10/02/19 — The latter end of week 7
We have now entered into the second section of the kata, having completed the first. It’s hard to describe the sense of satisfaction I get from being able to say I know the first section of the kata by heart and am now working to make it more beautiful and powerful by regular practice. It’s a lot like reaching the next belt in Ninjutsu, and it’s quite invigorating.
I am definitely stronger in my balance and control thanks to the time I’ve spent with Tai Chi. This too is very exciting to observe. Spending weeks on the same techniques whose purpose and practicality are just a little questionable can be hard on the spirit, but to finally start seeing results in my own movements and general wellbeing is the reward. This then provides the energy to press forward and keep working hard despite doubts or difficulty. This is perhaps the main reason that I’m able to stick with martial arts when other forms of exercise never keep me captivated for long. This, and the fact that martial arts not only works the body but also the mind.
And Tai Chi certainly is changing my mind, at least a little. Through the kata I find myself slowly expanding my ability to take things slowly. Ninjutsu promotes patience as one of its most fundamental staples, but its curriculum is fast paced and designed to make you potent quickly, then make you clever, patient and flexible over a much longer period of time.
Tai Chi, on the other hand, seems much more designed to teach you flexibility and patience first, starting off slow and giving you lots of directional and deflecting options very soon, but then working you on those options time and again, with slight variations. It then adds more offensive and accessible techniques piece by piece, like milk slowly and carefully added to a hot sauce base. Further, through exercises like push-hands exercises, I’m getting a chance to really improve my ability to sense and react to my opponent’s movements, which is yet another exciting development.
All in all, the most interesting change in my mind has been my changing attitude towards Tai Chi. I have been fairly skeptical about the practicality of Tai Chi, especially when looking at the surface level applicability of the techniques in the kata. However, I’m beginning to see that the combination of the kata, Qi gong, and the push-hands exercises, while perhaps not giving me any new technique to use in a real situation, are incrementally and fundamentally changing the way I move and respond to my surroundings in general.
And this is quite practical. It’s also quite exciting, as this has been, for some time now, a barrier that I’ve been struggling with in Ninjutsu. Making progress in this basic yet fundamental area has, by itself, made doing Tai Chi a worthwhile endeavor.