Traditional Wu Style Tai Chi Chu'an
Form practice
The entire Wu Style Tai Chi form consists of 123 ‘units of movement.’ Each one has a name such as 'Grasping the bird's tail' or 'Cloud hands.' Each unit of movement can have between 1 and 5 parts. Each of the parts consists of three ‘actions.’ Each action can be just one thing, or it can consist of several different component movements, performed either sequentially or at the same time. Beginners typically begin by learning Stage One of the form, which contains the first 14 units of movement.
There are lots of details to remember. We practice the form in a fixed sequence at a regular tempo. The system of teaching that I was given by my teacher, Sifu Philip Mo, provides students with every advantage to learn the form well. I give students handouts or electronic copies of detailed descriptions of the form that they can use at home to do self-corrections. I also post videos that students can watch and study on their own.
When we practice the form, our mind must remain in the moving part of the body. We call this “tasting the movements.” In this way, our entire body and mind are combined and work together. We say the mind relaxes the body, then the body relaxes the mind, and so on in an infinite feedback loop. This is the source of the feeling of wellbeing and calm awareness that arises in Tai Chi practice. It is also the source of not only the many health benefits of Tai Chi but also of the effectiveness of self defence applications.
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Although the form can be practiced fast, in learning the form we usually practice it slowly so our body can learn and remember the movements and so we can release internal energy. Moreover, our body and mind absorb the form together at the same time. This means that our memories are being stored not only in our minds but in our bodies as well.
Tai Chi is excellent training for knowing your body’s position in space and and knowing how it moves from point to point through time. The ways we move in Tai Chi are constrained by the rules of practice. These rules lead us to move in ways that protect our bodies from harm and injury while, at the same time, strengthening our bodies and loosening up our joints.
Because we usually practice very slowly, we can feel when we are about to go beyond the natural limits of our movement. We can also feel when something is not right in our body. Conversely, it can tell us how far along we are in our recovery from an injury. It can. of course, hasten those same recoveries.
Tai Chi is excellent for balance, both physical and emotional. The postures of the Tai Chi form include one-legged stances as well as coordinated 180 and 360 degree turns. These ways of moving are excellent ways to improve balance. In fact, every movement in the form leads to better posture and improved balance.
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Taken together, all of these various aspects of our practice are probably most responsible for the results of studies showing that Tai Chi leads to improvements in patients with Parkinson’s Disease and dementia. It has also been shown to lead to improvements in overall cognitive functioning.
If form practice us not your 'cup of tea' because it is too much to remember or because you haven't got the time to make the longer-term commitment to learning it, I also teach classes in which we learn one of the units of movement at each meeting and study its self defence applications. I also teach workshops in which I either introduce people to Tai Chi or focus on one or another of the aspects of Tai Chi practice.
Tui Shou
Tui Shou (also called ‘push hands’) refers to a set of cooperative exercises designed to make us more aware of our connection to our partner (the 'opponent') but also to make us more aware of the ways energy is exchanged between ourselves and our opponents.
There are solo forms of Tui Shou but mostly we practice with a partner. The exercises typically begin with making a physical connection with our opponent by touching wrists. We practice in the same way we practice the form. We maintain our connection to the Earth through our feet and completely relax our bodies. After we make contact with our partner, we maintain that contact (‘sticking’) as we move either through a predetermined range of motion. As we move through the set range of motion, and especially when our partner’s motion deviates from the preset range, we maintain contact with them (“following”).
The essence of Tai Chi self defence applications is relaxation and the combination of connecting, sticking, and following. Applications work when we are able to uproot our partner or otherwise disrupt their balance while maintaining our own balance and rootedness. Tui Shou exercises are designed to provide us with the sensitivity and feeling required to accomplish that goal.
When we tense up, we lose sensitivity. That is why we must remain totally relaxed. If we grab our partner, it introduces tension into our hands and wrists. This tension blocks the feeling that we get when we are relaxed. When we tense up, we lose information about our partner’s intentions. Moreover, when we tense up, we give our partner the opportunity to use it against us by uprooting us. In addition, when our bodies have the least bit of tension in them, energy cannot flow up from the ground through our bodies in applications and cannot flow as effectively through our bodies down into to the ground when receiving energy from an opponent.
In Wu Style Tai Chi we say “no applying force.” This means we do not try to apply hard external power to deal with an opponent. In a hard, external style, the fists are made tense and power is transferred from the ground up through our body and into the tensed fists. In Tai Chi, energy flows in both directions: we receive it from our opponent and transmit it through our body into the ground, then we draw energy from the ground and return it in ways that balance Yin and Yang aspects of our interaction.
Tui Shou exercises can be categorized in terms of whether each person begins by connecting just one of their hands or connecting with both hands at the wrist. Any of the exercises can be practiced slowly or more quickly. More advanced exercises allow more of a free form style of moving which leads to simulated combat of the kind found in competitions at tournaments.
Applications
Every unit of movement in the form has self defence applications. This includes even the bow that we do at the beginning and end of the form. It also includes many of the warm up and stretching exercises. To the uninformed, the form may look like nothing more than a graceful, slow dance. The longer you study the form and begin to think of the movements in terms of their possible self defence applications, the more you see that the form is actually a treasure house of possible applications.
The way I teach applications to students who are learning them for the first time is to have them play around with the movements and try to figure out on their own how they can be applied for self defence. In his way, they learn from doing and discovering, rather than just being shown what to do. If they can’t figure anything out on their own, I will certainly show them some of the applications.
Each unit of movement in the form has what I think of as three kinds of applications. I call them literal, wrist grab defences, and subtle. Literal applications are what the movements are most obviously designed to do. A straight centre punch, for example, can be just a straight centre punch. Wrist grab defences are ways to use wrist grabs to your advantage by performing one of movements from the form. Subtle applications are things most people do not see at first but are still there waiting to be discovered.
Practicing the applications is very important work for self defence purposes. It teaches us how to move our bodies in ways that maintain our connection to the ground while retaining a structure that can effectively exploit weaknesses in the structures of an opponent. Over time we continue to refine a kind of internal quality to our ways of moving and doing things that allows us to maintain our structure in any situation.
In actual combat situations, applying elements of the form is probably not going to be all that helpful. In nearly every situation, they won’t work. Practicing them is a way of training your body to do what it needs to do, so that in actual combat situations your body will respond appropriately. You might apply one of the applications but only if it arises spontaneously and naturally in a given situation.
In actual combat situations we must remain totally relaxed and aware. This means our mind cannot be clouded by fears, anticipations, memories, or action plans. We follow the practice of connecting, sticking, and following our opponent. We become 'one' with our opponent in the sense that we lose our individuality and 'merge' with our opponent into one moving thing. We “listen” to our opponent and react to their movements in ways that exploit any weakness in their structure. One way we can exploit weaknesses is by giving them nothing to use their force against. This is the point of the total relaxation.
We can lead an opponent into a weak structure by essentially “tricking” them into following something that is not rigid but that they expect to be. We can lead an opponent to lose their balance by making them continue to follow their intended direction of motion beyond the point they intended. We can then take advantage of our superior structure and rootedness to help them continue to move in that direction through the release of our energy.
Tai Chi embodies a philosophy or way of being that is compassionate and caring. If we must defend ourselves, we do so without using force, without seeing our opponent as something 'out there' to be defeated, but by becoming one with them and neutralizing aggression fearlessly and effectively following the principles underlying Tai Chi.
It may take some time to learn this way of being.
Anti-bullying self defence for kids
I teach kids how to use Tai Chi self defence techniques to protect themselves from anyone who tries to grab them, kick or punch them, or push them around. But learning to master these physical skills is only a part of it. Kids need to learn to relax completely and not be afraid. Tai Chi self defence teaches them how to do that. Beyond physical mastery, kids need to learn how to shut down the fear response by seeing their attacker not as something 'out there' to be conquered or defeated, but as someone who is essentially part of their own universe. Kids need to learn these valuable lessons as early as possible so they can carry them along with them throughout their lives.
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I start by teaching kids how to stand in what we in the Tai Chi world call 'wuji.' Feet are planted firmly on the ground shoulder width apart. I ask them to imagine that their legs are tree trunks and there are roots growing from the bottoms of their feet deep into the ground. Next, I have them relax. Then I have them tilt their tailbone forward so it is in a straight line with the spine. Then I tell them to imagine someone is pulling the up by the top of their head. I imitate someone grabbing their hair from the top of the crown of their head (the top most part of the skull) and tell them to let their bodies drop as if they were a skeleton hanging from the ceiling off a hook.
Then I tell then to relax even more. They keep their hands at their sides. One by one, I check their posture and make corrections. Then I demonstrate how they can respond to a push against one of their shoulders by being totally tension free and loose (like a gummy bear). I also show them that if they stand in this way, constant pressure against them will be transmitted into the ground. It is a powerful lesson about not having to use force or aggression to defend themselves. This way of being is, of course, transferable to all kinds of other interactions they will have with other people.
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One of the warm up exercises we teach are wrist rotations. Arms stretched straight out, finger tips raised slightly, hands relaxed but firm (not stiff). Wrists are at shoulder level. Hands are raised until the fingers point straight up. Keeping the wrists at the same places, we rotate our hands so the fingertips move in a circle, very slowly, all the while putting our minds into the moving parts ('tasting the movements'). This is used primarily to release energy from the wrist joints, but it also has self defence applications. If someone grabs your wrist, you can perform these wrist rotations (in either direction) to release their grip. All the while screaming at the top of your lungs and then running away!
This is just the beginning of self defence for kids. I teach them elements of the form and show them simple techniques they can use in a variety of self defence situations. It is important to note that Tai Chi self defence uses no force, does not rely on having superior size or strength, and can be done in a completely fearless, almost cheerful way. It gets kids away from the idea many martial arts schools teach, which is to build up strength and power and use forceful techniques - like kicking and punching - to subdue your opponent. Tai Chi embodies a way of being that is compassionate, selfless, and empowering. I have seen kids grow into living a life in balance by harmoniously integrating mind, body, and spirit. It is a beautiful thing.
Self defense for women
A lot of people in the martial arts world think women have a special need for a 'softer' art because they are, on average, smaller and have less strength than men. It is true that Tai Chi is well suited for people who are smaller and have less physical strength, but that does not mean Tai Chi self defence is somehow specially suited for women. It is good for everyone. Tai Chi is not just about overcoming a stronger, bigger opponent. It is about overcoming your fears and learning to live always in ways that bring out your compassion and selflessness, including in situations where you have to defend yourself. Come to think about it, maybe Tai Chi is really for the bigger stronger men. Really, it is for everyone.
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I teach women what I teach everyone else. Exercises, form practice, applications. Just about everyone lives with fear. Just about everyone's mind races with anticipations, fears, memories, fantasies, and so on. Tai Chi makes you remain in the present moment and calms the mind. Everyone can use that. Given the numbers, however, most women do live in fear of being attacked. I don't believe I have ever known a woman who was not, at some point in her life, harassed, bullied, assaulted (sexually or otherwise), or raped. I can't say the same for the men I have known. In that sense, then, women need what Tai Chi has to offer them to give them more confidence, to help them live without fear, to help them deal with opponents in a decisive yet compassionate way without applying any force.
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I teach women how to get a better sense of how their bodies move through space and time. I also work at giving them greater flexibility and balance. I begin by teaching them how to relax and stand in a posture known as 'wuji.' This aligns their spine with their tailbone so their weight is on their thighs rather than their knees. Then we add movement. Students learn to move their bodies through exercises and elements of the form while keeping their mind in the moving part of the body. We call this 'tasting the movements.' This unifies the mind with the body while we practice. Teaching the movements of Tai Chi for self defence without this foundation is pointless. It doesn't work.
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Tai Chi applications embody a way of being in the world that requires you to be aware of what is going on inside you, what is going on outside of you, and how you are connected to other people. When you defend yourself in Tai Chi, you must become 'one' with your opponent and move in ways that keep your connection to the other person. Ultimately, you must do this without your mind becoming clouded by thoughts of techniques, plans, memories, anticipations, fears, or doubts. It takes time to get very good at this, but everyone has to start somewhere.
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As a kind of stepping stone on the way to being that way, we learn how to apply elements of the form in self defence. Each element of the form has multiple applications that are largely 'hidden' to people who have only watched Tai Chi being practiced by people in a park. I can recall vividly the very first time I demonstrated part of the form (Grasping the Bird's Tail) to a group of women. One of them practically shouted "Holy crap! This stuff actually works."
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Tai Chi has a lot to offer women, just as it has a lot to offer everyone, including kids, people in wheelchairs, and soldiers with PTSD. Some women prefer hard, external martial arts, and I say all power to them. Women, though, who are interested in finding a martial art that doesn't use force and that embodies the sort of philosophy I described above, will love Tai Chi.
Wheelchair/seated Tai Chi
People who have difficulty standing or who spend most of their day in a wheelchair, are especially vulnerable in our society. Someone can snatch something from someone in a wheelchair, for instance, and run away without fear of being chased by their victim. People in wheelchairs can be beaten up and usually have few ways to defend themselves. I created a special version of Tai Chi for people who (as I say) can't stand to do Tai Chi, or people in wheelchairs.
The way I figured out how to make it all work was sit for long periods of time in a chair or a wheelchair, move around, do Tai Chi movements, and think long and hard about what they might have to deal with and how they might use Tai Chi to defend themselves. (I strongly encourage everyone to spend at least one entire day wheeling around in a chair so they can learn how to empathize more not only with people in wheelchairs but with people with any form of disability.) What I came up with is a system that includes warm up and stretching exercises, Qigong exercises, form practice (they have their own version of the form), and self defence applications. All designed specially for people who are seated or in wheelchairs.
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I teach them the same outlooks and approaches I teach to kids (as I describe above), indeed to everyone. Remain totally calm and relaxed. Stay in the present moment. Make contact, stick, and follow your opponent's movements. Follow the principles of Tai Chi to create and exploit weaknesses in your opponent's structure. One thing I discovered is that people in wheelchairs can actually use the solidity and hardness of their chairs to help them in many ways. At first, I thought that the greatest difficulty for them would be that in self defence situations they will usually be lower down than their opponent, but this too can be used to their advantage. The 'nether regions' of an attacker are, so to speak, in your face.
Teaching Tai Chi for people seated or in a wheelchair has taught me a great deal not only about how to help them defend themselves, but about my own practice and how to understand self defence in general. As the saying goes, the teacher always learns more than the student.