WHICH TAI CHI?

 Massimiliano Biondi

I have been practicing and teaching Tai Chi Chuan for so many years now, and I feel that perhaps the time has come to make some considerations related to my personal experience of this wonderful energetic-martial discipline and on the path that this has led me to undertake. Often having to teach Tai Chi Chuan to mixed classes of students, and by mixed I mean heterogeneous - therefore different age groups, skills and interests (there are those who are more interested in martial Tai Chi Chuan, those who prefer gymnastic or energetic aspect, and also those who are interested in all these aspects together, including the philosophical one) - I had to work hard over time to find the right formula to give life to lessons that week after week could be considered interesting by the various types of my students, and at the same time could be really useful to them both to better understand this beautiful discipline, and to consequently obtain its precious benefits for the health of the body and mind. Taking into account another factor, which is in fact a real problem, which greatly limits the growth of the general level in most Italian Tai Chi Chuan schools: the vast majority of students practice little and with little constancy. 

I therefore decided to set my lessons mainly on the study and practice of the fundamentals of the art, so that all students - beyond their individual preference on one or more specific aspects - are able, over time, at least to understand and assimilate the most important principles of Tai Chi Chuan. Starting from this assumption, I always make sure that the lessons I direct are varied and diversified in the topics covered, focusing on different elements each time, and structuring the lesson itself so that the work done from the beginning gradually brings the student into the better condition to understand the moment of practice of the specific study being treated, which however changes from time to time.  

For example, in one lesson we can focus more on feeling Qi, in another on the biomechanics of movement, in yet another on martial applications or on the Fa jin ... In doing so I can at least partially meet, as far as possible, to the needs and tastes of each individual student of my mixed classes who practice, when it is good, once, maximum twice a week.     However, I try to keep the level of my teaching "high", to meet the needs of even the most advanced practitioners, including teachers. I always try to explain and show the things dealt with in a clear and simple way, so that everyone can understand, or at least begin to understand, but I also want the level of my movements and my technical executions to be expressed in such a way that it can be for my students an ideal model to reach, as was for me the level of movements and techniques that accompanied the explanations of my Masters. 

Specific sets of bodyweight exercises are then selected to coherently develop the different types of lessons I propose, and prepare students in the best possible way so that they can more easily assimilate the concepts, movements and skills that are gradually being studied. For example, the Tai Chi Form can be performed very slowly, or a little more fluidly and quickly. Focusing more on feeling the flow of Qi or visualizing martial applications. This is just to give just a couple of examples...But over the years I have developed many different ways and approaches to give life to beautiful and useful Tai Chi Chuan lessons, so that all my students can somehow feel gratified in attending the lessons of my courses, without getting bored over time. I did the same thing with the couple exercises, Tui Shou in the first place.... Not just one approach, but different types of approaches and methods to offer to my students, depending on the situation or need. 

Subtle Tui Shou to be able to manage the lines of force with the utmost sensitivity and delicacy, or more dynamic or energetic to be able to apply by refining the techniques, and other ways as well...  Although the types of training or lessons that I offer to my students may be different, there are always constants of practice and study that are encouraged and I try to enforce them, and which bring all the work done to a single matrix: 

- correct postural alignment

– correct positions

– correct breathing

– structural connection between the various parts of the body

– search for deep relaxation

– softness, continuity and fluidity of movements

– sink the Qi into the Dan Tien

– awareness of the center of gravity

– the center moves the body from the inner

– feel the flow of Qi flowing through the body and reaching the hands

– connection with Earth (feet) and connection with Heaven (top of head)

– rooting and stability

– know how to connect, adhering, with the practice partner

– of two bodies make one

– accept, yield, lead out and return

– knowing how to recognize and exploit the Yin/Yang alternation

– expansion and contraction

– don't use the force

– trust in the power of softness

– the straight line develops from a circular or spiral motion

– know how to differentiate the weight

Tai Chi Chuan obviously also includes other principles, concepts and teachings, some of which are very advanced, but these are the points that I believe are the most important to teach my students during the lessons of my courses and workshops, considering  their level of understanding of the art. Fa Jin is studied later when they have the ability to speed up movement with a relaxed body and superior energy awareness. Considering that relaxation remains for the majority of practitioners the most difficult thing to achieve, at least in the first years of practice, but often even after, there are four teachings, among those I have listed, which in my humble opinion, if well understood , can make a difference in their growth path in Tai Chi Chuan. The first is that it is the Center that moves the body from the inside. The movement starts from the center, whether the waist rotates or remains stationary. It is not the waist that moves the Center, but it is the Center that moves the waist, the trunk and consequently also the arms and legs. The Center is the center of gravity of our body, it is the main engine that moves the body from the inside and a great force can come from there.

The second teaching concerns Qi: it is important that in the beginning the students can feel that their Tai Chi movement stimulates the flow of Qi in the meridians within the body, dissolving blockages or tensions. This is very positive for health... In this way the Tai Chi form also becomes a prolonged and articulated Qi Gong exercise, and not just a beneficial and pleasant gymnastic exercise. At a higher level, however, one must do as taught in the Classics: "The mind moves the Qi, and the Qi mobilizes the body". This is very difficult to understand until the Intention and the flow of Qi are strong enough, and until we can move so lightly that our arms feel as if they are being supported by air. When we manage to put this principle into practice, we are sure that we have entered the right path to practice good Tai Chi Chuan.

The third teaching I consider of fundamental importance and concerns the concept of "Root". Rooting in Tai Chi Chuan is a deep connection that we establish with the earth through our feet. It has more to do with mind, energy and force of gravity than strong leg muscles. Pushing our roots deeper and deeper has very little to do with how strong our legs can be or how low we can lower our center of gravity. I remember once in 2009 in a park in Kaohsiung when Grandmaster Chui Hong Ping asked us to perform  the form in front of him. My Italian students and I tried to do our best, also trying to keep the positions rather low. In the end the Grand Master told us first of all: "You are not rooted". From there I understood that the "Root" in Tai Chi Chuan was something different from what I had thought up until then... Deep root means connecting with the energy of the Earth, it also means knowing how to unload the opponent's energy and strength to the ground, but also being able to express a lightning Fa Jin. Without a deep root there can be no high level of Tai Chi.

Finally the fourth: expansion and contraction, or expansion and emptying, are generally not treated adequately in the Yang style of Tai Chi Chuan (where one tends to expand too much) nor in the Cheng Man Ching style (where one tends instead to collapse too much). Expansion and contraction is the breath of the body as it brings Tai Chi movements to life. They are two phases closely linked to the alternation of Yin and Yang, and whether they are evidently expressed, or are instead manifested in an extremely subtle way, they must always be there, otherwise the Tai Chi movements loses life and effectiveness. Most practitioners are unable to gently stretch and expand with their body, and therefore not even leverage this principle to perform effective hand-to-hand techniques that do not require the use of force. On the other hand, they can't even manage the Yin phase of neutralization well, as they mistake the release and emptying of the body with an almost total collapse, which undermines the structure of the body and does not allow any neutralization technique to work. Even during the Yin phase, an energy of expansion inside the body must always be maintained, and this obviously does not mean keeping the arms outstretched or wide positions, but feeling internally an elastic nucleus that supports the structure and which must not collapse. Only then is it really possible to use 4 ounces to divert 1000 pounds. 

The expansion in Tai Chi is an idea that leads the body, with its muscles and tendons, to expand in a gentle and natural way, but it must be associated with the development of Peng Jin, which can manifest itself in different ways, and which must also take into account the mental aspect. Mental visualization which, through constant exercise, leads us to feel the space circumscribed by our arm and chest as a real thing, not as a simple void, but as a rarefied but elastic volume that allows us to sustain and give back a force, as if there was actually an elastic ball there. It is a psychophysical conditioning that requires years of practice, but which then allows you to understand in practice the concept of expansion, of Peng Jin and the techniques associated with it that are expressed through the various movements that take the name of Peng, but also in others that we can use by exploiting the same principles. 

These concepts that I have listed are reproposed by me a little at a time during the many lessons I give during the year in courses and seminars with my students. We know, as already mentioned, that Tai Chi Chuan is a very vast art that still includes many other important theories and practices to know, but already only with those exposed in this article, and which I consider particularly essential and important, I can “build” different types of lessons. And although in some you can practice more Qi Gong, in others instead more Tui Shou, or gymnastic exercises, form, martial applications, weapons, etc., in reality whoever asks me what kind of Tai Chi I do, I propose, and to which group of students it is addressed, I answer them that I always propose a single art, that of Tai Chi Chuan, which includes in itself different and sometimes specialized aspects. So for me there are no different types of Tai Chi, but only different ways in which it can be expressed, but always in adherence to the fundamental principles of the art which are always the same, and which can be adapted to different teaching and practice situations. according to your needs, goals and needs.

哪個太極？

作者：Massimiliano Biondi

                                                               譯者：許秋雪

多年來，我一直不斷地致力於大極拳的演練和教學。我覺得也許現在我應該深思檢討一下我個人在這門充滿能量的武術學習經驗，以及我更積極地承擔推展的太極拳之路。我經常不得不混合不同程度的班級來教授太極拳，所謂混合的意思是指將不同程度或類型的學員混在一起教學；例如:不同的年齡、不同技能和不同興趣者（有些人對武術太極拳更感興趣，有些人把它當體操運動學習，有些人喜歡把它當作精力充沛的運動，還有些人對好幾方面都感興趣，包括:哲學）——這使得我不得不更加努力不斷地用心學習與精進，以便進一步找到正確的教學方法，賦予課程新的生命。日復一日，我讓各種類型的學生，對學習都覺得很感興趣，同時對他們來說確實很有用，他們也可以更深切地理解這門美妙的學術科學，且可以獲得身心的健康。從另一個方面考量，我必需面對實際現實的問題，義大利太極拳學校總體水平想要提升，面臨極大地限制，因為大多數義大利學生練習太少，且沒有持續學習的恆心。

因此，我決定將我的課程主要放在這門技藝基本原理的研究和實踐上，讓所有學生，除了他們在一個或多個特定方面的個人偏好之外，隨著時間的推移，至少能夠理解和吸收太極拳的重要原則。從這個假設出發，我始終確保我所指導的課程主題有變化而且多樣化的，每次都關注不同的元素，並且將課程設計成結構化學習。從一開始就準備完整的教學內容，將學生逐漸帶入更好的狀態，深入瞭解當下專注的學習與研究，有時候、還需要不斷的調整與改變。

例如，在一堂學習課程中，我們做氣感的學習，另一當課可能調整為專注於運動的生物力學，還有一堂課可以針對武術或發勁……。這樣我至少可以盡可能部分滿足我混合班級每個練習的學生的需求和口味。當感覺良好時，則每週一次，最多兩次做同樣的主題練習。然而，我盡量保持我的教學“高”水平，以滿足包括教師在內的最高階習拳者的需求。我總是盡量用清楚及簡單方法來解釋及呈現如何處理每一個動作要領，讓大家明白，或者至少開始明白我在教什麼，但我也希望我所展現出來的每個招勢的動作和技術水平，能夠成為學生能達成理想的一個模式，就像我的老師解釋時所帶出來的動作和技術的水平一樣。

我選了幾套特別的體能重力訓練，來開發出不同類型卻連貫的課程。並以最好的方式讓學生做好準備，以便他們能夠更容易地吸收正在逐步學習的概念、動作和技能。例如，太極拳可以非常緩慢地進行，也可以更加流暢和快速地進行。更多地關注感受氣的流動或洞察武術的應用。這只是舉幾個例子……但多年來，我已經發展出許多不同的模式和方法，為美妙且實用的太極拳課程賦予生命，讓我所有的學生都能在某種程度上感到滿足。我的課程不會隨著時間的推移而感到無聊。我對雙人搭配的練習也做同樣的教學，首先是推手……。不只是用一種方法教學，而是根據情況或需要，給我的學生提供不同類型的方法和模式。

推手的微妙，是能夠以最大的敏感性和靈巧性來管控力線，或者用更充沛的動力或精力，通過精煉技術和其他方式來應用......。雖然就所有類型的訓練或課程中，我提供給我的學生可能會有所不同，但我總是鼓勵他們持續地練習和研究，我試圖執行這些基本課程訓練，並將所有完成的工作歸納到一個單一的模式中：

– 正確的姿勢校准

– 正確的位置

– 正確的呼吸

– 身體各部位之間的結構連接

– 尋找深度放鬆

– 動作的柔軟性、連續性和流動性

– 氣沉丹田

– 重心意識

– 從內部移動身體中心

– 感受氣在全身流動，到達雙手

– 與地相連（腳:接地之力）與天的聯結（頭頂:吞天之氣）

– 根與穩定

– 知道如何與練習夥伴粘黏貼隨

– 兩個身體合二為一

– 接受、禮讓、引出和返回

– 知道如何識別和利用陰陽交替

– 擴張和收縮

– 用意不用力

– 相信鬆柔的力量

– 直線從圓周或螺旋運動發展而來

– 知道如何區分重量的移動變化

太極拳顯然還包括其他原則、概念和教義，其中一些非常先進，但如果考慮到學生們的水平及對這門技藝的理解，我相信這些觀點是在我在課程和活動中教導我的學生最重要的要點。

發勁要慢一點學，當他們能夠用身體放鬆，超強氣感來加快動作時才學。考慮到對大多數練習者來說，放鬆仍然是最難實現的清境，至少在頭幾年的練習者如此，即使在練習幾年之後也常常如此，在我條列出的教學方法中；以我的拙見，有四種教義，如果都好好理解勤練的話，就可以改變他們在太極拳的成長道路。

首先教學的要點是從內部移動身體的中心，運動從整體內在中心開始，無論腰部旋轉還是靜止。不是腰部移動中心，而是中心移動腰部、軀幹以及手臂和腿部的。中樞是我們身體的重心，它是身體從內部運動的主要引擎，可以產生巨大的力量。

第二個教學重點是關於氣的：重要的是在開始時，學生們可以感覺到氣，太極拳運動刺激了身體經絡中氣的流動，消除了堵塞或緊張。這對健康非常有利……，透過這個方式，太極拳拳架也成為一種持久而清晰的氣功練習，非僅僅是一種有益且愉快的體操練習而已。在更高層次上，必須做到經論所言“以心行氣，以氣運身”。除非我們意念和氣的流動足夠強大，並且可以輕柔地移動以至於我們的手臂感覺好像有空氣支撐，否則很難理解這一點。當我們設法將這個原則付諸實踐時，我們確信我們已經進入了練好太極拳的正確道路。

第三個教學重點，我認為具有根本的重要性，它涉及“根”的概念。太極拳的紮根是我們通過雙腳與大地建立起深深的聯繫。與強壯的腿部肌肉相比，”根”實際上與心神、能量和重力(gravity)更有關聯。如何將我們的根越扎越深與我們的腿有多強壯或我們將重心降低多低幾乎沒有關係。記得2009年有一次在高雄的公園裡，鞠鴻賓(Chui Hong Ping)老師讓我們在他面前表演。我和我的意大利學生盡力做到最好的狀態，同時也盡量保持較低的姿勢。最後大師首先告訴我們：“你無根”。從那裡我明白了太極拳的“根”和我之前想的不一樣。深根(Deep root)意思就是與大地之氣相通，也就是一方面知道如何將對方的氣力卸到大地，另一方面又能施展如閃電般的發勁。 沒有深厚的根，就沒有高水平的太極拳。

最後是第四個教學重點：開展(expansion)和收縮(contraction)，或開展和空化(emptying)。這一點在楊式太極拳（容易過度開展）或鄭曼青太極拳（容易過度鬆弛）中通常沒有得到充分的處理。開展和收縮是身體的呼吸，因為它使太極運動活化了起來。它們是與陰陽交替密切相關的兩個階段，無論是表現的很明顯，還是表現的極其細微，都必須始終存在，否則太極拳動作就失去了生命力和效力。大多數習拳者無法用他們的身體輕輕地延長和開展，因此甚至沒有利用這一原則，來有效地執行無需用力量的推手技術。另一方面，他們甚至無法有效控管陰面(Yin Phase)的融和，因為他們將身體的釋放和排空誤認為是幾乎完全的鬆弛，這無形中破壞了身體的結構，而讓練習者無法發揮任何動靜虛實走化的作用。即使在陰面(Yin Phase)中，也必須始終保持體內開展的能量，這顯然並非要保持雙臂伸直或張開的姿勢，而是要在內部感覺到一個支撐結構的彈性核心，它不能塌陷。只有這樣，才真正可以用四兩撥千斤。

太極拳的開展是指引導身體的肌肉與筋脈自然而然地展開，但必須與掤勁的發展相結合，在不同的層面展現出來，同時還必須考慮到心理面向。心理的觀照透過不斷的鍛煉，讓我們感受到我們的手臂和胸部有限的空間是真實的，不是單純空的，像似一個高深精妙而且有彈性的空間，使我們能夠支撐和回饋來力，好像那裡真的具有一個彈性球般。這是需要多年練習心理及生理調解融入，但它可以讓您在練習中，理解掤勁的開展概念，以及通過以掤為名的各種招勢(movements)所展現出來的技術。相同的原則亦可以應用到其它招勢上。

我列出的概念乃是我在這一年中與我的學生們，在許多課教學課程和研討會中，一次又一次一點一滴的探討所重新領悟提出的建議。大家知道，且前面提到的，太極拳是一門非常博大的藝術，其中還包括許多其他重要的理論和實務練習需要了解。只有靠我在本文中我已經揭示的那些觀念，以及我認為基本和重要的重點，我才可以“建構”不同類型的課程。然而有時候你可以多練氣功，有些時候可以多練推手，或者體操、套路、武術、武器等等。事實上有人問我練哪個太極拳，因為太極拳本身包括不同的面向，有時是非常專業方面，這問題不好回答。雖然我會針對不同組的學生來做不同的建議，但我總是以它是一種單一的藝術來回答他們，即太極拳藝術。所以對我來說，太極拳沒有不同的類型，只有不同的表達方式，我始終堅持這個藝術的基本原則，這些原則始終相同，我會根據您的需求、目標和需要，以提供不同的教學和練習情境。