Author: Chen ZhongHua Length: 48 min. In: English Year: 2010 Difficulty:3/5 At:Edmonton
1. Beginning. 2. Background information. 3. 3 Rings of taiji. 4. 3-Ring relationships. 5. Applications of the 3 rings. 6. Discussion of the 3 rings. 7. Feel on Master Chen Zhonghua how it works. 8. Experiment with the 3 rings.
a. Hands and feet must stay in the outside circle
b. Elbows, rib, outer rim of waist and shoulders must stay in the middle circle
c. Waist, head, neck, kua, Baihui, and Huiyin must stay in the inside circle.
Note that some of the body parts are shared by different circles. The sharing of these body parts add/give functionality to the body. Normal human behavior acquires functionality through the breaking of the rules (that the body parts must stay inside the designated areas).
Numbers 1, 2, and 3 are embedded in the graph above. This is how it works. A). 1&2. B). 2&3. C). 1&2&3. But never 1&3 or 3&1.
The above numbers system in verbal language is called, “The head cannot reverse to move backward.”
Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method trains the body to have full physical functions (like the normal everyday human movements and behavior) through a system that requires the body to stay within the prescribed confines. This process is called “Smeltering” (Xiulian –fi¡∂).
Smeltering restores the body to a state that precedes normal human state. Movements will stay within restrictions and will not harm the body.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
This video is very useful to teach structure and alignment. How ever this is not the 3 rings of tai chi. The 3 rings generate/mobilize power. This structure is “a” way of using that power.
A great video to add to what I learned at the week long seminar in Edmonton. At the very end, Master Chen summed up a common theme: “Everybody knows how to move. Can you feel you don’t know how to lock?”
Locking parts of the body is one of the great tasks in learning the Practical Method.
Hello,
I just wanted to express my graditude, thanks for explaining and posting the videos.
I have watched ”3 Rings of Tai Chi” several times and it has greatly improved my Push-hands play.
Ken kls123@gmail.com
This video answers many questions.
The three rings of Tai Chi are the inner Circle (内圈), Middle Circle (中圈) and the
Outer Circle (外圈). What are its origins?
The entire relationship of the three ring theory is
1 + 2 = 2 ; 2 + 1 = 2
3 + 2 = 2 ; 2 + 3 = 2
(1+2) + (3+2) = 3
1 does not work with 3
3 does not work with 1
What does that mean?
How does this theory be applied or trained? What is the weapon, the buffer and the source?
Master Chen concludes: ” In the end, that’s why I said again and again … in terms of the real fighting [is] a game of chicken. Why? Because that’s the law of physics. It means if I got you, what does it mean? It means you got me.”