Zhao Bao Chen Style Taijiquan

The standing training, Song  Gong, and Push Hands training, all work in concert to help the practitioner develop the quality of  " Bu Dui , Bu Ding " in the arms.  This is often translated as "don't insist ,don't resist " .  The second level of achievement is to develop that quality in the legs . One of the errors in training tournament. Push hands. Is that practitioners often develop a quality of bracing or pushing with the legs. This is similar to the type of power one might use to push a heavy piece of furniture. The following footage shows me first interacting with Alex and showing that when I engage my muscles and tendons, he can easily defect my posture and take me out. When the arms are released , I can issue force on him without having to contend with his resistant quality as it is neutralized by the open joints . The second level, I demonstrate how when I stop resisting with my legs I become more stable. I even wiggle my legs to show that they are not in a stiff resistant quality , I then slightly and quickly close my chest, which causes the force to go up the outside part of Alex's arms, I then press the heel of the foot and release the JIN through my torso and out of my chest uprooting Alex.

Achievement of the limbs

This footage shows me demonstrating the substantial and   insubstantial elements of the palm when applying force. I apply force downward in this example against the ward off Energy of Alan . When I endeavor to use strength and utilize the hand as one energy such as Yang , His resistant, defensive, energy can bridge my joints through the tension in my tendons , and affect my posture. When I press down, if I let the fingertips sink first, becoming Yang first, and then let the palm of my hand, or rather the heel of the palm sink, secondly, and sequentially, it will cause him to float up onto his toes, even if I do not use much pressure .  This is something that is very useful because when you sever someone's root their ability to neutralize force is compromised . Their ability to receive force is compromised, and they are basically in a position where they can be struck easily, and cannot defend against it effectively.

Clearly differentiate , substantial and insubstantial

The following footage is simply a clip where Alex ,in his attempt to seek a place to put his force, falls into emptiness. This is a concept, often preceded by me, probing my opponent for a response.  When the response is heavy, I simply remove the resistance

, causing them to fall on nothing . This method is particularly useful when someone endeavors to use their mass or strength on you as their committed efforts create momentum that they find difficult to control .I add complexity to this action by following him from the backside of his body on his upper left shoulder with a light enough following force, that he does not detect it.  I use that to accelerate his momentum. This is an example of utilizing 4 ounces to topple a thousand pounds as stated in the classics. If I did not harmonize the power of my right hand with the dissolving of my left, he would have sensed it and made an adjustment, instead he ended up feeling neither.

Thanks for watching! If you like what you saw, there’s a link below to my online course! It’s packed with over a year’s worth of lessons based on my 30+ years of teaching.

Come learn the forms and exercises I’ve used to boost my health, hone my martial skills, and pass on the knowledge to my students.

Zhong Ding Healing Arts | Zhong Ding Tai Chi Chuan