Home>>The
Hand-shape, Eye-focus, Body-movement, Application method, and Footwork
of Yang Chengfu's Taijiquan
III.
Body
Yang
zhenji
The body movement
plays a determining role in Yang style Taijiquan. The body here is refereed
to the torso of the body, from the shoulder and upper back down to the
hip.
Physiologically speaking, the body is the part including the shoulder,
upper back, chest, abdomen, spine, lumbar region, and hip and is where
the viscera are located inside. The requirements put forward in the
traditional theory such as "holding the torso straight and the
backbone and free end of sacrum vertical", "keeping the back
spread and the chest slightly inward", "relaxing the waist
and hip", "deep-breathing down to the lower abdomen (Dan Tian)",
etc. are all indicated to the middle part of the body. Here are no redundant
discussions on this point since there have been enough descriptions
before.
What is going to stress is the use of waist in the body movement. The
waist is considered as the axis in concerns with the theory of Yang
style Taijiquan. The mind should be concentrated on the waist due to
its dominating roles. The importance of waist is universally accepted
in the circle of martial art in China, hence the saying of "The
waist of Taijiquan and the palm of Bagua". In spite of this, it
is not an easy job to make the waist to be well used in the martial
art application.
It is required in Yang style Taijiquan to move the feet and hands by
the motion of the waist, and usually the feet and hands are not casually
moved but rather to be brought into action by the waist. In this way,
it is not only beneficial to achieving the optimal health-care effect
when practicing the set forms but also to obtaining the satisfactory
advance in the level of martial art application.
It is required in Yang style Taijiquan that the hands are usually shifted
up and down, while the turning of the waist could bring the hands into
certain movements. The movement of "Wave Hands like Clouds"
is the most typical form that the waist moves the hands in action. It
is alike to move the legs by the waist, for example, the front foot
in the empty-footwork stance usually does nothing but would be moved
by the waist.
In general, the waist could move the feet, hands, the head, etc. Whenever
the waist moves, the whole body will be moved; and whenever the waist
turns around, the whole body would follow. For sure there is exceptional
case that when the major moves to one direction following the waist
while the other hand would move to the opposite direction. It is not
quite common anyway.
Mr. Yang Chengfu said in his book "The Application of Taijiquan":
"The waist is compared as the axletree while the limbs as the wheels.
If the waist is not a good axletree, the limbs could not rotate. In
order to make the axletree rotate well, oil should be filled up in the
waist. If you can get the essence of this point, then you need no more
teaching."
As the breathing is concerned in the body movement, it is required in
Yang style Taijiquan that the breath should go naturally as deep as
down to the Dan Tian (lower abdomen). The question whether the breath
should be coordinated with the actions is illustrated with the idea
that nothing special is required but the air should be inhaled and exhaled
naturally. It is the idea understood in Yang style Taijiquan that when
an idea comes to the mind, the Qi could follow immediately, then at
the instant the force arrives automatically. From this sense the actions
have nothing to do with the breath, it is possible to strike the opponent
out on either the exhalation or the inhalation. >>next
