(1) Relaxation: refers to the whole body being relaxed during the exercise. Pay attention to the chin being retracted, the mouth being closed naturally, the tongue being rolled up and licking the upper palate, the bones, flesh, qi and blood being harmoniously combined to activate the Dantian Qi and promote the innate breathing. Lightly push the Baihui point on the top of the head upwards, and imagine that there is a line pulling the top of the head to ensure the stability of the head. The eyes should move with the body and look straight ahead. Do not frown or glare, and do not close your eyes casually or be distracted.
(2) Containing and pulling back: refers to the chest being held in and the back being pulled back. It means that during the exercise, you should avoid pushing the chest outwards, but do not retract it too much. You should let it go naturally, keep the spine straight, the front chest and back symmetrical, and the cervical spine pulled up.
(3) Relaxing the waist: refers to relaxing the waist, sinking the hips, and slightly bending the knees. This will loosen the lumbar, thoracic and cervical vertebrae. The boxing formula says: “It is like a nine-curve bead, reaching every detail”. Over time, with perseverance, the Dantian Qi will penetrate through each joint and be transmitted up and down.
(4) Determine the real and the fake: Learning and practicing Tai Chi requires the body to turn in a circle, and only one point must touch the ground. When practicing, it is like walking, with the center of gravity moving back and forth between the two feet. Tai Chi is inseparable from Yin and Yang, and Yang is inseparable from Yin. The changes of the real and the fake are also a perfect integration of the real and the fake.
(5) Sinking: refers to sinking the shoulders and elbows. Practice has shown that when practicing Tai Chi, the shoulders are relaxed. When the hands and forearms are raised, the elbows fall down and relax naturally. Over time, as the skills improve, a sinking feeling will be generated, while the flexibility and perfection of the shoulder’s transmission of internal strength will not be affected.
(6) Use intention without force: refers to not using extra force when moving the limbs. For example, if your arm weighs 15 kilograms, you use 20 kilograms of force, which is wrong. Use intention without force, which requires that the force should be just right and the movement of each part of the body should be controlled by the mind.
(7) Upper and lower body follow each other, hardness and softness complement each other: Focus on the two hands and the ten fingers of the two feet, which are full of blood and qi, which is hardness. The whole body’s spirit and energy are relaxed and united, which is relaxation. The tip of the nose, fingertips, and toes are in a straight line, and the mixed primordial qi protects the body. It means that the upper and lower body movements should be coordinated. For example, when the left foot is extended to the left, the left hand should also follow, and the extended upper and lower limbs should be consistent. Another example is when the right foot steps to the right, the right hand should also move to the right. The distance between the right hand and the right foot should be equal, and the angle should be consistent.
(8) Internal and external harmony: The heart and mind are in harmony, the mind and qi are in harmony, and the qi and strength are in harmony. This is the internal three harmony; the shoulders and hips are in harmony, the elbows and knees are in harmony, and the hands and feet are in harmony. This is the external three harmony. The internal three harmony and the external three harmony are in harmony, that is, the heart, mind, and qi are dissolved in various parts of the body.
(9) Continuous: refers to the continuous movement of the body like the Yangtze River, using Qi and blood to stimulate the limbs, making the body change like flowing clouds and water, invisible and formless, and full of air.
(10) Seeking stillness in motion: The primary stage refers to the body seeking relative stillness of the legs, knees and feet in motion, and practicing the superior listening power of Tai Chi by seeking stillness in motion. The advanced stage refers to the transmission of Qi from the lower Dantian up and down, driving the upper and lower limbs to move at a uniform speed, and making the changes of left and right, front and back, and virtual and real also move at a uniform speed.
When you first learn Zhaobao Tai Chi, you should first stand in the Wuji stance. After you get the Qi feeling, you can start learning the boxing form. The fist frame, that is, the trajectory of the Zhou Tian movement, is the Qigong method for the initial frame of Tai Chi. First, you must master the essentials, familiarize yourself with the movements, and then you can correct the frame. Once the frame is out, some problems can be solved easily; second, you must practice relaxation and softness; third, you must use the crotch and hips, which is the key to the internal strength; fourth, the technique, without which you cannot compete with others, and none of them can be missing.
Zhaobao Tai Chi, the first form of Tai Chi, Vajra, is also called the three pairs of Vajra. It is composed of three crotch and hip circles. When we perform the Vajra’s penglu, we just draw a crotch circle. The right hip raises the backs of both hands forward, drawing half a crotch, and then the right hip is used to gently pull the two palms back to the right, just completing the first crotch circle. When the two hands are transformed into closing, squeezing and pressing, the second crotch circle is completed. Finally, the right hand touches the palm of the left hand, and the crotch circle rotates from front to back and up and down, that is, it rotates a vertical circle, which is the third crotch circle. Usually the performance of the hands is still very clear, but it is still difficult to start the crotch and hips at the root. Finally, the teacher will teach you step by step. Once you have mastered the operation of using the crotch to lead the hands, the subsequent movements will be much easier. This is the so-called analogy. Then the hips are connected to the waist. Only by loosening the hips can you help loosen the waist. The two hips are loose, the virtual and real are clearly distinguished, and they can be flexibly rotated and can change directions in time, which plays an important role in pushing hands and fighting.
Zhaobao Tai Chi relies on the chassis to complete the boxing. Therefore, the crotch, hips, waist, and legs are very important. The legs must be straight. Only when the legs are straight can the lower body be stable, and the qi and blood can flow. The joints of the legs are aligned, so that the strength from the feet can be transmitted upward. The secret formula of Zhaobao says: “The left leg is in front, the right leg is supported behind, seemingly straight but not straight, like a bow but not a bow.” The two legs are used reasonably, which can play an important role in changing virtual and real. When walking the frame and pushing hands, the left and right rotations of the two hips are not exactly the same. If one is a virtual hip, the other is a real hip. If one is lifting and rotating, the other is falling and rotating. For example, the last movement of King Kong is to rotate forward and backward and up and down when pounding the fist, which is also completed by the combination of crotch and hip. So the two hips are not moving in the same direction. The operation of the whole crotch and hip, as well as the fighting methods of the martial arts, are ever-changing. We call it crotch change.
Finally, it is the footwork. If you teach boxing without footwork, you will be beaten by the master. Explain the importance of footwork, the stance, that is, the footwork. The footwork is derived from the crotch and hip work. If the crotch and hip work is not done, the footwork will not be stable; if the crotch and hip are not down, the footwork will not be flexible.
The method of practicing crotch and hip is to practice the stance and footwork and slide the legs. The footwork includes horse stance, bow and arrow stance, Dingba step, empty step, half step, penetrating step, fork step, and the legs include: cross leg, face-to-face leg, lotus leg, inner leg, and stamping leg. Zhaobao Taijiquan is based on rules, requiring the size to be meticulous, the movements to be extremely small, the requirements to be extremely strict, the transformation to be subtle, the identification to be clear, in order to facilitate the path, the body to follow the force, and to achieve success without mistakes. The body moves first, the most feared is in the initial stage of practice, the tip of the body moves but the body does not, this is where special attention needs to be paid.