I think this is on topic. A long time ago when I used to wrestle in high school I was taught to look at your opponent's feet and draw a straight line between them. Then draw a straight line at a 90 degree angle through that line. Any force applied on the second line, push or pull, will unbalance your opponent. The best defense is not to fight the force but to change the angle by moving your feet. So what you have is a constant game of movement until you catch your opponent in a mistake and down he goes.
You are absolutely right. At that particular moment if your opponent - resists, you will immediately find his center. - yield, you have not found his center yet. This is why you have to use the Taiji "borrow force" principle - If you want to follow me, I will help you to follow me even closer. Here is a short clip for that: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQJxvQ05GF0"]tearing follow - YouTube[/ame]
I saw this in the video I didn't see this Did I miss something? I'm not TC practitioner (unless you count a few months of "relaxation" TC), but I do find the concepts being discussed interesting.
This and other views that I have expressed, clearly make me sound like I didnt speak from experience in training methods for taijiquan. Yep, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. If I wanted average results then I would seek out the average Tai Chi practitioners. I would seek out the conventional wisdom and common training methods. I would seek out the best teachers in the world who are promoting conventional wisdom, teaching common training methods and creating average students. ..but that’s not why I study. I don’t study because I want to be average, conventional or common. I study because I want results. ...and exceptional, unusual, results are so much more fun than average results. Average is not what I do. P.S. Synonyms: nonconformist, maverick; original, eccentric, bohemian; dissident, dissenter, iconoclast, heretic. ...I would consider anyone of those compliment.
When you pull, if your opponent - resists (his body is moving back), you borrow his resisting force and push him back. - yields (his body is moving forward), you borrow his yielding force and pull him in. The "borrow force" principle is alway "help your opponent to do what he wants to do". If you want to - sink, I'll help you to sink down lower. - raise, I'll help you to raise up higher. - bend, I'll help you to bend more. - straight, I'll help you to straight more. - ...
If their is genuine yielding there shouldn't be anything to borrow!! Following is not issuing any force, so there shouldn't be any force to borrow. It is just following the other neutrally. The rule in Taiji is to be very precise when issuing force, The best time is to wait untill there is the opportunity to take the maximum advantage possible. Ideally you shouldn't feel anything to borrow untill fa jin, and that should be impossible to use against the issuer due to timing, speed and power.. You need to be pulling someone onto a strike at the very least, because you can be sure if you pull someone toward you they will be looking to strike you. And if not they bloody well should be! Otherwise they may get an advantage in 'running you down', putting you on the back foot. Weight and momentum going forward (on the front foot) usually has an advantage over the person on the back foot or trying to maintain a stationary position. By pulling somone into you without the tactic to strike is putting yourself on the back foot. So if your mind is on wrestling or grappling the pull needs to be part of a throwing or takedown set up. All this has to be considered when thinking about pulling. Pulling in taiji should be done in such a way the a person is not pulled into you Unless for specific purposes noted above but, but always is pulled off balance as much as possible, usually at an angle where we are safer, and they are opened up to kicks and knees or knockdowns etc.
Careful Ned. Mod action has been taken, as necessary. Further commentary on an already moderated action is keenly discouraged.
Hi Lockjaw, I appreciate that you like what I write. However, would be nice if you would credit the original source. My apologies to everyone else for resurrecting an old thread. I just happened to stumble across it today. For those who are curios the OP was cut and pasted from an email newsletter I wrote a couple years ago. Though the last couple paragraphs where modified to take out a product promotion and the relevant links. To answer the common question "what do you mean by the center?" here's the follow up email I wrote back then: ...and the rest goes into another promotional bit. In somewhat simple terms the effect of dissolving the center is very similar to dispersing any incoming force. We don't call dispersing because you could redirect or disperse someones push or hit around your center which is a little different. Though it's a good step in that direction. The primary ingredient is deep deep relaxation with excellent structure. My apologies if this still sounds a bit fuzzy. It becomes much more concrete when you can let someone put hands on and feel.
