Shadowhand Taijiquan

The Theory of Fighting

The founder of Tai Ji School of Kung Fu, Zhang San Feng said 'No, Matter how superior Kung Fu techniques are, in combat there are still many chances that the situation will get of hand.' One example is the case of a mass attack. It is also said ‘Two, arms cannot beat four.' So, the probability of being injured in a mass attack is great. Therefore, stamina (the ability to withstand punishment and not lose strength) is the most important factor in a Kung Fu practitioner.

Tai Ji Kung Fu centres around two forms of Nei Kung exercises :- The Yin Set dealing with stamina and the Yang Set dealing with trained strength. Deep breathing is a very important exercise for strengthening the diaphragm, for regulating respiration and circulation, increasing the oxygen content in blood and, in general, greatly improving the physiology and metabolism.

Finally, there are three harmonies in practising Tai Ji Kung Fu:- The Primary Harmony is: 'the internal harmonises with external: Thus respiration and circulation are the Internal while the movements are the external. The Secondary Harmony is that the Mind and the Body must function in a synchronised way. In other words, the limbs must do, what the mind suggests. The Third Harmony is the person must function in compliance with the external world ( i.e the opponents).

Taijiquan has two principles in self-defence, namely,

(1) to overcome motion by tranquility;

(2) to conquer hardness by softness.

The principle of overcoming motion by tranquility has the following meaning and requirement: One should remain calm ; and when the enemy starts to move, one should move before him.

Before your opponent attacks , his intention is not clear so it is impossible for you to predict which part of your body he is going to attack. Your best option is to be on the defensive and calmly watch him. However, once your opponent has begun to launch an attack, his intention will becomes apparent to you so you should be able to determine the target of his attack. You should then seize the initiative and intercept the attack before it lands. This method requires great skill as you must engage the attack by going with it in order to neutralize it by diversion, redirection or absorption so that you can launch a devastating counterattack.

The Taijiquan's Fighter’s Song" says: "I will not move if my opponent doesn't move, but I'll move first if he shows the slightest sign of movemwent." The essence of the Taijiquan principle of overcoming motion by tranquillity is to be calm and collected. When you are calm and under control, you will be able to concentrate your mind and keep yourself alert. In a fight, you will be able to detect your opponent's intention to attack by observing his movement. And since you have a clear vision of your opponent's movement, you will be able to neutralize your opponent's attack in time. But because you do not move before your opponent has started to move, it will be extremely difficult for him to observe your movements and determine your intention when he is already in motion. It will be next to impossible for him to neutralize your attack. In this way, you will have the advantage.

Sun Tzu, wrote in his famous work "The Art of War": "A knowledge of one's own situation and that of the enemy ensures victory in every battle." The principle of overcoming motion by stillness is exactly aimed at securing this knowledge. Otherwise, if you do not have a correct assessment of your enemy's situation, and just block and attack arbitrarily, how can you ever win a fight? Therefore, it is essential to overcome motion by tranquillity.

The principle of conquering hardness with softness, in a like manner, has the following meaning and requirement: In coping with force, skilfully avoid his strong points and take advantage of his weakness in your neutralization and counter attacks.

Taijiquan exponents follow this principle by adapting their tactics to the enemy's situation rather than sticking to a predetermined plan. They neutralize force with softness. Therefore, Taijiquan does not have such movements as blocking and impeding. To block or impede an enemy attack can only be done by the exertion of a large force, and this is contrary to the principle of conquering hardness with softness. Taijiquan is the antithesis of this and is characterised by the use of force-borrowing methods like yielding and drawing aside to neutralize an attack.

Applied at different angles, these two methods branch off into the eight powers (Ba Geng): warding off (peng), pulling back (lu), pressing (an), pushing (ji), pulling down/uprooting (cai), spiral backward (lie), elbow striking (zhou), and shoulder striking (kao).

Now suppose your opponent punches toward your chest, you should lightly touch his wrist with your hand, drawing his fist past your body in accordance with his force, thus rendering his attack harmless. In this manner, you use the smallest force to neutralize your opponent's heavy blow. This is called "pulling back" (lu) in Taijiquan terminology. This will leave your opponent defenceless, which you can take advantage of by launching a quick counterattack. "The fighter's song" refers exactly to this when it says: "Four taels of pulling force can divert a thousand catties."

It is easy to talk about neutralizing by yielding and drawing aside on paper, but not so easy to practise. They cannot be brought into play unless you have highly-sensitive reacting ability. If you really want to use these techiques as your mind wills, you must practise a wide range of exercises with your sparring partner. Through the exercises, you will progress from being barely able to perform slow actions to dexterity, and then from dexterity to the point where you can apply the techniques at lightning speed.

A long period of practical training is, of course, a necessity in this process. You also need careful explanation and patient guidance to learn the correct methods, which are just as important as, for example, the correct method in leading an ox. When you tie a rope to an ox's nose, he will obediently follow your order in spite of his heavy build. This is because you are using the correct method. But if you do not know the correct method and tie the rope to the ox's leg, will the beast obey your orders? Thus even in leading an ox, you have to use the correct method. So what greater importance will correct methods be in conquering a trained and experienced opponent.