"Pugilistic skills are hidden in the Tai Chi Sword Form"

[TaiChiTJ]

"Pugilistic skills are hidden in the Tai Chi Sword Form"

Might anyone have a comment about the above statement? Agree or disagree? Does anyone analyze the sword form they do for empty hand applications, and practice them? Just curious about this subject.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpjrV7ID9s8&feature=player_embedded

 

[Xue Sheng]

Yes they empty hand fighting skills no they are not empty hand fighting skills in a sword form. But either way I do not believe they are hidden and it may be, at times, more in the proper use of energy.

Some can be directly related to empty hand fighting (they tend to be similar postures in the empty hand form) and some is directly related to sword fighting. But one big thing in training Taiji sword is leaning to extend your Qi to the end of the sword and that has applications in both sword and empty hand fighting.

However the amount of application to empty hand fighting can depend on which sword form and which sword you are talking about.

The Yang staff form can also have empty hand fighting skills in the form but they are more to training how to deal with force and do add strength training as well.

 

[Quotheraving]

See I've always been slightly uncomfortable about the idea that certain hand skills are best taught by learning sword.
Firstly if the complete scope of hand to hand skills can't be taught directly by open hand practise then surely that's a problem in it'self.
And secondly a Sword iis designed for one thing and one thing alone... to kill and maim.

Fighting hand to hand (or even with a staff) you can still effectively defend yourself without badly injuring the opponent, but the sword must cut and pierce to be effective.
This coupled with the fact that the sword is an anachronism in todays martial culture (soldiers carry guns and swords are only carried for show) leads (I believe) many teachers who have learned the traditional Taiji syllabus to inflate it's place in that syllabus by exaggerating it's benefits to the -more socially acceptable- hand form.

Not that certain weapons don't feed back into the hand form in interesting ways. I find staff and spear very useful for instance and fencing practise does make you pay attention- Nothing focuses the mind like 3 odd feet of sharpened metal! But I really do believe that the value of the sword form is overplayed.

Sword should be learned bacause it is fun and interesting in and of it'self, not because it will make your hand form better.

 

[mograph]

Firstly if the complete scope of hand to hand skills can't be taught directly by open hand practise then surely that's a problem in itself.

That nails it for me.

I think that one of the sword-to-hand techniques in the video is actually silk reeling, no? So if it's in his sword form but not in his open hand form, then maybe that shows that his particular hand form is missing the silk reeling training?

I could be wrong ...