Remaining CONNECTED in Tai Chi
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Remaining CONNECTED in Tai Chi
The previous Saturday while training with my senior in Tui Shou, I moved in forward placing my right hand in the ward off manner. And I was trying to feel where my training partner’s weak point was.
My Shifu watching this, immediately told me to stop. He said, the “ting jin” does not start there and it starts from the moment of contact. “Ting jin” being listening energy or the ability to detect your opponent’s intent.
Remaining CONNECTED in Tai Chi
He mentioned, “you have gaps” and that means that the moment I moved forward and was trying to feel the weak point, I was hesitating. Expanding this further, it also meant that there was no unity between the lower and upper. No ting jin.
My Shifu demonstrated on my training partner. From yielding to adhering he eventually uprooted him. With no hesitation.
Remaining CONNECTED in Tai Chi
Listening with the body or ting jin is vital and without it, there is no dong jin-understanding energy. And nothing else thereafter and no peng structure.
With the listening one can understand their opponent’s intent and be able to neutralise them. From this they can seize “na” their opponent.
Remaining CONNECTED in Tai Chi
But from the above experience, is that one also needs be consistent and practice more. Whether it be Tai Chi or whatever the subject.
The more consistent the more the skill can be applied.
Remaining CONNECTED in Tai Chi
This concept can be applied in any martial art or even in life. That of ting jin, it has been written about already here on deadlyduels.com.
But to conclude, ting jin is developed from the sinking, connecting with dan tien, the point below the navel and inside the body, for me it’s empty. The feeling is emptiness and then connecting with yongquan the bubbling well-the point in the feet.
Remaining CONNECTED in Tai Chi
This would be a feeling of the whole foot from the heel to the ball of the foot.
Remaining CONNECTED in Tai Chi
I still have a lot to learn, and it’s not by reading this that you understand, you must practice and with me, I need practice more.
Written by Narcisse Sadi, Tudi (student) of Dr Jeff Lan, certified (by the International Health Qigong Federation) 1st Duan Health Qi Gong and certified (by Dr Jeff Lan) 1st Duan Yang Style (Cheng Man Ching lineage) Tai Chi Chuan Instructor.
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