Tai Chi and Weightlifting.

[windwalker099]

The subject of thread is taijiquan vs Weightlifting(WL), anyway, I just pointed out on your defense for TJQ strength where you mentioning the six harmonies(6H) of shoulder/hip elbow/knee and hand/foot Although it’s correct those connectors build strength, but not in a sense they directly connect to as a martial art exercise, so it’s not really TJQ .

Thanks for a well thought out and reasoned reply... Appreciate it

Just pointing out some key differences that might be overlooked when people compare training methods.
While weightlifting has its benefits, it can actually be counterproductive in certain practices, like mine.

When I’m out walking in the park, I sometimes meet people playing sports or just enjoying the day. We chat, and I’ll share a bit about Taiji and how it works. A lot of people have preconceived ideas about Taiji, usually something slow, soft, or just for relaxation. I try to help them experience a different side of it.

One thing I often demonstrate is the kind of strength it develops, very different from what most expect.
I’ll lightly toss someone with what feels like almost no effort to them, then try using brute strength to do the same thing using strength that they can feel, unable to do it.

Most are surprised, though not many are actually interested in learning more.

It’s just different.


kind regards

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

While weightlifting has its benefits, it can actually be counterproductive in certain practices,

What if you are a Taiji guy, and you also want to develop a strong head lock? Are Taiji skill and strong head lock mutual exclusive?

The Taiji label can put a lot of restriction on your personal MA ability development. You were free before you learn Taiji. After you have learned Taiji, you are no longer free any more (such as you can't do this, and you can't do that). Is that good or bad?

 

[windwalker099]

What if you are a Taiji guy, and you also want to develop a strong head lock?

Nothing prevents someone from developing it, if that’s where their interest lies.
It’s similar to those who try to replicate what some Taiji practitioners demonstrate.

The outward technique might appear simple, it comes from a body trained based on a very specific method "taiji"
Without that foundation, the outcome may look similar but won’t function the same, no matter what shape it takes.

There’s a story about Yang Banhou, the son of Yang Luchan. After his son returned after winning a match with a torn sleeve, His father looked at him and said, “Is this Taiji?” The point wasn’t about winning or losing, it was about the way something was done.

You were free before you learn Taiji. After you have learned Taiji, you are no longer free any more (such as you can't do this, and you can't do that).

Another way to look at it: it’s not just about what one learns, it’s about what one becomes through the process of learning.
Like a sword forged in fire and tempered in water, its true nature is revealed through refinement, not restriction.

What might seem like limitation from the outside is often transformation from within.

Like learning to talk, something one couldn’t do before.
Once one can, some talk a lot, others just a little, and some choose silence.
Each according to their nature through the language learned

 

[windwalker099]

- How do you avoid arm wrapping?
- how do you avoid your opponent's leading arm to jam your upper arm, and pin your leading arm against your chest?

A clip of our practice, might help in addressing your questions, The other person was quite strong, connected, and solid, was actively trying to find a place to push on. Each time, what he found instead was space, neither fixed nor collapsing where his force couldn’t settle. Eventually, he had to withdraw. When he withdrew, I followed.

Avoiding arm wrapping or having your lead arm jammed. No need to avoid if one is joined with the other, allows one to make timely, logical adjustments in structure and intent. That can mean rotating the forearm, shifting through the kua (胯, kuà), or altering the angle of contact just enough to stay neutral but connected.

A core guideline in Taijiquan is 「不丢不顶」(bù diū bù dǐng) “Don’t run away, don’t collide.” It reminds us to maintain contact without resistance, without disengaging. If timing is missed, either too early or too late, one must create another point.

Ting jin (聽勁, tīng jìn), the skill of listening energy, once developed, allows one to sense and interpret these changes even before contact fully settles. This approach is observable through repeatable interaction, not dependent on agreement or belief.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

In your clip, the leg skill is miss in Taiji push hand. If you pay 100% effort on your arms and ignore your legs, the test result can be different from if you use your arms and legs at the same time. There is a good reason that groin kick-face punch, or face punch-groin kick work because when your opponent pays attention on your hand, he may forget your leg (or the other way around).

IMO, if Taiji push hand can include leg skill, Taiji PH is no difference from grip fighting. I just don't understand why Taiji doesn't want to evolve into that direction.

Leg skill is used in Taiji PH in this clip at 1.37-1.50 and 2.30-2.45.

When you play your hands with your opponent's hands, you then attack his leg with your leg is a very good strategy.

 

[windwalker099]

In your clip, the leg skill is miss in Taiji push hand. If you pay 100% effort on your arms and ignore your legs, the test result can be different from if you use your arms and legs at the same time. There is a good reason that groin kick-face punch, or face punch-groin kick work because when your opponent pays attention on your hand, he may forget your leg (or the other way around).

IMO, if Taiji push hand can include leg skill, Taiji PH is no difference from grip fighting. I just don't understand why Taiji doesn't want to evolve into that direction.

Leg skill is used in Taiji PH in this clip at 1.37-1.50 and 2.30-2.45.

When you play your hands with your opponent's hands, you then attack his leg with your leg is a very good strategy.

Thanks for the reply
leg skills.

The clip a snapshot from our training, not meant to show a complete picture of Taijiquan, but to highlight a few specific principles in action. It might not have conveyed what I intended.

your original questions

How do I avoid arm wrapping or being jammed?

By maintaining connection without resistance or collapse. If force begins to settle, I adjust , rotating the forearm, shifting through the kua (胯, kuà), or dissolving into the space between empty and full (虛與實, xū yǔ shí).

How do I avoid my arm being pinned to my chest?

Through timing and sensitivity — especially via ting jin (聽勁, tīng jìn) I can sense and respond before force fully establishes. If timing is missed, I don’t struggle to regain the original point; I create a new one.
This aligns with the Taiji principle: 「不丢不顶」(bù diū bù dǐng) “Don’t disconnect, don’t collide.”

Leg skill, in our approach, we don’t divide the body into “upper” and “lower.” In Taiji, there’s a saying: 「全身是手」(quán shēn shì shǒu) “The whole body is the hand.” Whether it’s fixed step or moving step, the entire body is engaged.

Fixed or moving, the principle stays the same.
The highest skill is one that doesn’t even require movement where timing, structure, and intent nullify incoming force before it finds a target.

While the clip didn’t emphasize leg action, it was present through root, alignment, and intent. The training context fixed step determined what was being worked on.

Not big on push hands as competition, do find it valuable for refining internal logic, timing, connection, and awareness so that whatever technique arises, it does so from principle.

All things you mentioned are tested to the degree needed for those asking the questions