"make the form your own now"

My instructor said something weird/profound to me last night - I wanted to get your take on it:
"You need to start making the form fit into your natural movement now - make the form yours. Move like you naturally would rather than how you've been taught. What I teach isn't how I train. Make your own shapes"

I went through part one of the form a few times, just letting it go. It felt great :) Much more compression and fluidity - my waist just seemed so much more relaxed and free. I was certain I must have been doing it incorrectly, but when I trained in front of the mirror I could see that the form was much better and still contained all the principles I work at. It was almost as though I'd stopped fighting my body - felt really good but really odd as well :)

Natural step forward?

Sounds like you relaxed into the form (doing it without trying so hard - causing tension). It is a natural step forward but it has traps...for example you still have to be true to the general form (don't get sloppy). Many worry about the exact placement of the body, but my teachers just say let the center drive and let the whole body move...basically it is not exact but as long as the principles are there and you know the application (body moves differently depend on what you are doing with the same move in tai chi) then you should be ok.

Making the form fit "your natural movement" has dangers if taken the wrong way...consider the natural movement like the movement of a small child - what adults do normally is not natural movement. But this is a further step and not really related with what you mentioned - just something you may want to ponder.

"Make the form yours" also have many meanings. Yes, relaxing into the form and letting the body move (as mention above) is a natural step. But there is other steps in making the form yours. I believe that the form should be kept pure and relatively unchanged as it is taught to beginners, but the form does look subtly different when you have several more advanced people doing the exact same form. Much of the differences come down to intention and application. My teachers ask me what am I doing with it, before they will tell me whether I am doing it correctly. And each movement in the form has many applications and uses, so eventually you will have your own set in which will be different than someone else's. My fishes in eight to single whip transition (in Yang Lu Chan form) is different than most, as my application and use is different than most. It is basically the same movement, however my body drives it differently for the application...also my application is smaller so when I teach the form I must remember to open up the movement and make it large (disregarding my application as it does not work large). There are many a subtle strike or movement some students make more obvious because it is part of their application. I think this is part of making the form yours. You may even have an application other students and your teacher doesn't know about, so then that part of the form is really only yours.

There is a lot to think about in what your teacher said, and I am sure there is more than what I mentioned. More will occur to you as your understanding grows...just keep it in the back of your head.

Thanks for your input :)

I understand the importance of adhering to the principles and so on - what he was getting at was to stop doing 'textbook' movement and to start moving with my own mechanics. There's a difference between how you teach someone the form and how you do it yourself - I think he was giving me license to start developing my own flavour. Something else he said that might give clarity:

"Your form has reached a point where you're not doing anything wrong now" - after 3 years training what an achievement ;)

I guess I could infer that now I can correctly perform the basics I can start working with it...

On the subject of intention and application within the form - I have to say that I train intention but no application in my movement. As you say - if I train a particular application 'feel' then the movement looks different. I just train the core movement. I tend to let applications come out in pushing hands - it's funny to see the things that appear :) My personal experience is that the applications are similiar in feel to the postures - but often they look nothing like the postures...

Hi Kaitain,

fwiw, I think your instructor is telling you exactly the right thing. Sure, there are traps, the main one being that one fools oneself into thinking that one's "feelings" are correct, or useful. However, imho, the purpose of your art *is* to give you a framework within which to achieve "formlessness." I.e., also mho, it's not realistic to train to use a "form." That's why it's easy to laugh when one sees a tcc person get into a White Crane Spreads Wings in order to confront a muay thai guy, or anybody. Anyway, the form should be learned and practiced, like a well trained musician practices his scales and arpeggios. But, life is an improvisation, and you'll have to deal with situations that are only familiar, but never the same. Also, there are some drills that people sometimes use. You just stand there and have a few people call out parts of the form and different directions (and even heights) at random. That can give you another perspective, too.

Respects,
Esteban

I agree that the form is not what should be used - I was taught (and am beginning to understand) that the form gives you all the tools you need, you use pushing hands to find out what tools are natural for you.

I find Taiji doesn't work if I think about what to do with it - if I just wait and see what happens I'm generally surprised with what comes out.

I've reached that point where I see the form as 13 postures - I'd say over the last year and a half I was constantly seeing the similarities between postures and in the last month I've realised it's all the same thing. The form is more about 108 nuances rather than postures :) - just my opinion

If we approach form work as a way of gaining fluidity, and correct mechanics then surely this is one of the keys to using taiji or any of the internal arts as a means to combat. My teacher talks about the form being your grammar, teaching you how to string sentences together ie create applications spontaneously, rather than simply trying to learn an application for each posture. Just thought this this ramble fit into your general discussion here. Cheers