This article is a summary of the key points of Tai Chi practice by a Tai Chi master with 30 years of experience. Reading more can quickly improve your Tai Chi skills.

1, Be centered

    During the practice of Tai Chi, it is often found that the body of the practitioner is not centered, leaning left and right, leaning forward and backward, and the whole body is awkward, especially for beginners.

    First of all, we must do a good job of “four levels”, that is, the top is flat and the head is straight, the shoulders are flat and the body is straight, the eyes are flat and the mind is straight, and the heart is calm and the breath is straight. Secondly, in order to make the body centered and comfortable and support all sides, we must do a good job of the external three combinations, that is, the shoulder and hip are combined, the elbow and knee are combined, and the hand and foot are combined. Take the Luo Xi Ao Bu as an example, the left foot is in front to form a Sichuan step, the right shoulder and left hip are combined, the right elbow and left knee are combined, the right hand and left foot are combined, and the right foot is in front. The opposite is true. The external three combinations are like a carpenter who first makes an “X” to fix the frame when erecting doors and windows to prevent deformation. Of course, the external three combinations of our practitioners are mainly achieved by intention. Tai Chi’s Zhongzheng does not mean to keep the center of the body perpendicular to the ground, but to keep the body balanced. Take “Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg” as an example. The body must be slightly tilted to ensure that the body is stable, that is, “slanting in the middle of the straightness”. In the process of boxing, keep the body dynamic balance.

    2, Be “loose” but not “slack”

      When practicing boxing, the spirit is listless, the joints are closed, as if it can’t support its own body, the head is drooping, the back is bent, the hips are loose, the knees are weak, and the hands and arms are the same. The muscles are limp. The boxing posture is loose, confused, and listless. Although I have practiced boxing for many years, my emotions are not strong. When pushing hands, I am flat and resisting, and I have many problems. The above disadvantages are all caused by not distinguishing between “loose” and “slack”.

      First of all, we must be spirited and pay attention to the mind. Secondly, all joints must be opened, the tendons must be loosened, the qi must be sunken, the strength above the waist goes up, and the strength below the waist goes down. The strength of the two tips must be brought out everywhere. Using intention without exerting force is called relaxation, and not using intention without exerting force is called slackness. Therefore, the boxing theory says that using intention without exerting force, if you use qi, you will be stagnant, but if you use intention, you will be agile, and intention and qi are the master and flesh and blood are the servant.

      3, Make clear distinctions between “opening” and “closing”

        Many people know how to open but not how to close, or know how to close but not how to open when practicing boxing and pushing hands. When the boxing moves, they are scattered when they open, and deflated when they close. The opening and closing are separated, and there is no continuity at all. The boxing moves are full of edges and corners, and when pushing hands, they resist and lose, and are restricted everywhere.

        Opening and closing are two contradictory aspects. Opening cannot be separated from closing, and closing cannot be separated from opening. Opening and closing exist at the same time. We advocate paying attention to closing without dispersing when opening, and paying attention to opening without deflation when closing, in order to prevent the separation of opening and closing. The boxing theory says that closing is contained in opening, and opening is contained in closing, which is absolutely true. When you have practiced to a certain level, you will feel that there is opening in opening and closing in closing, or you can say that you open again and open again, and close again and close again, until it is difficult to distinguish between opening and closing. This is the key to practicing Tai Chi and Tai Chi pushing hands well.

        4, Have roots under your feet

        When doing push-hands, you are always top-heavy, standing unsteadily, and it is difficult to control one foot, or even both feet on the ground. The main manifestation is that the transformation of virtuality and reality is not good. The virtuality and reality of the front and back are all based on the forward and backward movement, and the virtuality and reality of the left and right are also based on the left and right swing, so this is the fundamental reason for the lack of roots under your feet.

        The key is to rely on loose waist and hips, lower the center of gravity, and stand naturally and steadily. Specific methods: such as bow and arrow steps, when the back foot is solid and the front foot is solid, the back foot should push, the front foot should support, loose waist and hips, and realize the transfer of center of gravity and virtuality and reality transformation in relaxation and sinking. In our words, advance and retreat in relaxation and sinking, and relax and sink in advance and retreat. This can prevent both stiff legs and soft legs, and the feet are naturally stable and rooted.

        5, Be flexible

          There are many edges and corners, the boxing posture is rigid, the movements are dull and unattractive, and there is no Tai Chi flavor. The main reason is that there is no connection and no corner. When practicing and pushing hands, at the end of opening and closing, use the relaxed and sinking force to connect the upper and lower forms seamlessly, and at the same time draw a small arc at the end of opening and closing. This small arc is called “wiping the corner”. It is just like catching a ball in basketball, you need to catch it and return it with a buffer. With the connection and wiping the corner, the boxing posture is naturally loose, soft, round and flexible, and continuous. When it is visible, it is like the Yangtze River flowing continuously, and when it is hidden, it is like the water flowing under the ice that is invisible. With this force, not only the boxing posture is beautiful, but also it plays an important role in pushing hands to transform the force. This is also the key difference between “internal boxing” and “external boxing”.

          6, Switch lightly and avoid double.

            Double is a disease, which manifests as: slow and heavy steps, unstable rise and fall, always like rebirth, and difficult to control; when pushing hands, attack and defend, resist more than enough, and do not know how to transform. Although you have practiced boxing for many years, you are still restricted everywhere, all because of double.

            First, understand the principles of yin and yang, distinguish between the real and the fake, and walk lightly like a cat. The transformation of the real and the fake is mainly accomplished by the two kidneys and two hips. Correctly transforming the real and the fake, the kidneys should be able to move in and out naturally, and the kidneys’ movement in and out can achieve twice the result with half the effort in pushing hands. So, how can the kidneys move in and out? For example, when riding a bicycle, one foot is relaxed and sinks down, and the kidney and hip on the leg that is pushing down will drop to become real; the other foot sticks, absorbs, and lifts, and the hip and kidney will rise to become fake; if both feet push at the same time, it will be stagnant, and there will be a double disease. So in the process of practicing boxing, when taking a left step forward, the left kidney and left hip rise to become fake; at the same time, the right kidney and right hip drop to become real, and vice versa. In summary, the kidney and hip on the side of the fake leg rise; the kidney and hip on the side of the real leg drop. Whether it is a rack or a push hand, this must be done to achieve the requirements of the boxing theory that “going out of the kidney and entering the kidney is the true secret”.

            7, Relax your shoulders and drop your elbows

              Relax your shoulders and drop your elbows. People often understand that the acromion should sink down, the deeper the better. Some people even deliberately sink their shoulders down, which makes the shoulders and back tense, like carrying a heavy load, causing the chest to be unable to move and transform, which has a great impact on pushing hands.

              The key is to understand the structure of the shoulder. The shoulder is composed of the humeral head, the glenoid cavity of the scapula, and the sternoclavicle. Pressing the shoulders will close the shoulder joints, and the qi will float up, giving you a feeling of holding your breath. To relax the shoulders, you must open the shoulder joints, relax the tendons, and move forward with a sense of gathering. The shoulders and back will have no weight, and the qi can flow smoothly. After practicing for a long time, the shoulder joints will open by themselves, and the shoulders will be flexible and the chest will be soft, which can naturally move and transform, and the requirement of “movement and transformation in the chest” as stated in the boxing theory can be achieved.

              8, Be round and full

                When practicing and pushing hands, you often find that there is something here but not there; there is something in one place but not in many places. Concave and convex intermittently can be seen everywhere, and the boxing posture is not perfect, so you are restricted everywhere when pushing hands.

                We must learn to use our mind comprehensively. Under the command of our mind, the whole body must have a certain amount of shelf strength. Shelf strength cannot be simply understood as pushing forward and upward. Shelf strength is the mother strength. Everything changes from the mother strength. If we use the shelf strength well, it feels wonderful. Using the mind is to practice the mind. The mind can take care of the whole body and highlight the key points. To highlight the key points, we must take care of the whole body. The whole body is for the key points, and the key points are the highlight of the whole body. This is the overall concept of Tai Chi. Any change in the boxing posture should be preceded by the change of the mind. The mind is the commander and the vanguard. Whether it is a frame or a push hand, the whole body always maintains a dynamic balance, and at the same time it must change in a thousand ways. This is called the theory of “the body shape does not change but changes in the middle, and the change does not change in the middle”. If we do this, the boxing posture will naturally stretch and be generous, compact and flexible. Stretching without being scattered, compact without being flat. There is no discontinuity, no defects, no bumps. After a long time of practice, you can relax and sink through, and the inside and outside are consistent. Whether it is boxing or pushing hands, you will feel infinitely wonderful, and the flat disease will naturally disappear.

                9, Breathe naturally

                  Breathing in Tai Chi is a major concern for Tai Chi enthusiasts, and some books and magazines have different opinions, which makes practitioners at a loss. I want to talk about breathing in Tai Chi. First of all, we need to understand the three major breathing systems, namely fetal breathing, hair breathing, and oral and nasal breathing. These three major breathing systems, whether you are aware of it or not, are completing the task of exchanging air with nature. All three are indispensable, otherwise it will affect health and even threaten life. Only fetal breathing can make the air reach the sea of ​​qi, which is the real deep and long breathing. Generally speaking, deep and long breathing means good health and long life; the shallower the breathing, the worse the health and the shorter the life. The commonly said abdominal breathing or Dantian breathing is not accurate. The accurate term, I think, should be fetal breathing. The method is to breathe with the Shenque point. When inhaling, the Shenque point (navel chakra) drives the belly to stick to the gate of life, and when exhaling, the Shenque point is still used to drive the belly back to the original place. In this way, one contraction and one release, repeating over and over again, let it be natural.

                  Note when breathing:

                  Avoid abdominal tightness, prevent holding breath, and relax the abdomen to let the breath flow freely.

                  Among the people who learned boxing from me, several of them practiced with breath matching, and insisted on completing one opening and closing in one breath. As a result, some had abdominal pain, some had chest tightness, some had high blood pressure, and some even had abdominal pain every time they wanted to practice boxing but had not yet practiced. Later, they explained the situation to me, and I asked them to forget about breathing and let it be as natural as possible. Practice has proved that the qi of Tai Chi is not matched, but is cultivated through long-term practice. It takes five or six breaths for the old predecessor Wu Tunan to complete each fixed form, and it takes five or six breaths for each form of boxing to complete one opening and closing. However, when we practiced the power generation in a single form, breathing and opening and closing were naturally coordinated. When the old predecessor Yang Banhou was sending people, the two breaths of humming and ha-ha determined the outcome, which is a powerful testimony. It is better to breathe finely, evenly, deeply, and long, but it is all natural and not forced. I hope that students will carefully understand and experience it and benefit from it. I am happy with it!