The Hidden Power of Ji in Tai Chi | Step-by-Step Tutorial on Internal Force

Take two. I bet Monty did that, actually. I bet the ball went over there. Um, Cannon asked about how do you generate power in a very short distance? And so I, he asked if I would teach him, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to include you all in his progress and the teaching of this, and how to generate power in a short distance. First, I'll demonstrate it. Uh, well, yeah, grab a hold of that. And so he's going to get in a really strong bow stance, and if I try to push him, it won't work. Because I'm trying to push him, I have to move my intention somewhere else. Step one, I take whatever resistance he offers me, and I soften and I absorb it back here. And then I put my mind in this space. That just helps me to divert away from thinking about moving him. And I keep that space pretty tangible to me and at the forefront of my awareness. And then I just move through him like a train. I just go through like that. Yep, it's a straight line, and I move. Now, um, I will do it with a weight shift, and then without a weight shift. So he's making it a little more challenging now, which is fine, because now he's, he's smart. He's figuring out to angle his body so that the force isn't going right through his body. But, so I have space, softening, and then go right through like that. Now, I didn't weight shift much, actually, so I don't think I need to actually demonstrate without it. Now we'll teach Cannon how to do this. I don't know why we switch it. I think, I think it's interesting that it, that I'm making a noise like it's knocking the breath out of me, even though it's not touching me. Yeah, but it's still, I can, like, it's, like, I actually, because usually the only time that happens is whenever you get hit in the chest, or, but that, but that's happening, and like air is releasing real quick, and I'm not, you know, I'm not even getting hit. Yeah, that's what it sounds like. Yes, and I've had that, that happens to me, too, when, in fact, when you do it to me, I'll probably, that sound, so that's sort of a good thing you've noticed. That's also a way of knowing that you're doing it correctly. Hey, we're not going to play ball right now. We're working. Could you go take your ball over there, please? Go take it. Get it. Good boy. Go take it over there. Good boy. Go on. Now we're finished. Okay, so Cannon, what I want you to do is push and resist. Just do it normally, like push me over. Yeah, okay, and, you know, admittedly, I'm not a super duper challenge, but it's still, he still will be able to learn from this. All right, now what I want you to do is, then, if I press on you a little bit, I want you to soften your back, this low back area. Yeah, there it is, and the reason I know that is because I end up sort of, he, I can't feel him as much, even though he's still solid. When he softens the back like that, I have this tendency to sort of fold into it, and so it's a trick. It's like drawing me in. Your back is sort of like a catcher's mitt, taking my force and accumulating it, and I liken it to, like it being a rubber band that you're pulling back before you go. Okay, so I'm, I've, you're softening your back right there, very nice. Now put your mind in the space instead of me, and then just like a freight train, just go straight through on the track. So go, yes, that was it. Now I'm going to resist just as much. Okay, I was, I'm not even sure I was resisting as much, but I think I was resisting pretty good. So I resist, absorb it, good, space, and then just shift. Yeah, that was good. So there's, let's try it again. I'm going to try to, you don't do those strategies, just to show them. Just to, just try to like push real quick? Yeah, just to make, to make sure it's not just your force actually overcoming. Yeah, so it doesn't work. Actually, it came back at you. Yeah, if I just go for, if I just go for a push real quick, it doesn't, you know, it doesn't do anything. And did you notice how your feet slipped out from under you? Yeah, and it went up like this and almost hit me in the face. Yeah, and that's a thing in Tai Chi that's called, we borrow the force against the person. So the more they resist, if your structure and your song and everything is in place, then it comes back at them. So that was proof positive that he wasn't just overcoming me with brute strength. Okay, one more time, the correct way. So as I come in here, soften your back. Yes, that's very nice. And then your mind in the space. Now, try not to shift quite as much and just, just send the stick through me, all the way through. Yes, there you go. That was a very good one. That was very good because you didn't have to shift your weight so much. Yeah. Did you notice that? No, I felt like I stayed back more. Yeah. I didn't have to lean forward as much. That's what I mean. You didn't have to use your leverage of your weight. Now let's see if you can do it with just a little tiny boop. Just a little, like no leverage at all? Uh-huh. All right. Okay, so you're just practicing a little tiny weight shift. We won't do it, the full thing, just do a little tiny weight shift without the rest so I can see what you know, that you know what I mean. So shift forward a little bit. That's the, yeah. Oh, I see. So you're using your upper body. Let me show you what I mean. So keep stiff. Yeah. So all I mean is rather than me going like that to my front leg, I'm just going to do a little micro shift. So it's a micro shift. I am shifting, but it's not quite as much. And keep your arms engaged so that you're not pushing from here. You're out here. So you're here. That's it. Okay, now hold that. Okay, relax your shoulders. Absorb my force. That's very nice. Space, and then just a little, just a little. Yes. That was it. Yeah, I just went like that. Yes. See, so we don't, we need a lot less than we think we need when we employ these things. I mean, that one actually lifted me up a little bit, I think. Oh, really? Yeah, that was very good. Yeah, and like, you know, if I were to just, you know, do the same amount of force to you like that, I mean, it would not be fun. Yeah, yeah. No, I mean, like, just like normal, like, like without Tai Chi, like, you wouldn't, you wouldn't move at all. Oh, yes, exactly. It was not that hard. That's right. Exactly. So you felt like you got hit by a ping pong ball or something. So that's how you know you're doing it effectively when you feel like you're hardly using any effort, and yet you get that response. So let's try it without the stick now. Now, if you're really wanting to learn this, what I suggest you do is just start to shorten the implement, work maybe half the distance, and then go to the limb. So let's come up close now. And so this time, have I done it this way yet? Can I show it on the video? I'm not sure. On the, the one before. Oh, okay. Yeah, the one before the camera went, so we had to remake. Okay, so same thing here. I can, I'm not going to punch, I'm just going to push in. Are you okay with that? Is this better? Both are fine. Okay, so I'm just in my space, I get open up my joints, get in my song, and right now he's already starting to melt a little bit, and then I just go through him. Okay, now hold on tight. So if I try to do it, now I really am trying, but if I get in, I won't even say. There's a difference, isn't there? Yeah. Okay, so now you're going to try it with me, but I'm going to have you do a soft open hand right here. All right. Okay, so I'm going to push, you resist, I mean you push me, push, push, push, push, try to resist, yeah, try to push me. There you go. So you can push me, obvious, for obvious reasons. All right, but now let's go ahead and get you standing straight up a little more. I know I'm short, but then same thing, I want you to absorb this into your low back. You turn your body facing me more. Good, now with those corrections, and this shoulder too, there we go, now relax it on. Do you feel how you're less twisted? Okay, so in this way, expand this space, if I push a little bit, take it into your low back, now you have me actually, so just a little bit right through me, yeah, that was it, do it again, good, yeah, and if I push, yep, that was very good, I wasn't even expecting it. Excellent job, you learned very well, and you're fun to teach. I'm glad you taught me. Yeah, exactly, so now you can go practice on that dummy and see what kind of, try it out, you know, punch him like you normally would, see how much he wobbles, and then do this close proximity, and do it with the fist, and see how much he wobbles, and I'm willing to bet you would get more with this technique than the other, and I know it takes a lot of time because we're learning it, but eventually you get to the point where you can just do it really quick, and that's what you want to do to make it a true skill. I wonder if that was the premise behind Bruce Lee's one-inch punch. Yes. Yeah, they seem pretty similar now because, you know, he wouldn't just like, you know, go up and do it real quick, you know, he'd always like brace himself for a second and then do it, so now I'm thinking that he was doing that exact process. Yes, and he had, didn't he make contact first? Yeah, he would put his fingers right there, and then, yeah, and he would send dudes back. Right, exactly, so when you go to do the, if next time you do it with the dummy, make a video of it. All right. Yeah, and we'll include it to show the difference, if you want. Yeah, for sure. All right, well, I hope you all enjoyed that, and that you had some takeaway from that. If you enjoy these videos, please make a comment below, give us a like, and see you next video. Thanks a lot. Thanks, Cannon. Thank you.