"Chen" Style Tai Ji covers the techniques of falchions and swords, including single falchion, dual falchion, crescent moon-broad-falchion, mighty falchion and so on. Some Kung-fu masters even offer the falchion Kung-fu with the words "brandishing falchion, dashing tiger" describing the fierce, powerful and irresistible falchion performance
"Chen" Style Tai Ji's falchion techniques absorb the advantages of other schools without their weak points. Combining with the classic theory of Tai Ji's "yin" and "yang" (two opposite concepts in Taoism), the skill distinguishes itself from others with its integration of lightness and steadiness, strength and softness, speed and twining, the alternation of slowness and fastness and the methods of rolling body and hands. As a result, some calls it the "Tai Ji Twining falchion."
Master Chen Changxing is an important master and a famous representative of the "Chen" Style Tai Ji. According to some legend, "Master Chen's gait was as smooth as the water flow and his movement was as light as clouds practicing the Tai Ji Falchion. His movements were at ease and grace the falchion brandishing under his control speedily sticking the falchion on his body and soul. Left or right, appeared or disappeared, the falchion brandished around his body, but no one could tell where it really was. The twinkling falchion engendered a protective screen preventing water from permeating and stopping arrows from approaching."
"Chen" Style Tai Ji's Falchion techniques require all the movements simple, unadorned, practical, offensive as well as defensive. The circles described by the falchion should be linked up together and alternated flexibly and powerfully. The managements of the falchion, including the blade, edge, point and the back, should keep all rolling. No matter fast or slow, all the movements should not be acted straightly. The practitioners must keep the breath regular and complete all the movements this way in order to remain their calmness indeed. As regard to the methods of Dodging (Shan), Chopping (Kan), Splitting (Pi), Cutting (Duo), Blocking (Lan), Teasing (Liao), Pricking (Zha) and so forth, the practitioner's hands and body should be demanded to revolve. His arms should contain strength and play the falchion with the force. The regular shaking shoulders and the swinging waist could represent Tai Ji Falchion superiority well. On the other hand, both the single falchion and the dual one of "Chen" style belong to the short weapons. There is a pithy formula for the management "playing single falchion, your hands are not so easy to be tricky. Playing dual falchion, your steps are difficult to move." Or we can streamline it as "single falchion emphasizes hands, dual one asks or moving steps". That is the core key for the practitioners of holding or moving single or dual falchion. As the "Chen" Style Single Falchion's player usually holds his falchion with one hand, (sometimes both hands will be in use according to the various demands), his other hand plays an auxiliary role complying to the various movements, actively or passively, clearly or cryptically.
Any fresh learner should be studying at the beginning like a pupil entering into a primary school and starting his lessons step by step carefully. As a pupil, one will learn some simple nouns like sky, land, sun, and moon first, then followed by some verbs, auxiliary words and some certain
sentences gradually. Similarly, learning the Tai Ji Falchion must also follow several steps. At the very beginning, a learner has to keep the rhythmic instructions firmly in mind. The various requirements of eyes, body, feet, hands for certain performance should be clear and matched. The performance must be perfectly correct before starting the next step----movement's continuity and coordination. The following step is to learn how to use strength forcefully and how to resist the attacks by the opponent and counterattack. An achievable learner must be persistent and hard working with enough patience and enterprise.
Another important thing that a learner should keep in mind is that there are many repeated gestures or styles in the performance, which cannot be deleted at random. Since the methods come from the mental and physical efforts of the forerunners, they must be formed on the basis of some theories, reasons or considerations. Take a well-written article for example. Many repeated nouns may be used. If the readers omit the so-called immaterial parts, they will miss the elaborate parts created by the writer. Similarly, the reason for the repeated gestures or styles in the falchion techniques may be to offer a method for the learners to practice them as much as possible. Some of them are the key connections among different and various movements, that can help the practitioners save their energy.
The falchion techniques contain transition as well. On the occasion that movements should be changed from this to that or the movements of hands and steps conflict together, the transitional action is necessary to solve the problem. However, the transition is not all impractical. In some situation, it could defeat the opponent sufficiently.
The learners should not rapidly march but slowly advance step by step. Once they have been familiar with the methods, they should hold the idea of defeat in mind and in each performance. No matter it is tangible or not, the idea should exist as long as in the learning or performing process. With the trainings, one could remain his calmness in a real fighting.
Practicing the series of skills differs from a real competition or fighting. In the training process, learners must practice the series of skills without any mistake in order to form a correct foundation. Even though one should act according to various circumstances in a real fighting, the transitional methods should be under certain rules out of any disorder.
In any fighting, a practitioner should master the method: "change the situation by moving to the back door. "The point of "moving to the back door" means one should keep his body within the dead corner caused by the opponent's weapon. (The nearest place that the weapon cannot reach.) The movement will force the opposite party change his performance of hands and gait in order to launch another attack. During the gap that the old attack has gone and the new force hasn't started, one should carry out a surprising attack, which will settle the victory.
The practitioner must also manage the "speed" in his performance. Otherwise, he could not be considered as a master. A good transition between movements can find its foundation on "speed."
Practitioner should do well in another s1011 "fooling." The skillful master often talks about the fake upper gestures and the material lower gestures. The so-called "fake" equals to "fooling." When the opponent is fooled and trying his best to adjust himself and resolve your attack, you can commence an attack on the gap that the old force has gone and the new one hasn't started. The opponent will be possibly defeated under the situation.
Fighting with a falchion, one should use it on adversary's vital points, such as eyes, neck, throat, wraist, chest, abdomen, and the lower part of the legs and so on. It is obvious that if you encounter a strong adversary and cut his thigh, a common part of the body, he could still resist you with his wound.
Here is another useful hint indicating "when a short weapon meets a long weapon, you should not flurry." Suppose an opponent attacking you by a long size weapon, you will keep calm and advance rapidly by surprise. You will get close to him and make his long weapon out of function. When the dangerous part of the long weapon has been left behind your body, how can it threaten you? Thus, the technique that "keeping calm and attacking by surprise" is more important than the type of weapons.
The essence of Tai Ji Falchion's techniques is to draw more and more circles. The circles should be drawn by the Falchion in accordance with the body gestures, steps and hand movements. No matter leftward or rightward, forward or backward, upward or downward, tangible or intangible, the circles could be divided into two types, going downstream or upstream. All kinds of circles would be integrated with other movements under the techniques.
"Chen" Style Tai Ji Falchion's outstanding superiority comes from the circles. Some of them could be false while others material. Sometimes, the movement could be both false and material at the same time. Being a defence, the movement may be false, as attacking, it is actually material. A practitioner should use the method flexibly and come into the effect that "nobody knows your movement withdrawing or extending, loose or tight, while you and your opponent touching together without any detaching or antagonizing, every circle made by you becomes extremely magical."
In the Falchion techniques, circle is the form while the internal twining force is the substance. The methods of Touching (Zhan), Sticking (Zhan), Linking (Lian), Following (Sui), Dodging (Shan), Cutting (Kan), Splitting (Pi), Chopping (Duo) and so forth develop the techniques more regular, smooth and modest. And the practitioners should keep the breath smooth, the spirit pure and the strength unified. Basing on this, practitioners should work on shrinking the circles in order to reach the state that the circles are really existing but intangible and nearly impossible to be recognized and caught by any opponent, and where is the hand there is the Falchion. According to the Tai Ji Quan Theory, "the remarkable master can create an exclusive fighting circle with the extensive circles. Once a fierce rival comes, your force can be sent out and defeat him like the storm destroying the withered woods." This is the real powerful essence of "Chen" Style Tai Ji's Falchion techniques.
I have learned and practiced the fighting skills of Tai Ji Falchion for more than 40 years with a perfect awareness of the difficulty. Master Hong Shi had often said, "an excellent teacher can not make you intelligent but can show you the direction." Under this guide, a learner should seek and follow an experienced teacher and should make himself practice hard to reach a brilliant and a successful target. My teacher, Mr. Chen Jin'ao said, "the techniques have been exclusive but lost in the public world for a long time. Since you happen to master it, do not impart the matchless techniques heedlessly." In respect of teacher's words and the succession of the unique kills, I decide to offer the general instruction as follows instead of the detailed methods in order to help others study the techniques without disobeying teacher's order.
"Chen" Style Tai Ji Single Falchion’s General Formula
Tai Ji Falchion creates lots if extreme wonders and miracle, twining Falchion makes wonderful changes in circles.
Breathe smooth and complete, keeping calmness is matchless to all.
Dodging, Chopping, Splitting and Cutting are the skills; Touching, Sticking, Linking and Following are the requirements neither detaching nor counteracting.
Defensive techniques can also be offensive twining rings causes blocking and attacking.
Pricking the rival's chest and ribs fiercely like a blue dragon jumping out of the water, hitting his head and neck powerfully like a storm blowing the withered flowers.
Creating the absolute superiority like the covering clouds in the sky;
Attacking speedily and strongly like the chasing tiger in the mountain.
Vital attacking be derived from the overwhelming position, everybody should pursue the advantage.
Holding the falchion and the approaching stance well, maintaining your might in your gestures.
Playing and rolling your falchion, the serpent will die on the spot.
Practicing skills often and hard, all the skills can be mastered well enough.
Searching the opponent' s intention. Waiting for the opportunity to attack.
Attacking by surprise, settling the victory stormily.
Creating the absolute advantage with all efforts, pursuing the final success with persistence.
Moving and cutting forcefully, maintaining the advantage throughout.
Linking up the circles for variety, defeating the opponent without being noticed.
Reacting according to the circumstances, hitting the rival's head and changing the gaits to remain advantage.
Keeping the good manners in the inferiority, mastering the essence of techniques is hard.
Learning the falchion for life, managing it till the old age.
