34 obstacles or mistakes made in taijiquan

Notes from weekend workshop in San Francisco Feb 11 & 12, 2006 with George Xu. We didn’t get all 34, but we started anyway.

1) The three gates do not open

a. shoulder
b. bai wei (top of head)
c. dantien (hip/yao)
d. You must be loose/open, open and close all the time. Chi fills the space between joints.

2) Process mistake; going “together,” rather than following the proper order. Two related but separate concepts apply here: 1) process; 2) where and when to yin and to yang (simultaneously).

a. Many people move the body unit “together,” which is not all bad; however, it is analogous to “throwing the baby out with the water” when you toss the basin they both go out. It is more effective to throw the baby out, but keep the water in the wash basin (yes, I said it correctly; tricky concept).
b. The “process” is different than together, rather it is “one, two, three.” Move the yi first, then the qi, then the body. First gather in then bounce back and out.
c. Furthermore, even more complex is the notion of something going back when something goes forward, something left/something right, something up/something down, and so on. “punch forward, think backwards.”

3) You do not “melt” the legs and arms.

a. You must take the arm and legs into the dantien, so that it is as though you have no arm and no leg.

4) Mind-energy follows or matches the physical’s goal (related to #2 closely).

a. The opposite is what you want instead. The mind-energy leads the physical. “Work on your art and ‘money’ comes with the physical.”
b. This is called “Jing zhen jai jie” (spiritual fake borrow). Imagine a train or a missile going fast; then imagine your physical going with it once it is going fast and is invincible. Jump on and ride it.
c. The spirit and imagination harmonize.

5) Arms attack or “direct” attack. (Exercise: two-fist zhong ding rolling)

a. “Together” is similar as direct. “indirect” is better, where the zhong ding attacks, not the arms.

6) Double weighting. Internal organization is not correct.

a. This can be viewed in simple and complex ways. Simple: both legs are weighted, no yin-yang. Double sun, double moon. You want instead: one sun and one moon. Only in the change do you have the sun and the moon up at the same time in opposite parts of the horizon.
b. Complex: it goes into the miniscule; a should joint is lacks yin-yang; empty-full, etc.
c. You must have a strong yichi first, then you move.

7) Partial not full volume. Too soft or too hard. Too linear; no chan she jing (spiraling) is missing.

a. You must spiral in 3-D in gravity and with all three harmonies.
b. No flies can land on your skin because you are constantly in motion at the level of the cells even. It has many qualities: dry fish floats to the top feeling; a feather cannot alight; ever expanding, opening and closing, changing, balanced.

8) Three Harmonies. (Exercise: open-close from ball in front of chest to up/down palm open wide)

a. #1 is when you are together with yourself.
b. #2 is when you are moving in harmony with your opponent
c. #3 is when you are in harmony with the universe or an object outside of both you and your opponent.
d. Harmony is not “together.”

9) No Gravity

a. Gravity = is at maximum, connected, balanced all the time. It changes = taiji. Taiji = supreme ultimate state of balance. You are so sensitive that the touch of a single downy feather causes the spiral to begin.
b. You want a “hanging out” feeling, instead of a “hanging on” feeling.
c. Loose and natural.
d. Take the energy of the leg, but leave the gravity.
e. Self-heaviness.

10) Your heart is not quiet, body is not loose.

a. If you are in gravity then your heart will be quiet.
b. When you are quiet your gravity can reach its maximum.

11) Arms and legs are “outside of body.”

a. Arms and legs must “melt” into the dantien.
b. Opponent become your arm, becomes part of your dantien.

12) You sink but you don’t float.

a. The inside sinks, you have float at same time; inside floats, you have sink. Gravity: dantien sinks, yi floats. The more you lift, the more you sink. It is proportional. Float = energy feeling.

13) You don’t understand that yin and yang are “relative.”

14) You make effort. You strain.

a. Yichi chuan = mind-energy training

Supporting Ideas:

• Wai shen = space power/eternal changes to mei shen: internal steam force. Changeability is a key idea. You must drop and make steam at the same time. This is changeable. Wai shen comes from the zhong ding.
• Think of all the aspects of water when moving: water, ice, steam. The chi is full and steam rises from it in the chest. “Water covers the mountain”; i.e., yield to attack but surround opponent in water as though he were jumping into a swimming pool. Your energy mind goes forward as you yield to the attack.
• Open and close.
• The Chinese say: “Many trees make flowers, but only some bear fruit.”
• “Zhong ding yang chi.” Four become one. Bai wei, wai ying, zhong ding, (dantien).
• Taijiquan Jing (Classic/ the Treatise). “Taiji is the mother of yin/yang. When it moves it separates, when it is still it is harmonious/one unit. What does this mean?
• You need an alive root. “A tiger is rooted, yet does not have a root.”
• Chi is always down on the ground.