In the training of Tai Chi boxing frame, people of different ages, different physiques and different Kung Fu levels have great differences in the speed of boxing, whether it is fast or slow. So, let’s find out with me.
1.
The boxing theory of "seeking development first, then compacting" has important guiding significance in routine practice. What this means here is that at the beginning of learning boxing, you should first pursue the stretching of the body. On the premise of ensuring the virtual collar strength, the joints of the limbs can be relaxed to achieve the penetration of strength.
However, the practice of taking a long time to adjust the state of each part of the body before exerting energy cannot achieve practical results in actual combat, so higher levels require practitioners to Under the premise of being able to carry out the movements, the movements should be compact, and the connotation of Tai Chi can be expressed through one's own movements in a faster time. It can be said that going from slow practice to fast practice is a manifestation of kung fu improvement and an inevitable requirement for improving skills.
2. How slow is Tai Chi practice?
How slow is it? That is to feel the smooth and stagnant Qi of the whole body during the calm, relaxed and natural operation. It is appropriate for the muscles, bones and joints to receive a gentle and benign function***. The appropriate speed must also vary depending on your physical fitness and the depth of your kung fu. For example, people with weak physiques who are new to practicing should stand higher, breathe naturally and slowly, so as to help memorize and master the key points, and make it easier to control the movements with their thoughts. When your kung fu is deeper and your physique is stronger, you can do it any faster or slower.
To perform a set of simplified Tai Chi, 4-7 minutes is generally more appropriate, and slow practice can also be extended to 8-9 minutes. It is advisable to practice 8-10 of the forty-eight postures. Traditional routines such as Chen, Yang, Wu, Sun and Wu are more suitable for 10-25. The Chen, Yang, Wu, Sun and Wu schools stipulate that the competition routine time is 5-6 minutes. However, it must be pointed out that the speed difference is very different according to your own hobbies and training time requirements. For example, some people claim that it takes 50 minutes to complete a set of Yang style or Wu style Tai Chi. This is not wrong.
3. Things to note when controlling the speed of Tai Chi
Another difficult aspect in fast practice is breathing. During slow practice, breathing can be coordinated with the opening and closing of the movements, which increases Understanding of the execution of internal energy, there are more things to pay attention to during fast training, and the speed is faster, so the muscles and spirit are more tense, resulting in shortness of breath. The author believes that at this time, we need to relax the tense nerves when practicing boxing and let the movements flow freely. For example, in Gao Tan Ma, the right arm reaches forward with the movement of the ulna, and the left hand is retracted toward the chest. These are all driven by the rotation of the waist and hips. As long as the waist, hips, shoulders and elbows can be relaxed, it can be completed easily, and Instead of pulling the body back through the tension of the back muscles, the breath will naturally become tense. If you can relax your body, your breath will not be short. How to coordinate breathing and movements during quick practice should be done naturally first. When the practice becomes proficient, the breath coordination will naturally be easy to achieve.
A brief explanation of the Eight-Character Keys of Tai Chi
Slow: flowing clouds and flowing water, slow in appearance and lively in spirit. Practice your footwork and walk correctly.
Relaxation: Relax the whole body and stretch the joints and tendons.
Softness: From looseness to softness, holding the chest and moving the back, lowering the shoulders and lowering the elbows, loosening the waist and lowering the hips, bending the knees and rounding the crotch, and sinking the Qi in the Dantian are all the key points of looseness and softness.
Hardness: Accumulating softness becomes hardness. There is hardness in softness but cannot be broken. Hardness without softness does not make it strong.
Circle: use arcs, curves, spiral winding, drawing, do not use curved, concave and convex discontinuities.
Evenness: This is the key point, cultivating self-control and the ability to analyze things calmly.
Quietness: The mind is calm, the thoughts are concentrated, the mind is attentive, the mind is calm and the body is relaxed, from loose to soft, and soft with firmness.
Light: The whole body is light and agile, and the steps are like a cat. Lightness is the prerequisite for relaxation.
Tai Chi is suitable for people
The most suitable people for Tai Chi are those who are interested. As long as you want to learn, it is not too late. However, relatively speaking, the earlier you learn Tai Chi, the better. More and more, it is too late to learn Tai Chi at the age of fifty. It is acceptable for people who want to be active to learn Tai Chi in their sixties or seventies. It is a good exercise to learn Tai Chi when you are thirty or forty years old.
It is best to learn Tai Chi at the age of ten or twenty. Since modern people do not pay much attention to health and wellness, it is difficult for them to take the time to devote themselves to studying the in-depth Tai Chi movement, Tai Chi philosophy, Tai Chi art culture and Tai Chi martial arts, and focus on learning Tai Chi. Therefore, most people regard the most suitable Tai Chi exercises as The age of the population is defined as the elderly group after retirement.
It is best to practice Tai Chi between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. in the morning. At this moment, the body’s internal Qi is also stimulated and begins to rise slowly. The liver Qi of the human body is in its initial rise state, and the liver meridian and The gallbladder meridian is the exterior and interior of each other, so the internal Qi of the gallbladder meridian is also in a state of rising. The liver qi and courage qi in the ascending state of the human body are enriched by the homogeneous atmosphere outside the body at this time, and appear more powerful, which is conducive to engaging in martial arts and physical training activities.