The Gentle Art of Taijiquan
The Shadow Boxer | |
The Title Sequence of the Shaw Brother’s Movie – The Shadow Boxer featuring Cheng Tin Hung demonstrating the meaning of Intent and explaining the fundamental precepts of Taijiquan. |
Many people find it difficult to reconcile the apparent gentleness of the Taijiquan Empty Hand Form with the fierce brutality of real fighting. They imagine that they might effortlessly overcome their opponents without breaking a sweat and without actually having to practice real fighting against opponents that mean them harm.
The problem has been that the fighting art of Taijiquan which was originally transmitted by word of mouth and hard practice by illiterates was transcribed into the written word by intellectuals who abhored violence and hard exercise. The philosophical theory underpinning the art appealed to the intelligentsia and so they underplayed the physical aspects that actually related to fighting and concentrated on the philosophical aspects and then added the spiritual aspects of Taoism which are quite irrelevant to the fighting art.
The art appealed to the weak in mind and body as it held the promise of the weak overcoming the strong. However again the true meaning was corrupted by the intellectuals. The true meaning is that the less physically strong person can overcome a stronger opponent, but that person will not be weak. That person will be highly trained and strong of will. People will believe what is convenient to them and will conveniently ignore all evidence that contradicts their beliefs.
Cheng Ting Hung was a Tai Chi Master who knew how to fight. He was a champion fighter who taught champion fighters. He also taught many people who could not fight their way out of a paper bag but he made no bones about the fact that he was also a businessman who needed to look after his family. Softness is meant for defence but when you counterattack you are not soft at all as Cheng Ting Hung demonstrates in the video above.
February 7, 2010 at 8:53 pm | Musings | No comment
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