The Two Key Advantages of Tai Chi: The Key to Mastering Tai Chi
The advantages of Tai Chi: Complete and Detailed
Let's enumerate the many advantages of Tai Chi, with two points particularly prominent: firstly, completeness, and secondly, meticulousness.
During practice, the thought is comprehensively addressed, one movement without any stillness, the whole body and all parts are unified in action, jointly completing the accumulation or force-generating movements. Phrases like 'following the upper and lower, harmonizing inner and outer, paying attention at every moment to the waist' are concrete measures for achieving completeness.
Masters can transform force, making opponents unaware; the power of force generation is astonishing, and the key lies in the completeness of internal force. This is one of the most outstanding advantages of Tai Chi. From a broad perspective, this comprehensive viewpoint, developed over long-term practice, cultivates complete force. The thought, because it is comprehensive, no longer fixates on a single point, but forms a network that is everywhere.
During the competition
During the competition, when a competitor's attack is only at one or two points, I can simultaneously defend against those two points and discover many weaknesses that can be targeted against the opponent. The opponent's thought is one-sided, while I can comprehensively address and target their weaknesses. This is the main reason why a master can make an opponent passive.
Meticulous
Meticulousness became another prominent advantage of Tai Chi. Taking 'Right Cloud Hand' as an example, when the right hand moves to the right, it's not just about moving to the right; it must encompass all sides harmoniously. The upper part has a slight tension to generate force, and the lower part will generate a heavy force; without tension, there is no heaviness, and without lightness, there is no lightness. This is one of the techniques for developing the 'soft-heavy' force. Simultaneously, there must be an imaginary pulling force in the opposite direction (to the left), which prevents the right hand from moving too quickly and avoids a crude movement. The thought must be so meticulous, and the 'Tai Chi flavor' will become more and more concentrated as you practice, enabling you to develop your tactile sensitivity and creating endless enjoyment. This is the main content of Tai Chi's martial arts training. Some may ask: 'Isn't this method too complicated?'
We know that for those who have already entered the path of relaxation and softness and have become accustomed to lightness, cultivating sensitive force has naturally increased with time, and can even make your tactile sensitivity reach the level of 'one feather cannot add, insects cannot fall.' However, for beginners, especially those with a narrow, linear mindset, understanding this meticulous thought method is a good way to overcome subjectivity and one-sidedness, and to help improve awareness of sensitive force. It also plays an invaluable role in preventing Tai Chi from being transformed into a forceful style and in fostering an appreciation for wisdom rather than brute force.
A Keen Use of Advantages
In the latest research findings by scientists, it has been found that humans are good at using their skin's tactile sense to perceive, understand, and adapt to their surrounding environment. Because animals' bodies are covered in fur, their skin's tactile sense cannot be fully utilized. However, skin's reaction to things is much faster than the brain's analysis and judgment through the eyes.
Looking from small to local, the sensitive and precise feeling in Tai Chi's sensitive force is the full utilization of the tactile sense that other animals do not possess, which is a unique advantage of humans. If we fail to utilize and develop our tactile sense, haven't we clearly regressed from the human level?
Complete Combination
The combination of the meticulous precision and accuracy of this local sensitive force with the comprehensive viewpoint of a broad perspective is what makes Tai Chi unparalleled and unmatched. The complete internal force can continuously grow, and the precision of sensitive force can continuously improve. The pursuit of both of these aspects is endless, and human understanding has no boundaries. Therefore, the Western proverb says: 'Life is short, art is long.'
As we continue to learn and practice to improve our understanding of Tai Chi, it will gradually develop towards a higher level; conversely, the vast and profound Tai Chi has also developed our tactile sensitivity and enriched our wisdom, transforming ourselves. Isn't this the wonderful thing about Tai Chi?
