explain

One of China's boxing methods was called "Long Boxing", "Cotton Boxing", "Thirteen Movements" and "Soft Hands" in the early days. It was not until the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1736 ~ 1796) that Wang Zongyue, a Shanxi martial artist, wrote an article on The Legend of Taiji, which made it named. . The word "Tai Chi" comes from the Book of Changes, which contains supreme, extreme, absolute and unique meanings.

Between heaven and earth, above heaven and earth, all things and opportunities are constantly changing. Trees, flowers and mountain terraces all seem to be static and are gradually aging. As the saying goes, only "change" is constant. Tai Ji Chuan is putting all kinds of changes in boxing practice. Dynamic and static opening and closing, combining rigidity with softness, up and down, left and right, winding up and down, flickering, virtual and real, endless, all over the body, motionless, full of momentum, disappearing, with strength, melting into the whole body, breaking hard, and then gently starting, writing freely. One thought, one thought, one line and one person's free will are all under self-control, achieving the effect of health preservation and self-defense. This is Tai Ji Chuan.

origin

About the origin of Tai Ji Chuan, there are Xu Xuanping in Tang Dynasty (AD 6 18 ~ 907), Zhang Sanfeng in Song Dynasty (AD 960 ~ 1278), Zhang Sanfeng in Ming Dynasty (AD 1368 ~ 1644) and Zhang Sanfeng in Qing Dynasty (AD 65438). But now most boxers are also based on various theories of Tai Ji Chuan Yuan Jun and Chen Tai Ji Chuan. According to the textual research of China Wushu historian Tang Hao, Tai Ji Chuan first came from the Chen family in Chenjiagou, wen county, Henan. The founder of Chen Tai Ji Chuan is Chen Wangting, who is an original martial artist.

source

The source of Tai Ji Chuan has the following three aspects:

(1) Fully absorbed the famous boxing of the Ming Dynasty. Wushu was very popular in the Ming Dynasty, and many famous artists, monographs and new boxing styles appeared. Taiji Chuan learned the advantages of various boxing methods at that time, especially Qi Jiguang's 32-potential long fist.

(2) breathe in combination with ancient guidance. Tai Ji Chuan is known as one of the "Family Boxing" because he pays attention to guiding his spirit into the abdomen, relaxing his mind and strengthening his body.

③ China's ancient theory of Yin and Yang and the theory of meridians in traditional Chinese medicine were applied. "Chen Shi Taiji Zhuan" requires spiral winding of meridians, purposefully activating qi, connecting Ren and Du meridians, and practicing chong pulse. Various traditional Tai Ji Chuan also used the theory of Yin-Yang and Five Elements to summarize and explain various contradictions and changes in boxing.

basic approach

Tai Ji Chuan takes "giving up, hitting, squeezing, pressing, bending, leaning, advancing, retreating, supporting, looking and deciding" as the basic method. The movements are slow and comfortable. When practicing boxing, the waist is required to be straight, the jaw is closed, the back is straight and drooping, which has the artistic conception of floating clouds. In the Qing Dynasty, the Boxer Rebellion called "Boxing is like the sea, endless". At the same time, Tai Ji Chuan also attaches great importance to practicing. The so-called "Qi" is to cultivate the human body's own spirit, which is also one of the characteristics of Tai Ji Chuan's Neijia Kung Fu.

Essentials of practicing boxing

(1) Meditation, breathing naturally, that is, practicing boxing requires quiet and concentrated thinking, concentrating on guiding movements, breathing smoothly, deeply and naturally, and not holding your breath;

(2) Moderately comfortable, gentle and slow, that is, keeping the body relaxed and natural, impartial, flowing, gentle and even;

(3) The motion is arc-shaped and circular, that is, the motion should be arc-shaped and spiral, and the transformation of circular motion is not stagnant. At the same time, with the waist as the axis, the whole body forms a whole;

(4) Coherence and coordination, with clear distinction between reality and reality, that is, actions should be continuous, the connection should be smooth, the reality and reality should be clear everywhere, and the center of gravity should remain stable;

⑤ Be light and calm, combining rigidity with softness, that is, every movement should be light and calm, not floating or stiff, soft outside and rigid inside, and the strength should be complete and elastic, and clumsy force should not be used.

Tai Ji Chuan's requirements for postures of various parts of the human body are: head-keep "empty collar and top strength", have the idea of hanging, don't sway, eyes should be naturally straight, mouth should be lightly closed, and tongue should touch the upper jaw; Neck-natural vertical, flexible rotation, not nervous; Shoulders-flat and relaxed, without hunchback, bending or stretching backwards; Elbow-naturally bends and sinks to prevent rigidity or rising; Heavy wrist "flat wrist", full of strength, not soft; Chest-slightly loose, not protruding or deliberately shrinking inward; Stretching your back is called "pulling your back" and you can't bow and camel; Waist-loose downward, flexible rotation, no bow forward or backward; Ridge-straight and upright, keep your figure straight and natural; Hip-slightly inward, not outward, called "sliding hip" and "converging hip"; Hip-relaxation is full of contraction, and the lower limbs are difficult to penetrate. Do not stand forward with a twist; Legs-stable and firm, with proper bending, slight rotation, smooth movement and relaxed knees, which can distinguish between true and false soles.

Playing Tai Ji Chuan requires relaxation and naturalness, so that a part of the cerebral cortex enters a state of protective inhibition and rest. At the same time, boxing can activate the mood and regulate the brain, and the more skilled you are, the more you should "put your mind first, then put your body" and concentrate on guiding the action. This long-term persistence will restore and improve brain function and eliminate various chronic diseases caused by nervous system disorders. Tai Ji Chuan called for "Shen Dantian" and deliberately used abdominal breathing to increase the depth of breathing, which is conducive to improving respiratory function and blood circulation. Through easy and gentle exercise, the old and frail people can have comfortable meridians, vigorous metabolism and enhance their physique and function. Tai Ji Chuan has the function of preventing and treating diseases, and has a certain preventive and therapeutic effect on chronic diseases such as neurasthenia, heart disease, hypertension, tuberculosis, tracheitis, ulcer, etc., which has been gradually popularized at home and abroad in the past hundred years. Patients with serious illness should exercise under the guidance of medical staff.

Tai Ji Chuan has a unique style and distinctive features in attack and defense. It requires static braking, combining rigidity and softness, avoiding reality and being empty, leveraging strength, and advocating that everything should be carried out objectively, coexist with others, and be dull. Therefore, Tai Ji Chuan pays special attention to "listening", that is, accurately feeling and judging each other's arrival, so as to respond. Don't get ahead before the other party starts. You can use tricks to induce the other party to test its reality first. This term is called "the leading hand". Once the opponent starts, you should quickly get ahead of him, "he didn't move, he moved first" and "the latecomers came first", which will drag the opponent in, make him lose weight, or distract his strength, take advantage and fight back with all his might. Tai Ji Chuan's principle of attack and defense is embodied in the training of pushing hands and routine movements, which can not only train people's physical qualities such as reaction ability, strength and speed, but also has very important significance in the training of attack and defense fighting.

school

At present, there are five schools in Tai Ji Chuan: Chen, Yang, Sun, Wu and Wu. At the end of Ming Dynasty and the beginning of Qing Dynasty, Chen Jiagou, an old boxer in wen county, Henan Province, founded Tai Ji Chuan, which was handed down from generation to generation. Yang Luchan, a native of Yongnian, Hebei Province, studied under Chen Jiagou Chen Changxing, and with his son Yang Jianhou and grandson Yang Chengfu, he created "Yang Tai Ji Chuan" on the basis of Chen Tai Ji Chuan. Wu Yuxiang, a native of Yongnian, Hebei Province in the late Qing Dynasty, loved skills after returning from Chenjiagou, Yangluchan. He studied under Old Taiji Biography, and later under Chen Qingping's Zhao Bao. After revision, he created "Wu-style Tai Ji Chuan". Sun Lutang, a native of Wanxian County, Hebei Province, studied under Li, then under Li's master Guo, and then under Cheng. Later, he learned Tai Ji Chuan from Hao Weizhen, and then added the essence of three boxing methods, namely, Bagua, Xingyiquan and Taiji, to create a "Sun-style Tai Ji Chuan".

With the development of history, Wushu has gradually changed from fighting on the battlefield to keeping fit, which is exactly the case in Tai Ji Chuan. /kloc-more than 0/00 years ago, the taijichuan family had a saying in the Song of Thirteen Forces called "What is the meaning in detail, prolong life and never return to spring". After a long period of circulation, Tai Ji Chuan has evolved into many schools, among which the following five schools are widely circulated or have obvious characteristics.

Chen-style Tai Ji Chuan can be divided into two types: the old one and the new one. The old rack was created by Chen in the early Qing Dynasty, with five original routines, also known as Thirteen Movements, Changquan 1 set and Gun Hammer 1 set. Since Chen, after more than 300 years of study, I have accumulated a lot of experience, and constantly processed and refined the original gloves, and finally formed Chen-style Tai Ji Chuan (figure 1) 1 road and 2-road gloves that have been circulated in modern times. These two sets of boxing moves are carefully choreographed, with different speed and strength, posture, amount of exercise and difficulty, but they all conform to the principle of gradual progress and combining rigidity with softness. There are 83 types of Chen 1 Road Boxing, the main features of which are as follows: ① The strength of silk winding is obvious, and it is required to pay attention to the waist source everywhere, with the intention of running through the four tips (that is, hands and toes), and the action is curved and spiral, and it is necessary to "move inside and outside"; (2) Combining rigidity with softness, that is, it can play an inner strength that seems to be rigid but not rigid, soft but not rigid, and heavy and soft; ③ Action should be combined with breathing luck, which means "sinking into the belly" and "turning inward to the abdomen" when practicing the action, and sometimes making sounds (such as ho, ho, hush and blow) when exhaling to increase strength; (4) Slow and fast, that is, the movement is fast in transition and slow in boxing; ⑤ There are three boxing stands: high, medium and low. People who are weak and sick can practice high shelf, while those who are healthy can practice low shelf. Chen Er gloves, formerly known as gun hammers, are 7 1 style, and their main features are as follows: ① more foot shaking movements; ② The movement is faster, harder and more explosive than 1 road; (3) "Bouncing, jumping and prancing" has many movements and is magnificent. The second way is only suitable for young and middle-aged people and does not spread widely. Chen's new routine also has two kinds. One was created by Chen Youben (Chenjiagou Boxer). The order is the same as the old routine. The posture is smaller than the old routine, and the circle is smaller than the old routine. Removed some of the original difficult moves. People in Chenjiagou village call it "small circle boxing", and the old routine is called "big circle boxing". This kind of boxing was later spread, and he wrote "Illustration of Chen Shi Tai Ji Chuan", expounding the boxing experience accumulated by Chen Shi in past dynasties. Another routine of the new frame was created by Chen Qingping, a disciple of Chen Youben. It is characterized by compactness, slow movement, and gradually adding circles after practice, which is extremely complicated. Because it first spread in Zhaobao Town, wen county City, Henan Province, people called it "Zhaobao Frame". Chen-style Tai Ji Chuan is an ancient boxing, and other schools in Tai Ji Chuan (such as Yang-style, Wu-style, Wu-style and Sun-style) are all developed on the basis of Chen-style Tai Ji Chuan.

Yang Luchan (1800 ~ 1873), a native of Yongnian, Hebei Province, Tai Ji Chuan, worked as an employee in Chenjiagou, wen county, Henan Province when he was young. He studied in Tai Ji Chuan, and returned to Tai Ji Chuan in his prime because he was able to avoid and subdue powerful enemies. At that time, it was called "Mianmian Boxing", "Soft Boxing" and "Hua Quan". Yang Luchan went to Beijing to teach boxing, and all the princes and nobles in the Qing Dynasty learned from him. Excellent martial arts, known as "invincible Yang" at that time. Later, in order to meet the needs of ordinary boxers, Yang Luchan gradually deleted the original vigorous, vertical jump, shaking feet and difficult movements, and changed them from his son to the middle shelf, which was repeatedly revised by his grandson Yang Chengfu, so it was shaped into a Yang-style big shelf. Because of its simple and upright practice, it became the most popular Yang-style Tai Ji Chuan in modern times (Figure 2). Three generations of Yang's grandparents and grandchildren are famous in Beijing. After 1928, Yang Chengfu worked as an apprentice in Nanjing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Hankou and other places, and his boxing style spread all over the country. Yang-style big shelf is characterized by simple stretching, smooth movement, flexible content, lightness and naturalness, and the movement steps are from loose to soft, which naturally presents a unique style with great style and beautiful image. Its posture is also divided into high, medium and low. The amount of exercise can be appropriately adjusted according to the different age, gender, physical condition and different requirements of boxing learners. Therefore, it is not only suitable for medical treatment and health care, but also suitable for people with good physical strength to strengthen their physique and improve their skills. 1957 was compiled into Tai Ji Chuan movement (88 style) according to the biography of Yang Tai, and 1963 published the biography of Yang Tai.

Quan You, Taiji Chuan Manchu, was born in Daxing, Hebei Province in the late Qing Dynasty. At first, I learned from Yang Luchan the great shelf of Tai Chi Chuan, and later I learned from Yang Luchan's second son the small shelf, who is famous for being good at softening (Figure 3). His son changed his surname from Han nationality to Wu, and his name was. Wu inherited and taught boxing with continuity and wide adaptability. Because Wu modified the boxing style, later people called it Wu-style small shelf. In modern times, it has become a widely circulated Wu-style Tai Ji Chuan.

Wu has been spreading boxing in Beijing and Shanghai for a long time. His boxing style is round and relaxed. Although his posture is small, it has a great foundation, and it stretches itself from development to compactness. When pushing hands, he is correct, rigorous and delicate. Wu Shi Tai Ji Chuan was published in 1958.

Wu Yuxiang, Tai Ji Chuan of Wushi, a native of Yongnian, Hebei Province in the late Qing Dynasty, learned about Tai Ji Chuan from Yang Luchan, and then learned about the new Tai Ji Chuan, and got the Tai Ji Chuan score in Wuyang County. Therefore, according to his own experience in practicing boxing, he summed up the essentials of sports as the ten essentials of body posture. Wushu Tai Ji Chuan is characterized by its rigorous posture, compact posture, slow movement, rigorous footwork and clear distinction between reality and falsehood. The forward and backward rotation of the chest and abdomen is always positive, and the shape is mainly the transformation of excess and deficiency and the "internal gas latent rotation". The left and right hands are in charge of half the body, but the hands are not toes (Figure 4). Tai Ji Chuan, a martial art, was introduced to Beijing in the early years of the Republic of China, and then to Nanjing and Shanghai. 1963 published the book Wu's Taiji Biography.

Sun-style Tai Chi Sun Chuan Lu Tang, a native of Wanxian County, Hebei Province in the late Qing Dynasty, loved martial arts. He studied Xingyiquan first, then Bagua Palm, studied hard and practiced hard, and his kung fu was profound. In the early years of the Republic of China, he began to learn from Tai Ji Chuan, synthesized the strengths of various schools, and created his own Sun-style Tai Ji Chuan, and wrote Tai Ji Chuan Studies. Sun-style Tai Ji Chuan is characterized by freedom of advance and retreat, stretching and moving, and agility. When reversing, it is often connected by opening and closing, so it is also called "opening and closing Taiji Chuan" (Figure 5). The biography of Sun Tai Chi was published in 1957.

Although the above five moves and postures of Tai Ji Chuan are different, the routine structure and movement sequence are basically the same, and the purpose of practicing boxing is to strengthen the body and treat diseases. In addition to gloves, Type 5 Tai Ji Chuan also has its own pushers and equipment routines, such as Taiji sword and Taiji knife.

develop

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Tai Ji Chuan developed rapidly, and people who beat Tai Ji Chuan spread all over the country. At present, there are hundreds of Tai Ji Chuan tutoring stations in Beijing's parks, streets and stadiums alone, attracting a large number of fans. The health, education and sports departments have listed Tai Ji Chuan as an important project, and have published millions of Tai Ji Chuan books and wall charts. Tai Ji Chuan is also very popular abroad. Tai Ji Chuan activities are held in Europe, America, Southeast Asia, Japan and other countries and regions. According to incomplete statistics, the United States alone has published more than 30 kinds of Tai Ji Chuan books, and many countries have established organizations such as the Tai Ji Chuan Association to actively carry out exchange activities with China. Tai Ji Chuan, as a unique national sports event in China, has aroused the interests and hobbies of many international friends.