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I had a really interesting Taekwondo class some years ago that got me thinking deeply about movement and how our bodies work, and I just had to share it.The teacher asked me to teach the “Poomsae” (Form).
So, I tried something more than a a little unconventional. I asked the students to do a specific form, Poomsae(a kata), at a super slow pace – like, half their usual speed. The class ranged from 8 to 13 years old. It was mind blowing for the class and seemed to stimye them.
I was inspired by Wu’s Style Tai Chi (I was studying with Eddie Wu in Toronto at the same time as Kim’s Taekwondo). Wu’s is a large frame and certainly slow, but Classical Tai Chi is slow AND all about truly feeling every little movement of your body.
Needless to say but I was up for discipleship and Wu said “I didn’t care before but now you are teaching so stop the Taekwondo”. This sounds similar to Wu’s great grandfather Wu Chien Chuan asking Master Hwas teacher to give up doing all his many external arts to learn.
You'd think slowing down would make things easier, right? Nope! It was actually way, way harder than they expected. Their usual smooth, powerful movements turned into this really challenging mental and physical exercise to keep control at that snail's pace.
It reminded me of something Master Stephen Hwa once said: "Sometimes it is more difficult teaching students how not to move than how to move." That really nails it – it shows how much our mind and body are connected in martial arts, especially in Tai Chi, and how crucial mental focus is for physical actions.
The main problem was breaking their ingrained habits of moving quickly. We all develop these "efficiency shortcuts" in our bodies – super-fast, almost automatic movements that save effort. Our bodies are naturally wired to be efficient, so over time, we build these deep muscle memory patterns that let us move fast and powerfully without much thought.
But here's the catch: this efficiency can actually make us *less* sensitive to the tiny muscle engagements and internal workings that truly define mastery. When you move fast, it's easy to miss subtle details – like micro-shifts in muscle tension and body alignment.
So, the goal became to intentionally re-teach their bodies to regain that lost sensitivity. This is exactly where the Classical Tai Chi "Square Form" shines. It's like this brilliant "anti-habit" method. It forces you to move incredibly slowly, with distinct, complete pauses at the beginning and end of each tiny segment of movement.
This meticulous approach makes you acutely aware of every transition, every moment of stillness, and every time you start a new movement. Even though it might look a bit "mechanical" from the outside, it's designed specifically to counter our natural tendency to keep flowing. It literally re-sensitizes you to the intricate mechanics of your own body.
Beyond just slowing down, the main point of Square Form is to help students truly feel and understand the principles of Yin and Yang within their physical selves. It helps you consciously keep one part of your body still and rooted while another part initiates and performs a movement. This builds a deeply integrated system of body control, rather than fragmented, jerky movements.
Often, those extra little wiggles in our arms and legs come from relying too much on quick, local muscle signals instead of a harmonized internal system. While some Tai Chi forms might have a bit more external flair, the whole point of *true* internal practice goes beyond just how it looks.
The ultimate aim is to allow your internal energy to flow freely throughout your core and limbs. In genuine internal motion, where the main Yin/Yang balance is centered in your torso, you minimize unnecessary movement in your big joints, letting internal energy circulate smoothly. On the flip side, if you're using quick, external muscle commands, it tends to create energy blocks at key spots like your shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees, messing up your natural energy pathways.
To sum it up, the Classical Tai Chi Square Form is a really powerful and insightful way to develop incredible internal control, sharpen your body awareness, and get a much clearer sense of your body's energetic architecture. It's a transformative process of undoing old habits to reconnect with the basic principles of movement and your body's inherent energy flow.
