Peng as Structure

In this video we look at how utilizing 'Peng' in our structure can lead to the error of 'forming up' behind the point of contact. This can in turn make us vulnerable to the opponent as areas not involved in the path to the ground 'empty'.
Video Taken from TCA Combat Module Course 6 - The 8 Powers.
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[@BobJohnson992]

"Create a structure" is sort of a vague remark that would be difficult for a beginner to understand, IMO. How about: The first step is to allow any force coming into your body (and later, going out of your body) to rest in the sole of the foot. Relax your body and allow even a glass of water in your hand to be resting in the sole of your foot. That's called "sinkng the qi". If someone pushes your forearm, immediately let that go through your body and rest at the sole of your foot. If you do that, any force, from any direction can be handled. 2 cents.

[@LiShuBen]

Thank you for the explanation sifu sigman!

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

Even tho "internal martial arts" are about being relaxed, i oftenly teach Peng in the following, even simpler way: Just lock your joints! Similary to how you can tense the joints on your arms a bit so they do not get pushed nor pulled, you can do that in your whole body and if you manage to be relaxed while doing it, then you just achieved peng You all probably know that one must maintaing peng while using all of Taichi's "energies" Now think about it, don't you make your shoulder joints kinda stiff while using an energy like Lu? (we make something stiff by locking it so it's the same) The thing is that martial arts like Judo, Aikido and Taichi do not want you to be *too* stiff or too use *too* much strenght.

[@collectiveunconscious3d]

Good stuff, thanks a lot. Very clearly explained, love it

[@squidmuttly]

Very good instruction. Thank you

[@SnakeAndTurtleQigong]

Thanks so much

[@twelvepetaledlotus1721]

Thank you very clear

[@frederickbehar]

Et si vous pensiez en terme de tenségrité plutôt qu'utiliser la force pour résister

[@dzl2716]

Is there anyway we can here the rest of this video please?

[@jamesm5192]

Everyone wants to be a teacher, but clearly so few teachers have basic skills. This is not what peng is.

[@thetaichiacademy6079]

Everyone wants to be authoritative on the internet. This is Peng as taught in multiple lineages, it is Peng as seen in multiple internal masters I have met and trained with. I can make this work for health, fighting, everything that so few Taiji people can express and even fewer can demonstrate on anything but compliant students. So ultimately, 'guy on the internet' I will take their word, my understanding and my training over yours. You are very welcome any time to come and test it.

[@peterkhew7414]

Water can float or sink a boat. It has no structure, but takes the form of whatever container it is in. If there is an opening in the container, it will flow in that direction. If there is a leak in the boat, the water will go in and flood it.

[@thetaichiacademy6079]

Indeed. Humans are not just water though, and will never be able to be just water.

[@peterkhew7414]

@@thetaichiacademy6079 Water is an analogy for something else.

[@thetaichiacademy6079]

@@peterkhew7414 I do realise that of course. I was trying to point out how defuse, and lacking of true usefulness such analogies can be, especially for the beginner. :)

[@peterkhew7414]

@@thetaichiacademy6079 Actually, analogies are better for teaching a concept, regardless of whether you are a beginner or intermediate. If you don't understand the theory, you wouldn't know what to practice. At its core, Tai Chi theory is based on Taoism philosophy, and the interaction of Yin and Yang. There is a reason why in the early days of Tai Chi it was called Water Boxing.

[@thetaichiacademy6079]

@@peterkhew7414 Analogies certainly have their uses in coaching, there is no doubt of it. This thing we call Tai Chi doesn't exist outside of the individuals whom practices it, and so the metaphors, the analogies must be relevant to the individual in front of the instructor, if they are not, they are useless. The true power of a skilled coach is to contextualise the art for the individual stood in front of them. Talking about the qualities of water, without referring them to the methods a person can employ in bringing their Tai chi to life remains, meaningless. Applying the qualities of water to this specific video on Structure, is equally as abstract and meaningless.

[@kingofaikido]

While I appreciate your point and its truth viz. doing taiji a certain way, I think you'll find the back foot to contact point line is fundamental to Chen taiji, although more nuanced. Also, I felt your example was a bit disingenuous because in the first instance you get your student to stand frontally with his feet together, while you do not do the same when you are pushed. Indeed, in the example where you get your student to stand in the staggered stance (right foot forwards in this case), you sweep his front foot away but do not give your student a chance to do so. In short, what promises to be a fair comparison is not (twice), and thus your points lose credibility. If we are interested in taking a scientific stance to taiji, then it seems to me that we be extra careful not to fool ourselves first and foremost. In fact, an even better and much more convincing scientific approach would seek ways of disproving one's own points, such as Karl Popper's 'falsifiability thesis' of science would demand.

[@thetaichiacademy6079]

Thank you for the response. It is important to understand that my presentation of this idea is based on real world testing in international grappling competition and many years of security work. It is from these environments that the ideas presented in this video are based. My partner in the video is a decorated grappling competitor rather than a Taiji exponent. With that context in mind, the important part of the video is the message, rather than the demonstration. I am happy to admit there may be flaws in the demonstration, but the validity of the message remains and is proven correct in real world examples of uncooperative testing, the highest form, and ultimately, only relevant testing ground for all of Taijis principles. Many thanks.

[@kingofaikido]

@@thetaichiacademy6079 I'm very glad your experience is grounded in real world scenarios and that your student is a decorated competitor in grappling. All the more so, these questions arose for me, which I suppose you discuss in further videos, but, for instance, you introduce the idea of being stable but do not demonstrate how to do this. Second, you sweep his leg which does not require the first, adding to the mystery of your meaning. I agree though that 'the validity of the message remains' if you mean, in general, it's better to have a good balanced posture against someone who does not and that someone with less good posture is liable to get his foot swept. The mystery lies in how someone with good posture, stable and balanced can 'also' move to sweep someone's leg which requires movements and a degree of imbalance to achieve. Greater stability, as you know, is defined in physics by the area under the object. The greater the area of support, the greater the balance. When moving however stability is compromised by the shifting size of the area of support. The sweep, as you showed it, works because of the line of sweep from the back of your partners heel aimed past his toes, best achieved by using the whole edge of your foot or sole at 90degrees to his heel for maximum efficiency, as you have shown.

[@thetaichiacademy6079]

@@kingofaikido Thanks for the response. Yes indeed this is just a tiny snippet of almost 20 hours of instruction on the topic of applying Taiji. However, to address your point. Stability is often mistaken to mean a static or unmoving state. There is of course stability in a sprinting human, or a running animal. The stability is achieved through the application of equal opposites creating a dynamic balance between competing forces. In the case of the running human this is a type of cross body stretch and release, each side working in harmony but opposition with the other. This type of stability is the ONLY relevant one in the martial arts. There is no use for static stability in any real or uncooperative scenario, instead stability is achieved through this dynamic balancing of forces. So in application, the exponent should be constantly moving and will not exhibit at all the type of movement seen in the demonstration of concept in this video. But, it would be impossible to identify and explain the principle in that type of free moving exchange, at least in any meaningful way. This dynamic balance is often referred to as "balancing yin and yang" Or "balancing heaven and earth" which i go into in some detail in other videos. The base of support is one part of the balance or stability equation, It is an important one of course, and is of great importance in Kuzushi. However, there are multiple defining characteristics of someone's ability to remain stable, even when moving. Base of support is one, but there are also things like avoidance of distortion, commitment of mass, points of support, internal tension, joint angle, etc. Peng, is the the entrainment of all of these to produce a stable and as importantly mobile structure. The idea of standing in one spot, with good "rooting" skill, creating a ground path that leads from the point of contact to the rear leg, is a serious mistake for anyone interested in fighting. It is an easy win for a mediocre wrestler, and is an easy target for a mediocre striker with good agility. So we must look at the context of the video in situ. Is it a demonstration of how this work looks in fighting - No. Is it a demonstration of how to achieve the structure in question - no. It is instead a hint towards something that I believe to be a trap and an error that rears its head when real pressures are applied, a trap that so many that I have met in the internal arts fall into, from lineage holders to local village hall practitioners.

[@kingofaikido]

@@thetaichiacademy6079 Interesting what you say. Sounds a bit complicated. Your comments have got me interested enough to look through your other videos. I am skeptical though. I'm familiar with the terms you make but haven't thought of them in that combination.

[@thetaichiacademy6079]

@@kingofaikido It can be complicated if not approached with gradual sequential learning and approach. Skepticism is always welcome in everything, perhaps the biggest problem with Taiji in the modern era is a lack of skepticism and blind allegiance to things simply because of who says them or how old they are. I was lucky enough to have teachers who were very big on "making the art your own". These training systems are only alive in the people while practice them. I wish you all the best.

[@thedoctor7151]

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