A few pointers in T’ai Chi Chih

The two most important points in doing T’ai Chi Chih are: (1) How you move (not what you move but how you move, flowing from the center), and (2) coming to understand the movements.

Muscular movement is out. For instance, in the movement, “Carry the Ball to the Side,” it is the wrists that do the important moving, not the arms. When the arms are swung wildly and the wrists are held stiff, that is arm exercise, and TCC is certainly not meant to be exercise as we know it.

In “Push Pull” and “Passing Clouds,” it is important that the hand opposite the Yang leg (the one on which the weight rests and which is bent) be emphasized, and the moving hands be slightly cupped. Stiff, straight wrists will not enable the practiser to pull in the Chi.

At the Conference this year, I expect to have a video (taped by Brock Brocklehurst) that goes over the important features of quite a few movements. I hope you will be there to see it.

As to understanding the movements, both singly and as the whole of T’ai Chi Chih, this should come through experience. Practicing every day should eventually bring you the feeling that no-one is doing anything, that TCC is doing TCC. It should also enable you to feel the growth of the Chi that is circulating, and what it is that causes the flow. There is more to being a TCC teacher than simply showing students where to place their hands. Some teachers never outgrow the idea that TCC is a hand and shoulder exercise.

In “Working the Pulley,” the turn is from the waist, not from the head and shoulders. The latter two turn hardly at all, so that when one hand is all the way forward, the head and shoulders are squared and face forward (of course, there must be some give as the waist turns sharply and the head and shoulders move a small bit, still facing forward), but it is the waist that is mostly active.

In my video last year, I showed how various movements were performed the TCC way. I particularly emphasized the movement of the hips (swiveling) and the turning of the waist, and showed how these are performed in three sports—baseball, tennis, and golf. I hope that tape will be played again at this year’s conference as many teachers inquired whether they could buy copies of the video. Carmen Brocklehurst at her own expense has tried to satisfy this request.

This article is in no way complete, just giving you the idea that to teach you must understand each movement and the purpose of TCC in general.

I am often asked whether my age (87) handicaps me in demonstrating these principles. The answer is “yes,” but I do the best I can.

I hope you take this article seriously. At next year’s conference in Albuquerque, I hope to be able to demonstrate in person, but I will be almost 89 at that time, so, who knows?