Understanding chi

Entertaining tai chi page I just stumbled across along with a slightly tongue in cheek definition of "chi" that tickled my fancy. I don't have much more to add other than quoting it directly :-)

Chi means many different things to different people. Sometimes it correlates roughly with energy or force, but the way I hear it used it more often than not means "I don't understand". As such it is a useful word, as it rapidly makes you aware of the gaps in the speaker's knowledge. When I ask someone a question about Tai Chi and they use Chi as an explanation I know not to bother asking them again - they don't understand it themselves.
There is nothing mystical or supernatural about Tai Chi or in it's application as a formidable combat art. However peoples natural inclination to immediately assume such forces are at work when they don't understand how something works rears it's ugly head frequently with Tai Chi. Conversely if they believe supernatural/mystical power is at work then they don't understand what is really going on. This is certainly true for Tai Chi! My personal observation reveals a very close correlation between those who don't understand Tai Chi and those who attribute things to Chi.

The following table illustrates how to interpret statements people make involving Chi.

Chi term	What this really means in plain English
He used Chi.	I don't understand how he did that.
I use Chi.	I don't understand what I'm doing.
Use Chi.	I don't know how you should do it.
I lift my arms using Chi.	I don't understand how my arms lift.
I transfer my weight with Chi.	I don't understand how my weight changes.

Having said all this it should be noted that to some people the term Chi has no mystical or supernatural interpretations. To them it corresponds to concepts which are consistent with the laws of physics, and does not indicate a lack of understanding. This will usually be quite obvious from the way they use the word. It is when Chi is used to explain physical manifestations but cannot itself be explained physically that you should find a better source of information.

The benefits of injury in tai chi

Being unable to train in tai chi clearly sets you back, but sometimes through injury or illness it is inevitable. Having recently twisted my knee during an unrelated activity, I was once again reminded that there is a silver lining to being injured. If you look for it...

It has sometimes been said that if you take a break and then come back, you feel much more proficient. However wise masters will say that this is an illusion. The fact that you are reactivating all of your "tai chi muscles" after a break, means that you are suddenly filled with a rush of endorphins and sensations you misinterpret as proficiency. Do not get trick by this effect!

One thing however it is certain is that if you have a break in your training, your body will start to tense up, as you naturally adopt less optimal structures in your daily life. When you come back to it, you have an opportunity to notice which parts of your body have lost their fluidity. Pay attention to this, for it is a direct indication of bad posture in your daily life. Does your right shoulder feel exceptionally stiff? No doubt you have a natural tendency to to tense it for some reason. What a great clue to investigate the cause which may or may not be obvious.

If you have a specific injury (such as my twisted knee), although it might be painful or weak to begin with, the benefit is that it will be exceptionally sensitive. Tai chi should be about natural movements and postures, so if you can hold static postures reasonably well, but you notice shooting pains at particular movements, that might well indicate incorrect technique. If like me and your knee is weak for a few days, you will naturally pay attention to knee position throughout the form to ensure it is correct. Perfect! After all, we are training our concentration and body awareness abilities and there's nothing like pain to keep you focused!

Mosquitoes use tai chi to fly through rain

It seems that tai chi can be found in some unexpected places in nature! Researchers have shown that mosquitoes use the principles of tai chi (i.e. a yielding to incoming force rather than resisting it) to fly for through the rain. The mosquitoes also used rotation to escape the effects of surface tension, which could be analogous to the spiralling twisting action of frequently used in tai chi.

A more extensive write-up can be found here.

The sci-fi mandarin collar connection

I have one foot firmly in the martial arts camp and the other firmly in the science fiction geek camp. No doubt therefore that I should be wearing a mandarin collar. It has always been staggering to me that science fiction seems to have accepted that all uniforms of the future will be mandarin collar based. Does this mean that Chinese martial arts culture has come to symbolise power and authority? :-)

So let's take a look at the neck line of some classic kung-fu heroes, so we're all clear what a mandarin collar is...

Once Upon a Time in China

House of the Flying Daggers

Ip Man

Now let's have a look at some sci-fi heroes...

Star Trek

The Matrix

Battlestar Galactica

Futurama

Red Dwarf

Pretty compelling I think you'll agree. We can even see it in the most legendary sci-fi character of all. Perhaps he just has his western collar turned up, but if he does, it's a very small collar, so borderline Mandarin...

You don't know this one?! Get off my blog.

And of course it is not just limited to science fiction. Some of our favourite fantasy characters are Mandarin collar based...

Lord of the Rings

Game of Thrones

Anyone know any more? :-)

My local tai chi motion caputre facility

I just discovered there is a tai chi motion capture facility only about half an hours drive away from me at the University of Portsmouth! It seems that it is open to the public in principle (by arrangement), so I'm sorely tempted to go down there myself! Maybe this will be a realistic way in to start scientifically analysing my movements. And a lot of fun of course :-)

Obviously this is just a general motion capture facility, but it seems that one of the lecturers there is a fan of tai chi so sets his computer science students the task of building a virtual tai chi trainer system using motion capture and computer graphics. A very cool project no doubt. You can see a video here.

Tai chi animals

So I couldn't resist.... Seems the tai chi bug is spreading to our furry friends :-)

Shoot yourself not your master

Interesting angle on video training - that being able to rewind and replay means you see subtleties later that you miss on the first viewing. Obviously, this post has the subtext of trying to promote their "learn tai chi online" product, and it is careful not to say that video is better than learning from an actual teacher. But I nevertheless agree that video training does bring with it some additional benefits to enhance and review your understanding of what your teacher is saying.

Trying to learn tai chi purely from a video is like trying to learn to sing from a book - ludicrous. You need someone who can actually sing to hear what you're doing and correct you. However if you do have a singing teacher, learning from a book as well help you improve faster as it gives you an alternative perspective.

However I would say that the biggest gain of video is not watching a master over and over again, but rather watching yourself. Everyone has access to smart phones and digital cameras these days so it's really not that hard. If you video yourself and watch it back you'll be amazed. All sorts of things will jump out at you that you "didn't realise you were doing". You get an alternative viewpoint on yourself for which there is no substitute. I guarantee that if you start regularly filming yourself and watching it back you will improve in leaps and bounds.

After all, think about top international sports stars who effectively have unlimited resources for training. Where do they spend a great deal of their time? - video analysis. They video themselves, and watch it back. These are people who are at the top of their game and only focus on things that show results. Tai chi is no different - give it a go.