“The Opponent initiates an attack first and I respond second but hit first.”
Position your body according to the Tai Chi principles of Sung “relaxation” and Wu Chi so that if you raise an arm it is unhindered and flows upward easily without any unnecessary physical strength. When this is truly correct you will be able to think it and the action of doing it will immediately begin. When you practice the Tai Chi set do the moves with this in mind. The movements will generate from your body, up from your feet, through the Ming Men and waist area and then will express out into your hands.
If I generate movement from my hands and arms then several feet of movement is a lot. If I shift my feet, sway my body a little, move my torso position and move my arms a little all at the same time then several feet of movement is almost effortless. With time and practice my internal response becomes much more automatic as a whole body movement instead of just a hand and arm movement response.
Internal responsiveness and positioning is every bit as important as external movement and positioning. In fact, internal responsiveness, movement and positioning can be utilized for your short and long term health. If I become aware of my body becoming tense due to mental stress and I work to make it less and less affected by stress then eventually my body will not tense as much, as often or for as long and this will eventually make a difference in stress hence wear and tear on the body which as a result will improve my longer term health. This can delay or altogether stop illnesses and maladies that range from headaches, chronic fatigue and hypertension to heart disease. So, the stress strikes at me first but I hit first by sensing the tension and stress wanting to gain a foothold. I do not allow the stress to take hold and take corrective action hence hitting first.
Proper internal positioning will even allow you to take stress off of your back and joints and move it to areas more equipped to handle the load and help you to let the tension and stress out of your body. A lot of the time people hold in stress and tension with their breath and simply becoming aware of it allows you to easily breathe in a manner that will dispel the problem. Stress is often called the silent killer because the stress gets in under people’s radar and does the damage without them being aware of it. By getting this body feel and response then you also get a better understanding of how your mind is responding to various stimuli and you can begin directing your thoughts better and learn to deal with stressors that you may not realize have been affecting you. Often, once you are consciously aware of these stressors then they are easy to deal with and eventually you recognize them before your body gets hit and then your mind deals with the problem or issue so that in the long term you are unaffected by the problem essentially preemptively striking it before it hits you.
Sincerely,
Sifu Clear
Speak Your Mind