A long boxer is endless, like the current of a great river.
長拳者，如長江大海，滔滔不絕也
– The Theory of Taijiquan by Zhang Sanfeng
We stop moving a lot more than we realize.
Spend time doing your drills and form excruciatingly slow. This will make pauses in your movement easier to catch.
Most importantly, do push hands and other partner drills slowly. The slower the better. Resist the urge to speed up when your partner starts to catch you or when they start to escape your push.
Focus on going slightly slower than your partner. This way you are forced to improve your positioning, timing, & internal skills to counter or catch them.
Practice 24/7
Start doing Taijiquan before you enter your practice space. Keep doing it after you leave. Wake up practicing Taiji and fall asleep while still practicing.
Set an alarm for regular intervals. Every hour, every two hours, every 30 minutes. Whatever works for you. Take one movement or drill and practice it every time the alarm goes off.
Endless Possibilites
Tai Chi at it’s core is based on 8 skillsets and 5 steps that are combined and mixed to provide infinite possibilities including all the forms & styles of Tai Chi we see today.
The 8 skills of Tai Chi
- Ward-off (Peng)
- Roll-back (Lu)
- Press (Ji)
- Push (An)
- Pull-down (Tsai)
- Split (Lieh)
- Elbow (Chou)
- Shoulder (Kao)
The Five Steps
- Advance
- Retreat
- Look to the left
- Gaze to the right
- Central Equilibrium