Taijiquan is a martial art of the highest order is culturally etched in the Chinese heritage and entrenched in wushu pulp fiction and kungfu movies. Therein lies the enigma. The gentle slow-motion practice cannot be m...Taijiquan is a martial art of the highest order is culturally etched in the Chinese heritage and entrenched in wushu pulp fiction and kungfu movies. Therein lies the enigma. The gentle slow-motion practice cannot be more remote from the speed and power of combat. And adding to the mystique is the proposition that Taijiquan's kungfu prowess is not drawn from the physical strength of the musculature but from some "inner strength" or Neijin. This sacred belief was desecrated when a fighter thrashed a selfproclaimed Taijiquan grandmaster ignominiously in 10 seconds in an open match. Taijiquan was then derided as a bogus combat art. The incident shakes the foundation of Taijiquan and puts into questions many of its touted claims, which challenges the scientific quest of the art. The paper confronts the issue directly by studying the manifestation of Neijin in the framework of science to provide a scientific basis for the art. It transcribes the yin-yang metaphysics that regulates Taijiquan training in terms of the alignment of muscle actions to balance and to unify momentum, which develops the core strength of Neijin and the underlying life-force Qi energy. From this flows the kungfu marvels, which lie in the liveliness and agility of Neijin's response and in the force ensuing that is of the right vector values, all essential in the fluidity of combat application. The martial aspect of Taijiquan provides a concrete representation of Neijin, which gives an experiential insight into the multifaceted concept of Qi, and in turn a pathway to the exploration of Qi in physiology and thus in Qi energy medicine.展开更多
The Three Harmonies helps to regulate whole-body motion in harmony by balancing and aligning the movements of the body segments.Taijiquan uses the fangsong-relaxation modality to resolve the switching back and forth o...The Three Harmonies helps to regulate whole-body motion in harmony by balancing and aligning the movements of the body segments.Taijiquan uses the fangsong-relaxation modality to resolve the switching back and forth of the active muscle forces and the passive tensional forces of tendons,ligaments and fascial tissues.Fangsong induces the modulation of the muscles to resettle in a better state of balance,thus is necessarily a manipulation of the fascial tissues enveloping the muscles,organs and structures.In so doing,fangsong-relaxation cultivates the cognition and sensation of the fascial tensional network,which traditional Taiji theory refers to as Qi.Taijiquan harnesses Qi in the discipline of body motion to balance and align the momenta of the body segments in force transmission.This gives rise to maximal force potential in balance-the force of neijin(internal strength)-in response of application.Crucially,the settling into balance by fangsong functions as a neutral countermovement in the stretch-shorten cycle that primes the muscle-tendon unit in an ever-ready state of action,which endows neijin with the liveliness of response.Secondly,the fangsong manipulation of the fascial tissues serves as a fascial massage and release that provides relief to chronic pain syndrome caused by tenseness of muscles and fascia,a therapy that accrues with the many health benefits of Taijiquan.Lastly,but not least,the attentiveness required in the fangsong process develops into the meditation component of the practice which brings tranquility and the insight of mindfulness.Taijiquan thus bestows the triple gems of neijin,health well-being,and equanimity.展开更多
文摘Taijiquan is a martial art of the highest order is culturally etched in the Chinese heritage and entrenched in wushu pulp fiction and kungfu movies. Therein lies the enigma. The gentle slow-motion practice cannot be more remote from the speed and power of combat. And adding to the mystique is the proposition that Taijiquan's kungfu prowess is not drawn from the physical strength of the musculature but from some "inner strength" or Neijin. This sacred belief was desecrated when a fighter thrashed a selfproclaimed Taijiquan grandmaster ignominiously in 10 seconds in an open match. Taijiquan was then derided as a bogus combat art. The incident shakes the foundation of Taijiquan and puts into questions many of its touted claims, which challenges the scientific quest of the art. The paper confronts the issue directly by studying the manifestation of Neijin in the framework of science to provide a scientific basis for the art. It transcribes the yin-yang metaphysics that regulates Taijiquan training in terms of the alignment of muscle actions to balance and to unify momentum, which develops the core strength of Neijin and the underlying life-force Qi energy. From this flows the kungfu marvels, which lie in the liveliness and agility of Neijin's response and in the force ensuing that is of the right vector values, all essential in the fluidity of combat application. The martial aspect of Taijiquan provides a concrete representation of Neijin, which gives an experiential insight into the multifaceted concept of Qi, and in turn a pathway to the exploration of Qi in physiology and thus in Qi energy medicine.
文摘The Three Harmonies helps to regulate whole-body motion in harmony by balancing and aligning the movements of the body segments.Taijiquan uses the fangsong-relaxation modality to resolve the switching back and forth of the active muscle forces and the passive tensional forces of tendons,ligaments and fascial tissues.Fangsong induces the modulation of the muscles to resettle in a better state of balance,thus is necessarily a manipulation of the fascial tissues enveloping the muscles,organs and structures.In so doing,fangsong-relaxation cultivates the cognition and sensation of the fascial tensional network,which traditional Taiji theory refers to as Qi.Taijiquan harnesses Qi in the discipline of body motion to balance and align the momenta of the body segments in force transmission.This gives rise to maximal force potential in balance-the force of neijin(internal strength)-in response of application.Crucially,the settling into balance by fangsong functions as a neutral countermovement in the stretch-shorten cycle that primes the muscle-tendon unit in an ever-ready state of action,which endows neijin with the liveliness of response.Secondly,the fangsong manipulation of the fascial tissues serves as a fascial massage and release that provides relief to chronic pain syndrome caused by tenseness of muscles and fascia,a therapy that accrues with the many health benefits of Taijiquan.Lastly,but not least,the attentiveness required in the fangsong process develops into the meditation component of the practice which brings tranquility and the insight of mindfulness.Taijiquan thus bestows the triple gems of neijin,health well-being,and equanimity.
