Comments on: Wrist usage in Tai Chi Chuan

By: Steven

Steven — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 20:51:00 +0000

Develop some structure in peng, then the arms and wrists can be motivated exclusively by the waist.

Many folks neglect to develop structure, leaning too soon on the Taiji Classics: particularly on the softness aspect. Firmness, especially in the beginning, is more important.

By: neijia

neijia — Sat, 17 May 2008 03:03:55 +0000

Ah, cool. I know nothing about those styles. Wish I did, especially about Mantis. I was thinking mainly about Chen style, from limited exposure to it.

Anyway, looking forward to your next posts. Cheers.

By: taichinotebook

taichinotebook — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:50:22 +0000

Thanks. I like the analogy, and agree that it can make sense biomechanically, however I think that type of very loose ‘whipping power’ is more at home with other types of Chinese Martial Arts than Tai Chi Chuan. You can see it used in styles like Mantis, Choy Lee Fut and Northern Shaolin. It’s an interesting perspective though, thanks.

By: neijia

neijia — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:01:47 +0000

> Try as you might I don’t think anybody can direct their wrist and hand movements solely by turning their waist.

I think I may have heard an analogy to a whip, with an “undulation” starting at the waist and moving all the way out to the wrist. That feels somewhat natural, biomechanically. I think what gives the more natural feeling should be the “energy” propelling the movement, but I have only an inkling of that so far…