[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
correct yourself. To do this you must practice the form slowly, not fast.' (translation taken
from 'On Tai Chi Chuan' by TY Pang, 1987, page 169)
What Li I Yu writes on is the Walking Frame or Jou Jia method of doing the form. In this initial
and most important method, the emphasis is on not doing the form fast to build up a good
foundation in the art. This mode of practice remains the most important in Taijiquan but the art is
not confined to just the Walking Frame. That it is specifically categorised as such implies the
existance of other frames of practice not recorded in the limited number of works that comprise
the Classics.
Master Yang Cheng Fu himself writes:
'Only when the height of our stance and the speed of our hands is guided by the proper
measure can we be free of the necessity for fixed rules of height and speed.' (translation
of the introduction to Yang Cheng Fu's Taijiquan Ti Yung Quan Shu taken from Douglas
Wile's Tai-Chi Touchstones Yang Family Secret Transmissions, 1983, page 157)
This makes clear that there does come a point where such rules no longer apply, hence the
existance of a set like Taiji Long Boxing which Master Yang Cheng Fu taught to those who had
attained the proper measure from training in the normal Taijiquan set.
In Master Yang Cheng Fu's 'Talks On The Practice Of Taijiquan', the sequence of training is first
to learn Taijiquan, then Taiji Long Boxing before going on to Push Hands, Sparring Hands and
Weapons. Taiji Long Boxing can then be viewed as a mode of practice to ready the student for
the practice of Push Hands which is not always slow. ( Yang Cheng Fu, recorded by Chen Wei
Ming, found in Yang Style Taijiquan by Yang Zhen Duo, 1988, page 10-12)
Chen Yen Ling also records multiple frame methods to practice a single set. He records that for
many people only know one method and not others and that for a single set, it can be done in
three heights of high, level and low and for each height, the set can again be done in three ways
of large, medium and small, each height and method constituting a different frame of practice.
He then goes on to give examples of Master Yang Cheng Fu's set as being a large frame method,
Master Yang Jian Hou's set as being a medium frame method and Master Yang Shao Hou's
frame being a small frame method. (Chen Yen Ling, Taijiquan Dao Jian Kan San Shou He Pian,
1943, page 24)
The Place Of Fast Sets In Taijiquan
The main mode of practice in Taijiquan is to do it slowly. This ensures that good fundamentals
are built, the Classics themselves exhort us to do the same. None of the sets described in the
previous section which contain faster movements is a set that is done first and none of them is
the main set in the system.
Yang Shao Hou only taught the small frame to those who had achieved a high enough
proficiency in the slow form. Yang Cheng Fu and his son Yang Shou Chung only taught Taiji
Long Boxing to students who had attained a good level of skill in the slow form. This was the
same for his disciples who taught the form. The Tung family fast form is also an advanced set
only taught to advanced students as is the Wu style fast form taught by Mah Yueh Liang and Wu
Ying Hua.
These sets never superceded the slow set as the main mode of practice and represent only another
way of doing a set after proficiency in the slow set has been achieved. None of the fundamentals
and principles trained in the slow set is lost in these faster sets, in fact the stress is that these are
retained. These sets, though fast, are not done in the same way as external boxing, and this is
stressed also as a taboo.
Conclusion
Though the main mode of practice for Taijiquan is slow and rightfully so. There are other frames
other than the 'walking frame' described in Li I Yu's work and one of them is a method of doing
the postures in a speedier way while yet retaining all the fundamentals, principles and
requirements of Taijiquan as trained in the slow method. To ready the body to retain these
essentials in a more combative context.
Yet even with this speedier mode of practice, it is not fast beating slow or big beating small.
Beating fast with slow and big with small is still primary but the ability to call forth speed to
counter great speed without losing all the qualities and without losing the principles of Taijiquan
is important. As the Taijiquan Classic of Wang Tsung Yueh states:
'You respond quickly to a fast action, slowly to slow action. Although the changes are
numerous, the principle remains the same.' (translation taken from T'ai Chi by Cheng
Man-Ch'ing and Robert W. Smith, 1967, page 109)
The Importance Of Yi And Chi In Tai Chi Chuan
Yi (mind) and chi (breath) are found inside the human body without form or colour. The eyes are
unable to view but the chi has a very important role. Our bodies are full of chi circulating and
cultivating the body. The chi is formed with fire from the 'ming men'. The fire refines the 'jieng'
to become chi. The Taoists describe it as 'water and fire already present or the 'nei dan'. It is
stored in the area of the dan tien. The Taoists value chi very much. Usually, people think the
blood is the most important essence in the body, they do not know that chi is even more
important than blood. Chi is the chief while blood is the assistant. We need blood that contains
the essentials (vitamins, minerals, etc.) but chi is the transportation, making it more important.
Chi is heavy while blood is light. If we do not have enough blood, we can still temporarily
survive. Without enough chi, we die immediately. Therefore to cultivate chi is very important.
The importance of Tai Chi Chuan is to concentrate in order to cultivate the chi. We always say,
"External to exercise are the tendons, bones and skin. Internal is the breath." For those who
practice Tai Chi Chuan, after practising the forms, push hands, roll back or two-man forms, the
breathing is still smooth and natural, the face colour does not change and the internal chi flows
through the entire body. The feeling is more comfortable than before the exercise. This is the
result of cultivating the chi. After exercise, they never are short of breath or feel tired. When the
chi fills up the body, the blood is healthy. As the blood flows through the body, the body is
strong. A healthy body strenghtens the mind. A strong mind leads to a great spirit. A great spirit
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]