What's the difference between Taiji and wrestling, or boxing?

[Wing Woo Gar]

Funny you say this. I do all my weapons on the left as well as the right. That includes fundamentals and the forms.

I also do some of my empty-hand forms on the left as well. Some are highly one-sided so those get done on the other side, some I am still working on. But I feel it’s a good exercise for the brain. Your weak side will always be weaker, but that’s ok, you can still develop functional skill.

And because zombies.

I don’t see the non dominant side as weak, I see it as softer and more capable of yielding. That said, I strive to even out any difference. I am right hand dominant but I shoot handguns on a much higher skill and accuracy level when shooting with my left hand. That includes from the hip and when moving. I thoroughly agree that this is primarily a good brain exercise... Brains! It’s what’s for dinner. They will starve if they depend on me.

 

[Flying Crane]

I don’t see the non dominant side as weak, I see it as softer and more capable of yielding. That said, I strive to even out any difference. I am right hand dominant but I shoot handguns on a much higher skill and accuracy level when shooting with my left hand. That includes from the hip and when moving. I thoroughly agree that this is primarily a good brain exercise... Brains! It’s what’s for dinner. They will starve if they depend on me.

I’ve gotten to the point where I feel nearly ambidextrous with the spear. I am almost equally comfortable practicing the form on either side. Same with single-end staff. Similar for dao when working fundamentals, but less so on the form.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

I do all my weapons on the left as well as the right.

For the same technique, I train my right side for offense, and I train my left side for defense.

For example, I use

- right under hook to throw my opponent.
- left under hook to counter my opponent's right over hook.

- right leg block to throw my opponent.
- left leg block to counter my opponent's right leg block.

 

[Unkogami]

I always want to ask a Taiji person about this question. Does a Taiji guy share the same goal as a

- wrestler - to take his opponent down?
- boxer - to knock his opponent down?

If the goal are

- the same, the training method should be similar.
- different, what is a Taiji person goal?

What's your opinion on this?

Taiji:

Wrestling:

Boxing:

I am not sure you understand the goal of a wrestler or a boxer, and that video is NOT of a wrestler.

 

[Xue Sheng]

This is the main reason for me to start this thread. I would like to get respond from Taiji people about the reason that why "you can't do that"?

One time I dragged a Taiji guy in circle. He also told me, "You can't do that."

I though I followed the Taiji principle to borrow his yielding force. I pulled him. He yielded and came to me. I helped him to come toward me more than he wanted to.

Because many never take push hands beyond the drill. We trained stationary single hand, stationary two hands, 3 step, 4 corner, something I call 1 step, and freestyle. But there are things to avoid, the use of to much force, however knowing how to respond to to force is a good thing to know

 

[Tony Dismukes]

I am not sure you understand the goal of a wrestler or a boxer, and that video is NOT of a wrestler.

It’s a video of Chinese wrestling, shuai jiao. KFW is using wrestling in its general sense, not referring to a specific western system like folk style or Greco-Roman.

 

[Unkogami]

It’s a video of Chinese wrestling, shuai jiao. KFW is using wrestling in its general sense, not referring to a specific western system like folk style or Greco-Roman.

The goal in wrestling is to control your opponent's position. The goal in boxing is to knock your opponent out. And that video didn't look very shuai jiao to me. Maybe too short.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I’ve gotten to the point where I feel nearly ambidextrous with the spear. I am almost equally comfortable practicing the form on either side. Same with single-end staff. Similar for dao when working fundamentals, but less so on the form.

At one time I did all my Yang style forms right and left. All xingyiquan 5 elements form are trained right and left as well as backwards, forwards, reverse leg, with all footwork applied to every element

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

I once saw a mom rip her son out of a class because we were practicing Lion Dance, and she said it was Devil worship.

Were some people speaking Cantonese? I hear that’s the devil’s tongue according to some.

 

[Oily Dragon]

Were some people speaking Cantonese? I hear that’s the devil’s tongue according to some.

Honestly?

It's the drumming. Lion drumming is basically a war drum, it's pretty scary if you're not familiar with it.

Sometimes even the shopkeepers and bystanders in Chinatown who ARE familiar with it, run away with fear in their eyes. Hey man, I don't believe in luck or demons either, but it's a sight to see in the middle of the city.

So, I forgave her. People are easily spooked.

 

[Oily Dragon]

Just bumping this because it's the best thing in the thread so far.

That was some mad freaking internal kung fu strike by Tyson. That's a palm strike, right?

He's clearly trained the Yang essential form!

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

I’ve gotten to the point where I feel nearly ambidextrous with the spear. I am almost equally comfortable practicing the form on either side. Same with single-end staff. Similar for dao when working fundamentals, but less so on the form.

I have never felt 100% on the Yang long form to the left. I go off trail sometimes. Choreography has always been my weak point. I focus on fundamentals, maybe to a fault. Lots of work and miles to go…

 

[Xue Sheng]

Were some people speaking Cantonese? I hear that’s the devil’s tongue according to some.

Well that is what ANY sane Mandarin speaker would say......

 

[Oily Dragon]

I mean, damn.

"Short chopping right hand" sounds about right. Tyson barely moved and it's one of the greatest KOs in history. You still feel this KO ten, twenty seconds in. Mike even feels bad for a moment and runs over to pick up Botha. What a smoothie.

If this was a Tai Chi move, I'd name it Crazy Immortal Swims Through the Mountain.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Well that is what ANY sane Mandarin speaker would say......

Exactly.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Just bumping this because it's the best thing in the thread so far.

That was some mad freaking internal kung fu strike by Tyson. That's a palm strike, right?

He's clearly trained the Yang essential form!

We can clearly see that he puts his body behind his punch. When people ask, "What's a good punch?" This is a good punch.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

I am not sure you understand the goal of a wrestler or a boxer, and that video is NOT of a wrestler.

Have you seen Chinese wrestling (Shuai Chiao, or Shuai Jiao) before?

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

I truly can't tell any difference between the Taiji "diagonal flying" and the Chinese wrestling "body squeeze".

Taiji "diagonal flying".

Chinese wrestling "body squeeze".

 

[Flying Crane]

I have never felt 100% on the Yang long form to the left. I go off trail sometimes. Choreography has always been my weak point. I focus on fundamentals, maybe to a fault. Lots of work and miles to go…

Sure but the fundamentals are what really matter. You could spend all of your time working fundamentals and learning to apply them without ever learning a single form. And your kung fu would be way ahead of the vast majority who inherit the entire system and practice a blue billion forms without any foundation. And your kung fu would still be true to the style, meaning: just because you didn’t learn the forms in no way means you didn’t learn that particular kung fu method. But what you learned, you made truly functional.

I still screw up sometimes on the left side of the empty hand forms. But so what? Perfection does not exist in this stuff. It is always just something to keep working on. It’s a process that never ends.

And that is actually a comforting thought. When I look at the night sky through my telescope, the vastness of it all is something I find comforting. In all of what exists, it gives me perspective and reminds me that my problems are not so big in this vast universe. Likewise, your kung fu, including your forms, are never perfect, never “done”, they are simply to be returned to over and over, and that is the process of never-ending practice. But I can throw off the pressure of thinking I need to be perfect.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

your kung fu, including your forms, are never perfect,

Even if you may make your form to be perfect, when you get older, your form will start to get not perfect day by day.

This is why I strongly suggest people to record what they can do on video. Don't wait until one day that you no longer be able to do it.

A: Dear master! Can you do Bruce Lee's triple kicks combo?
B: I can't do it today. But I have a video to show that I could do it when I was younger.