weapons’ forms

When I need extra practice for my weapons forms I need a reminder to practice.

For example, the other day when I was practicing my sword form in the garden I felt I had drifted away from some of the postures into incorrect shapes.

So I checked my notes and yes, there were a couple of spots where I had been incorrectly performing the postures. And to get back on track I decided to add more practice time for the sword form.

I grabbed my wooden sword and placed it in my living room where I could see it and every now and again I’d pick it up and briefly run through the form.

Even while watching television, laying on the couch, I could see the sword and would occassional get up and practice the form.

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Counter balance is an important concept and skill in Tai Chi.

Without it you are in danger of toppling over. It is difficult to achieve in the hands form and even more difficult when performing dynamic weapons’ forms such as the sabre, spear and staff.

I’ll focus on counter balancing in the weapons’ forms for this post.

When you lunge forward in either the sabre, spear and staff forms you need to be aware of anchoring your rear foot so you stay balanced.

Once you have lunged forward bring your focus and chi into your rear leg and down into the ground.

If your focus is only on the weapon and the direction you are going in – the momentum of your lunge may throw you off balance.

It may be an extreme shift where you stumble or a subtle shift where you are not properly grounded with your rear leg.

The counter balance technique acts as a brake and will make your form more stable and powerful.

Footnote: – This technique also applies to sword forms where you lunge forward.

In Sight In Mind In Action

Tai Chi: Counter Balance