Chen Taijiquan: Masters and Methods by Sim Davidine & Gaffney David

Author:Sim, Davidine & Gaffney, David [Sim, Davidine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-09-02T16:00:00+00:00

Q: we ’ve heard you speak before about the correspondence and different functions of the two hands in Taijiquan. It will be of great interest to our readers.

CXw: The correspondence and coordination of the two hands is of vital importance in the application of Taijiquan as a combat art. The system’s ability to constantly create a void and a feeling of instability for an opponent is largely due to the distribution of the hands. Their synchronisation enables a person to effectively control an opponent, creating a situation where they are always in a position of advantage while an opponent is constantly put in a disadvantaged position. The coordination of the two hands allows one to achieve the requirement of "giving up oneself to follow the other" and the ability to be able to effectively enter for an attack.

Each hand has its specific duty or function. we can refer to one hand as the "guiding hand" and one as the "attacking hand.” The guiding hand and attacking hand are interchangeable depending on the rotation and the rise and fall of the body. we could compare it to the hands of a music conductor, as they direct the flow and sequence of the music, controlling its rhythm and tempo. The role of each hand changes according to the direction the body turns. For instance, when the body turns left, the left hand becomes the guiding hand and the right hand is the attacking hand, e.g., in "Xie Xing, "' "Dan Bian, " etc. when the body turns right, the right hand takes on the function of directing whilst the left becomes the attacking hand, e.g., "Lan Zha Yi ,” "Pie Sheng Chui " etc. There are specific situations like "Jin Ji Du Li " and "Jin Gang Dao Dui, " where the raised hand is the attacking hand and the downward hand is the guiding hand.

The functions of the guiding hand are to neutralise and redirect an incoming force into a "void"; to determine the direction your own body rotates to facilitate whole body coordination; to guide the direction of your attacking power; and to guide the direction that an opponent will fall. The functions of the attacking hand are more straightforward and include the following: position, spiralling and warding. Together, with the rotational motion of the body, these are sufficient to execute the intention of an attack. By determining the roles of the guiding hand and attacking hand, the practitioner can establish the coordination and cooperation of the two hands. when both hands are synchronised, they can execute the skill of “leading an opponent into emptiness” as well as being able to effectively apply a technique. The attacking hand follows the rotational direction of the guiding hand, and depends on the following situations for its correspondence: first, both hands are parallel performing an arc movement in the same direction and do not cross over each other; second and thirdly, arc movements that result from both hands opening or closing in the adverse direction.

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