On "Abandoning Self and Following Others" in Tai Chi Combat - Zhang Zijun
The combat strategy of Tai Chi in pushing hands and free sparring can be summarized in four words: "abandoning self and following others."
"Abandoning self and following others" is the overarching principle and guideline. If you want to hit me, the common response would be to block or dodge you, then look for an opportunity to strike back. However, there's a more advanced method: if you want to hit me, I'll guide your hand towards my body. I'll follow your force, adding arcs and spiral movements, thus making your power subject to my command. To put it into a formula, your force combined with my force, through arcs and spiral motions, all comes under my control. This is what Tai Chi refers to.
Some might say, "I don't need the principle of 'abandoning self and following others' to still be able to knock someone down. Isn't that possible?" We say that although you may still be able to knock someone down, that isn't the essence of Tai Chi, nor does it match the sophistication of Tai Chi combat techniques. Tai Chi requires us to comply with the opponent no matter how harsh the conditions are during confrontation, to be able to "abandon self and follow others" under various circumstances, and to solve problems using sticking, adhering, connecting, and following. Meanwhile, "abandoning self and following others" aims to achieve the goals of "self-compliance and opposing non-compliance" and "leading into emptiness," making the opponent miss rather than hit. When you come, I make you miss; when you want to issue force, you can; when you want to strike, you can. Flexibility and openness follow freely. This is the elegant state that everyone in Tai Chi push hands and free sparring aspires to.
The core of "abandoning self and following others" is turning passivity into initiative, which is about protecting oneself with the optimal method. One must take the lead, skillfully dismantling the opponent's attack while simultaneously organizing and implementing one's own offensive. "Abandoning" should not be done without purpose, otherwise it's wasteful; "following" should not be blind, otherwise it will lead to being controlled. To achieve "abandoning self and following others," the following points should be mastered:
1. Conform to and alter the opponent's force
When both parties engage in combat and move forward, one party jumps out. It might feel like just a bump caused them to jump, but actually, in the instant of contact, a small circle was added, and this tiny arc motion made the other party float. Therefore, upon contact, first ascertain the direction of the opponent's force, try to follow their force and attempt to change its direction; otherwise, you might end up going out yourself, confused. Regularly train your sensitive touch and listening skills, don't consider temporary gains or losses. Winning once is a temporary gain, only by knowing the size, length, direction, and speed of the incoming force at the moment of contact can you have permanent gains. Following the opponent's force is just the surface; the process is to combine your force with the opponent's force and use arcs and spiral motions to change the direction of this force. We are required to follow this principle to resolve the first, second, and even third forces of the opponent. Imagine having this method of conforming and transforming, regardless of how strong the incoming force is, it will inevitably fall short and lose momentum, thereby being controlled by us.
2. Avoid losing or resisting
In push hands, there are two obvious mistakes: "losing" and "resisting." "Losing" and "resisting" are common issues when practicing Tai Chi. "Resisting" means stiffness, "losing" means softness. "Resisting" makes the force too hard; if your spiral motion has corners, planes, straight lines, concavities, convexities, and broken power, the opponent can easily detect your intentions, changing tactics to prevent you from proceeding, thus producing "resistance." We say that the ward-off energy is the general energy of Tai Chi. When the opponent applies force, receiving it is the ward-off, and the directions of ward-off are many: upper ward-off, front ward-off, etc., guiding the opponent's force in any direction is correct, except for the "direct resistance" direction, which is wrong. But for beginners, during confrontation, often so many correct methods are right in front of you, yet you overlook them and only know how to resist. However, this is a stage in learning Tai Chi that cannot be skipped, diligent practice naturally shortens the time needed to overcome this stage. While overcoming "resistance," be mindful of preventing "loss." "Loss" means softness, relaxation, lack of defense, complete collapse. "Losing oneself" is vastly different from "abandoning oneself;" "abandoning oneself" is for transformation, whereas "losing oneself" leaves no room for initiative, no subsequent moves, and failure is inevitable.
3. Have a sense of cyclic defense and continuous strikes
"Abandoning self and following others," while "leading into emptiness," also pay attention to ensuring that after one striking point departs, the next striking point quickly follows. When the opponent attacks, your hand retreats, but your elbow must advance, otherwise, you're giving up your position to the opponent. Using your hand rigidly to guard the front line might cause "resistance"; surrendering your position willingly is "loss." To avoid "loss" and "resistance," you must be adept at using the second point to protect the first, the third point to protect the second, after the hand comes the elbow, after the elbow comes the shoulder, after the shoulder comes the hand again, the hand goes down and the elbow rises, repeating endlessly. This is merely the variation of the upper three sections; if you can manage both sides effectively and use the whole body as one unit, utilizing the hand, elbow, shoulder, chest, hip, knee, leg, and foot in a cyclical manner for strikes, it becomes marvelously effective. At the same time, you must have the awareness of continuous strikes. Many people stop moving after sending someone flying during push hands, leaving them unprepared when the opponent counterattacks, which is due to the absence of the second strike. In fact, if another force were applied at that time, the opponent would have fallen. Even if there is no apparent second strike after the first one, mentally, you must stay focused on the opponent, ready for the second strike. Most importantly, the consciousness cannot be lost.
4. Guiding Hand and Striking Hand
In Tai Chi combat, distinguishing between "guiding hand" and "striking hand" is crucial for "abandoning self and following others." The fundamental purpose of "abandoning self and following others" is to "lead into emptiness," control the opponent, create a situation where oneself is compliant and the opponent is not, and then effectively strike the opponent. Thus, our two hands should have different roles. We call one hand the "guiding hand," mainly used to dissolve and guide the opponent's force, making it "fall into emptiness." The other hand is the "striking hand," responsible for attacking the opponent. Of course, these two hands are interconnected; only by coordinating and cooperating with each other can they accomplish the dual tasks of abandoning self and following others and striking the opponent. The determination of the "guiding hand" and "striking hand" depends on the direction of the body's rotation. If the body turns left, the left hand is the "guiding hand," and the right hand is the "striking hand;" if the body turns right, the right hand is the "guiding hand," and the left hand is the "striking hand." The role of the "guiding hand" is twofold: to guide and change the direction of the opponent's incoming force, and to direct the direction of our attack and make the opponent fall. The role of the "striking hand" is simpler: to set its position and expand outward, combining spiral self-rotation with the body's public rotation to implement the intention of striking the opponent. The role of the "guiding hand" outweighs that of the "striking hand." Through arcs and spiral movements, the "guiding hand" can make the opponent's incoming force find no leverage point on our side, dissolving their force seamlessly; the "striking hand" changes according to the variations of the "guiding hand." As the boxing theory states: "Leading into emptiness combines with issuing," "leading into emptiness" is the subtlety of the "guiding hand," "combining" is the function of the "striking hand," and "issuing" is the effect. If, in actual combat, the "guiding hand" and "striking hand" cannot be distinguished, then the application of techniques becomes aimless, and it will be impossible to practice the highest principle of Tai Chi combat—"abandoning self and following others."
5. "Storing and Issuing Transform Each Other" and "Dissolving and Striking Become One"
"Abandoning self and following others" boils down to a method whose purpose is to reach "storing and issuing transform each other;" its ultimate realm is "dissolving and striking become one." Any force consists of three elements: magnitude, direction, and point of application. By changing the point of application, controlling the direction of the opponent's incoming force, the magnitude of the force becomes irrelevant to us. Tai Chi has the treasures of sticking, adhering, connecting, and following. As long as there is contact with the opponent's limbs, we can follow their momentum and adapt, flexibly rotating and adjusting our balance, exploring the opponent's force situation, and responding appropriately based on the situation. During the process of sticking and moving, because of not losing or resisting, encountering force is dissolved immediately. When the opponent's force fails to reach its target, two scenarios can occur: continuing forward creates a disadvantageous posture, or terminating the force and retreating, which affects their center of gravity and provides us with opportunities to disrupt their balance. Simultaneously, this "dissolving" process is also our "storing" process. Once this process is completed, it signifies: first, the threat to us is eliminated, and second, a favorable situation where we are compliant and the opponent is not is created. Then we can transform "storing" into "issuing," and "dissolving" into "striking." This is called "storing and issuing transform each other." A higher realm is "dissolving and striking become one." Under the overall principle of "abandoning self and following others," Tai Chi masters can achieve "dissolving is striking, and striking is dissolving" when proficient in techniques and understanding force. Or in many cases, the first part of an action is "dissolving," and the latter part is "striking," with no visible transition, or the transition occurs seamlessly.
6. Utilize the Marvel of Folding
Boxing theory says: "Folding lies in the wrist." Actually, the entire body should be capable of folding, though the wrists and chest-waist areas fold the most. Folding in Tai Chi involves using circular spiral movements to change the direction of entwined force, meaning to go upward first downward, to the left first right, forward first backward. When the opponent's force arrives, a single fold dissipates it effortlessly. These reverse-direction movements easily give the impression of unpredictability, especially when the force is round and complete, making it harder for the opponent to anticipate your direction and angle. If you move linearly, the opponent can see it clearly. Additionally, adding speed to circular spiral movements results in shocking force, causing a brief blank in the opponent's mind or forcing them to inhale. Often, delivering a blow during the opponent's inhalation easily damages their joints, injures their tendons, or even harms their internal organs. Folding is a relatively intricate technique that facilitates "abandoning self and following others" and "leading into emptiness."
7. Incorporate Certain Body Methods and Step Techniques
If the opponent's force is powerful, solid, fast, and sharp, it adds difficulty to "abandoning self and following others." At such times, if hand techniques cannot resolve the situation, use body techniques; if body techniques cannot resolve, use steps. If one step doesn't work, use two; if two don't work, use three. Repeat as necessary. Tai Chi has five stepping methods: advancing, retreating, looking back, gazing forward, and stability. That is, advancing, retreating, looking left, looking right, and maintaining stability. Among the five steps, "stability" is fundamental, and the other steps evolve from it. When stepping stably, ensure that the fingers are rooted, allowing all joints to move. If the opponent's impact force is too great, you can retreat, but it's best not to. Stability ensures that your technical actions do not deform easily. Conversely, applying coiled silk force during movement offers more advantages. Therefore, in combat, if both parties' hand techniques and body techniques are somewhat delayed, whoever can use stepping methods to change the strength and direction of the opponent's force, pulling the opponent's center of gravity, achieves the goal of "self-compliance and opposing non-compliance."
In summary, "abandoning self and following others" is the overarching principle of Tai Chi combat techniques. On this basis, Tai Chi also possesses superior combat skills such as "overcoming hardness with softness," "controlling movement with stillness," "avoiding strength and hitting weakness," and "responding later but arriving first." These techniques represent the most brilliant parts of the profound Tai Chi system. They are easy to learn but difficult to master, easy to understand but challenging to practice. Only through diligent training, frequent summarization, courageous exploration, and continuous elevation can one possibly progress gradually and enter a sublime state.
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