Ten Essential Elements of Combat

Authored by Guan Zhenjun (关振军) Translated by Joshua Hehr

My teacher, Mr. Wang Peisheng, was masterful in the way of Taiji combat. He organized his combat insights into written form and taught them to his students. Following my teacher's instruction that "secret teachings must not be kept private," I am making public the "Ten Essential Elements of Taijiquan Combat" transmitted by my teacher, to share with fellow enthusiasts.

1. The Function of the Hands In the way of combat, hundreds of striking methods, adapting to circumstances—it all depends on the hands. The function of the hands not only occupies an important position in boxing arts, but the endless variations of blade techniques also rely on hand skill. The hand methods are too numerous to describe completely, yet they are nothing more than high raising, level balancing, low chopping, straight hacking, sending and leading with horizontal interception, and alternating emptiness and fullness. Those skilled in using the hands appear and disappear unpredictably, their emptiness and fullness unfathomable, causing the enemy's eyes and spirit to become confused, and thus my hands achieve success.
2. The Function of the Eyes One skilled in combat must have clear eyes, otherwise one will be controlled by others. Therefore, before engaging, one must first observe and understand clearly, enter through openings, strike unexpectedly, attack the unprepared—then the result is twice the effect with half the effort. At the same time, pay attention to the enemy's intentions, watch for gaps and opportunities, seize the moment to act—these are all functions of the eyes. If you see the enemy's left shoulder shift, you know he must launch his right leg; if his right hand raises, guard against his left fist. If he is strong, I have side doors; if I am stronger, then I take the main gate. Watch his eyes: if he focuses on my left, guard against his left attack; if he focuses on my right, know his right strike. Attacking with mouth open, his force must be loose; attacking with mouth closed, his force must be full. If his right leg is forward, guard against his rear foot; once the rear foot comes, prepare for his next attack.
3. The Function of the Body The body is the master of the four limbs. It lacks the skill to charge and defeat enemies, but has the function of angling, leaning inward, and yielding. Turning left and right, bending up and down, extending and withdrawing, swallowing and exhaling, moving and still with composure—unlike the labor of hands and feet, it has the ability to command. If the body flashes left, be prepared for a right attack; if the body yields right, carefully guard against a left strike. A strike while turning the body, its force must be fierce; a kick while flipping the body, its momentum even more powerful. When the body crouches, the qi must be stored—know its changes when attacking low; when the body stands, the qi must expand—know the incoming force when striking high. The function of the body is extremely important.
4. The Function of the Waist Broad shoulders and slender waist surely indicate regular boxing practice; drawing in the abdomen and supple waist embody combat skill. The ability of hands and feet to coordinate all comes from the function of the waist—circling and bending, softly turning and angling, connecting upper and lower, head and tail linking. When incoming, qi sinks to the dantian; when raising qi, force concentrates in the shoulders and arms. When practicing skills, one must seek softness like cotton; when practicing the blade, only then can one rise and fall with advantage. Inverting up and down, using freely, leaping and shifting, all able to adapt. Though lacking the ability to directly strike the enemy, it has the power of indirect supplementation—this is the function of the waist.
5. The Function of the Steps The steps are the root of the entire body, the foundation of movement. Activity or inactivity depends on the steps; agility or lack thereof also depends on the steps. Jumping up and landing, advancing and retreating to seal and press; can swallow and spit out, can defend and attack; tiger crouching and ape leaping, each has its specialty; crane landing and eagle soaring, difficult to describe their forms. Those who train with lead weights can pull up their feet and fly; those who kick trees can crush a person fatally. Forward and backward, extending front and kicking back, can also force retreat and advance; or moving left and right, all can open and close freely. Take agility as the main body, combine waist and shoulders as the method. When still, like mountains and peaks; when pursuing, like a startled hare. Endless variations, unpredictable tumbling. Though blade technique is the skill of arm and wrist, it gains power from footwork. Rather than saying boxing technique defeats people, better to say footwork defeats people.
6. The Function of Discernment The weak—I know their capabilities; the strong—I know I should guard against them. Right and wrong lie in the discrimination of knowledge. Those who train their fists and palms will have arms necessarily thicker and stronger than ordinary people; those who train legs and feet will have footwork necessarily lighter and more solid than ordinary people. Those refined in external strength will have robust physiques; those spiritual in internal skill will have sinews that appear withered. Against short people, guard against their leg use; tall, imposing men are surely accustomed to using fists. Seeing their posture, one immediately knows how to break their methods. Using weapons should also take boxing principles as the standard—attack when encountering gaps, supplement when seeing emptiness. From this we can see that when facing an enemy one must absolutely avoid panic. Panic causes mental chaos, mental chaos causes hands and feet to lose control, offense and defense to become inappropriate. Therefore, those who study blade arts should first govern the mind. The way of the mind is nothing else but composure—not changing expression in danger, not being frightened by strong enemies. In combat and competition, victory or defeat can be decided within a hairsbreadth; the key lies in the level of discernment.
7. The Function of Courage Seeing an opportunity to exploit but not daring to attack; knowing there is an opening to advance but not daring to advance—this is the disease of timidity. A small heart has no mind for victory; great courage can master the technique of controlling others. Fear within, shrinking without—the enemy exploits this timidity and will surely attack the emptiness. I see the emptiness, counterattack the timidity, turn defeat into victory, reverse weakness into strength. Yet one also constantly sees those with little skill but great boldness defeat those with high skill but little courage, showing that if we speak of skill, courage is still necessary.

9. The Function of Jin (Force)

Qi has the distinction of sinking and floating; jin has the division of borrowed and stored. When the blade moves with borrowed jin, use intercepting, sliding, fanning, and coiling; when the blade moves with stored jin, apply charging, chopping, cleaving, and splitting. Inhaling jin contracts tightly—once tight, immediately issue, so the enemy's force has no time to guard and my blade has already pressed in. Exhaling jin issues the technique—once issued, immediately withdraw, so the enemy has no time to come and my blade has already transformed. Opening and closing again, exhaling and swallowing again, concentrated between arm and wrist, cast beyond fists and feet—also has the ability to injure people. The tiniest finger can store the jin of the entire body; when two sides contend, all depends on the moment of borrowing. The momentum is like a dragonfly touching water, yet the force can penetrate to the lungs and bowels; the form resembles an arrow leaving the string, yet the sharpness can pierce through a person's body. The function of jin should be comprehended and obtained.

10. The Function of Spirit

Those whose spirit is clear will have refined technique; those whose spirit is muddled will have shallow skill. Facing the enemy, knowing when they issue techniques. Observing their spirit and expression, one immediately knows their movements; examining their attitude, one identifies their direction; anticipating their postural changes, their speed and pauses. Masters can predict future momentum—this is practice makes perfect, but also lies in broad learning and extensive memory. When thoroughly familiar, naturally one can achieve mastery, the heart perceives and spirit comprehends, ascending to the level of spiritual illumination—not something that can be grasped through empty talk.