Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan Elbow Strike

Yang style Tai Chi Chuan High Pat on Horse's Mane application

Tai Chi Chuan Brush Knee and Strike and Play Guitar

Yang style Tai Chi Chuan Fingerlock

Cheng Man-Ching Tai Chi Chuan - Step Back To Ride The Tiger self-defense...

Cheng Man- Ching style Tai Chi Chuan - Snake Creeps Down applications

Cheng Man-Ching Style Tai Chi Chuan "Cross Hands" application 2

This is another fighting application for the "Cross Hands" aka "Carry Tiger To The Mountain" move from the Yang style short form.  It uses the cross hands to enter into a joint lock.

Yang style Tai Chi - Yielding to force

From Cheng Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on Tai Chi Chuan

Treatise One
Explanation of the Name and Definition

Martial arts have been developed to increase both wisdom and bravery.  In Chinese philosophy T'ai Chi is the mother of yin and yang.  There is nothing it does not contain.  From the primordial T'ai Chi, comes the name of our martial art.  The Book Of Changes states that T'ai Chi gives birth to the Liang I (the Two Primordial Powers), yin and yang.  Extreme yin produces yang, and extreme yang produces yin.  In the altercation of hard and soft, and movement and stillness, each is applied to its limit.

People who are fond of fighting like to use martial arts to battle.  Losing or winning is determined by the relative level of martial skills.  These types invariably use hard force to strike and quick techniques to control opponents.  This is the extreme limit of yang, and the extreme limit of hardness.  If one uses hardness to resist, then both sides are certain to lose or be injured.  This is not the way of a great master.  Therefore, when others use hardness, I use softness to neutralize it.  When others use movement to attack, I use stillness and wait for the attack and neutralize it.  Extreme softness and stillness is the fruition of yin. When extreme yang encounters extreme yin, the yang will always be defeated.

http://bit.ly/15b6KRk

Some interesting observations from an expert who cross trained in Chen Man Chiing Taiji and Aikido

My student Mark Wallace shared this article with me. Mark is a second Dan Aikidoka and has been studying Cheng Man-Ching style Taijiquan with me for over two years.

The article is definitely written from a one-sided point of view, but I'm curious to hear what other martial artists think about the observations made in this article.

From the article:

“At the master level, all boxing becomes one. All is moving with the tanden(dan tien).”

"On a subtler level, as Sugawara Sensei performed some techniques, I noticed that his midsection appeared more mobile than customarily seen among Aikido practitioners... Lots of times,” he said, “we use too much arm, not enough tanden.” The power should always come from the tanden and then be transferred through the body, through the arm, to the tip of the weapon, or the hand and fingers."


-Read, Think, Train

Cheng Man-Ching Style Tai Chi Chuan "Cross Hands" application 1

At the end of the first section of the Cheng Man-Ching form there is a movement called "Cross Hands" It follows a movement called "Withdraw And Push". Between the end of the "Push" posture and the completion of "Cross Hands" there is a scooping motion with the arms. Hence we also refer to this movement as "Carry Tiger To The Mountain". This video is one possible interpretation of the sequence from "Withdraw And Push" through ""Cross Hands" for self-defense.

How to use the hook in Taiji Quan

Tai Chi Chuan - Basic applications for Single Whip

Adjusting distance to train fighting applications

LIft Hands and Shoulder Strike application 1