Positive Tension in Tai Chi.
I was giving a lesson to Paul Pretty (pictured) this week who is a private student of over 30 years and an intelligent and dedicated martial artist.

We were discussing the necessary tension required in Tai Chi at different levels. As beginners in ‘monk’ style we first have to get rid of all unnecessary tension to enable our body and energy to move freely with structural integrity. Many Tai Chi practitioners never get beyond this stage.

Then at ‘warrior’ level we need to develop fajin – and to do that we have add in layers to our existing training to stimulate, store, release and discharge energy freely through the body learning it first through breathing exercises, then whilst transitioning in the standing exercises, then in the martial qigong exercises, developed in the techniques in the form and finally in the ‘springing hands’ drills.

Energy is stored in the dantien, but also in the bows, we are taught that there are 5 bows (spine and limbs) and pumped by the 4 pumps (arches of the feet, lower back, between the shoulder blades and occipital point), but there are many bows in the body that also store energy, every joint and moving area of the body is a bow and when structured and used as one, will transmit and add energy to every movement.

Bows require structure and tension and the energy needs to be stimulated, stored, released and discharged in each one, when synchronised to allow for energy transmission they give a really powerful transmission and discharge.

This requires the right kind of attention, intention, emotional colouring and physical tension using an ‘active stretch’ (a bit like that ‘morning stretch’ feeling) of soft tissue against the skeleton to make it work.

So there is tension in Tai Chi and it’s used productively at the advanced levels.