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TAIJI CHUAN

Radical Taiji

The Rising Sun of Taiji
by Gene Ching

Sun taiji quan combines three internal styles into one powerful art.
Imagine if the government decided to ban martial arts, including taiji quan. They could cite a variety of reasons: It is too subversive or too dangerous for civilians. Imagine the great masters being imprisoned and tortured, and the young rising champions forbidden to practice their art

In the United States, this is inconceivable. After all, we Americans cal legally won guns, what difference is a little taiji going to make? However, in China, the birthplace of taiji, this is not a fantasy, it is history. In 1966, the Cultural Revolution shook China to its core, crushing many aspects of traditional life. Ancient sacred places were destroyed without remorse. Places like the magnificent library of the Shaolin Temple, which housed countless treasured books on the martial arts, were burned to the ground. Those heroes who dared to maintain their martial practice did so secretly to avoid the prying eyes and punishing hand of the emerging police state. Martial skills were hidden from the people.

When the fires of the revolution burned down and the people realized the value of martial arts, taiji quan rose from the ashes in a new incarnation. All Chinese martial arts were repackaged by the People's Republic of China under the new name of wushu. The old masters dusted off their rusty swords and made them shine. Those teachers who survived tried their best to adapt their schools to modern China. In an attempt to conform to the government's imposed regulations on wushu, the masters created new forms, including standardized competition forms and combined forms. Currently, four schools of taiji quan dominate: Yang, Chen, Wu, and Sun. Only these four schools were deemed significant enough to be standardized for competition. Furthermore, they were all combined into a new single form (the combined form) that has become a common component in the practice of wushu.

The Sun with Three Fathers
Sun taiji is the youngest of the current four taiji quan schools, and perhaps the most radical. Created in the last generation by Sun Lutang (1861-1932) in the autumn years of his life, Sun taiji quan is unique in that it fuses the three major internal styles: taiji quan, xingyi quan (form and mind boxing) and bagua zhang (eight-diagram boxing). This fusion is quite a different concept from the new wushu combined form. In the combined taiji form, a small section of each of the four styles of taiji is practiced. These four sections are patched together, so that one fourth of the form is Yang, one fourth is Chen, one fourth is Wu and one fourth is Sun. Every quarter of this new form looks exactly like one of the four schools that are represented. Sun taiji, on the other hand, actually fuses xingyi and bagua into its taiji, so that qualities of each of the three styles appear throughout the form. This makes Sun taiji appear completely different from any previous school. While it is influenced by xingyi, bagua, and taiji, it is separate from each style. It is something totally new.

Xingyi quan (or simply xingyi-"quan" means "fist" and is can be omitted as in taiji) was the first influence on Sun Taiji. It has penetrating footwork, advancing with quick, powerful stances and devastating strikes. The system is based upon three main stances and five main striking methods. It also imitates animals' movements, such as the dragon, tiger, monkey, and snake. These animals vary depending upon the school of xingyi; they usually number twelve, but some schools, like the school from Henan, have ten. Sun taiji only adopted the stance work of xingyi. Unlike most other schools of taiji, with long and low horse and bow stances, the stance in Sun taiji is seldom wider that shoulders-width. The knees stay crouched, like in xingyi, ready to spring forward or backward.

Bagua zhang (or bagua-"zhang" means "palm" and can also be omitted) was the second influence on Sun taiji. Valued for its agile footwork and dexterous hand techniques, it is based on the eight diagrams of the Taoist divination system of I Ching. These eight diagrams (sometimes called trigrams since they consist of three lines) are arranged in a circle around the yin-yang (also known as the taiji, the same root work as taiji quan). Each diagram can be combined into sixty-four arrangements, each of which has a meaning like the cards in a tarot deck. Bagua reflects this pattern with a system of eight palm techniques that can be combined into sixty-four arrangements of attack. Furthermore, the bagua footwork circles the opponent just like the trigrams circle the yin-yang. This circling footwork requires precise weight transitions that alternate emphasis between the heel and the toe; Sun taiji absorbed this bagua method of weight transition into its school. Although Sun taiji does not walk a circle like bagua, the essence of the footwork is the same. Sun taiji pivots at the corners of its floor pattern using the bagua method.

Sun Lutang considered his newly created art a form of taiji-instead of xingyi or bagua-since the overall use of qi flow is firmly rooted in taiji. The movements of Sun taiji are fluidly linked, like flowing water, just as in all taiji. The emphasis is on softness. Daily practice is critical. One must practice with a quiet heart. Just like the other schools, Sun taiji aspires to the classic adages of taiji, such as using one pound to deflect a thousand pounds.

The overall composition of the Sun taiji form reflects its taiji heritage. The form contains three sections of "wave hands like clouds" and a large repeated section just like the long form of Yang taiji. Many of the names of the movements in Sun taiji are familiar to all taiji practitioners, such as "too lazy to tie coat," "fair maiden weaves with a shuttle," and "pat the horse's mane." The time required to execute the form is about the same as any other long form to taiji.

The Sun taiji system is comprised of the empty hand form and four weapons forms: staff, straight sword, spear and broadsword. The straight sword from has the unique composition of a shang (up) and xia (down) pattern. Once two students master the solo sword from, they can split the form into two sections. Then the first section and the second section can be woven together into a two-person sword sparring form. However, the movements are not one-to-one, so it is extremely important that both partners completely understand the meaning behind the movements before attempting this. Furthermore, many students also study xingyi and bagua. These styles both have their own weapons forms, including straight sword, broadsword and spear.

Variations from Classical Taiji
Even though the Sun taiji form contains movements that are the same as other schools', these movements appear very different than its predecessors. The influence of xingyi and bagua has shortened the techniques, making the movements more compact. While the movement's spirit remains true to its name, it may seem totally different to the untrained eye.

This is most apparent in the universal taiji movement known as "single whip." In the other taiji schools, "single whip" is performed with one hand extended in an open palm, and the other hand bent into a hook. The eyes look to the front hand with the open palm. In Sun taiji, both hands are extended with the palms facing out. The eyes look to the rear hand.

Furthermore, "single whip" always follows a sequence of two movements called "open hands" and "closed hands." In this position, the body is posed similar to wu ji (empty stance)-a basic posture in xingyi. The palms face each other, as they open then close. These movements are used to cultivate the qi, center the practitioner and harmonize the movements with the breathing. This movement is a variation on taiji practices that visualize the "energy ball," the sensation of qi in the hands. During "open hands" the energy ball is expanded with an inhalation; during "closed hands," the energy ball is compressed and made denser, like a collapsing star. "Single whip" expands the energy ball once more, so that it engulfs the entire body.

Chinese Renaissance Man
Sun Lutang was an extraordinary master of the arts. To create his own style, he first had to master all three internal styles. He was fortunate to have some of the finest teachers of his time. His first xingyi quan teacher was Li Kuiyuan. Sun quickly mastered all that Li could offer, so Li sent him to his own master, Guo Yunshen. It was through Master Guo Yunshen that Sun was introduced to Chen Tinghua, the disciple of the founder of bagua zhang, Dong Haichuan. Finally, Sun trained under Hao Wizhen, another innovator in the world of taiji, who had created his own style, Hao style. Hao was trained in a variation of Yang style named after its founder, Wu Yuxinag. Wu was a contemporary of the Yang style founder, Yang Luchan. With such an illustrious lineage, Sun Lutang was destined for greatness. Perhaps it was that same destiny that led him to seek out such qualified masters.

Beyond his amazing martial prowess, Sun Lutang was an accomplished writer and calligrapher-his skill at the latter earning him his first internal style master, Li Kuiyuan. Sun had some previous training in the external martial arts of shaolin, baji quan and hong quan, but surrounding circumstances were such that he could not continue his training. When Sun was only fifteen years old, a friend of Li Kuiyuan was so impressed by Sun's calligraphic skill that he made the proper introductions and convinced him to teach Sun. During his lifetime, Sun completed five books on the martial arts, one on each of the three internal styles, one on boxing and one on bagua sword. These books are still highly regarded for their depth and insight.

The Daughter of Sun Lutang
Another significant contribution of Sun Lutang was to open a martial arts school for women during a time when this was frowned upon. Overwhelmed with the number of eager students, he brought his daughter, Sun Jianyun, to teach at the school. Sun Jianyun is still alive and well, residing in Beijing. Now in her eighties, she is acknowledged not only as the grandmaster of Sun taiji quan, but as the reigning queen of taiji quan. No other Chinese woman is a prominent in the public eye as Grandmaster Sun. Last year, she was honored as one of the top 100 living martial arts masters in China, a national treasure.

Currently, outside of China, Sun taiji is one of the least recognized schools of taiji. However, Sun Jianyun has actively campaigned throughout her life to promote and sustain her father's teachings. She continues to teach, travel and demonstrate inside China, and her disciples are spreading across the globe. Through her students, she has opened Sun Taiji Quan Research Institutes in the United States (the US branch is located in California's "Silicon Valley"), Hong Kong, Japan and throughout China.

Recently, Sun taiji has followed the example of Yang taiji by publishing a shortened form in the Chinese martial arts journals. This new short form is 37 movements, while the original form is 97 movements. Modern revisionists say that shortened forms are more popular among the casual practitioners; this way the teachings can spread farther and benefit everyone. Traditionalists argue that much of the discipline comes from practicing the complete form. They believe that the new short forms omit critical elements, such as endurance and prolonged concentration. Ultimately, time will tell.

Sun taiji quan continues to rise in popularity around the world. As a fusion of the three internal schools, it is appealing to the growing community of internal stylists. It is hoped that Sun taiji quan will make all the internal arts more assessable to each other and to the general public.

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Chen Taijiquan: The Ultimate Grappling Art?

by Stephan Berwick

The defender's arms are tied up. As the attacker grabs his shoulder and waist, he is met with a sudden twisting motion that sends his upper body in one direction and his legs in the other. His body suddenly locked, he is thrown to the floor -- face first -- ending up nearly behind the defender, who looks down at him over his shoulder. The defender, however, is not a wrestler, judoka, or jiu jutsu expert. The defender is a Chen Taiji boxer and he has just used the signature Chen technique of Lie (splitting) -- one of the most devastating grappling moves of Chen Taijiquan.

A well-known exponent of full-contact Taijiquan, New York's master Ren Guang Yi -- a protégé of Chen Taiji's current standard bearer, grandmaster Chen Xiaowang -- won the 1998 heavyweight full-contact tui shou (push hands) championship at the biannual international Taijiquan competition in Henan, China. This occurred at the locale of Taiji's birth place -- Chenjiagou. Unknown to most, Ren's success in the rough-and-tumble world of mainland China's competitive push hands follows the lead set by his teacher, Grandmaster Chen, who himself enjoys a distinguished background as a China national heavyweight push hands champion. In China, the brutal effectiveness of Chen Taiji grappling is routinely on display at full-contact competitions where fighters exhibit the grappling skills of Taiji.

As such, Chen Taijiquan can be considered a close-range grappling art. But unlike other forms of grappling, Chen Taiji grappling is anchored in the structural dynamics of chan szu jing (silk reeling energy), expressed through the Ba Fa -- Taiji's Eight Powers.

Chen Taiji's Combat "Skills"
Chen Taijiquan is a complete martial art that develops a variety of attributes necessary for hand-to-hand combat. Based on ancient boxing methods going back at least 400 years and popular among the military of North China, Chen Taiji retains a powerful self-defense method with a progressive, logical training approach for fighters. As conceived by the style's Ming dynasty patriarch General Chen Wangting, and as taught by today's standard bearer Chen Xiaowang and his protégé Ren Guang yi, Chen stylists assimilate the art's combat skills over five distinct levels of proficiency.

Normally, when students enter the third level, they are introduced to the theory and techniques of the Ba Fa. They are: Peng (expand/adhere), Lu (divert, hold, and pull), Ji (follow and push), Ahn (cover the arms and push), Kau (lean or strike with the shoulder, knee, or hip), Zhou (grab and strike with elbow), Cai (hold and twist), and Lie (step in and throw from behind).

The Chen boxer's assimilation of these eight "skills" serves as a foundation for more advanced grappling and joint-locking, which are the hallmarks of Chen Taiji. The Ba Fa trains the Chen boxers in combat approaches that are conceptual first and technical second. They serve more as technical categories that aid in the mastery of the rich techniques that comprise Chen Taijiquan. Thus Chen Taiji combat training relies less on technique and more on developing the key attributes embodied by the Ba Fa. It is upon these core characteristics that Chen Taiji combat skill and techniques accrue.

Chen Taiji's Ba Fa also instills basic combat attributes that directly forge the practitioner's ability to grapple. In particular, the last two skills, Cai and Lie, are classic examples of Chen Taiji grappling that embody the system's approach to wrestling.

Cai: "Twisting"
Twisting strength underlies much of Chen Taiji grappling. Skilled Chen boxers have an uncanny ability to quickly twist an opponent's limbs and/or body effortlessly. In realistic grappling, when combatants' arms touch, grabs and pulls are generally used to bridge the gap and enter the close-range holding zone. But in Chen Taiji, this initial grappling zone is targeted as an opportunity to twist the opponent's limbs in a manner that often renders him unable to fully engage the defender. Chen Taiji grappling strategy often relies on Cai as a way to control the first stage of a grappling engagement when the limbs first make contact, well before their bodies wrestle at a closer, more dangerous range.

Lie: "Splitting"
A signature fighting technique of Chen Taiji, "splitting" describes a highly disruptive throwing approach. Best described as exerting two opposing forces simultaneously, Lie techniques usually result in punishing head/neck locks and throws. When executing Lie, the defender simultaneously exerts opposing forces on opposite sides of the opponent's body. This causes a "splitting" effect of the opponent's body. In combat, it is usually initiated by a sudden step to the outer side of an opponent's defenses. The defender's lead arm would then grab around the rear upper body of the opponent, producing a torsion-laden head, shoulder, or even jaw lock. This technique usually leads to an excruciating torque of the opponent's body that causes the legs to spin out of control, resulting in being thrown -- full body -- over the defender's lead leg.

Torsion Power and Silk Reeling Energy
Through years of strict stance, forms, and partner drills practiced under specific body structural guidelines and leg conditioning, Chen Taiji seeks to build a physical frame capable of generating explosive torsion power. This unique power is most commonly expressed when striking with fa jing -- the explosive release of flexible, relaxed power of which Chen Taiji is famed.

Many readers experienced with Chen Taijiquan may be familiar with the concept of chan szu jing training to forge such internal strength. Although beyond the scope of this article, silk reeling energy is how Chen Taiji conceptualizes and trains for the optimal skeletal/muscular structure that enhances energy flow and usage -- or as described by Chen Xiaowang, to "feel qi (internal energy) flowing." Similar to the coiling undulations of a silk worm, silk reeling energy training ignites an internal torsion in the body, centered on the lower abdomen or dantien.

Honed with silk reeling, Lie and Cai are the skills that best exemplify Chen Taiji grappling. Revealed in detail for the first time by Ren Guang yi for Kung Fu Tai Chi Magazine, techniques based on these two important concepts are devastating. The grappling techniques of Lie and Cai displayed in the accompanying photos are built around Chen Taiji's unique emphasis on chan szu jing. When using Lie and/or Cai in combat, the Chen boxer attempts to use his own torque, executed along the structural pathways of proper chan szu jing, to violently lock his opponent's body.

Yin & Yang in Chen Taiji Grappling
Torsion underlies the coiling nature of Chen Taiji applications so as to read, redirect, lock and throw at most combat grappling ranges. The twisting of an opponent's body and/or limbs in opposing directions can be explained, at a fundamental level, with the well-known Taiji concept of opposites, or Yin and Yang.

Under the guidelines of silk reeling, the Chen Taiji boxer builds a well-tempered balance of forces in the body. The mechanics of Lie and Cai in application causes a paralysis of the defender's body, which appears similar to the mechanics of wrestling but is actually fueled by the torque derived from the coiling nature of chan szu jing. Thus when two sides of the defender's body are forced to move in opposing directions, the result is an expression of tremendous torque resulting in the effect of "splitting" or "twisting" an aggressor's body with excruciating torsion power.

In effect, the Chen boxer disrupts the opponent's physical balance of Yin and Yang by enveloping his structure, disrupting it softly and finishing the encounter explosively. First the opponent is lulled into an overly Yin posture which is suddenly exploited by the Chen boxer with a forceful (Yang) expression of power that immobilizes and usually finishes the bout with a lock, throw, or worse. While this might seem like advanced judo leveraging techniques, it is not. Chen Taiji grappling is focused on exploiting an aggressor's structure to render his limbs and stance impotent, rather than relying on just techniques of leverage to throw or dominate an opponent.

Thus, manipulating the forces often described as Yin and Yang are basic to the Chen Taiji grappler. It is through the grappling skills of Lie and Cai that this first becomes evident to the novice or laymen.

Grappling with Lie and Cai
In today's Chenjiagou (Chen village), sparring training routinely focuses on the fundamental skills of Lie and Cai. Serious boxers in Chen village spend years grappling to develop these skills. After they show proficiency in Chen Taiji's 5 levels of push hands training, live usage is introduced through sparring with upright grappling. This forces the boxers to develop root, body and limb sensitivity -- all while toughening the body and mind with aggressive, yet safe contact training. Once the basics of upright grappling are instilled from this type of sparring, Chen boxers are then trained to bring out the classic skills that comprise the Ba Fa. At this stage, most Chen boxers begin to "feel" and use the skills of Lie and Cai, sooner than they often realize. When they begin to sense torsion in the body, they're then able to bring these skills to life.

So while sensing and feeling -- especially as taught by Chen Xiaowang -- are crucial, it remains difficult to teach or explain how the sensations of internal strength lead to actual combat usage. To that end, Master Ren and the author strive to reveal these concepts technically in both their teaching and photographic records, as displayed in this article.

The following photos reveal the torsion power inherent in three classic Chen Taiji grappling applications using Lie and Cai. A Lie arm-lock and head-lock are displayed, revealing the technique of "splitting" the opponent's body, followed by a signature Cai technique that demonstrates the effects of "twisting" on an opponent. The proper execution of Lie usually results in a throw, while the application of Cai generally produces a locking of the opponent's body.

The Cai application chosen for this article provides a clear view of how an opponent's body appears when his limbs (and torso) are twisted to the extreme. Twisting the opponent's arms across his body in opposing directions, Ren is able to control his opponent to fully immobilize or "twist" him into a throw -- or dislodge joints if his opponent resists.

Lie is among Master Ren's favorite skills. He exhibits an uncanny ability to torque his opponents' bodies at full-contact speed with ease. Master Ren employed the techniques of Lie to win the heavyweight division of the 1998 full-contact international Taiji Push Hands competition in Wenxian, China. Documented on his video of the event (available through MartialArtsMart.com), Master Ren displayed his use of Lie in a variety of bouts -- some against opponents bigger and seemingly stronger than himself. In one bout against a European competitor, Ren was able dislodge his opponent almost exclusively with Lie.

The photos of Lie techniques display how Lie can be applied to either the limbs or the torso. The first application reveals the mechanics of a classic Chen Taiji arm-bar technique. Master Ren is shown "splitting" with a torque applied in opposing directions on the shoulder and wrist of the opponent's arm. To execute this maneuver, Ren grabs behind the author's shoulder with a downward pull while grabbing his opponent's wrist in an upward direction. This creates a corkscrew effect that locks his opponent's arm and body, easily immobilizing him. The second Lie technique is an application highly characteristic of Chen Taiji grappling. Featuring a rear head grab in one direction while striking/pushing with the legs in the opposite direction, a devastating hold is produced that flows into an explosive throw.

Basic Skills, Complex Techniques
These seemingly complex grappling techniques are actually based on simple skills. What underlies the successful use of these techniques is the very basic skills of root and silk reeling. When the Chen boxer is able to harness his internal strength with basic zhan zhuang stance exercises, he then progresses to moving his qi throughout the body with the practice of simple silk reeling exercises.

With internal strength harnessed through these core basics, his forms, push hands, and sparring training will exhibit a strength, sensitivity and responsiveness not reliant on amassing technique. Once free of trying to memorize and perfect loads of techniques, the Chen boxer becomes open to almost any fighting technique without overly relying on too many. It is this quality that fighters of any discipline strive for, but few achieve, whereas in Chen Taiji it is just considered a natural stage in what is a highly progressive, logical system of combat.

As a sophisticated system of combat that encompasses striking, grappling and joint-locking, Chen Taiji places a high emphasis on basic body skills that fortify all ranges and types of fighting techniques/approaches. Thus Chen Taijiquan -- especially as a grappling art -- not only breeds quality wrestlers but also offers training and concepts that can enhance the skills of any grappler.

"It's all about the silk reeling," Master Ren asserts. As such, like his mentor Chen Xiaowang, Master Ren emphasizes basic silk reeling exercises in his classes and seminars. These basic exercises are the foundation of combat skills in Chen Taijiquan -- an art that possesses a potent approach to realistic grappling. A highly effective stand-up grappling system, Chen Taiji may very well offer an ideal arsenal for fighters looking to enhance their overall combat skills for the ultimate in street-oriented grappling.