What would you put in your book about Taijiquan?

Discussion on the three big Chinese internals, Yiquan, Bajiquan, Piguazhang and other similar styles.

What would you put in your book about Taijiquan?

Postby origami_itto on Wed Apr 27, 2022 1:26 pm

If you had three months to live and wanted to capture everything you've learned about Taijiquan to preserve it for your students in a book, what would you include in the book?
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Re: What would you put in your book about Taijiquan?

Postby GrahamB on Wed Apr 27, 2022 2:14 pm

Nothing - I'm not wasting my last 3 months writing a book.
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Re: What would you put in your book about Taijiquan?

Postby johnwang on Wed Apr 27, 2022 3:23 pm

Integrate "leg skill" into Taiji such as bite, scoop. sticky lift, sweep, cut, break, block, lift, spring, twist, inner hook, outer hook, sickle hook, ...



Example of integrate leg skill "bite" into Taiji Ji.

Image
Last edited by johnwang on Wed Apr 27, 2022 3:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What would you put in your book about Taijiquan?

Postby Ian C. Kuzushi on Wed Apr 27, 2022 5:54 pm

Since martial arts and especially neijia should be taught shou ba shou ([shifu's] hand guiding [student's] hand), I would simply write entertaining and inspiring anecdotes. The most inspirational taijiquan books I have read were full of these and they inspired me to seek out teachers and to practice harder.

A few that come to mind:

Martial Masters and Methods
BKF's big book
Gateway to the Miraculous
P Ralston's book on his art
Stuart Olsen's Steal this Art

Some other works that I consider to be fiction also fall into this category:

all the works by Castaneda
The Way of the Peaceful Warrior
etc...
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Re: What would you put in your book about Taijiquan?

Postby everything on Wed Apr 27, 2022 6:26 pm

shuaijiao group: your throws are wrong...
senior group: my balance and bp are improved...
academic group: study showed statistically significant difference between the intervention and control group...more study needed...
woo woo group: make qi ball, pass the dutchie...
can't-do-woo-woo-lost-in-translation-but-onto-something group: integrate fascia, do eccentric lifts...
btdt group: i used to train pros...
mma group: wtf? you don't pressure test, give up and come to my gym....
Super Rare Style Club: those are all wrong.
this book: 8-) ;D
amateur practices til gets right pro til can't get wrong
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Re: What would you put in your book about Taijiquan?

Postby charles on Wed Apr 27, 2022 7:31 pm

GrahamB wrote:Nothing - I'm not wasting my last 3 months writing a book.



It is a worthwhile question and that is a very worthwhile answer.

I don't have students, so anything I'd write wouldn't be for the purposes of preserving for them.

What would I write? That "serious" students should chase skills, not styles, not personalities or lineages. That is, students should go to wherever they can find those who have skills they want to learn that a teacher is effectively willing and able to teach. For those interested in general practice for various other purposes - a social outing, to be part of something, to learn about a different culture... what one writes doesn't really matter.
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Re: What would you put in your book about Taijiquan?

Postby Kelley Graham on Wed Apr 27, 2022 8:32 pm

I have filmed my teaching and documented practice since the beginning. So, I only would need a month or so to let my heirs and students know how to continue their journey without me. Most of that time would be spent addressing questions.
Last edited by Kelley Graham on Wed Apr 27, 2022 8:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What would you put in your book about Taijiquan?

Postby johnwang on Wed Apr 27, 2022 9:55 pm

everything wrote:senior group: my balance and bp are improved...

If the senior group do the following leg skill como:

- right toes kick, left heel kick.
- right roundhouse kick, left back kick.
- rught inside crescent kick, left outside crescent kick.
- right stretch front kick, left leg back lift kick.
- right front cut, left sickle hook.
- right foot sweep, left inner hook.
- right leg spring, left inner hook.
- right outer hook, left scoop kick.
- ...

They will force themselves to stand on single leg, shift weight from one leg to the other leg, and stretch their leg muscle. IMO, if the senior group can do the leg skill combo daily. they will get better balance developing.

Here is a 5 kicks combo, inside crescent kick, side kick, hook kick, roundhouse kick, foot sweep that I like. It's great workout for single leg balance.

Image
Last edited by johnwang on Wed Apr 27, 2022 9:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What would you put in your book about Taijiquan?

Postby Bao on Thu Apr 28, 2022 7:09 am

Ah, so what shit to preserve to my students? Or maybe to the Tai Chi World?

I would write a detailed, principle based book, focusing on use of the individual body parts, body mechanics, as well as how to use angles and leverage against an opponent (effortlessly of course). I would also include and explain some concepts that my teachers used, but is very little used today.

Everyone wants to read about "qi" and how to harmonize yourself with cosmos, so I guess no one would buy it.
Last edited by Bao on Thu Apr 28, 2022 7:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What would you put in your book about Taijiquan?

Postby everything on Thu Apr 28, 2022 7:39 am

Title:
Taijiquan is a Rorschach Test.
Taijiquan is not a Rorschach Test.
amateur practices til gets right pro til can't get wrong
/ better approx answer to right q than exact answer to wrong q which can be made precise /
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Re: What would you put in your book about Taijiquan?

Postby everything on Thu Apr 28, 2022 8:14 pm

Jacket Front Cover:

Image
Last edited by everything on Thu Apr 28, 2022 8:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
amateur practices til gets right pro til can't get wrong
/ better approx answer to right q than exact answer to wrong q which can be made precise /
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Re: What would you put in your book about Taijiquan?

Postby GrahamB on Fri Apr 29, 2022 1:21 am

Ah! The Treachery of Images!

The Treachery of Tai Chi is something entirely different however and involves paying a master a large sum of money to learn something he got off a DVD. ;)
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Re: What would you put in your book about Taijiquan?

Postby wayne hansen on Fri Apr 29, 2022 1:51 am

So who are these MASTERS learning off DVD,s
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Re: What would you put in your book about Taijiquan?

Postby Quigga on Fri Apr 29, 2022 4:00 am

That you're essentially strengthening the connection to the universe

And a lot of unlearning is involved

As part of your journey you feel being in different places
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