometimes “the hand leads the eyes” and other times “the eyes lead the hand”.

3.Skill is reflected in heightened focus and concentration emphasising both internal and external aspects, the unity of both body and the spirit.

From entry to intermediate and finally into the advanced stage, the three stages are interrelated and mutually reinforcing.

On Cultivation...

 

The cultivation of the internal method is to physically and mentally temper the spirit, the intention, the energy and the physical shape (shen, yi, qi, xing). This practice is not carried out casually, but through a specific process of physical and mental adjustments, to make the mental state (state of consciousness) and physiological state (body and movements) from the state of "scattered thoughts” and "disintegration and disjointed body" to a state of inner tranquility (a quiet mind), focused consciousness, unobstructed qi and blood distribution, and physical  relaxation (loose, stable, slow and uniform). 

To do this it should be clear that it is a long-term process of physical and mental training (xiu yang) - "xiu” is to amend, modify, and repair what do not conform to the requirements of Taijiquan principles; “yang” is to nurture, cultivate and develop a physical and mental state in line with the requirements of Taijiquan.  This process should be carried out from beginning to end, with the adjustment of body and mind being the prerequisite of practice. There are a few perspectives to consider: 

“From wuji taiji grows” is a well-known expression. In this context a person who has not trained and incorporated the taiji principle is said to not have anything (wu),  and those that had is said to “have”(something).   The  Daoist term "wuji" also refers to the body. Therefore the body that is silent and still is said to be in a state of wuji.  As soon as the mind indicates an action, or the mind takes on an idea taiji occurs as the body changes from “nothing” to “something".  This involves the activation and movement of the spirit, intention and energy. This "something coming out of nothing" also refers to the process whereby Taijiquan practitioners accumulate and produce a special energetic state and a new kind of biomass through long-term practice and understanding - as the old timers of taijiquan said, "something’s in the body" or  "gongfu ascends the body".   Making something out of nothing is the general principle of Taijiquan practice, by stripping away and discarding the superfluous followed by cultivating and rebuilding.

Understand the distributions of weight and centre of gravity.  The key is to distinguish substantial and insubstantial.  Approach it in two areas. Firstly, from physical adjustments -  using the feet, adjust the centre of gravity (substantial) so that the body is centrally balanced, then adjust the body by placing the weight on the sole, centre of the foot or heel as appropriate, so that the whole body is balanced front and back.   Different movements have different positions to balance each other. Secondly, from mental adjustments - using mind intention. Wherever the mind intention is, qi follows and concentrates (substantial).  As there is less concentration of  qi in the opposite direction, it is therefore insubstantial.  Pay careful attention during the process of practice. In addition, in  movements, if there is strength forward, then the mind should be backward; If there strength at the back, then the mind should be at the front and so on.

Circularity and connectedness.  Generally speaking, circles mean several things. First, in the composition of an action, there should be roundness in the running process of each action. Second, the various parts of the body should be kept round. If it is not, it is easy to become stiff, stagnating qi circulation and flow. This is the so-called "correct method is revealed in a circular space".  To achieve roundness according  to Taijiquan theory sayings such as  "the armpit holds a hot steamed bun", "rein in the waist control the qi to brace the crotch" are coined to help learners.   Connectedness  and continuity is mainly divided into three points: 1. the continuous and connected flow of actions - no matter what the postures all movements along the process should be uniform and the conversion between the movements should be continuous. 2. qi continuity - in every action, not just the body but also the energetic flow must be continuous and connected.  3. the mind intention must be continuous and unbroken.  In order to improve the energetic quality and integration of the hands, a simple method is to imagine a sphere within the hands during both expanding and gathering movements.  The ball expands and contracts but should never be dropped. This is a simple way to train the habit of continuous and unbroken actions using mind intention.

The Vital Role of the Kua

The force of Taijiquan is mainly structural force, the most important source being the use of rebound force from the ground. Therefore, any Taijiquan action must have the ability to adjust its own structure to form a connection with the ground.  To do this, “opening” the kua is very important.  If the kua is not open, strength becomes disconnected at the hips and the force from the feet (ground) cannot travel up and therefore cannot transmit to the hands.  At the same time upper body strength cannot go down into the feet (ground). The  direct result is the inability to on the one hand neutralise an opponent and on the other to emit power to displace an opponent.

The kua is in the position of the middle section according to the three-section movement principle.  The two sections of the root and shoot should be pulled in opposite directions, whilst the middle section should connect the root and the shoot. 

If the kua is locked,  strength becomes broken at the hip, the knees become disconnected structurally, which leads to knee pain and injury.  The knees cannot be held in place when required and forcing them only compounds the problem.  Other parts of the body (including the axis) also cannot truly be held in situ, because the body’s force is not grounded. If the force is not grounded, jin is not whole but becomes dissipated.  The effectiveness of Taijiquan cannot be separated from the state of the kua. The so-called waist-crotch conversion, which is a significant skill for defence and attack, actually refers to the ability to sustain and support the body between the conversion of the two kua and is very important to bear in mind when training the frame.