Teacher Li’s Five Basic Training Methods

Teacher Li’s Five Basic Training Methods

These five basic training exercises are designed to develop body-mind coordination, sinking ability (沉), connection (整體), and the natural movement of Qi in Tai Chi. Below are the theories and purposes behind each training:

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1. When You Sink, Your Hands Float Up (But Imagine Your Hands Going Forward, Not Upward)

Purpose:

• Develops the feeling of opposing forces in Tai Chi—while the body sinks, the hands naturally float up.
• Trains sinking (沉) without stiffness. If the hands are lifted by intention (yi 意), rather than physical effort, it enhances whole-body connection.
• The instruction to imagine the hands going forward (instead of up) prevents excessive tension in the shoulders and allows for a natural lifting of the arms through the entire body rather than isolated arm movements.

Theory:

• In Tai Chi, power and movement are generated by the interaction of opposing forces (陰陽交互).
• The upward floating of the hands comes from the downward sinking of the body—a principle similar to a boat rising when water sinks underneath it.
• This is an example of 反向力 (opposing forces)—one of Tai Chi’s core movement principles.

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2. When You Sink, Your Hands Sink Also

Purpose:

• Strengthens the connection between the upper and lower body.
• Develops awareness of whole-body sinking (整體下沉), where the Qi (氣) and energy sink along with the body rather than being disconnected.
• Trains relaxation (鬆), ensuring the arms remain connected to the movement of the dantian instead of becoming independent or stiff.

Theory:

• When the whole body sinks together, the fascia (筋膜), tendons, and ligaments move in harmony, creating a feeling of unity.
• This movement can be linked to storing energy (蓄勁)—by sinking and gathering, energy is accumulated before expansion.
• This follows the Tai Chi breathing principle, where sinking (沉) is associated with exhalation, relaxation, and internal energy gathering.

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3. When You Sink, One Hand Floats Up, the Other Goes Down with the Sinking

Purpose:

• Develops spiraling energy (螺旋勁) and balance between Yin and Yang.
• Trains coordination between upper and lower body—one part of the body rises while another sinks.
• Helps in understanding Tai Chi’s core principle of separation of Yin and Yang (陰陽分明) in movement.

Theory:

• This is a direct application of 開合 (opening and closing) and 陰陽 (opposing energies).
• It mimics natural energy flow in Tai Chi—one side expands while the other contracts, just like how weight shifts between left and right in push hands or form practice.
• This movement trains the body’s ability to redirect force, which is essential in applications like absorbing and neutralizing force in push hands (推手).

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4. The Opposite of #3 (One Hand Sinks, the Other Floats Up)

Purpose:

• Reinforces the concept of spiraling movements in Tai Chi.
• Develops dantian-driven movement, ensuring that the hands are not moved independently but rather connected to the whole-body motion.
• Trains the practitioner to maintain a sense of balance and structure while switching between Yin and Yang.

Theory:

• All Tai Chi movements involve rotation and spiraling, and this exercise builds the internal feeling of these opposing movements.
• Helps to loosen the joints, especially the shoulders and hips (胯), making them more adaptable for movement changes.
• This mirrors the natural qi flow during breathing—as one area gathers energy, another releases it.

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5. Your Hands and Arms Form a Circle in Front of Your Belly; When You Stand Up, They Float Up; When You Sink, They Sink

Purpose:

• Develops the feeling of Qi circulation in a closed-loop manner.
• Strengthens the mind-body connection and the ability to move as one unit rather than in isolated segments.
• Trains the practitioner to sense the relationship between the center (dantian) and the limbs.

Theory:

• The circular shape represents Tai Chi’s core movement principle of roundness (圓)—energy and force should never move in straight lines but always in curved, continuous paths.
• This exercise strengthens the peng (掤) structure, as the circular shape of the arms maintains the energy throughout the movement.
• Dantian connection is developed, as movement is initiated from the center rather than from the arms themselves.

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Overall Insights on the Five Methods

• These five exercises train the body to move in harmony with natural forces (gravity, sinking, expansion).
• They reinforce the principles of Tai Chi, such as 鬆 (relaxation), 沉 (sinking), 開合 (opening & closing), and 旋 (spiraling rotation).
• They help develop sensitivity to internal energy movement (內勁), which is crucial for higher-level Tai Chi practice.
• These methods build a foundation for advanced applications, including push hands, fa jin (發勁), and martial applications.