We have punching, then we have elbows and shoulders, sometimes we will use the palm, but the most common is punching. Although Zhǒu means elbow, it really is striking at a distance. When we are going to strike, we will prepare, relax and then strike. So, Zhǒu is striking at a distance whether it is using the fists, palms, elbows or legs. However, Tàijíquán we need to be able to strike whether we have distance or not. Sometimes we are so close to our opponent we cannot punch. Kào 靠 means close. We usually say, Kào Jìn 靠近, it means when someone is standing close to us. In Tàijíquán, Kào Jìn 靠勁 close and we strike from a close position, we are very close to the opponent and so we strike with the shoulder, chest, back, hip, waist or head. All these parts can be used to strike. This is Kào – close distance strike, which I would say includes the elbow strike. Therefore Zhǒu and Kào are striking from a distance or from close range.
Grandmaster Tse’s Tàijí Fist 291
If we keep developing it, then we will become spiritual and wiser. If we develop our Qì in our physical body, we will have more power for martial arts.
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This is why we must have a good Sīfú 師父 – Teacher who has higher level skill than us. Whatever we learn, if we want to be good, we need a teacher so that we can learn the proper skill. So, we need a good Sīfú to teach us the proper skill and then we can go and practise ten thousand times and get it right.
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The other side of Tàijíquán is the fighting skill. The fighting skill also has a theory and follows the principles of Yīn 陰 and Yáng 陽. This means that when we are fighting, we can use the soft skill and the hard skill.
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First thing we notice is we start to feel healthier and so for most things we feel more positive. Then we look good and our spirit is strong…
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