Does Tai Chi Have a Jab? High Pat Horse Applications Revealed

Why do traditional martial artists, Tai Chi persons sometimes stumble in real fights? It has a lot to do with understanding the stages of a fighting encounter. When it comes to techniques applied in real usage, different applications serve different kinds of usage. I don't mean "this is to counter punch and this is to counter kick." What I mean is that there are different stages to an engagement, the beginning pressuring and exploring, the transitions that happen as that goes on, and finally the finishing techniques once you have your opponent where you want them and how you want them. You can see these stages occur throughout the first 3, middle 3, and last few rounds of a boxing match.
It's like playing chess where you initially pressure them with your advancing pawns. You use your knight and other pieces behind your pawns to exploit any weaknesses that appear as they deal with your pawns. And finally you mobilize your heaviest hitters to complete the traps and take their big pieces when they have over extended themselves. It's important to not rush out the gate with your queen and Rook. Jumping right into a fight with their biggest most dramatic moves is often how many traditional martial arts disadvantage themselves in real usage.
High Pat Horse, which you'll discover in this video that it has nothing to do with horses, serves the pressuring and probing function very well. It answers the question of, does Tai Chi have a jab? You will also learn in this video ways of using it as a finishing technique, should that opportunity arise.
#taichi

[@ragemydream]

Love to see this explanation of the application.

[@phoenixmountaintaichi]

Thank you for your comment!

[@PPlex66]

Like the way you explain things, I am no Tai Chi student, for me it is Wing Chun. Your explanations help me a lot in understanding my art more, there are many similarities for what I feel now. The way you deal with force is fascinating me, for sure I will follow your channel, thank you for explaining so good and enjoyable and keep on the great work! 🖖😌

[@phoenixmountaintaichi]

Thank you for the awesome feedback. It's very wonderful to hear that people like you are benefitting and becoming able to enjoy your practice more! Thanks for being a part of the community! 🙏

[@Rainbow_Oracle]

I'd just consider it a "high probe" more than a scout shading his eyes, but that works too I guess. I enjoyed the explanation of the apps. I'm used to high pat horse just being an arm crank, so this perspective was good for me. I practiced the finger "poke" more as an aspect of the Taiji Opening than of Gao Tan Ma. It's the first move of the system, so it's gotta be the most important move right? I say yeah! Two handed moves are one handed moves done on both sides. So I definitely jab it out. If the Taiji Opening is double high straightening, then Gao Tan Ma is high and low it seems. The finger poke isn't really a finger point. Although it is really good for that! Scary how much power I get behind these fingers! The overall motion is to get the feel for moving from the joints and getting the straightening mechanic of your arm. Like wise, retracting the arm gets everything to fold up. As for the tool at the tip of the motor, you can finger poke, but really it's a wrist settled palm turning into a round push. Less literally, I get good use out of horse punches from this practice, and even vertical punches are coming out nicer for me. If you can get power out of your fingers, then you can get power out of any other hand shape. That's my take.

[@beenright5115]

Very interesting! I learned a "mounted scout" posture from a Beijing Chen style lineage - only i misheard the name and for the first few months called it "mounted scalp", as if mounting the scalp of your enemies on a wall... 😂 It made sense at the time,! I thought it fit right in with other postures such as "paint the eyebrows red".

[@phoenixmountaintaichi]

Haha I like your vivid imagination! It's very easy to mishear the names when you learn them because sometimes masters from different regions have quite a heavy accent! So I never really fault anyone for getting these things wrong. Plus they make for amusing stories like yours! 😂

[@nvisblfist1]

Is the move at the head and lower back done with Lie/ splitting energy?

[@phoenixmountaintaichi]

Yes exactly! Not pushing into the spine, but shearing along the surface and its fascia.

[@outerlast]

that's an interesting meaning, high pat horse is a scout on tree. is it the same with wild horse split hair, is there another meaning for that?

[@phoenixmountaintaichi]

That one is actually about a horse whipping its neck one way and then another 😀

[@outerlast]

@@phoenixmountaintaichioh i was hoping there's a military unit called wild horse :p i heard another interpretation, that instead of wild horse moving its head, it's about a horse tamer grabbing two horses' heads and separating them when they fight each other. very interesting :)

[@phoenixmountaintaichi]

​@@outerlastthat is certainly a vivid mental image! Are you familiar with its applications?

[@outerlast]

@@phoenixmountaintaichii only know the common ones, but i'm not sure about the application if the meaning is grabbing the horse heads. the guy who said it didn't show it :( it was to show another possible interpretation of the names of the moves, like grasping bird's tail is about the left hand grabbing the tail while the right one holds the bird so it doesn't hurt, etc. one that has application is brush knee twist step, where instead of brushing your knee and twisting your step, you brush your opponent's knee and twist his stance.