Way of the Tai Chi Sword - Yang Style Taijijian

4 p.
(Выходные данные не указаны).Apparatus training is an essential part of the Yang Style Taijiquan curriculum. Of the two short weapons, Dao, or Sabre and Jian, or Straightsword used in Taijiquan’s syllabus, the latter is by far the most intricate and developed in its method. In martial lore the Straightsword is commonly respected as The King of Short Weapons.
Known also as the narrow blade, or double-edged sword, the Straightsword was often seen in traditional Chinese culture as a way to cut through veils of illusion, ego and attachment and is associated with spiritual refinement as much as with martial efficacy. Straightsword masters, male and female, are frequently revered in Chinese history as both highly skilled martial heroes and illuminated people.
A command of the tradition Taijiquan weapons, Sabre, Straightsword and Qiang, or Spear, enables practitioners to take the early concepts from barehand solo and partner work much further, bringing the work to higher levels of skill. This in turn matures the understanding of the early stages of the curriculum. For example, in the barehand work we come to understand the basic structure of the Gong Bu, or Bow Stance. This enables us to learn solo form and Push Hands drills correctly and progress to weapons training. But when we begin to study Sabre or Straightsword, we see that the Bow Stance behaves quite differently than in barehand circumstances. It often needs to be longer and narrower to support the use of the blade. Having learned and corporealized this we can then explore the stance variations in a barehand context which in turn enables us to develop new sword-like barehand skills. Thus in order to deepen understanding of barehand work, apparatus training is used…