How Do You Add Softness to Your Form?

[chi-ca]

I've been learning yang style for a few years now and am still struggling with softness. I know it's not mushy/floppy/limpness. I know it involves sinking after the expansion of each posture. But for as many times as my teacher has said, "shoulders, chest loose" as we move from the expansion of yang into the contraction of yin those words just aren't clicking with me. My form just doesn't have that beautiful "taffy-like" quality that you see with superior players. So my question is, how do you all bring that type of softness into your forms?

 

[Xue Sheng]

Relax, don't worry about it and practice there is no secret.

How long have you been doing Yang?

How many times a day do you practice your form?

What form(s) are we talking about?

EDIT

Also look here
The Ten Essentials of Taijiquan

 

[chi-ca]

Xue Shen-

I've been doing this for 4ish years. I started with the simplified-24 form and moved into the traditional & sword forms. I try to practice daily but that's not always possible.

I'm sure there isn't a secret to softness but there are probably some techniques that I'm not applying/grasping.

-chi-ca

 

[mograph]

When I'm soft, I feel homogeneous, inflated and springy. At least I think that's "soft".

 

[tshadowchaser]

forgeting about trying to be soft is a starting place.. Just do the moves or let the moves come from you not you do them.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Xue Shen-

I've been doing this for 4ish years. I started with the simplified-24 form and moved into the traditional & sword forms. I try to practice daily but that's not always possible.

I'm sure there isn't a secret to softness but there are probably some techniques that I'm not applying/grasping.

-chi-ca

Train and don't worry about it, you can't force it, train and you will relax and then it will come. And since we are talking Yang style read Yang Chengfu's The Ten Essentials of Taijiquan that I previosly linked and practice with those in mind. Per my sifu and his sifu it is best to do the long form 3 times a day but if you can't... and most do not have that kind of time... it will still come, it will just take a bit longer.

And tshadowchaser gave some great advice

forgeting about trying to be soft is a starting place.. Just do the moves or let the moves come from you not you do them.

 

[chi-ca]

Train and don't worry about it, you can't force it, train and you will relax and then it will come. And since we are talking Yang style read Yang Chengfu's The Ten Essentials of Taijiquan that I previosly linked and practice with those in mind. Per my sifu and his sifu it is best to do the long form 3 times a day but if you can't... and most do not have that kind of time... it will still come, it will just take a bit longer.

And tshadowchaser gave some great advice

Thanks to both of you. I'll review the Ten Essentials.

chi-ca

 

[kaizasosei]

qigong and relaxation!

conciousness of the whole body, each part and extremity as well as the balance of the whole. move those fingers and feel the wrists guiding...

the essence of taichi is not martial yet it is martial-so that, there must be some sense in the movements that can be learned through dance, communication or martial arts.

theres no way around streching. but in essence, it is not some unwanted inflexibility that must be removed, rather through practice and exercise, the body is also being built and strengthened in certain mysterious ways.

ive heard the expression, -you must be as limp as a doll seeming to be moved by invisible strings attached to the natural structure of your body.

soft as cotton but hard as steel

j

 

[East Winds]

chi-ca,

Here is a short article which I think will help you solve your problem.

http://www.uswushuacademy.com/articles/3rings.htm

Very best wishes

 

[tshadowchaser]

nice informative article
thanks for the link

 

[chi-ca]

chi-ca,

Here is a short article which I think will help you solve your problem.

http://www.uswushuacademy.com/articles/3rings.htm

Very best wishes

Terrific, thank you. I've read that article before but it's very helpful to review. Now about the sinking part...just a reversal of the expansion of the 3 rings?

 

[mograph]

To add to or paraphrase the article contributed by East Winds:

There is also the difference between making your body parts do things and letting your body parts do things.

Most of the time, we focus on our arms and legs, making them move, when we really should make our waist move and let our arms and legs follow.

When I say waist, ideally it should be the dantien, I suppose.

In my opinion.

 

[Formosa Neijia]

I've been learning yang style for a few years now and am still struggling with softness. I know it's not mushy/floppy/limpness. I know it involves sinking after the expansion of each posture. But for as many times as my teacher has said, "shoulders, chest loose" as we move from the expansion of yang into the contraction of yin those words just aren't clicking with me. My form just doesn't have that beautiful "taffy-like" quality that you see with superior players. So my question is, how do you all bring that type of softness into your forms?

There are different approaches to doing this. Some may go against the grain of what you're learning. For example, one of the best ways is go just as soft as you can. Just practice standing and then be totally floppy. Be completely relaxed (as much as you can) and then find points that aren't relaxed. Then relax them. Let everything drain downwards.

Sometimes this going to the far extreme is necessary in order to find your relaxation. Some taiji teachers frown on this because it doesn't contain peng or structure. But trying to maintain that while relaxing is too much for some people. You may need to isolate one thing and one thing only until you get it. Doing relaxation and peng at the same time may not work for you at first.

Good luck.

 

[kaizasosei]

mograph said:

Most of the time, we focus on our arms and legs, making them move, when we really should make our waist move and let our arms and legs follow.

When I say waist, ideally it should be the dantien, I suppose.

this is the exact conclusion that i came to after reading the article and thinking about it more...

 

[Qi_man]

Chi Ca,

I have struggled with this concept too.

In my humble opinion what I have come to understand is that softness is a combination of coordination and control. Control is supported by your strength and flexibility. When you have developed the proper strength and flexibility you can control your movement. When you can control and coordinate (i.e. harmonze the three rings) your movement should seem soft.

My experience is that it is not "floppy", but rather the ability to hold the structure (through strength and flexibility) while moving with continuity to make it appear easy(soft).


I hope this may help you.

 

[chi-ca]

Chi Ca,

I have struggled with this concept too.

In my humble opinion what I have come to understand is that softness is a combination of coordination and control. Control is supported by your strength and flexibility. When you have developed the proper strength and flexibility you can control your movement. When you can control and coordinate (i.e. harmonze the three rings) your movement should seem soft.

My experience is that it is not "floppy", but rather the ability to hold the structure (through strength and flexibility) while moving with continuity to make it appear easy(soft).


I hope this may help you.

Thanks everyone. I'm glad to hear that someone else is struggling with this element. After reading all of your thoughts, I think my issue lies in the first ring. I need to practice moving the waist FIRST. What is it they say about Carnegie Hall....

chi-ca

 

[pete]

Here is an article written by my teacher a few years ago that found its way to Tai Chi magazine... hope it helps~

http://silvertigertaichi.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=42&Itemid=59

 

[ggg214]

what is the softness?
before we discuss how to do it, first we should make a defination of softness.
do you have any idea?

 

[chi-ca]

what is the softness?
before we discuss how to do it, first we should make a defination of softness.
do you have any idea?

Great question! It'll be interesting to see if we are all thinking about softness in the same way.

I have thought of softness as a quality that goes beyond slow and relaxed; it is that point where the physical body and the form look elastic. The form is controlled and expansive but just as the body reaches the limits of expansion it contracts in such a graceful way that the player almost seems to be moving under water. I'll try to find something on YouTube to illustrate my thoughts.

How does everyone else define "softness"?

 

[East Winds]

Here is a beautiful example of "softness" within Chen style Taiji performed by Kelly McLean. I first became aware of Kelly when I saw her performing 48 step in a Liang Shou-Yu video some years ago.

Very best wishes