Softness & “What” (?) In TCC Practice

As Justin Stone wrote about T’ai Chi Chih practice: “It is more important to know how to move than what to move.” A big part of teaching of how to move is “with softness and continuity.”

Softness, Justin said, is lack of tension. Wrists and arms are relaxed. Shoulders are “relaxed and drooping.” (See the TCC Photo Text: “Important Points on Moving Correctly.”) There is never any stiffness, but neither is there limpness. As a teacher for more than 20 years, there is a gentle and pliable shape to the movements: defined, but never rigid. Continuity might be more elusive. Several students this year have asked me to explain this concept/way of moving.

Continuity means that there are no abrupt starts or stops in TCC. There are also no slippery spots, as one teacher put it. Everything is gradual, smooth and even. As the front leg gradually bends, the back leg gradually straightens. This might not be as simple as it seems. Justin talked about “snapping back” in forward and back movements, meaning that some will suddenly bend the back leg quickly on the backward weight shift, coming back more quickly than they moved forward. I have had many students develop the habit in Daughter on the Mountaintop of lunging forward quickly (the hands rushing upward) and then returning backward slowly. This is not continuity.

Students might develop a slight pause each time they complete a repetition. Watch for this. When the hands return, completing a circle in Around the Platter or Bass Drum, there might be an almost imperceptible pause before beginning the next weight shift forward. Continuity means that one repetition flows right into the next, with no perceptible pause. We are not doing exercise repetitions.

In any TCC movement, the hands might suddenly rush (like hitting a patch of ice) instead of continuing at one, even, gradual pace. Check the weight shift below if you notice this. “Slippery spots” in hand movements are often caused by a faulty or uneven weight shift.

One teacher gave this analogy to aid in getting the feeling of a smooth, even weight shift (with no ripples or splashes): Imagine you are carrying a basin full of water on your pelvis. You need to move the basin (from the waist down) without having the water slosh all over yourself and the floor. Developing a solid, smooth and strong base is invaluable in TCC practice.