Tai Chi Fundamentals 8a - "Dantian Rotation" (part one)

[MrLeungwingho]

Dantian is a point of gravity of physical body and it is a axis of body either.

Dantian is a secret of martial art in Kung Fu.

Radius force is 3.1416 times of straight force.

Softness can control hardness.

[whsskdhkf]

But the biggest flaw in externalizing the original system is that without the proper guidance, people just look at those external dantian bounce in demonstrations, try it for themselves, and end up just moving their chests or using shoulders to lash rather than connecting the entire body. So this whip like shockwave movement is a concept used in external gongfu. rather than going 1-2-3 from leg - upper body - hands, it should be everything going simultaneously. That subtle concept is "internal"

[martialtaichi]

@whsskdhkf

My Chen style teacher described my form as "very very good - very crack" and asked me to perform in public demos, so I'm happy thanks.

[whsskdhkf]

that's the problem with the modern Xin Jia or Hunyaun systems in Chen style. Xin Jia was developed so that young people who hasn't yet recognized the subtlety of Lao Jia can practice with the external circles, so that the internal subtlety would at some point just "kick in" And then they can go back to Lao Jia and hide the silk reeling in subtle and linear looking movements.

[whsskdhkf]

I see chest rotations, but i see no dantian rotation. Well actually you aren't even supposed to see it. That's why it's called Neijia . The circular movements with the dantian or even simple silk reeling that looks linear and doesn't look circular at all have spirals so small and subtle that you don't actually see it rotating outside. Why do you think taichi masters never publish videos on dantian rotation and only demonstrate it with another person's hand on their dantian in their seminars?

[martialtaichi]

@whsskdhkf

You can't put a hand on a "dantian" because a "dantian" does not exist. Movement can be expressed large or small, but it involves the same muscles. Start big and gradually you attain the ability to express movement more subtly. I spent 9 hours yesterday teaching a seminar in which we combined whole body reeling silk on all 3 planes with various combinations, shapes, sizes and movement qualities for different combat applications.

[whsskdhkf]

Chill, it's just a term asians came up with. Why do you call your arm an "arm?" because it's an arm. It's just a word that people decided to use when they found out about a point in their body that can control body movements. I don't know why you're telling me about your 9 hour seminar and your teacher asking you to perform in public because I couldn't care less about your credentials if what I see isn't something proper.

[martialtaichi]

@whsskdhkf

I'm saying what I'm saying because I see you have a very typical attitude for someone who practices something they describe as "internal". It is a sadly delusional elitist conceptual framework. Calling an arm an arm is fine because arms exist. The term dan tian means elixir field, not abdomen, there is a big difference. If someone believed they could fire laser beams from their fingertips they might call their fingers "ray guns", but others might disagree.

[whsskdhkf]

@martialtaichi Wow... okay, that's a lot of incorrect judgement and misunderstanding of terms right there. Way to go in thinking that what everybody thinks is the wikipedia definition. Did I say anything about rayguns and storing life force in a illusionary vessel under your navel? Once you use your lower lungs to breath, the point under your navel moves, People who didn't tore up human body to find out what's in there there was a breathing organ under the navel, Hence the term "red field"

[martialtaichi]

@whsskdhkf

No - you didn't, but you are assuming a position of authority and inferring you have an ability to correct. I know it is the zeitgeist, but not everyone has to join in. I'm a good cook, but if I went to a restaurant, I wouldn't go in to the kitchen and start telling the chef how to sauté onions. Please don't assume from my saying this that I care one way or another - I just like to call people on it, because everyone assumes they have a right to comment and I don't agree.

[martialtaichi]

... I used to have the setting to refuse comments.... but then I got slagged off for that on forums and blogs.... I hate the martial arts world, don't you?

[abraxnos]

@martialtaichi I think your Ok...not nearly enough women practice real internal arts..Keep it up!

[martialtaichi]

@abraxnos

thanks

[whsskdhkf]

@martialtaichi Martial arts requires subtle control of your lower waist and requires your rest of your body to correspond with it. That lower waist point happened to be in the similar spot with the imaginary organ that they use in Oriental medicines, and in order to put it in to more concise word in the writing people started to use the term "dantien" So if you go to really old teacher who doesn't talk fancy, they'll most of the times tell you "use your waist, connect your waist and your limbs

[whsskdhkf]

@martialtaichi You seem to lack the ability to demonstrate that. And believe me, I'm also saying what I say because I was also at a point when i thought like you did and believed that I solved everything I need to know about Tai Chi and that teachers were taking advantage of people saying that they need to practice for a long time just because I figured out that simple mechanics.

[MolumBoxer]

so ur saying circular soft motions can generate a condensed amount of chi and inhaling it through the nose ill purify it and give one great INTERNAL Force

[martialtaichi]

Oh - I don't believe in chi or internal force.

[MolumBoxer]

@martialtaichi how do u not believe in chi? what do u breathe everyday? how can u move without chi? y do u practice internal arts?

[martialtaichi]

@MolumBoxer

I believe in breath and in oxygenated blood, but that is not what you mean, is it?

As for internal and external - I don't believe in internal arts in the way most people mean. If you mean arts that are movement economical when generating power, then sure - I practice those - power moving up from the feet through the muscles inside the body rather than large movements through the air... obvious to subtle to hidden - sure, I do those. Magic mystic energies - no - they don't exist.

[originaLmonk2]

ow nice video series thank you !

[martialtaichi]

you're welcome :)

[drklight2000]

First, get well before spread whatever you had. One of the most confusing things i have encountered is the very philosphical or "fluffy" talk when talking about the dantian or body movement. The people that i have gotten the most out of are those who talk about the structure, muscles then esoteric talk.

[engineering07]

@drklight2000 you think this is "fluffy"? then you have seen nothing yet :-) wait till you see guys talking about how qi and energy flows from dantian to fingers or stuff like that. Despite the use of the term Dantian, which is a valid concept btw, she explained very clearly what she meant. Do don't comment like this if you don't even bother to understand.

[drklight2000]

we have a misunderstanding, this clip does a good job in describing how the body moves.

When i was refering to fluffy talk it was to all the other books and videos that use the talk you stated in your reply.

again this clip is not fluffy but one should look at to get a better understanding of tai chi

[martialtaichi]

thank you both for your positive comments, guys :)