The Point of Coordination: Taiji Training Methods — The Erle Montaigue System Nasser Butt

Colin Power and Nasser Butt demonstrating PoC from Small Sàn-Shǒu Photography Concept and Design by Nasser Butt Copyright©2022

“… once he takes even the slightest action, I have already acted.”

Taijiquan Shiyong Fa

There is a much greater meaning to coordination then simply moving your hands and feet in harmony with each other both, in Taijiquan and martial arts. Of course coordination within oneself is a given — in fact it is a prerequisite of any martial art. However, the true meaning of coordination is the ability to move or coordinate with another person’s energy. This is true for both the martial and healing arts.

If you can coordinate your own energy with someone else’s, then you can defend yourself against that person, because whatever they do, you will do — in other words your body will manifest the correct movement and dynamics to defeat whatever they are doing! The moment they think, and that thought even begins to manifest into a strike, your subconscious1 will know and your body and internal energy will have adjusted accordingly and struck — this is referred to as the Point of Coordination [PoC], which your body registers. When you register the PoC and join your energy with that of another person, you can judge their point of power and defeat them!

According to the Taiji Classics we are told:

Starting from your foot, issue through your leg, directing it at your waist, and expressing it at your fingers.

The hands [wrists] are one of the most important parts in our Taiji training because they manifest what the whole body and the internal energy of the body is doing — the hands must emulate what the body is doing, ie the power comes from the body not the hand. The whole of Taiji is based upon this simple principle. Never do the hands move on their own [‘dead movements’], they move because of what the body is doing.

In Taiji, as in all other arts of worth, the ‘secret’ is given in the first lesson, thereafter we train for years before we finally comprehend what that was!

Taiji is not a set of 24, 37, 48, 108 or 115 movements, it is a single movement within which are found the 13 Dynamics — ‘The Thirteen Dynamics solo set flows on and on ceaselessly, and hence is called Long Boxing. [“It is like a long river flowing into the wide ocean...”] You may spread out and gather in as you will, but by no means allow yourself to stray from the taiji concept.’2 These 13 Dynamics, according to Yang Ban-hou, are ‘innate within us… based in these four terms: perception, realization, activation, action. [These four terms amount to “moving with awareness”.]’3

Further, ‘To break movement and awareness into their component parts results in: moving = the activation of movement + the act of moving, and awareness = the perception that something is + the realization of what it is’4

The Treatise of Wang T’sung-yeuh of Shanxi tells us:

The Great Polarity without poles is born: Of negative and positive it is the mother — In motion it divides, In stillness it unites.

Thus, Taiji [the Great Polarity] is born of Wuji [No Polarity] and is the mother of yin yang — the passive and active aspects. In movement, the passive and active become distinguishable and in stillness they return to being indistinguishable.

It is not my intention here to discuss the deeper aspects of Wuji — it is beyond the remit of this article and would require tomes, as well as the fact that it would be near on impossible [at least in my view] to write about movement and feeling using still images about a living breathing subject. It is, however, the epitome of Taiji!

This posture has everything in it, its functions numerous. The idea is to wait for whatever the opponent wants to surprise me with so that I will respond according to the situation.5

Figure 1. Wuji — No Polarity From within Wuji, through to Preparation, there emerge many of the principles and concepts which help us in developing our understanding — stillness, motion, active, passive, expansion, contraction, weight-shifts [not being double-weighted], full, empty, fa-jing, coordination of mind and body, the point of coordination, grounding and so on.

As we have already mentioned above, the minute movement occurs the active [yang] and passive [yin] — the Dual Aspects, become distinguishable. We are clearly told this by Gu Ruzhang:

The “dual aspects” are your two hands separated into the roles of passive and active, forward and behind, left and right, above and below, contrary and straightforward, exiting and entering, extending and withdrawing, gathering and releasing, leisurely and

quick, empty and full.6

However, most practitioners fail to heed this simple statement based upon the Classics! I will briefly expand below [please note that the movements in all of the images below have been deliberately exaggerated and simplified for purpose of clarity and performed in the large/tall frame].

From Wuji, leading into and including Preparation, most sequences of Taiji are as follows:

The fingers of the hands are pointed straight forward [Figure 2] and the hands are raised straight up, shoulder high with the wrists relaxed [yin], [Figure 3]. At the top the hands circle slightly backwards as the wrists flex and the arms bend [yang] — supposedly making the yin yang circle — with the knees also bending.

I will ask the reader to refer back to Gu Ruzhang’s statement in bold, above. Do we see any component of the “dual aspects” happening? The answer should be a simple no! Why?

According to Wu Tunan7:

Figure 2 Figure 3. Front and side view Figure 4. Front and side view

Our guiding principle in promoting martial arts is to make martial arts more scientific. But Taiji Boxing is already a more scientific martial art. Why do I say this? A more scientific martial art conforms to physics and psychology, and gives particular attention to physiology and health…

In the past, the more scientific martial art of Taiji Boxing degraded most of all. Why so? Because its methods are simple and easy, and its movements are balanced and harmonious, and so people at the time gave it no attention.

In the more scientific martial art of Taiji Boxing, power can be divided into roughly three moments: 1. before8, 2. when9. 3. after.10

My advice to the reader is to go to Notes 8, 9 and 10 at the end of this article and read it alongside Gu’s statement in full before continuing.

There is nothing scientific nor any conforming to the principles of physics in the above movements [Figs 2-4]!

There is no exhibition of the “dual aspects”! Both hands are “double-weighted” and ‘dead’ without any separation whatsoever! Further, the hands circling backwards [Figure 4], reduce the size of your ‘garden’11 thus making the ‘house’12 vulnerable to an easy attack. There are no weight-shifts, no expansion or contraction —

you are impeded:

Figure 5 Figure 6. Front and side view

It is because the fault of double weighting has not been realized. To avoid this fault, one must know negative and positive "Sticking" is "running," "running" is "sticking". Negative does not leave positive. Positive does not leave negative. When positive and negative complement each other, this then is understanding power.

Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9

In the Old Yang, beginners are taught from Wuji, as the hands extend forward into preparation, the fingers point slightly inwards [see Figure 5 above compared to Figure 2 on previous page] indicating that the upper kua13 is open. As the hands rise, they follow the trajectory of the fingers, causing the wrists to gradually flex and reel inwards throughout the entirety of the movement, thus narrowing the distance at the apex [Figure 6] and reversing on the way back down back to their original position. This, whilst is also incorrect in terms of Gu’s statement, is known as the ‘square’ way of teaching the Taiji ‘bridge’ adhering to Wu Tunan’s “principles of physics”. This is demonstrated by the images above:

In Figure 7, Tony simply reaches forward and places his hands upon my shoulders, without overreaching or falling short. I raise my hands as per Figures 2-4… fingers pointing forwards and straight up. Nothing happens to Tony’s structure. His hands remain upon my shoulders! In Figure 9, as I raise my hands with my upper kua open, causing my fingers to point and reel inwards — the gradual state change from yang to yin peaks at the point of impact causing Tony’s hands to lift upwards and backwards. I have the Taiji ‘bridge’. There is a martial scientific reason for my hands to move in such a way!

In order for us to be true to Gu’s statement in exhibiting the dual aspects we must now observe and do as per the Taiji classic of The Treatise of Wang T’sung-yeuh of Shanxi, “In motion it divides, In stillness it unites”.

In Figures 10-11 below, we see the sequence from Wuji to Preparation and back to Wuji [please note that many of the interim movements have been omitted, otherwise there would be just too many photographs]. As soon as movement begins, a separation occurs with the “dual aspects” of Gu’s statement now clearly visible, as the weight shifts from the left heel to the right heel, forward towards the middle of the right foot across to the left and back to the heel in a counter clockwise motion — causing the waist to turn right, left, right — with the

active and passive being wholly distinguishable, as the left hand leads and the right follows until we return back to being indistinguishable… Wuji!

In order to understand and develop the above we return back to our two-person method now performed as follows:

Figure 10. [Left to Right] Front view: Wuji, Preparation, Wuji

Figure 11. [Left to Right] Side-view: Preparation.

A B C

Figure 12. [Left to Right] Side-view: Preparation. Figure 13. [Left to Right] Opposite view.

Stand in a regular stance — one foot slightly ahead of the other. Tony attempts to place his hands upon my shoulders [this represents in abstract any type of attack towards my chest, neck, or head — from a strike to a grab or a shove]. As soon as he moves, immediately my weight shifts as my waist turns to the right causing my hands to rise spiralling inwards as they separate and attack Tony’s arms causing them to veer off at an angle and divide [Figure 12A]. Immediately my waist turns back to the left as my left hand [knife-edge] spirals downwards and attacks his bicep with my right hand arriving a split second later and striking the corner of his jaw with the heel of my palm [Figure 12 B & C]. Figure 13 shows the same from the opposite angle.

This simple training method forms the basis of the student developing and understanding the Point of Coordination — knowing how to move and coordinate their energy with that of another person. It helps us develop the very essence of the Taiji Classics… “if one part moves, every part moves, and if one part is still, every part is still” — it is the body which attacks… starting with the foot, through the leg to the waist and expressed by the fingers [hand].

The training method starts as a static drill. Initially, the practitioner will find that their timing is off, they will not arrive at the PoC correctly, nor have power in their strikes. The movement from leg, waist to fingers will not be fluid, you will be thinking about what to do and in the process most likely get ‘struck’ by your partner.

This is one of the basic meanings of, “First in your mind, then in your body”14 — in the beginning we have to think and process what it is that we are trying to do before the body takes over and the principle eventually becomes innate. This requires long effort!

Once your body starts to work things out, your partner can start adding power to their ‘attack,’ allowing you to reflexively neutralise and issue using two fa-jing15 releases — one for the upward motion and one for the downward motion.

The above training method is now advanced where the offensive and defensive move become one, a single fajing release. We use the same principles as above [Wuji/Preparation] to target 3 areas, using 3 weapons [See table below and Figure 14] — care must be taken so as to not actually strike the targets pulling just short. As skill level improves further, stepping is introduced into then training method and this continues until your partner finally launches a realistic random attack.

Target

Eyes

Up under nose [GV26]

Neck

Weapon

Fingers

Heel Palm

Knife Edge

Figure 14. [Left to Right] Side-view: Preparation targeting eyes, under the nose and neck.

The PoC should not be confused with timing. You can block16 an attack with perfect timing, yet that does not mean that you have coordinated between your own internal energy and your own body with that of the energy of your opponent, and in doing so have positioned your body correctly. Of course timing plays a role, but it is not the PoC!

As our art and skills develop, the diligent student will find that the PoC exists as a major component in all of our training methods — especially in Da Shou, which hones this skill to an incredible level!

There is only one form in Taijiquan Long Boxing, everything else — Pauchui [Large Sàn-Shǒu], Small SànShǒu, Da-lu etc — should not be considered as specific fighting methods or forms per se, but rather, should be, looked upon as a component of training taught alongside the traditional form thus, giving it meaning.

However, all this begins from understanding that:

Power initiates from the heel, goes through the leg to the waist, and from the spine then goes through the arms to the fingers.17

Wuji through to preparation is a master class on the essence of Taijiquan as per the Classics!

These are the simplest of movements which teach us so much and, yet, as Wu Tunan has correctly observed [see earlier full quote]… “In the past, the more scientific martial art of Taiji Boxing degraded most of all. Why so? Because its methods are simple and easy, and its movements are balanced and harmonious, and so people at the time gave it no attention.”

Indeed, even today practitioners are giving it “no attention”!

Notes & References

1. Many folk have turned this into an esoteric concept, magical even — it is no such thing! 2. Taiji Fa Shuo: Attributed to Yang Ban-hou, [circa 1875], Brennan Translation [2013] 3. Ibid 4. Ibid 5. Taiji Boxing by Gu Ruzhang [1936], Brennan Translation [2013] 6. Ibid 7. A More Scientific Martial Art: Taiji Boxing by Wu Tunan [1931], Brenna Translation [2017] 8. ‘The moment before his strike reaches my body: I notice the direction of the opponent’s force and lead him into emptiness. If his force is going forward, I take it to the left or right, up or down, drawing it in so that his force is sure to miss. If his force is going upward, I shift it to a horizontal direction, whether left or right, forward or back, and if he continues to exert force upward, he gives me control over his force, with the result that he will be leaned away to the left or right, forward or back. If his center of balance goes beyond his body, he will fall. The same goes for the other directions.’ 9. ‘The moment when his strike reaches my body: I go along with the direction of his force, causing it to veer off at an angle and divide. Then when I use a hand to strike him anywhere, it is sure to make him lean. If his center of balance goes beyond his body, he will naturally fall.’ 10. ‘The moment when his strike has already reached my body: I draw him in along the direction of his force, making a ring around him, causing his force to melt away until it is almost nothing. Then I strike him at the instant he has fallen into emptiness, and as his force is already spent, this is sure to make him lean. If his center of balance goes beyond his body, he is sure to fall…’ The descriptions above are but brief glimpses of dealing with direction of force. As for force that has not yet been expressed, I can know when the opponent is about to issue, and no matter what part he wants to move, I know when it is about to move. Wherever his mind goes, I will know it. This is entirely the result of understanding the principle of movement and stillness. If one part moves, every part moves, and if one part is still, every part is still. Clearly distinguish between emptiness and fullness, and thereby you will be able to understand how force works. Then whether initiated force or borrowed force, followed force or countered force, divided force or combined force, you will succeed. After a long time, you will be able to easily understand whatever force you encounter. Does this art not conform to principles of physics? If you can study wholeheartedly, then force as a whole will not be difficult to understand.

Notes & References continued…

11. This refers to the space between your ward-off arm and your body, where the ward-off represents the fence at which a potential intruder would be stopped! 12. This is a reference to the body itself! 13. Most practitioners are aware of the lower kua, yet neglect or do not understand, or are even aware of the upper kua! 14. This is another concept which has been given the esoteric treatment! The commentary on Wang’s text in

Taijiquan Shiyong Fa [attributed to Yang Cheng-fu, we are clearly told: ‘When you start learning to spar, you will think about everything you do and probably lose. After you have completed the training, you will not have to think about how to adapt, the body will deal with attacks by spontaneously responding without the mind being involved. The opponent will stumble away and you will not be aware of how you did it. The training starts in the mind and ends in the body. It is like learning to use an abacus, in which you start by thinking through the steps to get your fingers to go where they need to go, then after you get used to the patterns, your fingers fly around by themselves – first in the mind, then in the hand. The boxing theory is the same.’ 15. The fa-jing release is not visible in these images since we are using static postures for illustrative purposes only! 16. There are no blocks in Taiji, or in any martial art for that matter — there are only defensive strikes and offensive strikes! 17. Taijiquan Shiyong Fa — Methods of Applying Taiji Boxing by Yang Cheng-fu [and Dong Yingjie], 1931;

Yang Lu-ch’an’s [Commentary to a] Primary Text; Brennan Translation, 2011