Why we Spiral in Tai Chi: Connecting to the Fascia of your opponent in Tai Chi Applications

[@christopherebhabha]

This fascia thing is heck amazing

[@InternalTaiChi]

It really is, isn't it!?!

[@cplim4842]

Very good communication.

[@InternalTaiChi]

Thank you! 😊

[@Sorraiamustang]

This is such a great channel . I took a few Tai Chi classes years ago and now I wish I would’ve stuck with it . I have always found Aikido fascinating and now you helped me connect the dots . Excellent demonstration . Just subscribed .

[@InternalTaiChi]

Thank you so much. There is definitely overlap with Aikido. Tai Chi is still there for you to return to it! 😊 Thank you for subscribing and commenting!

[@176Taichi]

good demonstration， much closer to the confidential Of Tai Chi

[@InternalTaiChi]

Thank you! :-)

[@paulpowell774]

Feelings in movement, well described;🎱 love it!

[@InternalTaiChi]

Thank you! 😊

[@mattiashammarlund3312]

Best explanation of applications I've heard!

[@InternalTaiChi]

Thank you so much. I really appreciate the positive feedback!

[@mannyinfiesta2563]

Very very good demostration. I love this kind of work

[@InternalTaiChi]

Thank you. I do too!

[@nielsliengaard6290]

So Nice !

[@InternalTaiChi]

Thank you! :-)

[@40JoCharles]

Absolute gold. Thank you for sharing. 🙂🙏🏼👊🏼☯️

[@InternalTaiChi]

You are very welcome.

[@40JoCharles]

@@InternalTaiChi I made my daughter go through the video with me. She was confused and amazed 🤣🤣🤣

[@InternalTaiChi]

That is so wonderful! That is usually the first response, which makes it fun.

[@zeljkonisic5942]

Wonderful

[@InternalTaiChi]

Thank you!

[@KungFuKirbs]

Just watched all your fascia videos. THANK YOU! As wing tsun instructor, this has been intriguing me over the past few years when it comes to chi sau. There's currently a few wing chun masters that have been promoting this and not really explaining the mechanics of it. Basically because it's a cash cow for their organisations. Would be interested to see this working with someone with clothes covering their forearms, such as a jumper or jacket. We're not always up against bare forearmed opponents! Does it make it harder, or do you use the clothes as a 'type' of fascia to connect with them?

[@InternalTaiChi]

Thank you. Your assessment of the lack of explaining from "masters" is correct! I was just going to post a video on how to connect through the clothing. In many ways, it is actually easier to connect through clothing because you are less likely to use overt force. I'll be posting that video soon! And BTW there is a reason why the traditional Chinese Tai chi clothing is made of silk....much harder to get the silk to connect to the fascia!!

[@KungFuKirbs]

@@InternalTaiChi That's awesome, I'll look forward to it. And there was me thinking the silk was just to look swanky 🤣

[@InternalTaiChi]

@@KungFuKirbs lol...it is pretty swanky too.

[@40JoCharles]

@@InternalTaiChi oooh. Super interesting about the silk clothing. 🙏🏼 I guess similar applies to synthetic clothing with added electric shocks. 🤣

[@InternalTaiChi]

That would be a real secret! Electric socks issuing electric shocks. ⚡😂

[@BogdanSecara]

Looks almost too easy: thank you!

[@InternalTaiChi]

That is the tricky part. When you do it correctly it feels so easy you think your partner is faking it or cutting you some slack. The feedback loop is tricky....the easier it feels, the more correctly you are doing it. :-)

[@kingofaikido]

Hi Susan, we've corresponded on your comments section before. I think it was when you hosted a tallish lady who looked a bit like you who was a beginner and who seemed like a sister from a past life you got on so well together. Anyhow, I do taichi, aikido, yoga...and I am a meditator, always learning, studying, researching and have been doing this for decades. I wonder if I can offer a small tip to make this move even more connected. My hint comes from yoga. ;) The First move called 'tadasana' or 'standing pose.' I agree with you that there are many ways to do taichi, which is great, I think, because we can keep exploring our body and the journey never ends. It would be boring after a while if it did have an final end. I'm encouraged by the idea behind epigenetics (Nigel Noble vs Richard Dawkins), where the idea is that genes are not deterministic, meaning that where we thought a gene had a particular function before (genetic determinism) often times our genes don't work that way but they cover for each other. To me, this indicates that the mind is what matters in gene expression, just as the imagination matters in bodily self-expression. Translation: We can duplicate a move using different body parts and achieve the same ends. Anyhow, so here goes. I have so much to teach but not enough length in this thread to explain more but hopefully this little hint would help suggest another movement option for the fascia. In short, connect and spiral the big toes. Imagine they are linked before you start, as if tied together in a loop with a loose string (like the sacred thread or Janeu, also the word 'sutra' - root of the word 'suture' in English, signifying the binding to the sacred, the beginning of discipline, getting closer, the uniting of things). The toes spiral in and relate to each other, same with the thumb - second joint). When you start with the spiraling of the big toes you get Cao, a rising spiral passing through the elbows (think of the inside elbow joint rather than the outer knob) and this leads to the flaring of the back. It loops back as you say and leads your partner out, stepping in I split. Split is like holding a staff lightly gliding, smoothly stroking the staff, so that the hands begin to move apart. The body turns as a result. The top thumb spirals out, the bottom spirals in, spiraling in opposite directions. Then you come back to the big toes, back to the origin. Folding and unfolding these small spirals until you get back to the beginning. It's an option I discovered on my own. Let me know if it helps. ;)

[@InternalTaiChi]

Thank you for your insight and comment. My late mentor and teacher, Master William Ting was always talking about spiraling from the feet up (he said, "turn the doorknobs in your feet" and that all bones spiral. It was not a topic I covered in this video and in doing so, I may have lost some of my body connectivity. I have my push hands class today and will be sure to add the spiraling toes (should be all of them). Thanks for the input and insight!

[@kingofaikido]

@@InternalTaiChi Indeed, everything spins..! As the classics say, "one part moves, the whole body moves (spirally)." It helps to start by sensing all the way to the tips of the toes, as if sensing the floor with the tips (in between the pads and the nails: the most sensitive in terms of nerves, same with fingers of the hand). Doing this before spiraling the big toe, makes the spiral climb all the way to the tips of the fingers of the hand. Make sure you keep the central line stretching up through the center of the cranium..! My teacher was one of the top students of Huang Sheng-Shyan. ;)

[@InternalTaiChi]

@@kingofaikido This is excellent! Thank you for sharing your insight. You have a superb way of putting it into words. Thank you. Both I, and my viewers will benefit from your comments. My teacher, Master William Ting would always say "Tai Chi math is different. It isn't 1 + 1 = 2. It is 1+1 = 1. One part moves, the whole body moves." Thanks again for your engaging comments.

[@truthhurts1884]

I shared you in my Wing Chun community, as they share a lot of similar ideas. It got them talking, You may get a few followers.

[@InternalTaiChi]

Thank you so much for sharing with your Wing Chun community! I hope they do follow. In a month or so, I'll be offering a short four hour workshop on this topic.

[@truthhurts1884]

@@InternalTaiChi I’m actually really interested in the standing meditation, I notice you did a video on it but haven’t watched it yet, the particular group I follow are known for just standing still for several hours a day 😂

[@InternalTaiChi]

@@truthhurts1884 I have several videos on standing meditation. I think it is critical that one has the right intention when doing standing meditation. Standing for several hours a day can actually have a deleterious effect on one's body and mental stability. Longer time frames of standing meditation does not necessarily mean more positive results or outcomes. I found that interspersing short duration (3-5 minute) standing meditation sessions throughout my day was more powerful and effective. If you only have a few minutes to get into the mode, then you become more adept at getting into the mode quicker. Therefore, by sneaking in a few standing meditations throughout my day, I got really good at finding Song, good posture, Qi flow in a quicker time frame. Plus it helped me to fill those short gaps that occur in our day with something more beneficial than looking at social media..Lol. I still do some longer standing meditation sessions, but no longer than 20 minutes. Gosh, if I can't get to the state in 20 minutes then what is the point? So that is my thought on the subject. Please check out my Standing Meditation playlist of videos. Thanks for watching and engaging in my videos and my work.

[@Avner-Avdav-Inner-Light]

i wonder who is your master? because it looks very interesting to see him do the form.

[@InternalTaiChi]

My friend, mentor and Master was Master William Ting. Sadly he passed away this past December. You can search for his book on Amazon. It's a game changer!

[@houseson]

Susan, I am a subscriber and have a question. Can I relate this to my 24 form practice? Coming from a martial background ( in my 20s) well, I am trying to see parting horses mane the fascia way. I see an almost wrestling move, no experience in that really. My instructor did this to me back in the day and across the room I went. But never explained. Back then, it was common not to ask a lot of questions. Train, then we'll talk. But I never forgot being sent flying with a tiny push. 50 years ago?

[@InternalTaiChi]

Yes!!! Absolutely this applies to any form or style. I should have mentioned that in the video. Everything taught in this video can apply to all forms. You are definitely correct that Parting Wild Horses Mane is using a splitting force on the fascia. Good insight!

[@houseson]

Thank you!

[@40JoCharles]

@@houseson the move Susan is doing here could relate well to repulse monkey in the 24 in term of one going forward and one coming back. Give it a try with a willing partner. 🙂🙏🏼

[@1965Cataldo]

Avrei dovuto conoscerti molto tempo fa.

[@InternalTaiChi]

Grazie. Penso spesso proprio a quella cosa riguardo al Tai Chi!

[@TaichiOsorno]

This is Chen style right? Do you have zhang zhuang training too?

[@InternalTaiChi]

This particular form comes from Wuji Ji Gong Tai Chi which is not very well know and was taught by my late Master William Ting. You have a good eye because it is derived from Chen Style Tai Chi. Yes, I do Zhang Zhuang every day. I have some videos on it as well.

[@smithystube]

kao and yao are king

[@InternalTaiChi]

🙂

[@christopherebhabha]

I actually moved someone without touching them, it’s insane

[@InternalTaiChi]

Wow!! That's fantastic! Keep up the good work. 👍