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I had always been curious on the “slow” movement of Taiji. The difference in the speed of routine performance between Taiji and other external style that I had been practising for years.

Years of training and seeking, I would like to share with all about my understanding on the “slow & steady” of Taiji Quan.

All Taiji emphasis on soft and relax, but Chen Style also has a variation in speed and using springy trembling force to generate power. IMO, to really why Taiji is done so slowly, we got to look back into the history on the development of Taiji Quan!

Yang Style Taiji was derive from Chen Style when Late GM Yang Lu-chan (杨禄禅宗师) learn the art. In the beginning, Yang Style Taiji do have “Hop, Skip and Jumps”. But after 3 generation of study, research and implementation, it evolve to the current slow and slow framework.

Wú (吴) Style and Wǔ (武) Style Taiji are both a variation lineage from Yang Style; Sun Style founder LGM Sun Lu-tan (孙禄堂) was studying under the tutelage of Wǔ Style LGM Hao Wei-zhen (郝为真). Hence we can see the similarities of Yang, Wú, Wǔ and Sun style taiji.

A lot of trainee, when starting to learn taiji, is just monkey see monkey do, following the trainer or senior practising taiji with slow and ease, but with no knowledge on why was it done so.

In fact, doing routine slowly is actually very much harder then doing it fast! The slow movement and control of the various stances to maintain a practical weight shift and centralizing gravity weight can cause beginner much ache in their leg muscles. Without strong leg power for endurance, it is very difficult to even complete a full sets of Yang 108, correctly, not to mentioned to include the intention and context of the routine art itself!

Also, to do it slowly, one has to be extra focus on what one is doing. Because while you are trying to do it slowly, you start to have more “time” to see and do other things, which will lead to losing focus on what you are actually doing!

The entire slow and relax movement of Taiji, beside training one’s physical ability, conditioning one’s mental focus, it also aids one’s breathing technique. The movement of Taiji, although is slow, the entire routine does not at any instant has a physical motionless halt.

All movement are done continuously with either the hand, leg and/or body always in motion.

So why does Taiji routine had to be done forever so slowly?

In the “Classic Theory”, there is no definite answer to the question, it seems like a nature way of practising taiji.

IMO, I break down the reasoning behind the slow-mo of Taiji:

1. To correctly position every movement and frame work, to the extend of how one should focus and where to focus, to the limit of one’s mind controlling effortlessly one’s movement.
2. To prolong the possibility of “Chi” – in sports science, anaerobic exercise.
3. To correctly utilise one’s control over the “Chi” to influence the energy that one is producing.

I’m not a taiji practitioner nor am I a taiji exponent. My understanding of taiji is purely from my experience. I may be wrong and I stand corrected.

I remember once, I ask in the forum about 《四两拨千斤》. I was told that “须有千斤意,才能阻千斤力,再发四两气”. I thought it means – “one needs to have the ability to stop the thousand catty with a thousand catty then counter with 4 ounce strength”.

Apparently, I was wrong, very wrong. I was corrected by a master that in Taiji, you should 《引进落空》- “to lure the opponent to enter and fall into a trap of emptiness”. With the understanding of such, you are to lure the opponent that throws the thousand catty of punch at you by either carrying the force away from the contact point or allowing him to hit an emptiness, before you retaliate with just 4 ounce of strength by following the flow of his attack, using his momentum to generate a greater force to hit him back.

All this are done by understanding your body; All this are done by doing Taiji, slowly…

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