Taichi and surfing

The taichi training method is original in that it claims to use slowness as a tool in the service of sporting performance.

Some surf coaches have also observed the benefits ofslowly repeated exercises in laying a solid technical foundation, impossible to acquire in the urgency of real-life action on a wave.

The same can be said of the martial vocation of tai chi chuan. Admittedly, slow, codified exercises are not martially realistic, since they partially erase the parameters of stress management, timing and distance from the opponent. However, they do lay the foundations for reflexes that would be harder to acquire in the rush of fast-paced action.

However, if we want to prepare the surfer or martial artist for the realism of practice, even if it’s not a question of surfing giant waves or challenging Mac Tyson, it seems to me that the pedagogy of slowness won’t be enough.

The school of slowness

Tai chi chuan is essentially based on kata-type work: movements, on the spot or on the move, enable the acquisition of fine skills that would be impossible to develop at a faster pace.

The challenge of coordination: this relative slowness makes it possible to work with the unity of the body and acquire exceptional motor adaptability.

Slowness is a tool for relaxed work. Relaxed muscles will move more flexibly and be available for the explosive actions required in martial arts situations or surfing phases (take-off, figures). So, through slowness, I’ll improve my reflexes and power, but also my speed of execution.

Slowness will strengthen deep muscles. Anyone who has ever performed a series of push-ups will have noticed that it’s more difficult to do them slowly than quickly. Like pilates, the low postures of Chen-style taichi will strengthen the lower limbs, glutes, abdominal belt and back, as well as the muscles that protect the joints and neck.

The slowness of execution, which is nevertheless relative,improves the quality of support and balance. Which, when transposed to combat or surfing, is obviously interesting.

Slowness alsoimproves flow. It may seem paradoxical to improve body mobility and fluidity by moving in slow motion. And yet, precisely because it’s more difficult, it’s what tai chi chuan is all about.

The taichi method and movements also seem to me to be an extraordinary tool for the surfer.

Moving up a gear

In the midst of its slow, relaxed movements, Chen-style taichi nonetheless allows itself real-speed actions, such as fajin or force exits. This is why it is often considered the most martial of the different styles of taichi.

A jump kick designed to overtake an obstacle cannot be performed in slow motion, due to the Earth’s gravity. Slowly executed punches won’t prepare the back muscles for the necessary power. Similarly, how can we teach the body to alternate between phases of relaxation and phases of contraction, which are characteristic of high-level sporting action, if it doesn’t try out fast, lightning-fast action from time to time?

Whether the surfer’s style is radical or more flowing, he or she also varies between slack phases and more lively pushes. In this way, he retains his ability to maintain fluidity, to blend into the rhythm of the wave, while being able to perform the spontaneous variations imposed by a wave of changing character.

Experiencing reality

The example of surfing shows that training on sand or dry land is not enough. If you want to get to grips with the reality of the terrain, you have to take to the water. In surfing, there’s no substitute for the long and tedious work of experimenting in the ocean, with a versatile playmate.

However, since ocean conditions don’t allow you to get in the water all year round, and surfing at night is difficult, it’s not absurd to look for ways to improve your surfing skills in complementary activities.

Tai chi chuan offers a codified two-person fight that introduces the notion of distance from the opponent, listening to his attacks or weaknesses, and expressing lively actions to bring him to the ground. However, few masters offer more realistic training, with attacks at varying distances, as can be seen in other martial arts.

It’s not a question of debating which martial art is the most effective, but simply of placing the martial dimension of taichi in a somewhat realistic context.

A Yin Yang approach

Most tai chi chuan practitioners come to the discipline for its health and well-being benefits. However, why not explore its original martial dimension, through what is akin to martial games?

Tai chi chuan falls into the category of kungfu. We speak of internal work, improving fine skills, moving towards external martial work, involving more physical engagement at real speed. Tai chi chuan is thus internal kungfu, as opposed to external kungfu.

Most taichi masters who teach the martiality of taichi have also practised more conventional martial arts. Such is my experience withaikido, which has enabled me to martially interpret the taichi movements that my Chinese master passed on to me.

Yet even in China, the martial realism of taichi often goes no further than the practice of tuishu. It seems that the lineages of the great styles incorporate this dimension into their training, but that this does not filter out very much, no doubt because demand is essentially focused on the health aspect.

Taichi is shaped by the theory of Yin and Yang. So it’s not illogical to retain a dose of speed in slowness and vice versa, whether you practice surfing or martial arts.

A question, no doubt, of striking the right balance between subtle method and robust experimentation, when the time comes for confrontation with the external element.