Tai Chi Movements

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The "Language" of Martial Arts

I have long thought of my martial art as a language.  If every stance, punch, kick, guard, parry, or block is a letter, then a whole striking or blocking movement is a word, a defensive technique is a phrase, and a form or kata is a whole sentence (some of which are Dickensian in length).  I need to train to make every punch, kick, etc. right, just like I need to form every letter correctly when writing, then build up from there to the more complex elements. Just as I can arrange my letters into a word, I can arrange my fundamentals into a complete attacking or defending movement, and just as there are some natural letter combinations that we see over and over again, there are some natural kinesthetic combinations that we see throughout our martial arts movements.  For example, in English the letter Q is almost always used in conjunction with the letter U.  In martial arts, a straight right punch is almost always used in conjunction with a waist crunch, turning t...
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Beginnings

I have studied martial arts off and on throughout my life, beginning with Karate as a young child, then studying Kenpo when I was in middle school and Ishin Ryu when I was a teenager.  I stopped training when I went to college and laid fallow for most of a decade.  After the birth of my first child, I realized that I needed something to help me find my center once again, so resumed training.  This time, I felt like I should do something different, so I decided to try my hand at Chinese martial arts and have practiced Choy Li Fut for almost ten years. Then, after an unrelated neck injury, my doctor told me that I had to stop.  I didn't know what to do, as my martial arts training has been such an important part of my life (and tool for preserving both my physical and mental health).  In addition to Choy Li Fut, my school teaches Yang-Style Tai Chi Chuan, so I asked if I could practice that... and my doctor gave me a very enthusiastic "yes". So, here I am with...
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Your Elbow and Martial Arts

I know that there's no such thing as a rule in the martial arts... but that said, keep your elbow down.  No, really, 99% of the time, you want your elbows to be pointed downwards (such that, should you bend them, your arms will be vertical, not horizontal).  Why is this, my hypothetical reader asks?  It's all about body mechanics and muscle groups. When your elbow is down, you get to engage the stronger muscle groups in your arm and shoulder, helping connect your efforts to your whole body.  In turn, this makes it easier to do whatever you're trying to do, be it a strike, guard, or push.  When your elbow is pointed outwards, it uses smaller muscle groups, making your arm position weaker and therefore more likely to collapse.  When you're trying to manipulate someone who outweighs you by 75 lbs, the last thing that you want is for your arms to fold. Don't believe me?  Good!  Try it for yourself.  Go find a wall to push against.  Place...
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