Cloud Hands

Chansijin 缠丝劲 (reeling-silk energy) is the source of Taijiquan’s force, and Cloud Hands 云手 is a foundational practice to expressing and developing it.  Clouds hands is not merely a hand technique but an embodiment of Taijiquan’s core principles.  It is both a “moving stance” and a “condensed expression of Taiji.”  

Cloud Hands requires the entire body to move as one like a rolling sphere. Wrists, elbows, shoulders, waist, hips, knees, and ankles coordinate to form a three-dimensional, circular rotation.  The key of the movement lies in the waist, with power generated from the hips. Practising Cloud Hands trains the waist and hips to rotate left and right like a door hinge - flexible yet stable - rotating smoothly from side to side and driving the whole body, achieving the principle that “force issues from the spine.”

The centre of gravity shifts continuously between solid and empty, and the whole body blends into the movement.  Yin and yang, empty and full, opening and closing are the essence of Cloud Hands. When the left hand rises it is yang; when the right hand lowers it is yin. When the weight is on the right it is full; on the left, it is empty. As the weight shifts, yin and yang transform accordingly.  The entire movement is about finding dynamic balance between yin and yang.  When the hands move outward, it is opening, but the intention should carry a sense of closing. When the hands draw inward, it is closing, yet there must be a sense of opening.   Shifting the centre of gravity continually between the legs strengthens lower-body support and stability, while developing coordination in the alternation of empty and full in the legs - to facilitate a fundamental skill - the Taiji cat-step footwork. 

In execution the hands move, the eyes follow, the body turns, the steps shift - every joint in the body connect, to fulfil the Taiji principle “when  one part moves, the whole body follows”, and the coordination of hands, eyes, body technique, and steps 手眼身法步.

The rotation of the arms in Cloud Hands involves a spiral, coiling quality, like wringing a towel.  This “reeling-silk energy” is the source of Taijiquan’s explosive power.   In push hands, it serves as an effective technique for neutralising linear attacks, using waist and hip rotation along with the rolling of the arms to wrap, absorb and dissolve an incoming force.

On "Closing"...

 A common pitfall among many practitioners is the (over)emphasis put upon the practice while neglecting the closing/retaining routine.  Most treat the “closing posture” as a dispensable ritual. They often fail to realise that these last moments of every  posture and each routine are precisely what determine the advancement of one’s skill. 

Yang Luchan is credited to have said, “Practising boxing is like gathering sand; retaining is like building a dam.” This means that the vital energy and internal strength mobilised during practice must be “retained” within the body through specific methods; otherwise, it’s like a thermos flask without a lid—the heat dissipates very quickly.

During a set of form movements, the muscles alternate rapidly between tension and relaxation, capillaries dilate, and vital energy and blood circulate swiftly through the meridians. Abruptly stopping is like slamming the brakes on a speeding car, which can cause reversed vital energy and blood to accumulate in the joints, causing aches and injury after practice. Conversely, failure to stop is like a runaway car that will invariably run out of fuel.  

There is a widely recognised principle in the martial arts world:  “three years to practise boxing 三年練拳, ten years to learn to retain the skill 十年收功.”  It means that the forms and techniques can be quickly learned, but whether the cultivated energy and strength can be internalised and made one’s own depends entirely on the skill of the closing routine i.e. the retaining process. Many martial artists who had been strong in their youth but suffered from a body full of ailments in old age often faltered precisely because they never realised the art of “retaining the energy.”

The art of spiralling...

An old Taijiquan saying goes:  "Taijiquan is the art of spiralling. Without understanding this, one does not understand the art."  There are two kinds of  "spiralling method",  involving Orbital Revolution (Gongzhuan公转) and Axial Rotation (Zizhuan自转).  The integration of both enables one to experience the subtle state of “energy moving like drawing silk”, and to develop the jin of Taijiquan.

 “Orbital Revolution” refers to the overall movement of the body in which the waist and hips serve as the central axis, leading the arms and legs to trace arcs through space. The limbs move in coordination, driven by the rotation of the torso.  It emphasises whole body movement - ensuring that all parts of the body move in sync, rather than operating independently.

"Axial Rotation" refers to localised, spiral movements within individual limbs, most typically in the clockwise and anticlockwise twisting of the hands and arms.  Even in the most simple lifting movements, the arm subtly "rotate," like wringing a towel.   The principle also applies to the lower limbs.  "Reeling silk energy" (缠丝劲) is generated in this way.

Many practitioners focus solely on "orbital revolution" in their training while neglecting "axial rotation."  As a result power gets stuck at the shoulders.  In practice, "orbital revolution" and "axial rotation" work together - like the earth orbiting the sun while spinning on its axis. Without rotation, one cannot receive, nor redirect and neutralise an incoming force.  Without revolution, rotation loses its foundational axis, and limb movements become ungrounded and weak. 

Clarifying the relationship between orbital revolution and axial rotation in different parts of the body is primarily to achieve overall coordination, avoid superfluous movements, and prevent internal contradictions in one's power. Any movement that is unnecessary, excessive, or irrational is considered superfluous.  By eliminating such movements the body move as one integrated unit, generate "unified energy," and avoid the pitfalls of dispersed force, excessive rigidity, as well as the errors of yielding too much or resisting too hard in practice.

These concepts are rooted in Daoist philosophy and Chinese martial arts principles, where the body is seen as a dynamic system of interconnected rotations. They highlight the importance of integration (whole-body movement) and differentiation (localised spirals) in achieving martial efficiency and health benefits.

 

Why Do We Move Slowly?

Moving slowly is not the goal of Taijiquan, it is the foundation of learning Taijiquan well.  As an early writer of Taijiquan Chen Xin wrote: "From beginning to end, one must move slowly. If you can be slow, then be as slow as possible. When slowness is practiced to the highest degree, agility will also be achieved to the highest degree…This is what people usually find astonishing, yet they do not realise it is the result of the arduous work done beforehand.”

The slow practice of Taijiquan helps to standardise one's movements and allows for a deeper appreciation of the rich nuances and essence within the forms. Slow practice is detailed practice; detailed practice enables complete relaxation of different parts of the body; and complete relaxation allows one to adapt to the  myriad changes, achieving a state of unified body and mind. If movements are practised too quickly, many subtle aspects—such as the nuances of posture, transitions, and connections between movements—may be glossed over, leading to incomplete or inaccurate execution.

Slowly learn to feel how one movement seamlessly and continuously connects to the next. This connecting process links what comes before to what follows. Without smooth connections, transitions between movements cannot be fluid, the folding and changing actions cannot be realised, and the continuous, unbroken flow of silk-reeling energy cannot be developed.

During slow practice, it is essential to achieve “slow but not dispersed, slow but not broken, slow but not stiff and, slow but not dull”.  Slow practise is ultimately for the purpose of speed, but this speed can only emerge gradually on the solid foundation of slow practice.

Cultivating the root...

To understand the movement pathways of Taijiquan's force, practitioners often concentrate on training the hands and body. However, beginning from the feet is the essential path.  To achieve this the focus of Taijiquan lies in cultivating the root.  If the feet are unstable during practice, even if the upper body movements are correct, it will be difficult to manifest the characteristic whole-body integrated force of Taijiquan, because the power of Taijiquan originates from the root.  

When practising, the mind should focus on both feet. The lower body must be stable, with the feet firmly rooted, the toes ‘gripping’ the ground, the Yongquan (Bubbling Well) acupoints hollow, and the centre of gravity steady. The feet must be solid, channeling the body's weight into the ground to generate a downward stepping force. During the form, one must constantly pay attention to the stability of the heels, clearly defining the feet's position, angle, shifts in the centre of gravity, and the axis of rotation to maintain dynamic balance. This reduces the burden on the knees and helps resolve knee pain issues. At the same time, pay attention to the transitions between the substantial and insubstantial in the feet—the substantial foot must be strong, while the insubstantial foot must be light and empty. 

Power originates from the feet, passes through the waist as a pivot, and is transmitted to the point of force expression through the coordination of the body. The feet must step firmly into the ground to generate force, the legs serve as the main conduit of power, the waist governs the transformation of force, and finally, the force reaches the hands. This entire process must be executed seamlessly in a single flow.  

Practising Taijiquan from the feet is a long-term endeavour. With prolonged training, the foundational stance work of the feet will become increasingly solid.  In Tuishou  it allows one to respond with ease,  to disrupt an opponent's root while maintaining one's own centred stability.

 

Three core principles...

 The Three Core Principles for Beginners of Taijiquan are: 1. loosening the arms 2. moving the waist 3. rooting into the legs. These fundamentals are essential to create correct structure, strong posture, smooth energy flow,  balanced movement and gradually  internal strength.

1. The arms are the extremities (final links) in the energy chain and must be supple, responsive, and coordinated with the body.  This can be achieved by observing the core principles 四松三随 "Four Loosenings and Three Followings":

Four loosenings - Sink the shoulders (the *Jianjing* 肩井 acupoint relaxes);  Drop the elbows (the *Quchi*曲池 acupoint retracts); Settle the wrists as if pressing on water (maintain subtle energy in the *Shenmen*神门 acupoint ); Extend the fingers (the *Laogong*劳宫 acupoint remains hollow).  

Three Followings - Arms follow the torso (waist movement drives the arms);  strength follows qi (coordinated with breath);  shape follows intention (the mind guides the motion).

2.  The Waist is the conduit of power, connecting the upper and lower body through rotational movements and driving Taijiquan’s spiralling energy.  Waist movement is distinct from hip movement.  Beginners often confuse the two, leading to excessive hip swaying.  Its essence lies in the “three axes of motion”:  

Vertical axis, the foundation of upright posture. (*Baihui* to *Huiyin* 百会-会阴 line forms the central axis);  

Horizontal axis, like a millstone turning horizontally (*Mingmen* to *Shenque* 命门-神阙 line serves as the waist-rotation axis); 

Sagittal Axis, that acts as the flexion-extension axis for forward-backward undulating motions.

3. Rooting into the legs is the foundation of Stability.  Ground the body like roots of an old tree to develop strong legs that act as the base from which all power originates. The core Principles for rooting are the 三沉四稳 "Three Sinkings and Four Stabilities":

Three Sinkings - Sink energy to the the feet  (qi to *Yongquan*涌泉), feet planted on the ground; 

Sink force to the hollows on the knees (jin spring-loaded to *weizhong*委中); 

Sink intention to the earth’s core (rooting like a tree). 

Four Stabilities - Stability when single-leg weight-bearing;  

Stability in transition between empty and solid (catlike footwork);  

Stability in rising and falling (screw-like spiral boring motions); 

Stability in explosive force (spring-loaded push off).  

These methods interlock to form Taijiquan’s energy cycle:  Loosened arms channel energy to the extremities.  A mobile waist trains multidirectional power and circulates energy through the meridians.  Stable legs generate power from the ground.

Forms: Gongfu's treasure maps

 The Form (Taolu 套路) is like a living history of martial arts.  Each form is like a treasure map, containing the crystallised wisdom of past masters. For example, the expansiveness and dynamism of Changquan (长拳), the unique body method and harmony of Taijiquan （太极拳）, the characteristic evasive footwork of Baguazhang（八卦掌）—these distinctive methods are all passed down through the vehicle of the forms or taolu. 

Through the taolu, practitioners get the key to understand the philosophies and techniques of various styles and systems,  trace their development,  integrate the essence of different periods and regions, and broaden their martial arts horizons.

The taolu is an effective approach that allows more people to access systematic martial knowledge and skills.  It provides a standardised method of transmission to ensure that techniques are accurately transmitted without the loss or distortion of skills.

However, the criticisms of forms today are not entirely unfounded. These criticisms primarily stem from situations where practitioners learn only external movements  without understanding the underlying philosophy, techniques and training.  There is indeed a phenomenon where some enthusiasts are content with merely memorising the sequence and the superficial aspects of a form, neglecting the profundity behind it. 

This superficial approach reduces a taolu to mere combinations of movements, stripping them of their original meaning and value. It is akin to reciting the lines of a poem without understanding the concept and emotion—the poem becomes hollow and lifeless.  Similarly, practising taolu  without the support of techniques and training methods can only offer visual appeal but fail to deliver the true benefits of martial arts in combat, health, and other practical applications.