Ji

I had read several times that press, or ji, is like those little steel ball desk toys where the end balls bounce eachother through all the other balls in between.
And on many levels I understood how the energy of one arm went through the other.
But what I did not realize is how far this transmission of energy from one limb, through another, can actually go.

For some time I have been practicing issuing force into objects of various textures, tones and flexibility. I found that there is a trick to sending energy into things, almost a frequency of strike that determines how the energy will go into, or bounce out of the object.

So recently I found that sharp energies, of the type that will ring steel like a bell, can be transmitted through a limb in a manner like press. Only the proper frequency will work, and there has to be something to transmit into after the limb that conducts. It is not the type of thing one can practice in the air, nor can slow forces capture it, it is truly something else to see.

Normally I can make a hand rail of steel wobble by striking it, but by striking it through one limb, I found that I could issue more force into it than by striking it with one hand alone. This is not the type of thing a heavy bag works well for and I am at a loss for word based explanation of how to learn this.

Whatever the case, the energy of press is amazing, almost incomprehensible even.

Open gates

I have heard it said that every time someone strikes they have a vulnerability. I did not realize how true this was until the other day when I was doing push hands in the park. Every time my partner or I had an open door or gate we would remind each other with a friendly thump. But it got to the point that nearly every time there was an opening we got hit. Being jabbed in the side over and over is an educational experience.

It soon became clear that there was only one viable defense against many of the strikes, when the opponent moves to strike in the open door, you also move and arrive first. The best defense is often a good offense and this method was the only consistent way to avoid getting hit at specific points in the game. While aggressive techniques are often downplayed in taiji, when used properly they really command the situation and maintain initiative. To get caught up in defending began to result in failure over and over, instead the only viable defense for me was to quit responding to attacks by way of defense and respond with offense. The only way to do this was to stop being passive, instead of reacting I had to act like a cat, I got ready to pounce and instead of merely acting on my own I waited for the opening of the attack to present itself.

Every attack has a weak spot, a vulnerability, an open gate. This is yin and yang in a way, if the duifang hits high you hit low, if they hit left you hit right. I understand now why it is said that my opponent moves first and I arrive first, this is part of the brilliance of taijiquan, and without this understanding there is little that can be done against a skilled player. At least this has been my experience.

Quote

It is said that to reach the depth of wushu, one has to learn widely. Only the devoted one will master the arts. The man, who has acquired very wide knowledge, spent regular time in wushu practice and training in the mornings and evenings, is able to achieve the peak of wushu in mind and body