In Ancient Times martial arts training was developed to provide the practitioner with skills to defend themselves in life or death struggles as well as providing them with all round physical and mental ‘cultivation’ tools.
In China, as far back as recorded history goes, there were people who became known as Taoists who made detailed studies of the natural patterns of nature, coming to understand how to align themselves with it for better health, wellbeing and experience. Several martial arts have been created from this nature focussed viewpoint, including this one we call Thirteen Dynamics Tai Chi Chuan.
In the distant past the art now known as ‘Tai Chi’ had several different names before it was called tai chi. It has been known as ‘long boxing’, ‘acquired nature boxing’, ‘thirteen dynamics’ among others.
Regardless of the name used the objective is always to train in the most useful, realistic and healthy way possible, going with not against the forces of nature. This applies to conflict, fighting and self defence as well as for the development of all around health and well-being.
Our Thirteen Dynamics approach follows the ancient model and provides the student with subtle and sophisticated combat skills that are highly practical. At the same time we emphasise training methods that build a healthy body and a calm, tranquil and focussed mind.
The Training
Strengthening the physical body
We use a variety of techniques and methods from soft to hard to develop various desirable qualities of health and potential in the physical tissues of the body. The objective is animal like athleticism, endurance and power that is more like a jaguar or tiger than an elephant or buffalo. Strong legs, core, arms and shoulders with excellent heart and lung functioning to give all round health as well as the necessary stamina for real combat. Special exercises to develop healthy internal organs are also used, using deep abdominal breathing combined with movement to provide internal massaging to achieve inner and outer health and strength.
Coordination
A lot of training is done to achieve high levels of balance, posture control and all around coordination so that our techniques can achieve high levels of precision and refinement making us more effective in all physical tasks. This type of refined and advanced movement training can also have significant positive effects on brain development and health.
Understanding forces
For combat and self defence skills it is essential to know how to use our body to produce optimal force generation for effective techniques, be they grappling or striking. We also need to know how to detect and neutralise the forces directed at us by an opponents. Understanding force is training designed to make this process highly intuitive and natural.
Combat technique repertoire building
There are various ranges of combat from far to very close, which use different skills and techniques for defence and offence. Training is done to build basic familiarity at first and then move towards expertise in highly practical skills in all the key areas of combat including grappling. The tactical ideal of soft techniques (evasion, footwork and diversions) followed by accurate and powerful counters are programmed into the body at this stage to make all responses natural and second nature.
Experience
Experience is often the greatest teacher and the place where we can contextualise our skills and understanding. We have a lot of different ways in which students can build their experience in martial arts both in classes and also through competition. This can include activities such as freestyle pushing hands, wrestling, sparring and competitive fighting. All are useful parts of the process of building a well rounded martial artists, and are participated in voluntarily only.
Relaxation
This training process is incomplete without learning to deeply relax, for all round health and well-being as well as to restore body and mind from other aspects of training. We use ancient breathing techniques, ‘meditation’ methods both standing and seated as well as the general emphasis on softness and relaxation to help improve physical and mental relaxation and the development of a comfortable and relaxed attitude.
Hand form training
The hand forms are normally learned in the order Square Form, Round Form, Mirror Form and Reverse Form.
- Long Form
- Short Form
Weapons training
Weapon forms are also learned and performed as Mirror Form.
- Sabre Form – Xuan Xuan Do (太極玄玄刀)
- Sword Form – Qian Kun Jian (太極乾坤劍)
- Spear Form – 13 Techniques Spear (太極十三勢搶)
- Two Man Weapons Forms – (兩人對武器順序)*
Training in self defence skills
San Sau (散手) self-defense applications are divided into the following subdivisions
- Die Pu (跌撲)
to make the opponent fall and then hit him (or hit him so that he falls) - Shuai Jiao (摔角)
grappling techniques including throwing, sweeping and tripping - Qin Na (擒拿)
seizing and holding, including locking and grip strike techniques - Dim Mak (Dian Xue) (點穴)
- attacking vital points with locks, strikes, etc.
Traditional 48 Sau Applications – 四十八散手
- 七星勢 – seven stars style
- 攬雀尾 – grasping bird’s tail
- 單鞭 – single whip
- 斜飛勢 – flying oblique high and low
- 提手上勢 – raise hands and step up
- 白鶴涼翅 – white crane flaps its wings
- 摟膝拗步 – brush knee twist step
- 手揮琵琶 – stroke the lute
- 搬攔捶 – parry, deflect and punch
- 如封似閉 – as if shutting a door
- 抱虎歸山 – embrace tiger, return to mountain
- 十字手 – cross hands
- 肘底看捶 – fist under elbow
- 倒攆猴 – step back repulse monkey
- 海底針 – needle at sea bottom
- 扇通背 – fan through the back
- 撇身捶 – swing fist
- 雲手 – cloud hands
- 高探馬 – pat the horse high
- 左右披身 – drape body to left and right
- 左右分腳 – separate legs left and right
- 轉身蹬腳 – turn body and kick
- 進步栽捶 – step forward punch down
- 翻身撇身捶 – turn body and swing fist
- 卸步七星 – step back seven stars
- 打虎勢 – to beat the tiger
- 披身踢腳 – twist the body and kick
- 雙峰貫耳 – box the ears
- 野馬分鬃 – parting wild horse’s mane
- 玉女穿梭 – fair lady works shuttle
- 蛇身下勢 – snake creeps down (low style)
- 金雞獨立 – golden cockerel stands on 1 leg
- 撲面掌 – slap the face
- 擺蓮腿 – single hand sweep lotus leg
- 指擋捶 – punch the groin
- 退步跨虎 – step back to ride the tiger
- 雙擺蓮腿 – double hand sweep lotus leg
- 彎弓射虎 – draw the bow to shoot the tiger
- 雙抽腿 – double seizing legs
- 折臂式 – break arm style
- 迴旋手 – gyrating arms
- 虎抱頭 – tiger embraces head
- 白蛇吐信 – white snake spits out tongue
- 先鋒臂 – vanguard arms
- 飛花掌 – flying flower palm
- 五行肘 – 5 element arm
- 奔雷手 – running thunder hand
- 單抽腿 – single seizing leg
Note that techniques that the following pairs of techniques are very similar: 17 (swing fist) and 24 (turn body and swing fist), 1 (seven stars) and 25 (step back seven stars), 39 (double seizing legs) and 48 (single seizing leg).
However there are 6 distinct techniques in the form that are not named as applications in the above list, these are:
- 太極起式 beginning style
- 太極收式 completion style
- 分手 separate hands
- 出手 extend hands
- 上步七星 step up seven stars
- 擺肘逼門 use the forearm [zhou] to force the door
Applications are taught for each weapon, but do not form part of the core syllabus and are not listed here.
Internal Strength training (Neigong) (內功)
Advanced exercises taught to committed students for the development of higher level skills.
Comprising 12 Yin (十二陰內功) and 12 Yang (十二陽內功) Exercises
Pushing Hands – 推手
Training in understanding jin (勁) – force. This includes 13 tactics (十三勢) which comprises the 8 forces (八勁) and 5 steps (五步), ting jin (聽勁) – listening for jin, hua jin (化勁) – using jin to redirect the opponents jin and fa jin (發勁) – discharging jin.
fixed step – 定步
- 4 Directions (四正推手) – Peng, Lu, Ji, An (掤,(手履),擠,按)
- Zhou Lu (肘履推手)
- Fu Yang (俯仰推手) – bow down, look up
- Reeling Silk (纏絲推手)
moving step – 活步
- Da Lu (大履步) – big diversion – Cai, Lie, Zhou, Kao (採,(手列),肘,靠)
- also called as 4 corners pushing hands (四隅推手) also called 8 gates, 5 steps (八門五步)
- 9 Palace Step (九宮步推手)
- 7 Stars Step (七星步推手)
- Gather the Wave (採浪推手)
Auxiliary Exercises*
- single hand pushing hands (單推手)
- push absorbtion training
- fixed step pushing hands (自由定步推手)
- restricted step pushing hands (自由限步推手)
- moving step pushing hands (自由活步推手)
Current class schedule:
Monday 1800-2100 Tai Chi Chuan
Wednesday 1800-2100 Tai Chi Chuan
Saturdays 1100-1500 Workshops
£25 per session
ALL LEVELS WELCOME
16 Kentish Town Road, Camden, London Nw1 9NX
T: 0751 552 2950 (Booking)
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