Grandmaster Tse’s Tàijí Fist 太極拳 292 

When we practise Tàijíquán 太極拳, we find that every movement follows the same principle. Throughout the entire Tàijíquán form, each movement has the same attitude and the same method of movement. This principle is known as Chán Sī Jìn 纏絲勁 (Spiral Energy or Silk Reeling).

From the very first movement, Tàijí Qǐshì 太極起勢, to Single Whip 單鞭, Cloud Hands 雲手 and Step Forward with Seven Stars 上步七星, every movement is performed using Chán Sī Jìn. This is not the case in other arts, such as Dàyàn Qìgōng 大雁氣功 (Wild Goose Qìgōng), Wing Chun Kuen 詠春拳 or Chùn Yuén Quán 俊元拳, where the method of movement can be very different from one movement to another.

When beginners start learning Tàijíquán, they focus on remembering the sequence of the movements. Because each movement involves the whole body moving together in harmony and synchronisation, they often find it quite difficult. At this stage, they are not yet thinking about whether the movement is correct or whether it looks beautiful.

For this reason, Tàijíquán can be difficult to learn correctly. However, once one movement is understood and performed correctly, every movement can be improved because they all follow the same underlying principle of Chán Sī Jìn. The same is true of the second form. Although it is faster and contains more Fājìn 發勁 (Releasing Power), the principle of movement remains exactly the same.