Tai Chi is fast, REALLY FAST.

[imperialtaichi]

Hung-gar, taiji, MMA fighters, etc., are relatively slow.

This is a common misconception.

When I do the form, although externally I look snail paced, I am actually doing it as fast as I possibly can.

How? For example, lets look at the "Da Fu Si (Hitting Tiger Posture)" or another name for it, "Fu Gu Si (Supressing Bird Posture)". Externally, it just looks like I simply moved into Gong Bu while raising my left elbow. But actually, apart from the physical movement one can see, within that 1 second, I am doing (without physically showing it):

1. lowering my centre of gravity
2. swallowing the force through my chest
3. redirecting it to my Jia Ji point on my back
4. dispersing any excessive force
5. expanding the jia ji point
6. sending out my intention
7. sending out a silk thread through the jia ji
8. coiling the thread from my left hand, sharp turing back to the right, drawing power from right Yong Quen upwards, have the power and the thread united and wrap round my body/waist 1.5 times as a 1m diameter imaginery double helix, then round up to my left elbow
9. sending the silk and power out to meet the intention point
10. dissipitate the power
11. then, and only then, that my left elbow get risen aligned with the thread.

This is just a brief description, with more to look after in actual fact. And each step has to be done very precisely, without skipping over any detail.

And all the other movements has it's own method of energetics.

So if one understands the amount of work we have to go through just to move an elbow properly, one would realise how FAST we are actually doing our form.

Cheers,
John

[Blacktiger]

We have a Wudang tai chi set in our system that can be practised both fast and slow.....By fast I dont mean flat stick though

[WOW]

I think the misconception is everywhere and important aspects are lost. Its not question about speed, is more of a question how fast you can....

Controlling your breath/chi via the dan tin and focusing with your intent to parts of the body determines how fast you can present the body movements. If you puch as fast as you can without controlling your breath/chi then its simiply muscles and the core and foundations are underutilised.

[jon]

Physical speed is meaningless when you already know what someone is thinking and what there going to do.

The trick is being able to respond to change more fluidly and more effectively than your opponent.


"The opponent moves first, yet i arrive before him."


* Usual disclaimer: Just my opinion and not natural law, if you (the reader) dont agree then cool, please post why. Just please dont chew my head off for posting something you dont like or dont want to hear.

[Hunt]

This brings up a ? that I had. I'm relativly new to Tajiquan..about a year into it. Obviously you have to speed up your movements when your sparring with someone. I know the importance of practicing my form slow, but I usually throw in a fast set after I go through it twice. It really helps me feel bits of the form where I really need to work on keeping my center. It also helps me visulise my applications better. I guess my question is: How do you incorporate speed into your practice?

[imperialtaichi]

How do you incorporate speed into your practice?

By speeding up the internal changes and expression of the mind.

For example:

If someone chain punch/kick you very fast, the last thing you want to do is to match speed with the opponent. However, if you understand how to read/listen to his Yi Chi, it is usually not very difficult to touch him on the arm, or on the body. Basically, you just have to contact him.

But within the split second of you touching him, you must control him very quickly otherwise his punches/kicks would be coming (the methods are all written very clearly in the Tai Chi Classics". You must NOT manipulate him with force, because if he knows martial arts, he can feel it and redirect it. You must NOT manipulate him with movements, because he is faster than you. The only way is to manipulate him with something so subtle he cannot resist, which is the Shen Yi Qi unification. Net result? The opponent get propelled out with seemingly no physical effort and movement. To a third person observing this could often look "unreal". Hence people often appreciate medium level Tai Chi. But when they see the real thing, many would not be able to comprehend and be regarded as "fake".

That is why we practice the mind. And the way the body reacts to the mind is instantaneous and seemingly motionless. Fast minds, therefore, is more important than fast bodies.

Cheers,
John