11/09/2025
The correct range for our tai chi is close-range: infighting, grappling or clinch range.
We know that this is so because of the strong emphasis on sticking, the nature of the Eight Forces (which includes elbow,forearm and shoulder: close range techniques), the presence and nature of multiple pushing hands drills, and the lack of medium and long range tools.
Our tai chi has some techniques for catching kicks, but this is the only long-range option: after this we must close distance as the Classics say "when the enemy tries to close we are surpassingly far, when we close it is surprisingly near". So this is the overall tactic of tai chi.
Bridging distance using a guard such as Seven Stars, we come into contact. Here is where we employ pushing hands and the concept of Die Pu ( the other two concepts are Dim Mak and Chin Na): strike and uproot, or uproot and strike. We know this because in our handform, all strikes are accompanied by the other hand which is parrying, stifling, trapping or clearing the arm or arms of the opponent, or changing his structure. These are applications such as Stroking the Lute, Fist Under Elbow, Fan Through Back, and many others. We enter these situations using Reeling Silk and Gathering the Wave
Once we have closed with, stuck to, and uprooted the structure, then some sort of "finish" may be needed: this may be a throw or trip such as Single Hand Sweeps Lotus Leg, or a sudden structure break such as Pat Horse High. We will likely attack either neck/head, or legs to achieve this. Ideally we achieve this without also going to the floor, as tai chi has no ground fighting.
These various phases may be a split second, or they may be more prolonged.
Softness and sensitivity is favoured throughout as the best way to gather information and react accordingly at close-range, in the same manner as Jiu-Jitsu.
This is how our tai chi works.
How does yours work? 5🐍 ☯️👊
