Free Tai Chi Lesson - Tai Chi Discs
Having seen this piece of apparatus in various outdoor gyms and noting its usefulness for solo push hands type work, it was only as a result of a recent pop-up ad that it came to our attention that they are in fact marketed as ‘Tai Chi Discs’.
Some have handles like those pictured and others are a solid disc which enables you to work with smaller circles, spirals and varying levels of contact/friction.
We have recently uploaded the first free lesson (at least the written component of it) to the free stuff page, so in the same spirit below are a few thoughts on how you can use these devices to add to your existing gentle workout routine or level up your internal martial arts training.
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It will provide some light resistance training, if you want to take the ideas to a higher level of resistance you could work with a partner in a ‘grinding arms’ type format. It will also be a platform for moving meditation as the repetitive nature of the exercise triggers the relaxation response/flow state which is analogous to astral training for the energy work types. Plus, it’s just plain fun and may give you some inspiration for building your own equipment for your gym/Tai Chi playground.
If you don’t have access to the equipment then a gym ball against a wall works well and you can get other parts of the body involved as well which is a good starting point for being able to fa jin with any part of your body. You can of course practice empty handed which is in fact better for energy work. As you move towards the ‘staggered’ exercises you will also find it a mental workout as new neural pathways are forged.
Circles and spirals are a prized component of Tai Chi movement, it’s no surprise so much influence is taken from cosmological ideas, or maybe it was the other way around and the founders realised they were moving in conjunction with much larger objects and ideas. If you do not do a combat sport or any serious fight training then you are left with your natural vocabulary of movement if you are ever called to action. A circle/spiral applied will eventually become a parry, lock or an escape if you keep flowing. Insert inspirational quote here about flowing water not stagnating and attribute to an ancient sage, Bruce Lee, whoever you want.
Often the discs are different heights for different stages of development but if you are stretching high this could develop mobility in the upper limbs, shoulders and back, and if you want to get down low you can experiment with stances/footwork. We’re not big fans of holding low horse stance due to the weight bearing on the knees. Perhaps transitioning between left and right bow stances might be a good alternative, the kind of Shaolin style where the inside of your back heel is roughly in line with ball of your front foot. We would still suggest squats over this for leg strength or the leg press machine in the gym.
There is no shortage of exercise equipment that has become a clothes hanger but the odds are better in this case, in the same way it seems unlikely anybody is draping their half way to the laundry basket garments over their surf board or hang glider. Whilst your average Tai Chi class might elicit a jaw dislocating yawn, a new Tai Chi toy may be part of the much needed evolution of the art and don’t let any traditionalists shame you otherwise.
A few ideas to start you off before coming up with some of your own;
Single hand circles
Double hand circles
Synchronised direction
Opposite directions
Staggered by 90/180/270 degrees both in the same direction and in opposition
It is not dissimilar to ‘cloud hands’ type exercises that are taught in various ways depending on your particular flavour of Tai Chi but probably has more in common with the circling exercises found in Taikiken.
Have fun!