Zhaobao three-in-one Tai Chi is a combination of boxing, pushing hands and free fighting. It is a flexible and practical combination of boxing. It inherits the ancient tradition, integrates health preservation and fighting skills, and retains the ancient practice methods and the original fighting methods. The teacher compares these original things to local specialties, which are local specialties from his hometown and have a sense of intimacy. The so-called “strings on the hands and trips under the feet”. It is also a skill method passed down by Zhaobao Tai Chi, which emphasizes the use of hand techniques and leg techniques. The so-called strings on the hands are the main use of hand techniques in picking, grasping and breaking. There are many kinds of picking and grasping methods. Teacher Hou Chunxiu specializes in the hand techniques of picking, grasping and breaking. Its characteristics are mainly to pick and grasp the small joints of the human body and the weak links of the human body.
The push hands of Zhao Tai Chi is mainly the push hand technique of up and down steps, that is, one step forward and one step back, with the two arms holding each other, and the whole push hand action is completed by walking in horizontal circles and vertical circles. When pushing hands, the teacher has very strict requirements. The two palms must be pressed together, and the back of the opponent’s hand must always be pressed against each other. This is a way to prevent being grabbed. This palm shape is called a circle palm, and some people call it a blade hand. Its characteristics are that when not using a move, the tiger’s mouth and fingers cannot be opened, and the palm cannot be turned down. When pushing hands, if you accidentally open your fingers, it is very easy for others to grab you. At the same time, if the palm is turned down, it is easy to expose the elbow, and be controlled by the opponent’s shaking and moving elbow. Therefore, Wudang Zhaobao Taijiquan has such a saying, “The hand does not leave the elbow, and the elbow does not leave the hand.” Once the elbow and hand leave, there is no doubt that you will be hit. It is also said that “Palms down means attacking, and open hands means hitting.” Therefore, when pushing hands, the fingers must be pressed together, and both parties must keep the backs of their hands pressed against each other. If the palm is turned over, the fingers of the opponent must be grabbed with the hand, and both can control the movement of the opponent’s wrist, elbow, shoulder, waist, hip, knee, ankle and other joints. Because the smaller the weak link, the easier it is to restrict the opponent. The technique of picking requires following the trend and taking advantage of the force. You can pick with your palm down and pick with your hand out. There are no wells everywhere, and you can ambush at every step. You can adapt to the situation and be ready to go at any moment. You can pick with your hand up and pick with your hand down. You can attack in a chain, pick quickly and cleverly, and pick quickly and ruthlessly. The technique of picking and picking is like a string of cannons.
“The string on the hand and the trip under the foot”. It is to lock the opponent, that is, the real purpose of picking is to pick, and the purpose of picking is to lock the opponent. The purpose of locking is to control the opponent and not give him any room for movement, clamp him so that he cannot struggle to escape. There are finger locks, hand locks, body locks, leg locks, head locks and joint locks. Finger locks are mainly to grab, twist, pick, and pull. Hand locks are mainly to wrap the wrist with gold wire, control the wrist joint, and lock the elbow joint.
Body lock. That is, on the basis of sticking, connecting, and following, control the opponent with the body, advance and retreat, rise and fall, do not lose or push, and cooperate with the swallowing, spitting, rolling, moving, squeezing and leaning of both hands. Leg lock. It is to use flexible footwork, combined with the sixteen methods of blocking, forcing, inserting, kneeling, picking, slashing, hanging, kicking, hooking, breaking, intercepting, stretching, jumping, rolling, etc., in order to finally play the falling and throwing methods well, throwing the opponent several feet away, or falling to the ground under your feet.
The so-called tripping under the feet is to use the method of blocking, forcing, inserting, and locking one or two legs of the opponent, that is, when the enemy is in a hurry, get close to the opponent, or sneak in with a position, the purpose is to use my feet to control the opponent’s legs, so that he cannot move forward or backward at will, like a rein tripping the body, touching it and falling down immediately.
“The string on the hand and the tripping under the foot” is based on the body method and footwork, using the method of blocking, forcing, inserting, that is, blocking one or two feet of the opponent, blocking the opponent’s feet, so that he cannot move forward or backward. The one who forces the opponent to retreat and sneaks in. The inserter inserts into the opponent’s center or the back of the center, making it impossible for the opponent to stand firmly. The so-called legs are the roots of the human body, and those who can control the roots can enter the hall. Whether it is the string in the hand or the tripping under the foot, the purpose is to lock the opponent so that he cannot move and is knocked down.
This locking method is also a unique technique of Wudang Zhaobao Tai Chi. It includes internal locking, external locking, single locking, and double locking. It is also a unique skill of Hou’s falling method.
- Internal locking method.
That is, use my foot, left leg or right leg, to lock the opponent’s leg from the front of the opponent’s body. This method is used for the technique of counter-falling to defeat the enemy. The enemy wants to use his legs to block the fall behind my body, and I can use this method to break it. This can turn defeat into victory.
- External Locking Method
Use my feet to block the opponent’s legs from outside the body. This method is often used in pushing hands. It is also a method suitable for both offense and defense. It is a commonly used leg locking technique in seizing a position and sneaking into the body.
- Single Locking Method
The so-called single locking method is to clamp one of the opponent’s legs with my feet through the front or back of the opponent’s body so that it cannot move. This locking method is the most flexible and mobile leg locking technique, and its success rate is also high.
The purpose of Wudang Zhaobao Tai Chi Pushing Hands is to fight in free fighting, which is a traditional Tai Chi Kung Fu. The hand skills are listening and changing, and the foot skills also have listening and changing. For example, the opponent uses the left high horse to hit me, using the criss-cross folding method. With the elbows of the hands and the hooks of the feet, I use my feet to follow the opponent’s strength, and take the opportunity to move forward with my left leg, and insert it outside the opponent’s back leg, so that he loses his weight and falls to the ground.
Fourth, double lock
It means that I enter the body from outside the opponent’s body and clamp his legs. This skill has considerable attack power. Like the wild horse splitting its mane, you can lock his legs and then strike the center of his body with horizontal force, so that he loses weight and falls to the ground.
Five, head lock
It means using twisting force to twist the opponent’s head, also known as the sheep head lock method, which is quite dangerous. If not done properly, it will cause the opponent’s cervical vertebrae to be dislocated or even fractured, and serious injuries will occur. The specific method is as follows. If the opponent holds my front waist tightly with both hands, in order to get rid of the opponent’s tight hold, I use one hand to support his lower jaw (i.e. lower mouth), and the other hand to take off his back head, and twist it hard, like twisting a silk hat with both hands, twisting it in the opposite direction, with the force of splitting tendons and breaking bones, so that his head follows my gesture, and rotates from facing me to his back head facing me. He must turn around and fall to the ground quickly with the rotation of my hand. If the opponent forcibly resists and holds the weight, it is easy to break his bones, so it is better to use it with caution.
Whether locking the legs, hands, or body, you must grasp the right time. It is not appropriate to do it too early or too late. To find the opponent’s weaknesses, careless places, or when he is in a panic and hesitation, I can move forward to lock his legs, or I can use the method of virtuality and reality, making a feint to the east and attacking in the west, so that he is locked unconsciously.
The final use of Tai Chi is to pay attention to falling and throwing. This is a trick that Tai Chi masters are very good at, and it is also a very advanced fighting method. It requires that on the basis of accurate picking and locking, one should avoid the real and attack the fake, and with flexible footwork, one can knock the opponent to the ground in an instant. Throwing is also based on picking, grabbing and locking, and throwing to knock the enemy down. This is also a technique that Hou is good at. It mainly uses the opponent’s strength, the strings in the hands, the tripping under the feet, and the method of sealing, inserting and forcing to make the opponent’s lead fall, and then use throwing to throw the opponent out of the way. The fighting characteristics of Tai Chi are “the mind starts from the heart, and the hands fall to the nose together”, and the principle of keeping the center and using the hands to seize the position and release. Seizing the position and releasing the person requires lightness, agility, simplicity and elegance, and the proficiency of “strings in the hands and tripping under the feet”.