Echoes Of Taijiquan

 Good advice for beginners: “At the beginning of study do not speak of training the ch’i, but first develop your body, footwork, and eye techniques. It is also important not to use strength, but rather execute each posture naturally and slowly in circular dance-like movements. Coordinate the whole body into a unified whole, and then cause it to be light, lively, and perfect. Wherever there is stiffness and awkwardness release these one by one according to the postures. As you perform each posture, relax and open all the joints in the body. In this way, you will reach a marvellous level.” Ch’ang Nai-chou’s Writings, translated in Douglas Wile ‘Tai Chi’s Ancestors’, p.129 [Image: Tung Ying Chieh in Single Whip]

 “When the body is emptied of force - that is, when all the muscles are relaxed - a 'tenacious strength' will develop from the foot. This tenacious strength is different from force in that it has a root, whereas force does not. In action, tenacity may be likened to a strong vine which is pliable, and force to a stick which is rigid. Tenacity is alive, force is inert.” Cheng Man-ch’ing & Robert W. Smith ‘T’ai-chi: The “supreme ultimate” exercise for health, sport, and self-defense’