Another one of Adam's videos

[Quigga]

https://youtu.be/8bBvFtt_-g8



Notice how he doesn't tuck the tailbone under nor sink in the chest. I bet he also doesn't grip the floor with his toes, but just lets the feet melt into the ground.

Systema guys also don't use any structure.

Trapping the body into a made up structure has nothing to do with Tai Chi.

https://youtu.be/q841Kb8lCqU

[origami_itto]

They should try putting the mic in a tin can and sinking it in a fish tank. Might sound better.

I think Adam would say that you need to do all of those things to condition yourself into what he calls the "taiji creature" and then everything you do is naturally correct. He is pretty exacting about precision in movements and posture.

[Bhassler]

He is pretty exacting about precision in movements and posture.

What he is not exacting about it aim, or range. It's nice of him to film on that square tile floor, so it's easy to see just how ridiculous that whole setup is. It's a lot easier to look totally awesome if you train your demo partner to be totally inept, first.

[wayne hansen]

That is terrible
Anyone who thinks it is good should give up talking about tai chi

[Bao]

Everything about this clip is just wrong. If you know how to grab a head properly, you control the whole spine of the opponent. Also, his posture doesn't allow him to put his whole body behind his punch.

I think Adam would say that you need to do all of those things to condition yourself into what he calls the "taiji creature" and then everything you do is naturally correct.

Conditioning yourself, building a body method etc. is only about YOU. It's just one half of Tai Chi. Tai Chi Chuan is about a relationship between you and your opponent, so you need to understand your opponent as well. Tai Chi doesn't become "correct", or rather "complete", until you understand things as angle, distance, dead angles, following & adapting, and how to use your opponent's yin and yang to your own advantage. From this POV, I see very little "correct" in this video.

[Quigga]

Fun question: any relationship between kriyas and Tai Chi? I could ask some follow up questions, but this is enough.

Nice practice to sit back and laugh.

[origami_itto]

Everything about this clip is just wrong. If you know how to grab a head properly, you control the whole spine of the opponent. Also, his posture doesn't allow him to put his whole body behind his punch.

I think Adam would say that you need to do all of those things to condition yourself into what he calls the "taiji creature" and then everything you do is naturally correct.

Conditioning yourself, building a body method etc. is only about YOU. It's just one half of Tai Chi. Tai Chi Chuan is about a relationship between you and your opponent, so you need to understand your opponent as well. Tai Chi doesn't become "correct", or rather "complete", until you understand things as angle, distance, dead angles, following & adapting, and how to use your opponent's yin and yang to your own advantage. From this POV, I see very little "correct" in this video.

Take it up with the imaginary version of him in my head. Just addressing quiggas suggestion one need not focus on correct structure. I am not promoting anybody's program here.

[origami_itto]

Fun question: any relationship between kriyas and Tai Chi? I could ask some follow up questions, but this is enough.

Nice practice to sit back and laugh.

No clue, never heard of it, don't care enough to Google it... please enlighten us.

[Quigga]

Nah.

[Doc Stier]

Nah.

Silence is Golden! LoL

[origami_itto]

Nah.

Fair enough! I have been a little rude in the the effort to stimulate discussion. Please accept my apologies.

Taijiquan is definitely a form of yoga in the classical sense, yoking the body and mind.
The exercises are definitely designed to refine energy. The language and specific methods may vary.

When you talk about tucking the tailbone you're talking about opening the channels for that energy to travel through. When you talk about sinking the chest and raising the back you're talking about guiding the energy through the orbits.

I can't speak to much in the way of specific yogic traditions outside of Taijiquan, but this one definitely uses physical posture to encourage the movement and refinement of energy.

Once everything is open and flowing, sure, you can embody the art in nearly any position, but to get there you need to do the structure work first.

You can't grow the branches without roots.

[wayne hansen]

When one ventures outside of tai chi to explain tai chi it shows they don’t understand

[Quigga]

When one needs math to understand chemistry... you do the leap now, Wayne. I'm sure you can do it.

No offense taken Oragami. Just more careful with my time.

Yoga is Union with Creator. Tai Chi is uniting Heaven and Earth within you. Do the math and the chemistry follows.

Linking body and mind doesn't touch it at all in the necessary depth. Linking those two aspects is part of any activity there is. It's nothing special.

The exercises themselves don't refine energy, as in physical movements. The heart, ego, thinking mind, xin and the soul, spirit, shen combined do the refining.

When I'm talking about sinking the chest - I talk about keeping it in a neutral position. Since many people in China were in the military, the military style chest out pose was popular. Sinking the chest slightly in makes sense then.

Tucking the tailbone - rounding the lower back all the time isn't useful. Nor is sticking your arse out. In the specific context D_Glenn elaborated some time ago on here, it is. Just keep it neutral, that's enough.

The posture that's described in the 10 principles (or whatever the classic is called) results from just relaxing and thoroughly practicing sung. Not collapsing any part and not overextending any part.
Each principle is merely an observation made from and in that state, observing one's own body. Witnessing. The idea of getting out of the body's way to allow it to function and operate as it should.

Back to tucking the tailbone - if you just stand up straight and relax enough, eventually you can feel your tailbone to it's very end. That feeling of the already-there bone position (and all the other tissues that play a role...) results in the idea of 'tucking the tailbone under'.

It's not something you have to consciously, actively do. You allow it to happen, by stepping back.

In no way am I advocating killing the ego or other such non-sense. I've since took many steps away from that dangerous idea. It's much more of an expansion than self-denial.

We mess too much with our selfs and we mess too much with the world. Being more neutral is very useful.

No matter the usefulness to others or the tone it struck in others, this was a fun writing exercise .

[Quigga]

But the physical exercises do help to allow energy traveling through the body.

[wayne hansen]

Maths and chemistry
One is the precursor to the other
Yoga and tai chi are two separate and complete arts
One does not need the other
To use yoga to explain tai chi is silly as yoga breaks thé tai chi principles at every step
There was a lot of verbiage there stepping all over itself
T’ai chi is simple those that make it complicated are clapping in the west to attack in the east