Category: Training

The article “Hypnosis for Tai Chi” is reprinted on Slanted Flying website with the permission of the author Sam Langley from his personal Blog.

Imagine that your Tai Chi skills have improved. You’re ten times better. When people watch you move they are immediately impressed by the fluidity, the grace and the power of your Tai Chi.

Hypnosis has long been used by athletes to boost performance often to great success.
Tiger Woods, Mike Tyson, Andre Agassi, Dorian Yates and Michael Jordan have all used Hypnosis to improve their game and so have many martial artists.

You might be aware of a study done at the University of Chicago by Dr Biasiotto involving Basketball. The subjects were split into 3 groups and tested on how many free throws they could make. The first group practiced shooting free throws for an hour every day, the second group just visualised shooting free throws, and the third group did nothing.
Dr Biasotto tested the participants after 30 days and the results were astonishing. The first group had improved by 24% and the second group, using only visualization had improved by 23%!

Is it possible that Hypnosis can make you better at Tai Chi? I would say it’s highly probable!

Tai Chi is difficult, at least that’s what they say. Maybe viewing it as difficult will make it so. If we change how we perceive our practice there might be a chance we can change it. There’s no doubt that Tai Chi requires dedication and obviously you do need to actually practice. Hypnosis can help you become more motivated to do so.

For a while, after one of Master Chen Yingjun’s annual visits, I can often retain a memory of how he moves. When I practice the form I imagine I’m him and I believe it improves the quality of my Tai Chi. You can sometimes experience something vaguely similar just by watching a video.

If you visualize yourself as a master you will gradually move closer to that ideal.

Deep Relaxation is fundamental to Tai Chi and seems to be the biggest stumbling block for most people. I’ve met, seen and pushed hands with many people who had good alignment but weren’t relaxed. If you can become more relaxed mentally you will become more relaxed physically and Hypnosis is a very powerful method for achieving this.

The reason I decided to create a Hypnotherapy session for Tai Chi is that several of my students have asked me how they can become more relaxed. My initial response was ‘Practice more’ but then I remembered that I’m a qualified Hypnotherapist!

It’s not the first time I have combined both practices. I’ve occasionally used simple Hypnosis techniques at the end of my classes. The first time I did so was a light bulb moment.

The good news is that as a Tai Chi practitioner you will have an advantage when it comes to self-hypnosis. You are probably more relaxed than most people and therefore will go into a trance state more easily.
What will happen if you close your eyes and run through the form in your head? Try it now.

Does it feel as though this could be a beneficial practice? Could it conceivably strengthen your mind-body connection?

One thing is sure: It won’t make you any worse and there’s tons of evidence to suggest it will make you a lot better!

Check out the mp3 download available for Hypnosis for Tai Chi!

In Taijiquan (太極拳) solo practice, one aligns with gravity and only an imaginary opponent that does not produce forces that impact us. But the forces from an actual opponent can come from almost any angle, rather than just vertically from above like the force of gravity does. This article discusses how Taijiquan directs an opponent’s forces into the practitioners “root” (the legs and down into the feet) and the ground.

We habitually respond to forces in front of us by pushing back, or by pulling to our rear. This is, essentially responding horizontally. We have taught ourselves from childhood to use our weight against resistant objects that we wish to move, which is reflected in the sayings “put your back into it” or “throwing your weight around.” But if we push or pull against something that suddenly gives way, we can lose our balance and may fall down. This is the result of acting on forces horizontally.

This horizontal approach can be exploited because of the loss of stability when the pressure suddenly changes, and Taijiquan warns against leaning against the opponent. Wu Yuxiang (武禹襄) wrote (Paul Brennan translation): “With your headtop pressing up naturally and energy sinking down to your elixir field, there will be no leaning in any direction. The Song says: ‘Your tailbone is centered and spirit penetrates to your headtop, thus your whole body will be nimble and your headtop will be pulled up as if suspended.’”

Although Wu does not explicitly mention an opponent, the effect of the mentioned up and down energies produces a verticality that counters the tendency to lean horizontally. If one tries to brace with the rear leg, especially if simultaneously leaning forward to push an opponent or to resist their incoming energy, then one is relying more on horizontal energy, and one loses their agility because that braced back leg can no longer be nimble, therefore reducing the agility of the entire body.

Horizontal resistance can produce the “butting cow” (顶牛 ding niu) error rather than rooting into the feet that we try to train. Rooting into the ground like a tree, and sinking energy down into the ground relies more on a vertically stacked alignment of the body; an alignment with gravity. Horizontal forces should be produced by the turning of the waist or shifting forward or back while maintaining a vertical mass, rather than pushing or angling one’s mass to lean against the opponent.

Wu also writes (Brennan translation) that “Your posture must be straight and comfortable, so as to brace in all directions.” I do not think that he means to “brace” rigidly so much as to be supported vertically, like a tall pole being held vertically by guy wire supports in several directions. We are directed to always maintain at least a slight bend in the legs rather than locking either leg straight, and maintaining bends one’s legs allows one to direct incoming energy more vertically into the ground.

Another way of viewing how Taijiquan attempts to align forces vertically is to consider the rounding of the crotch (圆裆 yuan dang, a roundness from the inside of one knee to the inside of the other) to be like the support provided by an architectural arch. One’s crotch should transmit forces vertically into one’s legs in a manner similar to how an architectural arch transmits forces vertically into its support columns. This is easiest to see when one is standing in mabu (馬步 horse stance), which is similar to how one’s legs are held when riding a horse.

When sitting on a horse, the crotch needs to be rounded to accommodate the horse’s body, while the knees are directed into the animal’s flanks, and the shins are more vertically directed down into the stirrups. One should be able to rise up off the saddle without the stirrups swinging way out to the sides. If one can rise up off the saddle (standing in the stirrups) while maintaining the legs in a manner that is similar to when seated in the saddle, then one will have the rounded crotch and energy directed downwards rather than outward; similar to what we want in Taijiquan.

The following posture of Chen Ziming (審定者) illustrates the rounded crotch and the verticality of the shins even when there is more weight on his right leg rather than being equal weighted as in a horse riding stance. The picture of Yang Chengfu (杨澄甫) shows the rounded crotch and verticality of the shins when in an equal weighted transitional stance in Yang style. The same principle is seen in the picture of Wu Jianquan’s (吴鉴泉) Wu style even thought the feet are more splayed outwards.

Contrast these with the Vitruvian Man illustration where the legs are straightened and form an inverted v-shape at the groin. On an icy or otherwise slippery surface it would be easy to understand Chen, Yang and Wu remaining comfortably stable whereas the Vitruvian Man would likely slide into the splits. Chen’s, Yang’s and Wu’s body weight is fairly vertical into the ground whereas the Vitruvian Man’s has big horizontal components to both the left and the right which rely on friction to provide stability.

Another analogy to view the verticality that we want is to think of the legs as springs rather than as braces. Springy legs compress into, and expand from, the feet/ground whereas braces are angled and rely on friction with the ground to transmit horizontal support. Wu Yuxiang also wrote (Brennan translation): “Starting from your foot, issue through your leg….” This reflects the springiness of the legs which transmit forces into and from the feet/ground. One should absorb and project to/from the feet/ground.

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Taijiquan (太極拳) saber (刀 dao, sometimes called a “broadsword” and referring to the single edged sword) and sword (劍 jian, double-edged straight sword) have numerous techniques, but many traditions only list their most important thirteen in order to follow the precedent of the weaponless thirteen skills (十三式 shi san shi). This is rather arbitrary and there are many additional techniques that practitioners may be exposed to. Different schools or styles often list different thirteen skills.

This article gives a list of technique terms that I have encountered while studying dao/saber and jian/sword, as well as short explanations for how those techniques are used. Note however that other schools and traditions may use the terms differently than how I understand them. I attempt to provide general descriptions rather than style or form specific examples, but other interpretations may be just as valid.

While many techniques are common to both dao/saber and jian/sword, some are weapon specific. For example, some saber techniques use the dull back of the blade and therefore are not appropriate for the double-edged sword. Both the dao/saber and jian/sword will be referred to generically as swords in this technique list.

Some terms may be use as synonyms, but others may have nuances that differentiate one from another. For example, for the three chops in the title of this article, some schools use pi and kan interchangeably; but I understand these three as follows:
Pi (劈) is like chopping or splitting with an axe where the entire arm is used and the pivoting action is primarily from the shoulder.
Kan (砍) is like chopping with a hatchet where the pivot is primarily from the elbow such that the forearm is used more than the upper arm.
Duo (剁) is more of a mincing chop like when using a cleaver to chop food and where the pivot is primarily from the wrist.

This article is intended to give practitioners, especially those who are fairly new to swordsmanship and who may only know of thirteen techniques, an introduction to various terms that they may encounter. It is not intended to give specific instructions for the various techniques, and practitioners should learn these techniques from their teacher for specific forms that they have learned.

拔 Ba/Pull – To use “stickiness” like suction to “seize” and pull the opponent’s weapon

抱 Bao/Embrace – A defensive move where the wrist holding the sword is quickly moved towards the body and to the free hand which contacts the forearm, wrist, or handle

弸 Beng/Flick – The handle snaps down (“collapses”) to explosively flick the tip up

闭 Bi/Obstruct – A closing motion like shutting something

藏 Cang/Conceal – This is a ready or guard position where the sword is held back but pointing towards the opponent, usually near one’s knee or hip in order to make it less visible to the opponent

缠 Chan/Wrap – A movement around the head or body; sometimes also used for one’s sword spiraling around the opponent’s weapon, or a spiraling block applied to their weapon

刺 Ci/Thrust – A distant extended straight line thrust

切 Che/Slice – Cutting on a tangent

沖 Chong/Thrust – A thrust with a slightly angled up tip

抽 Chou/Extract – To draw out, typically drawing the sword tip across for a short pulling cut

戳 Chou/Poke – A short jab as if to puncture

穿 Chuan/Bore – A thrust used to reverse direction to go to the back of the wielder’s body

錯 Cuo/Saw – Typically a forward push-cut using a sawing or filing motion

带 Dai/Drag – Using one’s sword to pull or lead or carry the opponent’s weapon to the rear

挡 Dang/Block – Using the hand guard to block

點 Dian/Dot – Small point, poke, or peck with the tip (typically downward) using a wrist flick

抖 Duo/Shake – This is a snappy move as in using fajin (發勁 emitting trained power)

剁 Duo/Hack – A short distance mincing chop (like using one’s wrist to chop food with a cleaver)

盖 Gai/Cover – placing the sword on top of the opponent’s weapon and pressing it downwards

格 Ge/Hinder – A soft parrying block with the sword ridge or blade flat while following the direction of movement of the opponent’s weapon, but can also be used in a similar motion to cut the opponent’s wrist

割 Ge/Block – Obstruct to cut off the opponent’s weapon movement typically initiated by turning the body

勾 Gou/Hook – Deflecting the opponent’s weapon by using a motion like hooking and lifting something off of the ground (deflecting with the tip down and back and then circling up

刮 Gua/Shave – Scraping motion typically used to counterattack the opponent’s wrist after evading them with a circular motion

挂 Gua/Lift – Using one’s sword to lift up an opponent’s low attack after circle deflecting backward

刮 Gua/Parry – A scraping parry

掛 Gua/Hang – Like hanging up onto a hook

摜 Guan/Fling – A circling poke

滚 Gun/Roll – Turning parry where the sword turns over as it goes from side to side, rolling one’s sword against the opponent’s weapon

横 Heng/Sideways Cut – A horizontal cut

化 Hua/Remove – A changing deflection

划 Hua/Slice – Like scratching the surface of the target

滑 Hua/Sliding – smoothly slipping upwards along an opponent’s weapon

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Breathe! We have been breathing every day since birth, so it should be easy to breath properly during Taijiquan (太極拳) practice, shouldn’t it? Well, it’s not so simple. Since breathing is an automatic process, most people have not been taught how to breathe, and many individuals have poor breathing habits (e.g., an estimated 30-50% of modern adults breathe excessively through the mouth, especially during the early morning hours).

There are many different ways that we naturally breathe, depending on the particular situations and our emotional states. There are also special breathing practices that can be used to enhance certain circumstances or produce certain effects.

We breathe differently when we are calm as opposed to being under stress, when we laugh or cry, when we yell or sneeze, etc. Stress breathing, which typically involves shallower, upper chest level breaths, often leads to shortness of breath. This can lead to quickly tiring due to insufficient oxygen, and people under these conditions are often told to take a deep breath to counteract the adverse effects of this inefficient, shallow way of breathing. Taking a deep breath can often also be calming.

The deep breath comes primarily from the movement of the diaphragm and is also called “abdominal breathing” because the abdomen visibly moves out on the inhalation and in on the exhalation. Chest breathing is shallow, using primarily the intercostal muscles of the ribcage, and the abdominal movements are less pronounced. For Taijiquan, “diaphragmatic” or “abdominal” breathing is typically taught.

Some practitioners unconsciously hold their breath when they are concentrating intently on difficult sequences, or when in tense situations while interacting with others. This can lead to hypoxia (insufficient oxygen) and should be avoided if one is aware of doing this. But for the most part our bodies naturally regulate our breathing depending upon the activities that we are engaged in. But we can also consciously control our breathing.

There seems to be no consensus about breathing in Taijiquan, with some teachers advocating letting the breathing come naturally, others advocating strictly coordinating the breathing with movements in the form sequence and others advocating “reverse” breathing or other specialized breathing methods. Reverse breathing, in a highly simplified description, would be having the abdomen go inward while inhaling, and outward while exhaling; the “opposite” of “normal” abdominal/diaphragmatic breathing.

Since different traditions use different breathing methods, I will not advocate for one being right and others wrong. Instead, I will present information from my perspective, and let readers decide for themselves. Sometimes the breathing method for beginners differs from what would be practiced after gaining experience. Sometimes the desired method of breathing depends on one’s goals or intent; whether simply for ease during gentle exercise, for energy cultivation, or for fighting, etc. This article will discuss natural diaphragmatic (abdominal) breathing, coordinated breathing, and reverse breathing.

If practicing primarily for health (calmness, reduced stress, etc.), then however your breathing naturally happens is probably sufficient. For beginners this is also probably the best approach since focusing on the breath can distract one’s attention from other aspects of the art that are being learned. Even so, the use of diaphragmatic/abdominal breathing is likely best. It is also typically recommended that practitioners should have the tip of their tongue lightly touching the roof of the mouth behind the teeth (on the hard pallet).

Even if one is not taught that the tongue connects the Ren Mai and Du Mai (任脈 conception and 督脈 governing meridians) for the microcosmic circulation of energy, this tongue placement also promotes saliva production. Saliva has been shown to promote healthy mouths and digestion. Most schools probably also practice microcosmic circulation, if not specifically during Taijiquan then at least as supplemental qigong (氣功 breath work) exercises.

Different qigong practices can have different breathing requirements; for example, regulating the length of the in-breath relative to the out-breath, sometimes holding the breath or “swallowing” it, breathing in and out through the nose only or alternating between inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth, normal vs. reverse breathing, etc. Unless practitioners use Taijiquan for a specific qigong practice, many of the possible variations will not be encountered, and therefore I will not detail them in this article.

Natural abdominal/diaphragmatic breathing and breathing through the nose is probably sufficient for students during solo forms. Breathing through the nose is thought to be healthier than through the mouth due to the filtering, moistening and warming that occurs, and it allows one to maintain the tongue touching the roof of the mouth. For normal circumstances, this natural breathing is sufficient. More information on the benefits from nose breathing (including 10-20% more oxygen uptake) can be found in a review article by Dr. Alan Ruth here: http://hdl.handle.net/10147/559021

Qigong breathing, of whatever method, can be considered as specialized breathing. An analogy would be breathing for freediving (diving underwater without supplemental oxygen) where the needs require special techniques to optimize one’s existing oxygen supply. Freedivers prepare their bodies for extended periods underwater by inducing both natural physiological responses (e.g., triggering the mammalian diving reflex) as well as methods to purge the lungs of as much carbon dioxide as possible, etc.

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The article “5 Life Problems Solved With Tai Chi” is reprinted on Slanted Flying website with the permission of the author Sam Langley from his personal Blog.

There’s no such thing as a cure-all and if you’re looking for increased wealth or a new relationship then Tai Chi might not help you. But what it will do is profoundly change you as a human being. There are so many ways in which Tai Chi helps you that they could fill a very thick book but here are 5.

Stressed

Stress and anxiety can be very unpleasant to experience. You feel restless and out of control. Tai Chi practice teaches you to relax. The more you do it the deeper you can relax. The mind and the body are intrinsically connected and so the more you’re able to relax your muscles the calmer your mind will become.

In Tai Chi, we practice relaxing whilst moving, holding postures and during partner work. We are training ourselves to maintain a deep level of calmness no matter what happens.

In 2018 there was a study comparing Tai Chi with more traditional forms of exercise for stress reduction. The study concluded that Tai Chi may be superior to normal exercise in this respect. There are other studies showing that Tai Chi reduces stress but more need to be done because anecdotally there is a lot of evidence.

I see how effective Tai Chi is in reducing stress every week in my classes. In the beginning, some people are very tense. After a few classes, they seem more relaxed and at ease. After a few months, they are noticeably much calmer.

Tired

If you’re constantly tired, feeling sluggish and lacking energy then Tai Chi will help enormously. After your first session, you’ll feel something change. A friend of mine likened it to plugging yourself into the mains! By improving your posture and learning to relax you will improve your circulation and your breathing.The better your posture and the better you’re breathing the more energy you’ll have. Tai Chi really strengthens the legs which improves blood circulation and your general sense of wellness.

A study conducted in 2017 showed that Tai Chi was more effective than conventional therapy for treating fatigue.

I know people that have used Tai Chi to overcome Chronic fatigue and I myself find that the more I practice, the more energy I seem to have.

Can’t sleep

In my experience, you’ll never sleep as deeply as you do after a long Tai Chi session. Because Tai Chi is so good at tackling stress and anxiety it results in you sleeping better. Exercise, in general, is probably good at combating insomnia but when you combine exercise with relaxation and meditation, as Tai Chi does, then the results are even more powerful.

Subjects in a 2011 study reported that Tai Chi made significant improvements in their sleep. The study concluded that Tai Chi was an effective nonpharmacological approach for sleep complaints.

Lacking confidence

As your body becomes stronger and your mind gets calmer it only seems natural that you will feel more confident. Tai Chi gives you balance, both physically and emotionally as depicted in the Tai Chi symbol (yin yang). I’ve seen shy, meek students gradually transform as they get stronger.

As a martial art, Tai Chi eventually gives you the ability to hold your ground. When someone pushes, you won’t move. This ability can only be achieved through relaxation and is nothing to do with brute force. Once you can hold your own space you won’t feel so fragile or defensive around other people because you’ll have a tangible measure of your own power.

Physical problems

Tai Chi is well known for it’s ability to heal. When nothing else works Tai Chi often can. I know people that have healed their backs, recovered from injuries and rehabilitated themselves after strokes with just Tai Chi.

Back issues are very prevalent in the modern world due to too much sitting and increasingly poor posture. People fork out hundreds of pounds to chiropractors for a momentary fix when they could be learning how to help themselves.

When you improve your posture and your body awareness you will also address your physical issues. Tai Chi works in a very different way to most forms of exercise. By becoming straighter, more relaxed and learning to move in a coherent way you start to develop internal strength. Your internal connective tissue (known as the fascia) is vitally important to your physical well being and Tai Chi is one of the few forms of exercise that strengthen it.

There are numerous studies showing that Tai Chi is effective in treating back pain, stroke rehabilitation, balance, arthritis, osteoporosis, hypertension and much more besides.

In Conclusion

There probably isn’t a panacea for all of life’s problems but Tai Chi comes pretty close!

The saber/dao (刀, sometimes called a “broadsword” and refers to a single edged sword), one of the classical short weapons of Taijiquan (太極拳), is not as commonly practiced as the sword/jian (劍, double-edged straight sword). There are several reasons for this. In Chinese culture the saber is supposed to have the quality of an enraged tiger charging down a mountain, but this fierce unyielding directness does not easily fit the calm yielding circularity associated with Taijiquan.

When correlated with the wuxing (五行 five phases), the saber is associated with metal and would traditionally be the first weapon learned since earth – correlating with the barehanded practice – produces metal. Saber techniques are considered the foundation for short weapons, and therefore the saber would be learned prior to other short weapons like the jian/sword.

This article will examine the single hand saber and not the various two handed or pole arm varieties of dao, or shorter knives. The ox-tail saber (牛尾刀 niuweidao) is the one handed saber [drawing] most commonly thought of today and was probably developed as a folk weapon in the early 1800’s. It has a flared and upward curving tip.

 

 

The military regulation dao most commonly used for Taijiquan were called a goose-quill saber (雁毛刀 yanmaodao) or a gently curved willow-leaf saber (柳葉刀 liuyedao). Both maintain a fairly constant width until reaching the pointed tip [photo]. Some Yang and Wu style schools use the goose-quill saber often modified with an “S-shaped” hand guard and a longer handle (hand and a half) with a ring pommel.

Taiji forms often use the ox-tail and goose-quill (or willow-leaf) sabers almost interchangeably, with different schools using one or the other style saber for nearly identical forms, although there are some differences that affect their usage. The goose-quill saber retains its thrusting ability fairly well even though it has a slight curvature to the blade at the distal third of its length. The curvature and the flared tip of the ox-tail saber make it less suitable for thrusting, and it typically has an angled handle in order to help in retaining some thrusting ability. The decreased thrusting ability of the ox-tail saber is less important against unarmored opponents where powerful chops and slashes can be effectively used.

Ox-tail sabers would traditionally weigh about 1 kg or more (2-3 pounds) and typically be about 30 to 39 inches long. The goose-quill saber of a similar length would traditionally weigh perhaps 25% less than an ox-tail saber. Both would have a balance point about 6-8 inches beyond where the handle meets the hand guard. Both typically have a false back edge on the distal third of the blade (the removal of metal here reduces weight and improves the balance) although this is sometimes sharpened into a true back edge. Fullers (sometimes called “blood grooves”) are commonly used to reduce the blade weight and improve the balance, especially on ox-tail sabers.

If the saber usage is fierce, unyielding and direct, how can practitioners use it in a more internal way that conforms more to Taijiquan’s calm yielding circularity? From a theoretical perspective, metal is represented by a yang line over a yin line, and this implies the ability to change. Actual metal needed to be heated and molded or hammered or otherwise manipulated and changed in order to make useful items. So even though metal is rigid, it can be manipulated and changed.

The usage of the saber in Taijiquan relies on change, beginning with one’s footwork to change angles and manipulate the distance from the opponent. Even though the saber blade is strong, Taiji saber only infrequently uses “hard” blocks against an opponent’s weapon unless the block is against the wooden shaft of a long weapon like a spear. Taiji saber instead typically uses footwork to evade the attack, and the blade typically does not touch an opponent’s saber, or only deflects it with glancing contact or “soft” parries or slides.

When “hard” blocks are needed, the back of the saber is used when possible, or the thicker part of the blade near the hand guard is used. While edge to edge contact is avoided when possible, sometimes it will accidentally happen when attacking with a powerful chop or slash and the momentum of one’s saber cannot be changed to avoid a block from an opponent’s weapon edge.

The momentum of a powerfully swung saber is something that needs to be considered. Fortunately the dull back of the saber allows for several techniques that can be used for control since the non-weapon arm or the body can contact this non-sharp edge. Wrapping and coiling around the head (缠头裹脑 chan tou guo nao) as well as wrapping the body (裹身 guo shen) and “washing” with the saber (洗刀 xi dao) are characteristic movements that can control the momentum of the saber and change directions. One movement should flow into the next.

While the momentum from a powerful sweeping or slashing attack can carry one’s saber to the side and away from an engagement with an opponent, the techniques that bring the saber around the body can bring the saber back into a defensive or offensive position. Additionally, the wielder can spin around after slashing in order to manage the momentum of the saber and to bring it back into action.
These are characteristic ways used to control the momentum of powerful saber techniques. There are other methods which are also used that are beyond the scope of this short article using verbal descriptions, like leading with the pommel into a chop (producing significant forward momentum rather than mainly downward momentum from the chop), etc.

While some schools do not contact the body while performing these movements, practitioners who do contact the body will find that the momentum of the weapon can be controlled by doing so. The momentum in one direction can be stopped by letting the dull back edge contact the body; or power can be added to the technique by using the arm or body for leverage to spring the saber off of, or to push against the dull back edge. Pushing the back edge with the non-weapon hand or arm also allows one to quickly change the saber from a defensive blocking action into an action that angles the tip toward an opponent for counterattacking.

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The article “Qi” is reprinted on Slanted Flying website with the permission of the author Sam Langley from his personal Blog.

I can feel something. A kind of fullness. As I move, the feeling changes. It almost feels as if something is moving me. I hear my daughter crying and it’s gone.

Qi is like a badger, it’s very shy.

If you look too hard it seems to evaporate. It is something that can be felt but not measured which leads materialists to conclude that it doesn’t exist.

Often disagreements come down to semantics. What do you think Qi is?

Qi in the context of martial arts or Chinese medicine is merely a convenient label for a phenomenon that can be felt. If you have acupuncture you’ll probably experience strong feelings of energy coursing through your body. Western Science doesn’t seem to provide a satisfactory explanation for what’s going on here and so we call it Qi.

What animates your body? What is life or consciousness? Within the current scientific paradigm, these are difficult questions to answer. If all matter is essentially dead stuff then how is anything living? Taoist philosophers described the life force that permeates the universe as Qi.

It’s understandable that people are sceptical. Qi is a much-abused word. So many Tai Chi teachers play up the magical, ethereal and intangible aspects of the art which gives the majority of people a very mistaken impression of what it’s all about.

In my experience people often fall into two camps: Those that think any talk of internal energy is bullshit and those that can see, feel and exchange Qi with trees, the universe and extraterrestrials with little or no practice.

But whilst Qi itself might be elusive it is possible to scientifically test the effects of Acupuncture, Qigong and Tai Chi on a person’s health. There are numerous studies showing that Qi practices are very effective for many different problems and it is widely accepted that they work. Is there a materialist explanation of WHY they work? Maybe but it’s probably deeply unsatisfactory.

The Chinese are practical people and have been historically less concerned with WHY things work than IF they work. Meanwhile, in the West we have been steadily dissecting, reducing and questioning everything. Scepticism is healthy, in my opinion, but if something is proven to work and WHY it works doesn’t fit into your model of reality then it could be that your model needs to change.

I can feel something. Is it Qi? I’ll say…..yes I’m happy with that term because I can’t find a better one.

Sword (劍 jian, double-edged straight sword) is perhaps the most popular weapon in Taijiquan (太極拳) practice, even though it is more difficult to use properly than the saber (刀 dao, sometimes called a “broadsword” and refers to the single edged sword), the other classical short weapon. This may be due to the circularity inherent in the way the jian is supposed to be used, like a flying phoenix or like a swimming dragon (both of which are said to move in spirals).

While made of metal, the jian has the quality of water when associated with the wuxing (五行 five phases), whereas the dao is associated with metal. The dao is more direct and uses many powerful techniques, whereas the jian is more fluid and yielding, and is more subtle and uses more agility and precision than the dao’s techniques (i.e., more finesse than power). The jian is said to be the “king” of short weapons, and is considered to be a master’s or gentleman’s weapon.

Unfortunately, many of the practice jian manufactured today have greatly altered characteristics from historic weapons, in order to make them easier to use in solo performance, resulting in modern swords that are typically handled improperly when compared to how historically accurate weapons are handled.

Historic swords needed a sufficient mass (typically 600-900 grams) to resist easy defensive deflections away from the intended target, and the point of balance needed to be far enough out beyond the handle and hand guard (typically 6-8 inches beyond where the handle meets the guard) to facilitate pivoting the weapon around an opponent’s weapon, as well as to resist deflections and help the sword to remain on target. The mass and point of balance of historic swords also helps one to properly control the opponent’s weapon when utilizing deflections and other techniques that occur when weapons contact each other.

Conversely for performance, with no consideration for combat functionality, one would want a sword that is as light as possible and with a point of balance closer to the hand. This would make the sword-like object easier (and faster) to move and would be able to be manipulated in a dramatic fashion with a mere flick of one’s wrist. These characteristics produced the floppy-bladed wushu (武术) performance jian that got so extreme that competition rules had to be made requiring the blade to be able to support the weight of the jian when balanced on its tip.

Unfortunately, the way that manufacturers met this requirement was to merely stiffen the spine of the blade without adding significant weight to the jian. These revised performance jian appear less comical, but the performers did not need to alter their habitual ways of handling the jian. The jian were used merely as stage props that allowed quick and flashy movements that looked impressive, but were without realistic function and would be wrong in combat. Wushu swordsmanship became merely dancing with stage props, however flashy and impressive that dancing was.

Training with unrealistic weapons generally leads to unrealistic movements for controlling the actions of the jian, and typically leads to a misunderstanding of the characteristics of the weapon and the movements and purpose of one’s forms.

A jian should have four points that one pivots around; the tip, at points about one third and about two thirds of the length of the blade, and the hand/wrist/root of the sword blade. Only the last is facilitated by a balance point close to the guard, but at the expense of the other three.

Pivoting around the tip is often used to maintain the weapon pointing towards the opponent while changing the angle of the potential attack. Pivoting around the point about a third of the blade length from the tip is often used to change from a thrust with the tip to a cut with the end third of the blade, as well as situations where light contact with the opponent’s weapon is used in order to exploit an opening to attack through. Pivoting around the point about two thirds of the blade length from the tip of the blade is frequently used when deflecting and controlling an opponent’s attack, and setting up a counterattack.

The pivot at the hand/wrist/blade root is where most of the potential problems occur, and is often where those using unrealistically light jian tend to move the most. Too often those using a light weapon flip their wrist around like they are using a flywhisk!

We do not want too firm of a grip such that the sword becomes primarily just an extension of the forearm (like when using a club or a bat), but we also do not want a too loose grip where the sword can be easily knocked off target or even knocked out of one’s grip. We want a mobile “joint” that is neither excessive nor deficient.

Different schools have slightly different recommendations regarding gripping the sword, but most have the thumb and index and/or middle fingers doing most of the gripping, with the ring and little fingers mainly aiding in controlling and directing the sword. The sword’s handle should be movable enough in one’s grip that it can break contact with the palm and/or heel of the hand, but one should still maintain sufficient control of the handle that an opponent cannot adversely affect one’s grip just by bumping into your sword.

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