How martial should the T'ai Chi forms be?

At the gym today: twenty five minutes practicing the 24 posture T'ai Chi form and the 54 posture sword form: two or three times each. The Cheng Man-ch'ing versions.

Cheng Man-ch'ing demonstrating the sword form

The common image is of old men doing exercises in the park, very slowly. But I've always felt that the core of the discipline is its martial intent. You should know the bunkai (the combat intent) for each posture.

I also think that at least some of the time you should do the forms fast and lethally, as if you intend to dispose of an opponent. That's the story for karate kata - slow while you're learning and to hone technique - fast when perfected and with power and spirit. When I look at videos of Cheng Man-ch'ing and his student Ken van Sickle demonstrating the sword form (e.g. below) they are much faster than is currently convenient for me.

When practicing, I run through the forms slowly then faster with an opponent in mind.

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Ken van Sickle demonstrating the sword form

What I'm re-reading

An occasional review of my books on the go.

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Dan Simmons rates the novels of John Fowles highly, perhaps not surprisingly as they are writers of a similar style, and has stated that he regularly returns to "Daniel Martin". A product of the mature Fowles, this elegiac novel is superior to "The Collector", "The Magus" and - IMHO - even "The French Lieutenant's Woman".

Amazon link

David Wallace says in his intro that this is accessible to anyone with a graduate level understanding of quantum mechanics. Well, that includes me but, of course, it's heavy going. The deep mystery is the relationship between the spacetime we appear to inhabit and the configuration space (high/infinite dimensional Hilbert space) which quantum-theoretic entities inhabit. I read on and wait for enlightenment.

Amazon link

Another deeply poignant work: the theory of endless recurrence from a Catholic point of view (space here perhaps for a little homage to the recently deceased Milan Kundera, a prominent member of my revered author list). Currently being read to Clare and we've just started part three: Fiat Voluntas Tua.

The T'ai Chi Sword Form

Part of the Cheng Man-ch'ing sword form

My last post was about stopping karate training. The chronic sciatica which prompted this is still with me, five weeks later, but I sense an improving trend.

The Cheng Man-ch'ing T'ai Chi form (empty handed, 24 postures) and the weapon form shown above are not a health problem however. The movements are slow, symmetrical and balanced without powerful impulsive strikes, turns and kicks. 

Puting the Daoist paradigm to one side, from a purely functional point of view T'ai Chi 'katas' are training balance, coordination, kinaesthetic sense, relaxation and, of course, a meditative psychological state. Such benefits come only when the sequences are as natural as driving, after many years of practice: I have been working on the sword form for six months.