Tai Chi Chuan & Ki Gong

[ChiDragon]

T'ai Chi & QiGong

 

We all know that the external arts are deadly, but what specifically makes the internal arts even deadlier?

 

I would like to read your personal insights, not something you just snatched off of some website somewhere. Even if you did go to a website, reply with your own voice. Your own understanding and intuition.

 

In general, the person who practice externally was to speed up his ability to combat in a short time. However, one must be physically build and have great normal body strength. These innate features make one a good fighter but one must win in a short time. Otherwise one will become fatigue when the normal body strength become exhausted.

 

The one who was not physically build and weak must practice the internal art to build up the body strength and strengthen the muscles. That was exactly what Tai Chi and QiGong are all about. One does not suck the energy from thin air by breathing. The body makes its own adjustment as one breathes. To exert an external force, the force has to be coming from the inner strength of the physical body.

 

The body must be capable to withstand any external force for some reasonable time. Without the inner strength, it would be difficult for the body to resist any external force nor can endure for some time. In the body, it was the muscles that generates the inner strength. How much inner strength can be generated depends how much practice does one had done.

 

I will emphasize what are the nuances between internal and external practices. Basically it is the concept of the Yin-yang principle. If one can identify what is being yin or yang attribute, then it won't be so difficult to understand what is internal or external. Indeed, the purpose for the internal practice was to convert the Yin(weak) body into a Yang(strong) body.

[ChiDragon]

Why are some people healthier than others....??? It is because the internal organs of some people are in good health and the functions of the organs are at the peak performance. People with illness was due to the malfunction of the internal organs. Fortunately, the human body has the capability of self-healing. Any illness if found in time are curable. There are two things that the body need for healing such as food and breathing. The ancients had discovered by breathing alone has great effects on the human body. The more they breathe the healthier they are. Besides breathing was good for self-healing, it also make the body much healthier than before. Therefore, the ancients were paid more attention to breathing and called it Chi Kung. Since Chi Kung has great effects on the body internally, it was considered to be NeiGong(internal practice).

 

When NeiGong was mentioned, it was understood that Chi Kung is the primary requirement. At first, Chi Kung was done by just sitting down in a lotus position(靜功, Static Chi Kung). However, it was discovered that Chi Kung was done with slow motion of the arms and legs has a great effect of strengthen the body muscles. Hence, it becomes the, 動功, Dynamic Chi Kung. For example, Tai Ji Chuan has a set of sophisticates movements which is the best internal practice for the health of the human body. The body strength can be developed tremendously by the practice. In order to distinguish the inner strength that was developed by Tai Ji Chuan, it was called Jin(勁) rather than just the normal body strength.

[ChiDragon]

Relaxation of the muscles during the practice of Tai Ji Chuan.

 

At the first level, it is important to relax the muscles when doing the slow movements. However, no matter how relax the practitioner was, there are always some tension in the muscles. Otherwise, the practitioner won't be able to stand up on the feet.

 

Tai Ji Chuan is considered to be an internal art because it develops the inner strength or Jin. In order to utilize the body strength, the muscles must be contracted to generated the inner strength. A Tai Ji practitioner has more Jin than an ordinary person. The Jin was acquired from practicing the slow movements with the muscles relaxed. It is important to relax the muscles because that is the uniqueness of NeiGong. As a rule of thumb, NeiGong always start with something soft then become hard. After a long time practice, the muscles of a Tai Ji practitioner will be firmer or good muscle tone. It was an indication of progress from the practice. Another words, in Tai Ji terms, the Jin has been developed in the muscles.

 

A Tai Ji practitioner should always feel a little tension in the muscles, even in relaxation, because of the presence of Jin. With the Jin in the muscles, it is readily to be exploded as soon a squeeze of the muscles. One can feel the strength of the Jin in the muscles when squeezed. However, if anything comes in contact with the muscles, then a slight movement of the muscles will cause anything to be ejected away to a distance. The process is called Fa Jin(發勁).

 

One can tell if a person has any Jin at all by observing how the other person reacts to Fa Jin. If a person pushes an ordinary person, assuming they are same size, and the defender just fell back a little and was able to maintain balance; then the offender has no Jin. However, if the defender was completely off balance flew across the room and hit the wall, then one will know that the offender has Jin developed in the body.

Edited September 28, 2012 by ChiDragon

[ChiDragon]

Every practitioner of Tai Ji Chuan should know this. The most unique thing about Tai Ji Chuan, at all levels, is bending the arms and legs for every movement. It would very noticeable if one is a good Tai Ji practitioner or not. A good Tai Ji practitioner will never straighten the arms and legs. The concept was to have the yang within the yin. That means by having a little tension on the arms and legs which allow them readily for action. The bending arms are readily to go any direction; the legs are readily to go up and down to maintain the body balance.

 

A bending arm will have two pivot points such as the elbow and shoulder joints. The ankle and the knee are the two pivot points for the legs. The advantage of having two pivot points which allow the arms and legs to move more versatile and dynamically. Overall, the body was allowed to move more swiftly with the arms and legs bent. Especially, the bending legs allow to have more spring actions.

Edited October 12, 2012 by ChiDragon

[ChiDragon]

While the arm is fully extended, it gives a less chance to retract while someone was grabbing the wrist. At the time, the shoulder would be the weakest point. One can lock the elbow but not the shoulder if the arm was being pulled by someone. The shoulder is the root for the arms, so to speak, because the shoulder is the only part that supports and kept the arms in place. If a person was standing up straight with the arm fully extended and the arm was being pulled forward, then the person will be difficult to maintain balance. Most lightly this person will lean forward due to the pulling force.

 

If a Tai Ji practitioner with the arms bent, most lightly, the arms can be retracted very easily because there was some potential energy(Jin) are readily available in the muscle. It allows the arms to retract by moving toward the body to counteract any pulling force. However, the most effective way was to push the opponent away. That way will put the opponent in the worse situation. Under the pushing position, the opponent will have the pulling force + the body weight + the pushing force against him/her. That is why we see a person flew across the room and hit the wall during a Fa Jin demo video. Btw The highest opposing force was the pushing force(Fa Jin) in the calculation. The summation of the forces will cause the opponent to go off balance in one direction by falling backward.

Edited October 12, 2012 by ChiDragon

[ChiDragon]

If a person is standing up straight, the body can be only turned within a limited space. The ankles and the hips are the pivot points. Anyhow, one standing in a Zuan Zhuang position has more flexibility to move freely and cover more space. It is because the knees are added to the pivot points. The body can move freely by bent the knees forward and the torso moving backward to maintain balance. Especially, the knees can move back and forth in different directions to have a greater flexibility for balancing.

 

Generally speaking, standing up straight up one has two pivot point(the ankles and the hips). While in the ZZ position, it has five pivot points, the ankles, the knees, and the hips. In the ZZ position, the both ankles and knees can be moved in different direction separately. In addition with the combination of the bending arms and the hips, in deed, it gives more flexibility for the body to move as a whole to cover a variety of space around the body area. Of cause, the feet must have good rooting to anchor to the ground or floor. Good rooting was based on the Fa Jin in the lower leg muscles. The ankle joints must be strong to support the whole body weights. The strong ankle joints can be strengthen by practicing Zuan Zhuang for months and years. Another words, the purpose of Zuan Zhuang was the strengthening the lower leg muscles and the ankle points.

 

Zuan Zhuang is equivalent to have the lower legs and ankles lifting weights; it is because they are supporting the weights of the whole body while standing in this position. Eventually, the muscle tone were developed in the lower legs and made them stronger. A good foundation for rooting was based on the strong lower legs and ankle joints. All these were accomplished from practicing Zuan ZHuang.

Edited October 15, 2012 by ChiDragon

[Practitioner]

LOL why not just call this the "ChiDragon rambles on" thread?

Edited October 15, 2012 by Practitioner

[ChiDragon]

Why is Tai Ji Quan is a form of QiGong....???

Let's determine what is QiGong...!!!

 

What are the commonalities of both arts...??? Let's give it an observation from a point of view of someone without any martial arts knowledge. The movements are performed gracefully and slowly and the breathing is deep and slow. The final product of both arts was to develop the inner body strength by putting the emphasis on breathing. Therefore, let's ask a question. Is QiGong a method in cultivating energy or breathing....???

 

As I said before, the final product was to develop the inner body energy. In order to accomplish the development of the body energy. One must need to breathe properly. It is there was a famous saying for all martial arts： 氣沉丹田，chi sunk deep into the dan tien. Another words, breathe deep into the dan tian. How do I derive to this conclusion...??? It all depends how one interpret the character 氣(Qi). Is it "energy" or "breath"....???

 

If one would like to interpret the character Qi as "energy", then, QiGong is cultivating energy.

 

If one assumed that QiGong is a method to develop energy through breathing, then, it implies that QiGong has no energetic effect without breathing. Hence, QiGong is the ultimate method of breathing in developing energy.

 

The ultimate goal of breathing was to be breathing slowly and breathe as much air as possible into the lungs. In order to do so, one must breathe deeply to expand the abdomen to flatten the diaphragm which allow the lungs to increase in volume. Another thing to be considered was to allow ample of time for the oxygen to be collected by the red blood cells. It can be accomplished by breathing slowly. Indeed, all QiGong practitioners must take the ultimate method of breathing into consideration. Otherwise, it will not be considered that one was practicing QiGong.

Edited October 19, 2012 by ChiDragon

[Taomeow]

The ultimate goal of breathing was to be breathing slowly and breathe as much air as possible into the lungs. In order to do so, one must breathe deeply to expand the abdomen to flatten the diaphragm which allow the lungs to increase in volume.

 

[GrandmasterP]

I reckon bot have a place. QiGong maybe more for internal and external cultivation as a complete package whereas a lot of Tai Chi taught focuses on the purely external. Also taijiquan is the kickest ass martial art whereas QiGong isn't a martial art nor ever was but it is a wise martial artist who cultivated QiGong alongside their form art.

[ChiDragon]

My thought of the day:

 

The possession of knowledge is not to demonstrate how much one knows. It is a matter of digestion and application. Ignoring the facts blurs the foreseeing intellectual focus. One with an open mind can behold a panorama blindfolded. Finally, the denial of the unwanted truth is a move for the deprivation of learning.

Edited October 22, 2012 by ChiDragon