windwalker wrote:
both are training methods that can be be used in fighting or to develop a certain skill set that
can be used in fighting. In each case they are not fighting.
I fully agree with you on that.
donno,,,
getting hit in the face is a good way of understanding how not to get hit in the face
if your rolling with some one do you feel its ok to strike them because?
Of course it's all a question of training context. If you want to develop tai chi-specific qualities such as sensitivity combined with good structure, or relaxing when body and/or mind are under pressure (and without losing your structure in the process!), or issuing force without tensing up, then tuishou can be very useful. For instance for tai chi beginners, who at the same time may sometimes be experiencd martial artists in other styles. Or also for more experienced tai chi people, when you want to return to basics and work on essential principles without any distractions, which is always good.
"Tuishou" isn't one thing, it's a really broad set of parameters, within which there are countless variations. Including intensity and 'danger', among many others.
Whether you can attempt to hit someone in the face while doing some form of tuishou - either just showing gently that the opportunity would be there, or actually doing it in some way slower or faster - is a matter firstly of mutual agreement and good spirit, and secondly, but also very importantly, how this factor can contribute positively to the learning/training process. I mean, you have to take an intelligent approach to this - know why you are doing a particular type of mix of training at this particular moment, and see whether it is useful or needs to be adjusted in some way.
In my experience, tuishou (if you do it productively) has many benefits that extend into other areas. If you train the right kinds of tuishou in the right way (which should also include lots of 'controlled chaos'), then the body and sensitivity and focus you develop can all come back in the few seconds, or just a split second, during a 'fight' situation. That can often involve responding to the first touch / moment of contact. It can also come into play without actual physical touch, giving you a better feel for the other person's movement, balance, openings, even before physical contact. So 'using tuishou in a fight situation' doesn't mean you have to chase the other person's hands/arms and stick to them before you can do something!
- And just to avoid any misunderstanding, I also train and recommend sparring, applications work, scenario training.
Care to share your thoughts as to why 4oz is mentioned as a contact pressure ?
Yeah, it's from one of the Tai Chi Classics, the "Treatise" by Wang Zongyue.
http://www.fourseasonstaichi.com/CLASSICS.html"Use four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds" or similar. The "four ounces" isn't to be taken literally ("No, Grasshopper, you are using only three ounces!!!"
), but stands for what is subjectively a very light force or weight being effective against a much stronger force or weight. With the help of:
correct technique! --> But if anyone is aware of a specific cultural reference that prompted the author to write "four ounces" instead of "five" or "one" or whatever, then I'd love to know.