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Rokukan Tai Chi - Sequence

 

 

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TAI CHI THERAPY
The Sequence of Advancement

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Final Considerations

THE SEQUENCE OF ADVANCEMENT - These movements can be very complex, and in the beginning you will most likely become confused as you try to coordinate primary hand movements, secondary hand movements, foot movements, stances, speed, linkages, and power.

Beginning with the most superficial, and proceeding deeper and deeper, these are the Levels of Development:

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1. Primary Hand Movement

The Primary Hand Movement is what the leading or front hand is doing.

Students will instinctively pick up on this movement as they copy the teacher's motions. Students will need a little correction here, but the difficulties usually lie in coordinating this primary movement with all the deeper levels.

This "most superficial" level needs to be performed with perfection as it is the first stage of advancement.

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2. Secondary Hand Movement

The Secondary Hand Movement is what the trailing or back hand is doing.

Most students encounter their first difficulty at this stage. The secondary hand is usually doing something that is the exact opposite of the primary hand (this is actually one of the sources of power), yet both hands are performing their movements at the same time.

There is a tendency for the student to move the primary hand first, then to adjust the secondary hand. This, of course, must be overcome so that both hands move simultaneously.

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3. Foot Movement

Foot Movement includes Foot Position and is the basis of how and where to step.

Most students have little difficulty in stepping, but the place of contact or balance (the heel, the ball, or flat on the sole), and the direction in which the feet are pointing, may require considerable practice.

There is a tendency for the student to move the hands first, and then next to consider the feet. Eventually, he or she will learn that the opposite is required, because power is generated from the bottom up.

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4. Stance

Stance is how one holds his or her body, including weight distribution, the bent or straight knee, and maintaining the center of gravity in the Hara (the abdomen at the level of Ren 6).

Students who experience difficulty in maintaining balance can make a correction by adjusting the stance. Power can only be generated from a correct stance.

There is a tendency for male students to lean into their movements with the upper body, resulting in a lack of balance and loss of power.

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5. Speed

Speed is how fast (or slow) the movements are performed. Tai Chi is traditionally performed slowly. The slower, the better!

Faster performance is often introduced at advanced levels (after mastering all of the basic levels).

Students who move too fast must be slowed down. If a student really wants rapid movement, then they should drop Tai Chi training and enroll in Karate classes, where speed is emphasized from the very beginning.

There is a tendency for students to move faster when they are having difficulty with balance. Thus, the more complex movements require more stance practice instead of compensating speed.

For example, the double block maneuver often results in losing one's balance, and there is a tendency to move faster in an attempt to complete the movement before one falls down.

The solution is to stop completely at the top of this movement (and to hold still right there for a lesser or greater period of time) before stepping back in.

Once this frozen statue position can be held indefinitely, the student will find that he or she has overcome the loss of balance and can perform the entire movement at any speed. The slower, the better!

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6. Linkage

Linkage is how (smoothly) one movement is tied into the next movement, and even includes the relation between the individual motions within any given movement. Linkage is also known as Transition.

Students who experience difficulty in smoothly merging the movements merely need more practice.

There is a tendency for students to hesitate between movements. This is because they have learned the form one movement at a time, and they are thinking about (trying to remember) what to do next.

One of the goals of Tai Chi is to stop thinking! . Eventually, the repetitive neuromuscular programming takes over and the movements become automatic and they are smoothly performed without any mental intervention.

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7. Power

Power is generated by correctly performing and synchronizing all of the factors listed above. In fact, the power can be unbelievably strong as witnessed in the legends of the martial arts and as seen in some of the moving pictures in this course.

We could easily add several more pages to this course that deal only with the concepts and exercises of power generation. But enough is enough! Sufficient information has been given to lay a solid foundation for an energetic practice.

Just remember this Key:

Energy follows Thought.
The Mind leads the Chi.
The Chi follows the Mind.
The Mind follows the Vision.
So Look where you want the Energy to go!

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8. Breath

Breathing is the first and the last consideration. After all, Chi means "Breath." Correct breathing is the key to Tai Chi, as well as any martial art, Qi Gong, pranayama, meditation, acupuncture needle insertion, empowerment, healing, and any other dynamic art.

Breathing is always mentioned at the beginning of the training in any of these disciplines, but the student rarely pays attention because he or she is too busy learning hand and foot movements.

Breathing is stressed as being important after the student develops a bit, but it is rarely developed fully, especially when one is under stress - as in combat, or during an examination.

Breathing is directly discovered as being the ultimate Key by the advanced practitioner, and he or she really begins to work on it after they have mastered the basics and found that something is still lacking in their stamina, power, or performance.

Breathing must always be performed by the diaphragm. Attempts to control the breath with the larynx (throat control), or with the chest muscles, will not lead to correct synchronization nor to the production of power.

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We close with the complete, linked Rokukan form:
1.3 MB - Please allow time for it to load if you use a slow connection.

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The speed here is a little fast due to video-to-gif conversion
- it should ideally take from 60 to 90 seconds.

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That's it ! . You have completed the course.

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