Balanced stepping is essential for a fighter. To be able to move in and out, change direction while defending and counterattacking. Understanding wher your weight is , how to transfer it imperceptibly to be able to make the opponent overextend by correctly stepping to avoid the attacks.

Stepping correctly limits the attacking options of the opponent thus making it easier to anticipate what they are going to do next. It also put the opponent in a worse position so that they are no longer attacking from an optimal position. This creates openings for for counterattacking into the opponents weak spots.

To be able to do this effectively requires a cool temperate and calm frame of mind. Even though you may anticipate what your opponent may do you will not act until he actually comits himself. When the attack is actually started it is then that you move immediately and decisively to counterattack.

In this exercise the defender is combining seven stars stepping with the applications parry and punch and slap the face. Proficiency in the individual techniques is required before they can be combined fluently and with power. Only when all five elements are mastered can this be successfully put into practise in a real fight.

However there is a danger than once a pattern has been learnt and it is constantly repeated without variation that the practitioner becomes subconsciously programmed to perform that action and will do it automatically without thought to the circumstances and whether that action is appropriate or not.

It is not possible to learn performing completely free form so a balance must be made. The balance that works best is to perform the repetitive actions but create variations in the repetition. An example of this is to change the number of steps in the Seven Stars pattern from 3 steps, to 4 forward & 3 Steps back , and other combinations. To make it harder I will also alter the hand pattern strikes , or add in a kicking movement.

Seven Stars High Low Single Hand Defence
	People often find it difficult to coordinate both hands so practising with a single hand simplifies the problem and has the added benefit of training one-handed defence methods.

Patterns are necessary but then they need to be boken. In an actual fight a pattern has its plce but only when finishing a fight when you have the advantage. A finifhing combination can quickly end a fight and so is a useful weapon in the armoury but a fixed attacking pattern when there is no advantage becomes a liability as it enables the opponent to predict your behaviour.

To be able to make the correct step you must be able to assess the complete situation including the terrain , the ability and fighting style of the opponent or opponents and have an appropriate strategy which guides you to the correct determination of the correct step.

In Taijiquan our strategy is predicated on the idea that we wish to make it as diificult for an attacker to strike us.

To take a concrete example of this :

1. An attacker step forward and thows a punch with his left hand.
You have several options

a) Stay where you are and block. He can then easily follow up with right hand punch.

b) Step back to avoid the punch. He can easily follow as his momentum is going forward and continue punching with rights and lefts.

c) You can sidestep to the left. This avoids the left punch but runs stright into the follow up right.

d) You can sidestep to the right. This not only avoid the punch but also gets out of the range of the follow up right forcing the attacker to turn and lose momentum to be able follow up the attack.

Any of these methods is a valid approach as long as it fits withing the defensive style of the fighting art being adopted and the strategy of the person using it. If however it isjust a panic move then only one of these tactics will have the desired effect.

The other coinsideration is the external environment. If for example you were standing at the edge of a platform the correct way to step would be informed by where it would be safe to step to avoid falling as well.

A similar consideration occurs when under attack by multiple attackers whereby it is undesirable to avoid an attack by one person just to run into the attacks of another. In this case the stepping would be informed by the concept of using one of the attackers as a blocker for the others so that you only have to defend against one attacker at a time.

Stepping the Right Way
	Not only is it important to select the appropriate technique it is also essential to step to the correct place. To be able to do this while under constant attack requires a lot of practise to develop the detachedness to see the entire picture and not just the immediate attack.

]]> http://www.shadowhand.com/blog/archives/448/feed 0 http://www.shadowhand.com/blog/archives/436 http://www.shadowhand.com/blog/archives/436#comments Sat, 20 Feb 2010 16:33:53 +0000 The_Master http://www.shadowhand.com/blog/?p=436 When teaching someone new to Taijiquan I do not start with the form but with breathing and movement. Without the breathing being under control one’s stamina will quickly dissipate and one will not be able to remain calm under a continued assault. To be able to do this we inhale and exhale through the nose. To prevent the mouth from drying out we keep the tongue positioned touching the roof of the mouth just behind the teeth which causes the saliva glands to continue producing saliva. We keep the teeth slightly clenched to prevent dislocation if struck.

Once this has been explained I then begin with a few gentle exercises to practice this breathing while performing movements and basic coordination. I have found a beginning style exercise followed by some Qigong exercises to warm up.

It is at this point that I teach the seven stars step. This step teaches the fundamentals of the taiji theory as well as setting the foundation of the fighting art.

To perform this exercise properly one needs to learn correct weighting, balance, coordination, evasion, yielding , following , continuity , centerline theory, basic postural components, timing and fundamentals of diversion.

As there are so many things for a beginner to learn it is obvious that the teaching of this must be broken up into small manageable components that a beginner may be able to learn without being overwhelmed. Once each part has been learned to a basic functional competence then they can be joined together to make the complete exercise.

Step 1. Show the basic footwork pattern 7 steps forward and backwards in a zigzag pattern.

Step 2. Show the basic arm positioning and the use of the waist explaining centerline theory.

Step 3. Show the methods of attack and defense, the seven strikes and the seven diversions.

Step 4. Merge the lower and the upper. Add the strikes and the diversions to the steps, striking on the forward steps, diverting on backward steps.

Step 5. Once the student has achieved basic competency in the coordination of the lower and upper can one then begin the real exercise with a partner.

Controlled Seven Stars Stepping

Stepping must be balanced and controlled. Beginners often are unable to judge their stepping distance especially when going backwards leading to the situation where they care doing 7 steps forward and 5 steps backwards with the same distance. It is necessary to be able to feel where you are stepping by body awareness of the position and tension of the legs and hence be able to step where you want to and not where you are pushed.

Step 6. Only at this point do I describe the reason and purpose of the exercise. This is often the first experience that beginners have at either trying to hit somebody or having somebody try to hit them. This is the critical moment where the student must overcome their basic fears and autonomic responses and do what they have been taught and not what they would automatically do .

Sidestep and Turn
	Seven Stars step with body turn to avoid a straight punch.

I have had many problems with people who refuse to try to punch at their practice partner because they believed that they would hurt them or even knock them out. Their belief was based entirely on ignorance and watching too many movies which was readily demonstrated when they could not even move the punchbag when asked to strike it. In one case I actually stood in the way of a punch to show the person his lack of punching power.

Other people refuse to punch in a straight line, in a misguided attempt to show that the evasion techniques would not work. Yet others only pretend to punch and do not commit themselves. These people do not understand the purpose of training and will never make any progress as they do not listen and do not observe.

Only after starting off on the correct footing is it possible to make swift progress. Any mistteps at the beginning are compounded as time progresses and correcting them are correspondingly harder.

Seven Stars Step
	Stepping Methods are the missing link between form and function. The Seven Stars Step is the simplest stepping method and the most important. It is taught first because it is the easiest to use, and is the most useful step, but is also the most difficult to master.

So although a student needs to choose his teacher carefully, the teacher must also decide when it is the correct time to teach the student what they should be taught anything if at all.

The demonstration of true understanding by the student can only be determined if the student is able to solve problems ( in this case perform techniques) in situations that they have not been shown by the teacher using the theories and practices of the system under study.

Physically gifted individuals who are natural fighters can easily learn the techniques and can adapt them to any situation without having to think about it a great deal. People like this will only ever examine how they are actually performing an action when they lose a fight. Most often they limit this consideration to the particular technique that did not work and so do not look at the their total approach just this particular symptom of failure.

It is for this reason the Taichi masters of old insisted that a student must invest in loss. Only by understanding why a technique does not work in specific situations but works in others can one attempt to get to a comprehension of the underlying problem. In Taijiquan this is even more important than in an art that relies on speed and strength alone because the method of application of the technique is invisible to the external observer.

This most often occurs when a student is much better than his fellows and so he can win with inferior application of techniques. It is only when he meets a superior technician that his his inferior application is exposed. If the student is bigger and stronger than his fellows he can also hide inferior technique using a larger degree of force or physical advantages such as extra reach. However these advantages will eventually be outmatched by other opponents.

Freestyle Fixed Step
	Control of the elbows is an early goal for beginners but to reach the next stage one must learn that this control is illusory and leads to predictability and inflexibility.

It is sometimes the case that the teacher is unwilling to pass on their knowledge fearing that the student may surpass them in ability and understanding. In this way arts become diminished and those arts will be superceded by those whose teachers did not do this.

To ensure that true understanding has been attained the teacher must ensure that this student passes on what he has learned and then test the student’s student to determine if the understanding has been transmitted correctly. In this way he can determine if any failure in communication was his or that of his student and can then take the necessary steps to correct the misunderstandings and by doing so enhance his own understanding.

In Taijiquan we have the Five Step Path :

Mian – Softness
Nian – Sticking
Lian – Continuity
Sui – following, yielding
Bu dui Bu ding – don’t break, don’t force

These are the fundamental close quarter fighting strategies of Taijiquan. These strategies should be incorporated in all the training exercises and applications practice that we do. Pushing Hands (Tui Shou) gives us the training vehicle to practice these strategies. However it is insufficient just to practise Tui Shou as we must make the transition from distance to close combat, from the known to the unknown.

Softness is the child of relaxation, which means that we do nor tense the muscles or stiffen up. Stiffness and tenseness slows us down, relaxations enables us to react faster and move quicker.

Sticking means attaching to the attack thus preventing your opponent form making further attacks once you have nullified the original. A parallel can be seen in boxing where when the boxes are stuck together they can no longer hit each other.

Continuity is the flowing of one move into the next, smooth transitions from defence to attack and vice versa. It is the continuous changing attacks that you make once an advantage or opening has been made which will not stop until the fight is over.

Following and yielding require softness. When a a force is applied it is necessary to move with it. You avoid it when it is applied, you follow it when it withdraws. Yielding allows you to redirect force and so be able to stick to it.

We do not feet force directly with force. We apply the minimum force tangentially to be able to divert the attack. It is not possible to use no force, what we must do is use force intelligently.

Continity Training
	Combining defence with counter punches and finishing techniques in a smooth continuous manner is the ultimate goal of the taijiquan fighter. The ability to do this will keep the opponent off-balance and unable to anticipate what the taiji exponent will do next.

]]> http://www.shadowhand.com/blog/archives/389/feed 0 http://www.shadowhand.com/blog/archives/353 http://www.shadowhand.com/blog/archives/353#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:51:32 +0000 The_Master http://www.shadowhand.com/blog/?p=353 There is only one way to learn something properly and that is to repeatedly do it until you get it right.

So how do you know when it is right ? Do you rely on your teacher to tell you or is there some explicit objective measure of correctness that you may use to assess whether what you are doing is correct ?

The problem with performance martial arts is that they need an external judge to inform you of the relative merit of your performance. A form is just a form, most people only know that theirs is correct because their teacher tells them. In Taijiquan there are a set of specific principles for the performance of the form that enables the practictioner to be able to judge by themselves the correctness of their form. Unfortunately most people are unable to gauge their abilities against these criteria and hence perform the form incorrectly whilst believing that they are 100% correct. Others perform the form in ways that are graceful and more aesthetically pleasing than is normal because they have no idea as to the function behind the form and think it is just some form of physical expression with no underlying meaning and hence they can do with it what they please. In one sense they are correct, it can be that if they want it to be but then it is not Taijiquan – it is just dancing.

To do the form properly requires constant practice and repetition to be able to internalise the posture, timing and intent. A lot of people find posture hard because they have a poor self-image of their own bodies and believe they are in the correct posture when everybody else can see that they are not. They miss the fine points because they focus on the wrong things – they see the arms move so move their arms when the arms remain still and the body moves. Intent can only come from understanding the applications of the form postures. Without practice of the applications the form cannot be performed properly.

Application practice is hard because there is no one right way. There is a correct method which is determined by the opponent and the art and not by a clearly defined movement pattern. The applications must be practiced in all ways, at all speeds, against all sizes of opponents. For only then can the essence of the application be understood so that it can then transcend the application.

So How do you know if you are doing the application correctly ? There is a simple empirical test – did it work ?

Over the years I have used a variety of pads for different purposes. Due to the fact that they can be moved into different positions they can be used to train reactions and the ability to strike a moving target.

Larger , denser pads are required for kick training due to the greater striking weight of a kick and the larger striking area of the knee, shin, foot .

Boxing Gloves

For the purposes of training I use 16oz gloves. The heavier weight forces the relaxation of the shoulders to be able to keep the hands up over many rounds. They also provide more padding and cushion the contact impact to the hands. As they are larger it is harder to find gaps to strike with and hence better timing and accuracy are required.