Tai Chi and Martial Arts Cross Training

Some people use Tai Chi for health, some for focus, and others of us; use it to add new dimensions to our martial arts training. Being a student of Aikido, Tai Chi was a welcome addition. The two arts compliment each other so well at times it is hard to know were one art ends and the other art begins. Initially my martial arts training was mostly about physical force and body mechanics. As time has gone on, I have begun to try and develop the skill. The principles of the skill are rooted in calmness during action and the use of softness to over come hardness.

Both of these skills take a considerable amount of awareness and practice to achieve. I have two excellent factors helping me towards my objectives. First, I have a Sensei (Paul Domanski) and a Sifu (Jeff Cook) that both understand the nature of the direction I am trying to take, even when I do not. Secondarily, in our dojo many of our practitioners are large and very strong individuals. I know that if I can take the oncoming force, from such strong practitioners, and use softness to over come them then I am really on to something.

The real challenge is to keep from falling back on what I already know. Often when presented with a threatening situation one falls back on previous behavior. Which in my case is brute force. Lucky for me, my opponents are often much larger and stronger. Trying to use strength against them often fails. These failures constantly allow me to adjust towards the correct path or opening while maintaining this state of relaxed awareness. During training a common phrase from Grand Master William Chen and Sifu Jeff Cook reverberates in my mind "invest in loss!" You must give up your preconceived ideas and your fear so that the learning may continue. Simple, right?

Push hands with Sifu Jeff Cook has given me numerous answers. Push Hands unlike the name implies, is not about pushing. Pushing and shoving matches are often about avoiding bruised egos, not skill. Training with such a skilled teacher in push hands constantly opens my mind up to the possibilities. Push hands gave me a laboratory to test out new subtleties with out the fear of being run over in the thick of things.

Now armed each time with new insights, I am able to work on applying these principles in more and more realistic circumstances. Some days go well and others can be frustrating. But I take comfort in the understanding that the correct road is often the one called the bitter pill. Because it takes lots of failures to break into each new level of understanding.

Next kali/escrima enters the picture. I started taking escrima with Dr Lynn Seiser, who is a 3rd degree black belt in Aikido and who started his escrima studies with Ted Lucaylucay some 30 years ago. The tight circles immediately felt like Tai Chi. The practitioners are rooted and using the ground to generate enormous energy. The sinking and turning energies remind me of early classes in Tai Chi. All the basic are observed and all the basics are applied. It also adds rhythm to my martial arts rhyme. We practice in a very laid back fashion much like Tai Chi. And over intellectualizing is usually answered with the phrase, "this is a slash and bash art, do what is most effective." In this environment the principles of Tai Chi appear to thrive.

When I reflect upon my good fortune in training. I feel much like Sir Issac Newton must have felt when he said, "If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants." I am eternally grateful to all my teachers, Sifu's, Sensei's, and fellow students. I am constantly amazed by their patience, compassion, and dedication to the martial arts. But mostly their patience. Thank you.


Interview with the late Ted LucayLucay "My teaching philosophy is to lay a good foundation and then be open minded enough to build something on it. It’s like building a house. SO if you get a good foundation in a traditional martial art like some kung-fu, karate style or a boxing style, they all share the same principles in terms of balance, centerlines, attitudes, and that sort of thing. Now as far as the method, eventually an individual will go down and change methods such as karate or go to boxing or that or wing chun but I think that using JKD concept; if you are open minded you can see that. All of these principles intertwine. First of all, I think you need to get a good foundation no matter where you get it from and once you have that you can build upon it. You must have an open mind and be able to get along with people and you must be able to observe tradition as well as not limit your infinite growth potential. The fun part of learning is blending all the different systems to help you develop your own style. When I say your own style, your own style as an individual. I am not creating a style on my own, I don’t have one. I combine tradition and JKD concepts to streamline it. But my philosophy is to again be open minded, enjoy having fun at it and shoot always for quality."

Choosing a Tai Chi Class

Choosing the best Tai Chi class can be pretty daunting for the beginning student, so I thought I would put my two cents in to help. In Chinese arts, the teacher is referred to as Sifu. Many people today are searching out Tai Chi classes to help them with things like their balance, their immune systems, and their stress levels. To me Tai Chi would best be described as an art about balance (physical, mental, and spiritual). Below I have listed a few things that I felt were import in making an informed decision.

1) Relaxed teacher
2) Push Hands classes or application classes
3) Women involved in Push Hands

When picking a school the Sifu is of key importance. My teacher told often told us to search out a teacher who is relaxed. An uptight or nervous teacher could be detrimental to once practice. After all, one of the critical components in Tai Chi is "Song" (a relaxed but alert state).

I find push hands classes or the teaching of push hands to advanced students is another important factor. This is not to say that the school must be training for competitions. But push hands demonstrates the use of the energies be utilized in Tai Chi. Doing the form without push hands or some application work is a lot like getting a drivers license for reading the cars manual without every having driven a car before. It does have health benefits but the full potential will not be realized.

Building on the idea of push hands training, some masters say that the involvement of female students in push hands or application work is a good indicator of the well being of a class or Sifu. When force and competition is the main objective, often the largest strongest people will be the dominate push hands players. And other students will shy away from the practice. But when skill is involved, size and strength mean very little and all players can be successful.

In my own experience I look for teachers with a high level of skill and an eagerness to give you their knowledge. They will often tell you that it takes time and dedication. They will also tell you that there is no magic seminar or class were all the secrets will be revealed. The secrets are hidden in plain site for only the most dedicated of students to discover.