From: edramirez@... <edramirez@...>
Subject: Re: [taichi_phil] The Unique Hands of Tai Chi Chuan
To: taichi_phil@yahoogroups.com
Date: Monday, June 16, 2008, 1:37 AM

I think the observation of Michael Gilman in his article refers to those
who are practicing without the keen guidance of an authentic teacher.
Those who have teachers who constantly check their students won't have
this problem.

In my opinion, the most important concept to understand in practicing an
internal martial art is the use of the correct whole-body body mechanics.
It's not just a matter of moving the hands and fingers in a certain way,
but it's entirely the orchestration of the whole body to create the
movement. In the end, this creates the illusion that a move is done with
hands or fingers, but in reality, it's the whole body.

Hope this helps.

Ed Ramirez
waterboxing. com

> Now, here's an interesting article by Michael Gilman, tai chi instructor,
> to deepen your knowledge about tai chi.
> &nbsp;
> &nbsp;
> The Unique Hands of Tai Chi Chuan
> by Michael Gilman
> &nbsp;
> At the most basic level, as well as the very highest, Tai Chi Chuan is a
> martial art. Every aspect of this art must adhere to the martial
> principles or it can't be called Chuan which means martial form or fist.
> Many people are adverse to the study of a martial art and therefore look
> at Tai Chi Chuan as a Chi Kung exercise, which of course it is, yet it is
> a martial chi kung. Many people like Tai Chi as a meditation art, which it
> is, yet it isn't a transcendental meditation to take us away from the
> body, but a natural meditative system with the intention of unifying the
> body, mind and spirit.
>
> With this in mind I want to talk about the role of the hands in Tai Chi
> Form. The hands are the main tools for our interacting with others and our
> environment. The hands contain over one quarter of all the bones of the
> body. One sixth of all the muscles of the body are used in hand movements.
> A single hand movement can involve as many as 50 muscles working together.
> There are as many as 21,000 sensors of heat, pressure, and pain per square
> inch of the fingertips. The hands can destroy or heal, cause pleasure or
> pain.
> &nbsp;
> Tools are designed to perform certain tasks. A hammer is used to sink a
> nail, a saw to cut , a screwdriver to insert or extract a screw. Hands are
> also designed for specific tasks. The long, slender fingers of the monkey
> are used for grasping branches. The mole has short fingers with broad,
> strong nails used for digging. The whales fingers are webbed to move
> through water. Each hand or tool has been designed to get a job done in
> the best possible fashion. This is not to say that the monkey couldn't use
> his hands to swim or the mole couldn't grasp anything, but each has its
> optimum use.
>
> The human hand is an incredible design. It is very general, not limited to
> a few very specific tasks, and it has evolved to have almost unlimited
> possible uses. The hands of the Tai Chi player certainly express this
> variation of abilities to the fullest. They can grab, pull, push, twist,
> poke, strike, neutralize, adhere, smash, slap, chop, and more. Most of the
> time, one hand will be performing one task while the other hand is doing
> something else. Just as you would never cut a board with a hammer, or sink
> a nail with a screwdriver, one would not grab something with a fisted
> hand, or slap with a finger. The fist is used for striking, the finger is
> used for poking.
>
> Most Yang Style Tai Chi players do not change their hand postures to
> reflect the different uses of the hands in each movement, and I feel it is
> a short coming. Changing hand postures takes understanding of what one is
> doing at all times in the form. Changing postures and intention go
> together and I believe that intention is the master key to success in Tai
> Chi Chuan. So let's look at some the hand positions, their uses, and where
> they are expressed in the Yang Style Tai Chi form. These are the most
> common hand postures and is not meant to cover all possibilities. The hand
> postures reflect the application, so the examples given are only one out
> of many posibilities.
> &nbsp;
> To continue reading, please go to
> http://www.gilmanst udio.com/ articles/ index.php? id=103
> &nbsp;
> &nbsp;
> Good day!
> &nbsp;
> -- roh mih
> &nbsp;
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