THE POST ABOUT POSTING

Posting is an integral (or should be, IMO) aspect of training in Tai Chi.

For those of you unfamiliar with this concept, posting (the Chinese word for it escapes me for the nonce) is the practice of hold one specific posture for as long as possible.

This is actually a traditional (or as the young folk like to call it, 'old school!') training method. It was how it was done in the good old days, long, long ago.

Originally, Tai Chi Chuan consisted of thirteen postures. A beginner would be required, over a space of eight or so years, to hold each individual posture, until the master decided that the posture was perfect. NOTE: there was absolutely no movement between them. It was all static training.

It was done this way, for two reasons:

1. To see if the student had the prerequisite fortitude to learn, and


2. To test the student's character.

Of course, this changed as Tai Chi was released into the mainstream. Most folks won't stick with something this arduous. Most don't have the requisite attention spans. Yang Cheng Fu actually modified the form (subtracting the fa ching and jumping movements), and changed the required posting training to include movement. His intention was to strengthen his nation's populace by improving their health.

Static training is a common staple amongst most martial arts. External arts such as Shaolin, Karate, TKD usually have one posture (often the traditional horse stance) that they hold for X amount of hours. Tai Chi emphasizes this more than most MA's. My first five years of training consisted of the entire class holding a posture, while the instructor went about making corrections. Then moving to the next posture, and correcting that pose.

As a side note: there are two equally valid ways to teach Tai Chi. The first has been mentioned. The second, is to teach the entire set of movements, and then fine-tune them.

There's a number of good reasons to do the posting. One, is that the body memory (read: the muscle memory) will take an imprint, and learn it. Two, is that it gives the player/practitioner time to start going over principles while holding said posture. Three, is that (via #1) it teaches the player what the movement should feel like. This third is essential, inasmuch as most newbies tend to rush from one posture to another without ending a movement. Let me clarify that a little more: the posture needs to end, but the movement DOES NOT. In other words: End <> stop. Define each movement. At one point, one pose ends, and another begins. But the movement of the body doesn't end until the form is completed.

Another good reason to post (the irony of this subject being posted on a blog is not lost on me), is that you build up a substantial sweat doing this. Not to mention the rewards: the body's meridians blossom like flowers, and the energy flow experienced while doing this is almost indescribable. But you have to hold it for a substantial amount of time, not 30 seconds, try 30 minutes, if you can pull that off. Shoot for 5 at first, and build upwards. And always, ALWAYS check your principles. While holding the posture, check your back, keep your headtop suspended, make sure your knees are aligned (never over the tip of the toe), and of course, fang shung, or relax.

Often, I teach classes where I will do the corrections, and then launch into one of my patented mini-lectures. In the meantime, people drop out of the pose, reassume it, sweating profusely. I hear students complain about their legs burning. I then recite one of Ben Lo's favorite refrains: "No burn? No earn!"

Because, as the old Tai Chi saying goes, "Eat the bitter." Or better yet: invest in loss. In other words, it's a hard road, filled with long hours, and the player will have to invest heavily in delayed gratification. But the rewards? Trust me: the effort is well worth it.