Tai Chi Punching

a.k.a. No Distance Punching

Tai Chi Punching techniques and skills can be primarily physical applications and techniques but they can also be used to deliver energetic jing hits such as Fa Jing explosive energy.

Fa Jing is one of the most commonly demonstrated energetic expressions in the Tai Chi fighting arsenal. However, in Tai Chi Punching the most common Fa Jing strikes publicly demonstrated are of the larger variety that can most often be seen in Chen style forms. The Tai Chi Punching applications are fairly evident as the move is fairly obvious. You can look on Youtube for Chen style forms and find numerous examples of this kind of Tai Chi Punching. Eventually, with time and practice Chen stylists learn to apply the small frame and internal versions of the moves and Lao Jia tends to have more of the small frame movement in it.

There is also small frame Tai Chi Punching where the fist does not move very much and the energy is imparted after contact has been made with the recipient. In most Yang and Wu style forms with the Parry & Tai Chi Punching move the Punch occurs at a very short distance and without nearly as much extension of the arm. The strike is intended to be much more internal. As a result however, there are many Yang and Wu stylists today who do not have the understanding and ability with the Tai Chi Punching. Fortunately, this is fixed relatively easy. The Tai Chi practitioner first works on their form and body mechanics and the physical applications and then with a little good teaching, time, patience and practice the internal will come.

Tai Chi punching can be used to deliver whole body power to a recipient, and I recommend training whole body power transfer with Tai Chi Punching before working on Fa Jing. If you look at most Yang forms performed in a big frame manner then you will see the key to how to properly move to transmit whole body power with Tai Chi Punching.

Once you can transfer your whole body weight with Tai Chi Punching then if you pulse with an extremely short but fast squeeze of your fist at exactly the instant you are transferring you can get a very nice Fa Jing with relatively no distance. When you can generate this pulse without external tension then you are on the right track to nice internal Fa Jing Tai Chi Punching skills. If you are practiced / skilled with Rooting and Peng, Ji, and An then it is a relatively simple matter to do Tai Chi Punching with these energies transmitted through your fist.

We are teaching how to work with Rooting, Peng, Lu, Ji, An and Tai Chi Punching skills including “No Distance Punching” in our Clear Combat Tai Chi program.

Comments

  1. The fastest way to start learning the skills Sifu Clear is talking about here is with the 1 Touch Knockouts Program.

  2. Thanks for the post. Would you say the FA Jing technique is similar to the 1 inch punch?

    • Hi Wesley,

      Outwardly there are some similarities. While there are only a handful of ways I have seen the 1 Inch punch trained, there are literally dozens of ways to generate Fa Jin. While the 1 inch punch requires a wind up, even if only a slight one, Fa Jin does not require any distance whatsoever. When properly trained, Fa Jin can be expressed equally well from any distance to the target, including on contact with no distance at all.

      In short, someone who had really trained Fa Jin thoroughly would have no trouble issuing a 1 Inch Punch. Anyone who had studied the 1 Inch Punch thoroughly would still have an extensive body of work to do before they could reasonably claim to understand Fa Jin.

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