Once again it's time to answer reader's queries. But first I'd like to deal with a question from one of the participants at the recent Combat Seminars in Birmingham. The gentleman concerned is a practitioner of Escrima among other arts and he told me that often after a hard training session he finds it hard to sleep and he asked if I could suggest a solution.
We all have within us a primitive fight or flight response developed over millions of years so that humanity could deal with dangerous situations. Every martial arts has methods, some direct some indirect, to help develop this response, but many seem to either neglect or to fail to emphasise the importance of being able to deal with the negative effects of stress.
One of the reasons why practitioners of the Japanese martial arts go into mokuso both before and after a class is to utilise the calming influence of Zen meditation to focus themselves for the pressures they will face during the class and so that after the class they can bring down their heart rate, level of blood lactate and breathing rate, all of which naturally increase with mental or physical stress.
Yet how many people realise that Zen is the Japanese for Chan, the name of a school of Chinese Buddhism with heavy Taoist influences ? How many people, instructors and students alike, realise the purpose of mokuso or do it for long enough to produce the desired effect ? In Tai Chi Chuan classes there is not normally any meditation per se, but the 12th Yang exercise in Tai Chi Nei Kung is designed to work along similar principles being used in conjunction with a simple mantra and I often use it myself before going to bed; either that or I follow the advice of the Combat Doctor in a recent column and consume lager and crisps - purely to restore sugar and salt levels.
Herbert Benson, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Hypertension Section of Boston's Beth Israel Hospital has termed this type of meditative solution the "Relaxation Response". This meditative type of response requires 4 conditions:-
1) a quiet environment
2) a word/phrase to be repeated mentally
3) a passive attitude
4) holding a comfortable position for 10-20 minutes
For a long time this relaxation response was provided in our society by organised religion, but for many people this is no longer a part of their lives and this I believe is one of the reasons for deaths and illnesses caused by hypertension in our society. So the solution for our friend would seem to be to take up meditation, Tai Chi or religion or to consume more lager.
Now for some questions that readers have sent in. Joseph Peragaya from London asks whether Tai Chi is just an exercise or a martial art. Well the answer depends on who is practicing it and what they are practicing. For example I don't consider that either kickboxing or Wu Shu are truly martial arts as the former lacks artistic elements and has a limited repertoire of techniques while the latter is mainly concerned with aesthetic and gymnastic appearance and incorporates many moves that are useless from a martial point of view. Tai Chi Chuan has within it grappling, striking, weapon training, full contact training method, but also contains soft and gentle exercise. For some it is a martial art, for many it is not.
Peter O'Mahay, a serving police officer from Cumbria, asks whether the concept of internal power is really a trick dependent on body mechanics or whether there is more to it. As I've said in past columns certain demonstrations such as withstanding a push from a group of people are really a matter of body mechanics and can be done by virtually anyone off the street yet they are often claimed by the demonstrator or his students to be "Chi power". Other "masters" send their students hurtling through the air with a flick of the wrist yet are strangely unwilling or unable to replicate this feat with strangers. In Tai Chi Chuan there is no such thing as "Chi power". The term for the type of power used in Tai Chi Chuan is Jin/Jing and this is trained in pushing hands and the 24 Nei Kung exercises.
There are, however, genuine examples of internal strength such as withstanding someone jumping from a height of 6' onto the abdomen. Also someone skilled in internal power should be able to deliver short range force similar to Bruce Lee's 1" punch with palm or punch. Although of course both these examples also require correct use of the body, they are genuine skills which take time to develop.
Mike Gorton from Stafford asks if I can recommend an instructor to him, he knows of one Tai Chi instructor who practices acupuncture, but who is uninterested in the martial arts aspects.As Mike says in his letter, this is an incomplete philosophy yet it is a disturbingly prevalent one and some instructors are even proud of such ignorance.
Mike goes on to say that he has rejected Karate and Taekwondo as being too linear/stiff, while Aikido is perhaps not a complete practical defence system, but is attracted by the concept of evasion that both Aikido and Kung Fu emphasise in view of his size (he is 10 stone). I have sent him details of one of my students who teaches locally, but this is a common problems. The choice often boils down to either travelling a bit further to receive higher level tuition in your preferred art or finding high level tuition locally in another system. This situation is now changing for the better in the Tai Chi Chuan world.
Daniel Jones from Telford has a number of questions. The first is how in the absence of a recognised certificate of proficiency or grading system how can you ascertain an instructor's ability or authenticity ? Here membership of an organisation such as the BCCMA or TCUGB is of some help as both these organisations check out the background of prospective members. However, in both organisations there are some highly experienced and capable instructors while others are not so well qualified. The best bet is to go to a few schools and check them out. See if you like the training method, the way the students move, how the instructor relates to the students etc. Personally I put no faith in certificates or gradings in any martial art. Daniel then asks if there any books on the self-defence/fighting aspects of Tai Chi Chuan. I can but recommend my recent book "Instant Tao", available from me @ £13 including P&P. Send cheques made out to me to 9 Ashfield Road, London N14 &LA.
Hazel Forbes from Greenock asks about videos on Tai Chi. The trouble here is that there are about as many videos as there are styles of Tai Chi Chuan, such as the David Carradine Tai Chi video which shows an art that most instructors I know would not consider to be a recognisable form of Tai Chi Chuan.
Linda Watt from Glasgow asks about different forms of Tai Chi Chuan which she finds confusing. Though there are different styles and even styles within styles, fundamentally there is only good and bad Tai Chi and this depends on the instructor, so I would refer her to my answer to Daniel Jones.
Paul Window from Norfolk asks about belts and grades in Tai Chi Chuan. Traditionally there are none and students are elder or younger brothers or sisters in relation to one another while their Sifu is the father and his peers are uncles and aunts to his students. Just as in life a younger sister can be better than an elder brother so family seniority is not a guarantee of ability. A number of Tai Chi schools have introduced gradings and belts and good luck to them. I have introduced teaching certificates on different levels for my own students to give some degree of quality control.
People are now talking about the NVQ system as if it is a panacea for all the ills of martial arts. It is simply another method for the government to try and regulate us and an opportunity for the smooth men in suits and blazers, generals without soldiers to try to separate the rest of us from our hard earned cash. My teacher would fail NVQ Level 1, never mind Level 5, yet he has produced international champions and is a famous master. It is another example of the British obsession to have people pass examinations and to produce a generation of paper tigers. The only tests that matter in the end are the street and the market place. Well, I think it's time for that lager and crisps.