Note
that you can get this link and more if it does not come through by
searching James Roach Classical Tai Chi on Youtube. I worked very hard to
learn square form correctly but I hope this does not come across as too
strong in my analysis and commentary. A criticism of Classical Tai Chi
by some in the Tai Chi community is that there is
no "continuity" in the Square Form. I received this comment on the
Youtube video of Square Form at Master Hwa's workshop: The comment
simply said "Square
form also have continuity". This is relatively easy to address to others but I do not think they will understand because they do not do
"square", contrary to what they think they do. Nor will even many
students of Classical Tai Chi, even after many years understand the
difference between round and square.
"Continuity" of movement is important in Classical Tai Chi Round Form
where there is a steady flow of internal
energy. Continuity of movement in square form is not an important
consideration since each of the moves should have a PAUSE between them.
However, although the very nature of the square form with its PAUSES
seems almost antithetical to Round it serves an indispensable purpose to
learning and practicing the Round. The purpose of square form is NOT to
learn to move continuously, the purpose is to learn to CLEARLY
DELINEATE postures and to CLEARLY DELINEATE the separation of Yin and
Yang. DELINEATE in Merriam Webster refers to "LINES" used to indicate
something. In this case where the yin-yang pair, that delineation, those delineations of yin-yang is/are located.
One cannot learn to do round correctly unless they have
learned where the yin-yang pairs are to be located in each of the
postures...those "pairs" do not imbed themselves in the correct
locations simply because one does "continuous" movement. On the other
hand through correct practice of square the yin-yang pairs will imbed at
the correct locations. Once this is achieved we can talk about
"continuous" movement. We then have the dynamics of Tai Chi in play as
one yin-yang pair transforms to the other and so on, thus giving the
effect of constant motion and CONTINUITY.
I
even get comments from long time students who tell me they are doing square form. What I see to some extent is how I
learned the "old" way with "continuity" in mind. I learned this "old"
way but
my student Tom and I found out the hard way that we did not have the
"pairs" at the right spots. Like those videos I receive, we both have
too much extraneous movement at the joints, no pauses between movements
or compromised pausing if any, fluorishes of arms, fluorishes of the wrist (wrists flexing extraneously), head cocked to the side during postures, arms too far back or chicken
wing out to the side. We had both been exposed to a square
form that was too "round" and did not have said delineation and
separation...it is not easy learning to be crisp and resolute, I really
had to work hard.
Becoming more "robotic" is better, the more the better
as Master Hwa says. There has been way too much laughing about this being "robotic" but
this is simply because people do not understand. Isn't that the convoluted way of things to laugh where we don't understand. Master Hwa learned this
way right
from the start so I encouraged my student Jason to learn square form
footwork first. He took it so much to heart that he learned just the
foot movements of the entire square form for a year before adding in the
hands and upper body. Now I feel gratified as a Sifu because Master
Hwa said when he certified him as a teacher, "Jason's square form is very good", very good indeed.
