by Giles on Sun May 08, 2022 8:59 am
Over the years I've had some hands-on experience with various tai chi people who combined very good 'soft skills' with fighting experience. Several of these, although not all, were from CMC lineages. What I found indeed scary was the way they could move through my defences (such as they were at that time) very quickly and smoothly, without giving me any sense of "danger, incoming!". And moreover, following straight on from this, with the ability to deliver a lot of potentially very damaging power by just releasing the energy they had stored in the process. Some qualities varied from person to person, of course, but this was a common element. To use a metaphor, they were already bending the bow as they entered, although I could hardly feel or sense them, in order to then release the arrow at point-blank range.
Even if it was then just a little shake or tap or even just a friendly smile at that point, I could feel it at a visceral level. Like being given a little nudge by a grizzly bear; doesn't hurt at all, but you can feel what's behind it.
Some of these people were smaller guys, in one case even a real lightweight (in terms of physical mass).
Do not make the mistake of giving up the near in order to seek the far.