The Truth About Tai Chi Chuan! Ancient monks reading tattered and worn scrolls, executing arcane movements in the depths of secret caves where sacred candles flicker and...actually, some people view Tai Chi Chuan in this manner. Itʼs the mysticism, you see, the mystery, the things that you donʼt understand. And, itʼs all wrong. Oh, I donʼt mean the art, except in certain specific instances where it breaks the rules of the universe. Let me tell you the truth about Tai Chi Chuan.
Case/THE TRUTH ABOUT TAI CHI/pg 2 To understand the truth of Tai Chi Chuan one must understand one of the core principles of Neutronics. Neutronics, just so you know, is the study of motion from a fixed position. There are other definitions, but this will do for now. And, just so you know, I invented Neutronics. (Exhale upon knuckles, rub knuckles on chest.) The fundamental core principle behind Neutronics is that the universe, and everything in it, is a motor. A motor is defined as two poles between which there is tension (push or pull). This includes the proton and electron of an atom, the elements in a cell, the structures utilized in engineering, and so on throughout everything in the universe Now, a planet (or sun or other celestial body) is a lump of matter which spins, and in the spinning creates electro-magnetic-gravitic forces. Just like the armature (rotor) of a motor.
Case/THE TRUTH ABOUT TAI CHI/pg 3 There is a lot more to it, and I recommend HowStuffWorks.com for your quick and painless education, but for now, all we have to know is that energy goes in, the rotor (planet) spins, and energy goes out. So youʼre doing your tai chi form, and mystical things are happening, energies are flowing, strange sensations lance through your body and...stop it. The point isnʼt to get all high on the transfer of energy within a machine, the idea is to learn how to use the machine. Use the sensations only to guide yourself in starting, using, and stopping the machine of your body. Energy goes up one leg, ʻcrossesʼ the tan tien, which is nothing more than an energy generator, and goes down the other leg. Voila, the generator starts up, and the tension which has existed between the poles you call legs is now able to be used.
Case/THE TRUTH ABOUT TAI CHI/pg 4 That energy can be used to emit ʻradarʼ from the body so as to sense incoming objects (fists). It can be used to move your body without muscles. It can even be used to move your viewpoint of body outside the body. Anything is possible to the man with imagination. Now, I am sure there are a few people out there shaking their heads, perhaps even frowning, so let me make a couple of points which will turn that frown upside down. I have always utilized Tai Chi Touchstones: Yang Family Secret Transmissions as a sort of Tai Chi bible. In that tome are complete and accurate descriptions, be it of an arcane, ancient Chinese nature, of motors. Consider the following examples. First make the chi in the tan tien substantial. Start the motor....sometimes we use two sides......positive and negative Like weighing something on a balance scale, A measurement as in physics, revolving like a flywheel
Case/THE TRUTH ABOUT TAI CHI/pg 5 Good Lord! A flywheel? Here is the Wiki definition A heavy revolving wheel in a machine that is used to increase the machine's momentum and thereby provide greater stability or a reserve of available power during interruptions in the delivery of power to the machine. Go ahead, get a copy of the book, read it, ponder it, but I would heavily suggest you do so in the company of an engineering dictionary, and with the realization that these physics have been slanted towards the martial arts, and thus skewed to the viewpoint. Now, if I havenʼt made my case, letʼs consider a further read...the Tao. If the Yang Family Secret Transmissions are the bible, The Tao is the Old Testament! The universe is a motor, and The Tao, though written to a religious slant and interpreted to various purpose, is an instruction manual on how to run that motor. Consider the following verse.
Case/THE TRUTH ABOUT TAI CHI/pg 6 The created universe carries the yin at its back and the yang in the front. This is the description of a motor, and this description is repeated in various form all the way through The Tao. Further, this is a usable definition which can be translated right down to the individual movements of the martial arts, and specifically Tai Chi Chuan. Indeed, Tai Chi Chuan, the Grand Ultimate, is the art closest to the pure physics of the universe as described (translated through ancient and arcane language of another culture) by The Tao. Tai Chi is the motor. Pulse energy through the legs and start up the energy generator, fill the body of the motor with energy, and guide that energy into the task you wish to pursue. Use that energy to awaken more perceptions! Follow The Tao not as arcane mutterings, but as accurate descriptions of the motor of the universe, and all through the simple doing of the form. Doing Tai Chi, more so than any other art, reveals an accurate representation of how the universe really works. Now, something for you to ponder. Youtube Chen Man Ching, watch his form. He sinks one foot, shifts his weight, and then turns the other foot.
Case/THE TRUTH ABOUT TAI CHI/pg 7 Wait a minute! This is wrong! He should turn the push (positive) foot to align the skeletal structure, then push with maximum traction and alignment. Not turn the push foot after wards. Well, maybe a mistake, but here it is going to get gnarly. What if Chen Man Ching is securing the new positive, then shifting the weight, and not relying on the push foot for his power, but the new pole he has established for the motor of his body? From the preceding paragraph you can see that there are going to be many ways to use the body, and this will, undoubtedly, give rise to a whole new generation of argument as to the best way to use Tai Chi, especially considering the data I have given you here. In closing, let me offer a quote from The Tao
Case/THE TRUTH ABOUT TAI CHI/pg 8 He remains as calm at the end as at the beginning. This is a new beginning, a new understanding of ancient texts, a new way of doing Tai Chi. The Tao...The Way...has taken a turn, but it is a turn onto a wider path, a better lit path. Enjoy. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Al Case began his practice of the martial arts in 1967, his study of Tai Chi in 1976, and began writing articles for CFW in 1982. His column, Case Histories, is included in this issue of your favorite magazine. He is the webmaster of MonsterMartialArts.com.