Trick wrote: in this way one might see it as ZMQ only taught "simplified" TJQ in his later life?
Bao wrote:Trick wrote: in this way one might see it as ZMQ only taught "simplified" TJQ in his later life?
Much more easy to sell?
1. Elimination of Postures
It should be mentioned that there is confusion with the name Downward Punch, which is used for different movements that occur in the same place in the both the C.M.C. form and the Yang form. In the Yang form, “Downward Punch” is directed almost vertically downward. However, what is called Downward Punch in the C.M.C. form is the same as the movement “Punch Opponent’s Pubic Region” in the Yang form. In what follows, we will use the terminology of the Yang form and, therefore, use the name Punch Opponent’s Pubic Region for the movement called Downward Punch in the C.M.C. form.
In shortening the Yang form, Prof. Cheng removed seventeen postures: “Needle at Sea Bottom,” “Fan Through Back,” “Turn and Chop with Fist,” “High Pat on Horse,” “Turn and Strike with Sole,” “Right Foot Kicks Upward,” “Hit a Tiger at Left,” “Hit a Tiger at Right,” “Strike Both Ears with Fists,” “Left Foot Kicks Upward,” “Parting the Horse’s Mane (L),” “Parting the Horse’s Mane (R),” “Horizontal Single Whip,” “White Snake Puts Out Tongue,” “Cross Palms,” “Turn and Cross Legs,” and “Downward Punch” (see Table 1 for a comparison of the movements of the two forms).
two styles, one art
The Cheng style is not alone in evolving into a more compact and formless style. Other noted styles of a smaller frame include the respected Wu style created by Wu Yuhsing and the Sun style created by Sun Lutang.
We can only conclude that the differences in style between the Yang and the Cheng are merely two paths attempting to achieve the same objectives. Both styles justify their efforts through recourse to the classics; however, each style has its individual interpretation and manner of expression. The Yang and Cheng styles are indeed different, but both equally worthy of respect. In the end both are one tai chi chuan.
Body Vertical Versus Leaning Forward. It is clear to me that Prof. Cheng’s purpose in having the body erect rather than leaning forward, as do many Yang-style practitioners, is to help the body to relax.
When the body is leaning in any direction, muscle tension must come into play in order to keep the body from falling in that direction. Having the body “stacked” vertically takes almost no effort. When exerting force on an opponent, it might be necessary to lean to keep from falling backward. When doing the form, however, the necessity to exert force is absent, and leaning forward is therefore unnecessary.
Propulsion of Force. Even through Yang Cheng-fu is not upright, his back is straight, and most interestingly, the extension of the line of his spine intersects the center of his rear foot (Fig. 3). Note also that each line drawn from the center of each of Yang’s feet to his forward palm is along each respective shin bone (Fig. 4). These relationships appear to be essential for expressing the martial power for which Yang Cheng-fu was renowned.
That is, the forces from Yang’s feet are directed along his shins and vector into his forward palm. Nevertheless, Prof. Cheng did not seem to have much trouble in exerting forward force without leaning forward (Fig. 5). Note in Fig. 5 that a line drawn from Prof. Cheng’s rear foot to the arm being pushed by others is along his rear leg and through the center of his body.
Trick wrote:Never heard that before about the taijiquan upright posture but makes sense somewhat
Bao wrote:Trick wrote:Never heard that before about the taijiquan upright posture but makes sense somewhat
It makes sense from a beginners/learning POV. First, you must learn how to always keep the centerline, how to always return to zhongding. From this perspective, learning to first feel the upright posture through all of the movement is good, it will let your waist free to “turn like a wheel”...
... However later ...
Trick wrote:Bao wrote:Trick wrote:Never heard that before about the taijiquan upright posture but makes sense somewhat
It makes sense from a beginners/learning POV. First, you must learn how to always keep the centerline, how to always return to zhongding. From this perspective, learning to first feel the upright posture through all of the movement is good, it will let your waist free to “turn like a wheel”...
... However later ...
I was more referring to - "CMC’s philosophy and changes seem to favor the upright posture. I have also heard William Chen mentioning this. He said that this is the way Tai Chi should be performed, as the organs won’t move around and make pressure on eachother"
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