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Fighting Applications of the Li Taijiquan Form
Martial Art Applications of the Li Family hidden within the Li Style Taijiquan FormsHidden within the gentle, soft flowing movements of the Li (Lee) Style Taijiquan Form are the martial art applications of the Li (Lee) Family's expression of the Eight energies of Peng, Lu, An, Ji, Cai, Lie, Zhou, Kao.
Today, many individuals are teaching the Li (Lee) style Taijiquan short or long form to their students for the maintenance of health and wellbeing. It is also taught by some as a meditative practice. Sadly, not many teachers of the Li (Lee) style Taijiquan are teaching or researching the fighting applications of the Taijiquan postures. Over the many years that I have been teaching the Li (Lee) style Taijiquan system I have noticed that many of its practitioners who represent the Li family art of Taijiquan as taught to them by my teacher Master Chee Soo do not mention or demonstrate any of the fighting applications of the Taijiquan form. I hear them say that Master Chee Soo only taught Taijiquan for its health benefits and that there are no fighting applications to any of the Taijiquan postures.
This I believe is down to the fact that Master Chee Soo did not teach any of the fighting applications openly to everyone. However, he did instruct a small selective group of individuals, why he did this only he will know. When I first saw and experienced one of the Martial Art applications of the Taijiquan form by Master Chee Soo it blew my mind. The first application of the Taijiquan form that Master Chee Soo taught me was the Second posture of "Repulse The Monkey" from the long form. I don't really know why he decided to choose that paricular application, but it definitely did the trick for me.
As we all know the practice of Taijiquan covers a vast amount of information for each individual to discover. Some individuals are only interested in the health and healing benefits and have no interest in the martial art aspect of Taijiquan whatsoever. But, for those individuals who are not just interested in the health, healing, meditative aspects, but are also interested in the martial art side of Taijiquan, then there is a great amount of information there waiting to be discovered.
Double Whip Fighting Applications
First application: the attacker punches towards me, I use my right arm to "Ward Off" and stick/adhere to his striking arm. At the same time my left hand presses "An" down on his attacking limb. I then step behind the attackers front foot with my own left foot and stick/adhere to his leg. I then use my left hip and shoulder to bump "Kao" and lean against my attackers body, forcing him to shift his body weight from his front leg to his rear leg. At the same time I hit my attacker's chest with my left elbow "Zhou" this forces him to lean further backwards. I then extend my left forearm across his chest to throw him backwards towards the ground.
Another variation of the Double Whip Taiji posture is against a kicking attack. The attacker fronts kicks towards me using his right leg. I quickly side step to the outside of his right leg and under hook his leg onto my right upper arm using a "Ward Off" action. At the same time I check or trap the attackers lead arm against his chest using my left palm to "An" stopping him from launching another attack.
I then quickly step behind the attackers standing leg with my left foot and stick/adhere to his leg. At the same time I hit him with my left hip and shoulder "Kao" as well as using my left elbow and shoulder to perform "Zhou & Lie" forcing the attacker to be thrown to the ground.
I honestly believe that the movements and accuracy of the Li style Taijiquan form are governed by the martial art applications and the expression of the Eight energies of Taijiquan. I have seen too many practitioners of the Li style Taijiquan just teaching the form for form sake without any idea of what the movements are actually doing. If the Li style Taijiquan is to hold its head up and be judged alongside the other main schools of Taijiquan like the Yang, Chen, Wu and Sun styles, then the martial art aspect of the Li style Taijiquan must also be taught as well. I often recall my teacher Master Chee Soo saying that all of the arts of the Li Family are are all interconnected. So of course there are fighting applications to the posture of the Li style Taijiquan form, like there are health benefits and Qi energy cultivation exercises.
