If you look at modern taijiquan, it has become a sporty movement, and fast taijiquan for competition moves by shaking the shoulders. The body moves as one, like a stick or a log.
There is no expansion and contraction of the spine starting from the body center.
Taijiquan is an internal martial art, but the characteristics of modern taijiquan are not seen.
In addition, it often takes a low posture with a wide stride, and moves the center of gravity slowly with the muscles of the legs.
The legs are heavy, the muscles of the thighs are used, and the image is that the heavy torso is placed on top.
You can’t fight the enemy with this posture.
Why has modern taijiquan lost its color as a martial art and turned into a miserable situation?
I would like to express my opinion here.
The reason why taijiquan retreated as a martial art is probably because it was caught in the curse of heel landing seen in the form formula.
When walking, the left and right feet are put forward alternately, so heel landing is common.
However, in martial arts, you stand with half posture of your body, put out your front leg in insubstantial, and land in insubstantial.
The front foot leaves the ground with the toe and lands on the toe.
The insubstantial toe searches for a landing point according to the opponent’s movement.
The time from when the toe touches the ground to when the heel touches the ground is short, and the transformation from insubstantial to substantial is instantaneous.
This is martial arts.
Also, if the enemy retreats, the stride will be longer.
In this case, it becomes a heel landing. In other words, it lands in substantial.
The transformation between insubstantial and substantial occurs when the front leg is in a floating state, that is, before landing.
Unlike modern Taijiquan, traditional Taijiquan does not shift the center of gravity after the heel of the front foot touches the ground slowly.
When facing the enemy and sensing the timing of the attack, the left and right legs, centered on the body center, repeatedly change between insubstantial and substantial, and the opponent does not know which leg the center of gravity is on.
In Tai Chi, it is also expressed as “stepping on no pole”.
In martial arts, the time when the weight is on the heel is short, and even when the heel seems to be in contact with the ground, the weight is on the ball of the foot fingertips, and the foot is connected to the body center, and the leg spirit is alive.
The martial arts foot movement means that the pelvis moves and the legs come out naturally.
It is a martial art not to be read by the opponent, but for some reason, the gait of modern Tai Chi is easy to be read by the opponent. It is a movement that completely ignores tradition.
Stepping on the heel is to fix the foot, and it must be instant.
It should not be a heavy foot with the center of gravity on the foot.
In martial arts, the legs are light and hard, which is called “light hard”. You can’t fight the enemy with heavy legs.
This is an iron rule, and since Tai Chi is a martial art, it is no exception.