To practice Taiji Quan, just as with any other sports, you must acquire a good foundation from the very beginning, gradually improve your skills, and finally perfect them. Roughly speaking, learning to practice Taiji Quan may be divided into three stages. In the first stage you should lay a good foundation in the positions and movements. Beginners should first acquire a clear understanding of the basics including hand forms, hand techniques, stances, footwork, body form, body work, leg work and eye techniques. Make sure your positions are correct and the movements are smooth and soft. In the second stage, you .should begin to grasp the correct method of how to change from movement to movement, and the characteristics of the movements. Make sure that the movements are continuous, well-connected, circular and coordinated, with the limbs moving in unison. In the third stage, emphasis should be put on the application of force, consciousness, and the combination of breathing and movements. Make sure that the movements are executed lightly and firmly, 'that hardness is combined with softness and the mind, and that energy and force are integrated both internally and externally. A brief description of the essential points for learning the 48 Forms of Taiji Quan is as follows: In the first stage, for the foundation work, attention should be paid to the following points: (I) Correctness: In learning to practice Taiji Quan you must, first of all, keep your body upright and comfortable, and take the correct position. When raising the head and straightening the neck, dropping the shoulders and elbows, relaxing the waist and holding in the buttocks, special attention should be paid to keeping the spine straight and the shoulders and hips relaxed and flat to ensure an upright torso. The positions for the other parts of the body should also be executed earnestly and correctly as required. As a matter of fact, ignorance of the essential points for any one part of the body will lead to a deformation in the positions of the other parts. For example, if the buttocks protrude, the waist will be affected, the chest will be thrust out, and the abdomenal muscles will become tense, causing errors in the execution of the movements. Therefore, the beginners must not seek quick progress or learn hastily and carelessly. (II) Stability: To ensure that the torso is upright and comfortable, it is first of all necessary to keep the lower limbs stable. The stances and footwork are the foundation of good positions and movements. If the steps are too small and too narrow or the positions and angles of the feet are not correct, and the distinction between emptiness and solidness is not clear while excuting the movements, instability of the body will result. Therefore, beginners must first have a clear understanding of the stances and footwork. You can properly grasp the timing for the change of body weight by practicing the stances and different steps separately. Or you can practice the different leg techniques (heel, toe, and side kick) and do more exercises to improve the pliability of the waist. This can also increase lower-limb strength and improve the stability of the movements. (III) Relaxation: Beginners should pay attention to relaxation when executing the movements. The body parts should be fully extended and the movements should be soft and natural. Beginners are likely to use clumsy force and become unnecessarily nervous. In laying the foundation, the body parts must be relaxed and the movements must be soft. Strive to overcome nervousness and stiff movement. (IV) Lightness and softness: In order to acquire lightness, slowness, softness and gentleness required by Taiji Quan movements, beginners should do the exercises slowly and softly, and apply the force lightly and evenly. Generally speaking, slow movements and light force at the beginning help make correct movements at the right pace and avoid incorrect force application. In the second stage, a firm grasp of the rules of Taiji Quan movements should be stressed. In order to demonstrate the characteristics of Taiji Quan, we must focus on the following points: (I) Continuity: After a certain foundation has been laid for the positions and movements, the next step is to make the entire exercise continuous. All movements should be well connected with those preceeding and those following. The whole set of exercises should be done without interruption, like flowing water and floating clouds. The end of one exercise is the exact beginning of the following one. For example, at the beginning, the four movements of warding off, stroking, pushing, and pressing can be practiced separately. After you are skilled in these exercises, you should connect them fluidly and practice them as one. Although there should be a certain sense of rhythm between two exercises (as though a slight pause after one exercise is finished), the one following should be started immediately as though the previous exercise seemed to pause, but did not pause. The whole set of exercises should be well connected and done continuously without breaks. There should be no pause. (II) Coordination: Taiji Quan is an exercise for the whole human body. It calls for the movement of all parts at the same time, and good coordination among them. In executing the "cloud hand," for example, when the waist is turned, it drives the arms out to draw circles in the air with the palms turning inside and outside together continuously with the movement of the buttocks, and the legs supporting the entire body to move and turn to the left or to the right, while the head also turns naturally with the torso. At the same time, the eyes look at the upper hand. In this way, the whole body moves in coordination, with close cooperation between all the body's elements. (III) Circularity: Taiji Quan movements are formed by various arcs and curves. Once this rule is grasped, you can consciously avoid straight-line movements, dead turns, and right angles, and make your movements circular. The waist is pivotal for generating the movement of the limbs. Only when the waist is used as the pivot, is it possible to make hand movements and foot work circular, smooth, light, gentle and flexible. The third stage is known by some as the stage for "training the mind, energy and power." In this stage, attention should be given to the following points: (I) Make a clear distinction between emptiness and solidness, and combine softness with hardness. In Wushu exercises the contradictary changes are often called the changes between the empty and the solid. In Taiji Quan as a whole the end of a movement in the final position is solid and the process of changing the movement is empty. In the separate exercises, the main supporting leg is the "solid" and the auxiliary supporting leg, or the moving and changing leg, is the "empty" one; and the arm which demonstrates the main content of the exercise is the "solid," while the auxiliary and supporting hand is the "empty" one. When the empty and the solid are clearly defined, in applying the force there should be both tension and relaxation. The solid movements and parts call for heavy and substantial force, while the empty movements and parts call for gentle and implicit force. For example, when the exercise comes to the final position or is nearing the finish, the waist and joints should be relaxed and stable. When the exercises are changed, the joints of the whole body should be relaxed and invigorated. When the movements of the upper limbs change from empty to solid, the forearms should be firm, and the palms should be fully extended, with the fingers relaxed and the wrists flat. The fists should be clenched first loosely and then tightly. When changing from empty to solid, the movement of the forearm should be gentle with the fists loosely clenched. In conjunction with the changing movements between the empty and the solid, there is both softness and force and tension and relaxation, alternating one with the other. The exercises are light, gentle and firm, with the equal application of force for all movements. (II) Continuous movements and integral force. A part from the combination of softness and hardness, Taiji Quan calls for the uninterrupted application of even and integral force. Interrupted application of force means interruption, discontinuity, pause, and sudden change in the application of force. To ensure the continuous flow of force it is necessary to grasp the rules for making the movements continuous, coordinated, and circular. The force in Taiji Quan, which originates from the waist and legs, is applied to the arms and hands, and is focused on the fingers. When the exercises are started, the body moves as an integral whole, with the waist as the pivot. The turn of the waist is in harmony with the stretching and bending of the legs, the outward or inward movement of the feet, and the shift of the body weight. The movement of the arms is also prompted by the turning of the waist. Stressing the release of force from the waist and legs and the application of integral force does not mean ignoring the role played by the upper limbs. The frequent changes in the movement of the arms in Taiji Quan is an expression of the application of force in concentrated form. For example, when the forearm turns outward, a slight force is applied by its side with the little finger as if twisting the force outward. When the forearm turns inward, a slight force is applied by its side with the thumb as if twisting the force inward. When it is pushed forward, apart from the wrist which slightly resists the force, the middle and index fingers receive the force as if the force is focused on the fingertips in your mind. Although the movements are always changing, the force is applied continuously without interruption. To sum up, the combination of softness and hardness mentioned above refers to the change of force, and the continuous application of force refers to the integrity of the force. (III) Concentration and use of the mind to guide the movement. Taiji Quan calls for the concentration of the mind from beginning to end. After you are skilled in doing the exercises your attention should become focused on the application of force. For example, when you do the stroking exercise, you must have the consciousness of drawing or stroking an object. When you do the pressing exercise, you must have the imagination of pushing and pressing forward. From this related mental activitity guiding the application and change of the force, you can make sure that "once there is an idea, the body moves" and "force is applied as soon as an idea occurs." When these mental activities play a dynamic role in guiding the movements, it not only helps apply the force more fully and make the movements more accurate, but also to produce a direct effect in regulating the central nervous system, strengthening the functions of the organs, and improving the medical effect. Therefore, some people call Taiji Quan an "exercise of consciousness." As to how the mind guides the movements in Taiji Quan, special attention should be paid to the following points in both understanding and practice: First, concentration of the mind does not mean nervousness and stiff movements. The mental activities must be in harmony with the hardness and softness and the tension and relaxation of the force to form the movements with rhythmic changes. The mental activities and the application of force are two aspects of a unity. They should both reflect the characteristics of "being heavy but not stiff, and being light but not floating." Second, though the mind, force and movement are identical, there are nevertheless primary and secondary elements. The mind guides the force, and the force leads to the movements. Taiji Quan calls for "first the mind, and then the body." The force is continuous when the movements change, and the mind is continuous when the force changes. However, relations between the primary and the secondary should not be understood as discontinuity. The changes of mind should be demonstrated in the force and movements. In practicing Taiji Quan, you should not seek "empty quietness" or "the mind with circles and the form without circles." In that case, the mental activities would be unfathomable and incapable of transmission to others. (IV) Breathing naturally to coordinate the exercises Breathing should be deep, long, smooth, and natural in Taiji Quan. Beginners should start with natural breathing. After developing some skills, you can consciously guide the breathing on the basis of your own experience and needs to better suit the requirement of the force application and the exercises. Such breathing is called "boxing breathing." For example, when a Taiji exercise is nearing its fixed position, steadiness, compactness and substantial force are called for. At this time, you should consciously coordinate the exercises with breathing so that the chest is relaxed, the ribs restrained, and the belly filled. In this way breathing is used to assist the force. The changes in the Taiji exercises are complicated. Generally speaking, when the movements change from solid to empty, the force is implicit and light, the shoulder blades are unfolded, the chest is expanded, and you should inhale. Or the contrary, when the movements change from empty to solid the force is heavy and concentrated, the shoulder blades arc closed, the chest contracts, and you should exhale. Such combinations are identical to physiological needs during the exercises This is the exact application of the principles of "using the mind to direct the flow of energy and using the energy to motivate the movement of the body" and the "combination of breathing and force." "Boxing breathing" in Taiji Quan is used to change the spontaneous activity of breathing into consciously guided breathing. The use of "boxing breathing" is by no means absolute since Taiji Quan exercises are not choreographed to the beat of human breathing. Not only do different exercises call for different breathing patterns, but people of different physiques doing the same exercise cannot be forced to breathe in the same way. To put it succinctly, "boxing breathing" should be used only when doing the primary exercises or the exercises which clearly call for the opening and closing of the chest and shoulders. When practicing the transitional exercises and exercises which you find difficult to coordinate with breathing, natural breathing or auxiliary breathing (short breathing) is needed for regulation. Therefore, no matter how great your Taiji Quan skills, "boxing breathing" and "natural breathing" are always combined to ensure that breathing and movements are naturally and appropriately coordinated. Don't try listing procedures for breathing, this will make breathing too mechanical and absolute. Ailing or weak people in particular should practice Taiji Quan in the ways suited to their own conditions, using natural and smooth breathing. If they adopt "boxing breathing" in an awkward way, it will harm health instead of improving.
