How to Execute a Fan Through Back Attack in Tai Chi Chuan

Step 1:
Begin facing your opponent within range of each other’s fists. This attack is a defensive counter against a direct punch so have your opponent square up to you as if he were boxing. Prepare for your counter by keeping your hands up in front of you in mimicry of your opponent’s stance. Rather than facing your opponent head on, turn your body slightly to the right so that you will face him at an angle off your left shoulder.

Step 2:
Wait for your opponent to throw a punch. As he does you must quickly pull your arms out to the sides, like a fan snapping open. This is where this technique gets its name. Lash out and forward with your left hand as your opponent begins to punch. Your hand should strike flat against your attacker’s upper right torso, just inside of his outstretched arm. Doing this will push this side of your attacker’s body back to prevent his punch from landing. It should fall short. Simultaneously extend your right arm, cocked at the elbow, back to your right.

Step 3:
Turn to the left to face your opponent directly and step forward past him on his right side. Use the turn and step to build momentum so that when you begin to step past your opponent you drive the flat of your elbow into your attacker’s chest. If done correctly it should carry him backward and out of range of further attack. This technique is very effective at responding to providing a quick response to a very aggressive attacker and allows you to open up enough space for further combat. It robs your attacker of his momentum and his advantage at attacking suddenly or without warning.

How to Do Cloud Hands Block in Tai Chi

Inside Cloud Hands Block
Step 1:
Stand with knees bent slightly and arms up in a boxer's pose with open hands.

Step 2:
Bring your right hand to the side, up, and back inward to be above where it started in a single motion. This should look a bit like your wiping a window or making a circular scrubbing motion. Sway to the left as you bring your right hand it looks like you're pulling the arm in. In a combat situation this would put the weight of your entire body behind your right hand and stop an attacker's strike cold.

Step 3:
Pull your right hand down to its original position with your palm flat, vertical with the open palm facing to your left. Repeat these steps continuously in smooth circular motions.

Step 4:
When your right hand comes in and down, mirror the motion with your left hand. When your right hand goes out, your left should come in, when your right goes in, the left should go out. Imagine two interlocking gears moving together and you'll have the right idea. Make sure to sway to your right when your left hand comes in to give it the same stopping power as your right.

Outside Cloud Hands Block
Step 1:
This block is similar to the Inside Cloud Hands Block except it's performed in reverse. Begin with knees slightly bent and hands open before you in a boxer's pose. Lower your right hand as if you were reaching for something on the left side of your waist or belt.

Step 2:
Bring your right hand up to be level with your head and out to your right at almost full extension. Leave your hand open at all times and move your arms so it looks like your wrist is pulling your hand along behind it. Sway and slightly turn to your right to put the weight and momentum of your body behind the movement.

Step 3:
Bring the hand down and back to start near the left side of your waist and repeat. When you pull your right hand back in you should push your left hand out so that your hand movement mirrors itself. Again it should put you in mind of two gears turning together. Make sure to sway and turn to the left when your left hand goes out.

Tips & Warnings
To make sure you have the movements right, perform these techniques slowly and increase their pace when you're comfortable with them. Practicing in front of a mirror can help you perfect your form.

Keep in mind that many forms of Tai Chi exist and may use the same names for different moves. There are likely other moves called Cloud Hands that differ from this one.

How to Defend Against an Armlock in Tai Chi Chuan

Step 1:
Allow your opponent to take you by the right wrist, twist it inward and place his other hand atop your elbow. This is a basic armlock, the arm should be held behind you and off to the right. Your opponent should exert sufficient force on your wrist and elbow to make you want to bend forward to alleviate the pressure. In this position you would not normally be able to fight against your opponent. Moving will be difficult, as your body is off center or off balance you will not be able to get any leverage to work your way out of this hold using intuitive or conventional means.

Step 2:
Obtain leverage by centering yourself. What to do this you must straighten your legs and try to align your hips with them. It will be against your instinct, but you must straighten your lower back as well. Try pushing your pelvis forward to help with this. By doing this you prevent your opponent from being able to press down on the joint of your elbow. It also repositions your lower arm so that the majority of the force your opponent is exerting is on bones of the hand rather than the wrist itself. While this may still be painful, your opponent can do virtually nothing to you by holding your wrist in this fashion.

Step 3:
Take a few steps forward. By doing this you keep your opponent from holding your limb close to his body. This prevents him from using all the leverage he can muster from his body. Only the muscles of his lower arms are being used now.

Step 4:
Take a half turn to your left while pulling your right arm along with you. Either your opponent will release his hold or allow his arms to be extended as they go along with your body. If he holds on, his right arm will extend, elbow outward to you.

Step 5:
Cup your left hand over his elbow and continue to turn, using the force of the pivot to push him backward as hard as you are able. In doing so you have successfully defended yourself against an armlock.

How to Defend Against a Two Handed Front Choke Using Tai Chi Chuan

Step 1:
Let your body go limp in response to your opponent’s attack. A person’s natural inclination is to pull back when they are being choked, so your opponent will be pulling toward you in unconscious compensation for this. By going limp you are giving yourself a moment where your attacker is temporarily off balance.

Step 2:
Raise your left arm straight up above your head and keep your right arm down by your side.

Step 3:
Bring the flat of your lower left forearm down atop your attacker’s elbow from outside of his arms. Simultaneously thread your right arm up inside the range of your attacker’s other arm to extend your palm against the left side of your attacker’s head. By doing this quickly you force your attacker to bend to his right from the waist, this pulls him off his center of balance and puts him in danger. From this point you have two choices depending on whether you feel your life is really in jeopardy or not. Step 4 outlines the non-violent way to break out of the chokehold. Step 5 outlines the way to break out of the chokehold and incapacitate your opponent.

Step 4:
Turn your right foot inward and push off with it while twist to your left at the waist. Clamp your right hand against the side of your opponent’s head while pulling his right arm outward with your left had, and turn to the left to force your attacker to the floor, breaking his hold.

Step 5:
Grab your attacker around the back of the neck using your right hand while clamping onto the joint of his right elbow with your left hand. Take a step back with your left foot and pull your attacker forward and down. He should bend at the waist. As he does so rear back with your right leg and drive your knee forward and up directly into your attacker’s lowered face. This defensive strike has the capacity to do serious and life threatening damage. Don’t use it lightly.

Tips & Warnings
Practicing in front of the mirror can help perfect your form. This is actually an adaptation of the brushing knee movement.

How to Defend Against a Headlock Using Tai Chi Chuan

Step 1:
Allow your opponent to approach from behind and take you in a headlock. This is done simply by reaching around from behind the left shoulder and locking the elbow of the right hand around the throat. The attacker then brings the arm down to his side, trapping your head and forcing you to lean forward to keep from falling to the ground. This is an effective lock only because it unbalances you; if you can regain your balance you can easily defeat this hold.

Step 2:
Begin by establishing a strong footing. To do this you should turn your body sidelong to your opponent rather than standing shoulder to shoulder. Plant your right foot forward of your opponent’s.

Step 3:
Regain you balance by bending deeply at the knees. The only reason you were taken off balance in the first place is that your head was forced down to a much lower level and your body’s natural reaction to remedy this was to bend forward at the waist. This is not the best thing to have done. So fix the problem by bending the knees, straightening the back, and bringing the hips in line with the feet. From this position you actually can generate more power than your opponent.

Step 4:
Grab the wrist of the arm holding you in the lock with your right hand. Simultaneously place the flat of your left palm against the lower right quadrant of your opponent’s back, just over the kidney. Step 5: Push off with the legs and twist counterclockwise. Shove your arms out to either side as hard as you can. If done correctly, this will unwrap your attacker’s arm from around your neck while pushing his body away from your own. As the level of your hips is much lower than your opponent’s as a result of the headlock, you have much better leverage and should be easily able to hurl him at least a few feet away. This will give you time to formulate a further plan for defense against your attacker.

How to Defend Against a Shirt Grab in Tai Chi Chuan

Tai Chi Chuan is more commonly known by the short form of the name Tai Chi. Despite all the people you might see moving in slow motion in parks who say they are practicing Tai Chi, they are incorrect. What they are doing is practicing forms intended to aid in practicing Tai Chi Chuan, which is a real and very old Chinese Martial Art. In this guide you will learn how to defend yourself against an opponent who has grabbed you by the front of your shirt in preparation for further attacks.

Defending Against a Shirt Grab
Step 1:
Begin by allowing you sparring partner to approach you and grab the front of your shirt with his right hand. Typically this is done in a real fight in preparation for your attacker to strike you with his other fist.

Step 2:
Pivot to your right so your right shoulder is pointing directly at your attacker. Simultaneously raise your right arm up above your head. Bring it straight down on top of your attacker’s forearm, just behind his wrist, and push downward until your hand is pointing toward the floor. By doing this you trap your opponent’s hand between your chest and armpit while pulling him inward toward you.

Step 3:
Crouch down on your knees and sidestep to your left to press your left shoulder against your attacker’s right shoulder. Crouching while trapping your opponent’s arm will force him down and backward, off his center of balance. Drop your left arm down to hang at your waist as you sidestep to give yourself an open space on your opponent’s chest to aim at.

Step 4:
Twist counterclockwise at the waist while bringing your right hand in front of your body. Your hand should be formed into a flat palm with your finger’s pointing upward. Strike the center of your attacker’s chest in an open palmed punch before you finish twisting to force your attacker off his feet, backward and to your immediate left. As his right hand is being trapped by your body, he cannot grab anything to save himself and will land on his back. You will want to release his hand before he hits the ground or you may be pulled down with your attacker.

How to Do the Ang Technique In Tai Chi

Using The Ang Technique
Step 1:
Begin in the final position of the Ji technique. You should be in a typical fighter’s stance with your off foot forward. Your body should be leaning forward. Your hands should be out in front of you as you have finished the Ji attack. Your main hand should be flattened into a knife pointing to the left or right with the thumb on the top of the hand and back of the wrist facing your opponent. Your off hand should be vertical and pressed to the back of the wrist of your main hand to reinforce it.

Step 2:
Begin to rock back onto your heels while pulling your hands, side by side, up and back in an arc. When your hands come down from the arc crouch downward slightly and bend a little more at the knees. Your hands should reach and press against your lower chest or upper stomach at the same time your body is all the way back. Raise the tip of your forward foot so only that heel is touching the ground and your body weight is on the back foot.

Step 3:
Push off with your feet to rock your weight forward again with as much force as you can muster. Straighten the knees and uncrouch as if you were jumping to transfer the strength of your legs into the blow. Drive your hands forward and up in a side-by-side heel punch aimed at the opponent’s upper chest. Your hands should be open and the heels of your palms should be the points of impact. The force of the impact will drive your opponent back a few feet or possibly knock him down. This is the time to decide whether you or your opponent wishes to continue the fight. If so, you now have more room to move and the opportunity to attack an opponent who is off guard or stunned.

Tips & Warnings
To make sure you have the movements correct, perform these techniques slowly and increase their pace when you're comfortable with them. Practicing in front of a mirror can help you perfect your form. All the instructions are for a right hand dominant individual, for a left hand dominant individual simply reverse the placement of the hands and feet. The literal translation for Ang is drive. It is the fourth technique of series of four, Pon, Liu, Ji, and Ang. This is a final strike and the moment where you switch from defense to offense. The previous attack was meant to imbalance and disorient the attacker, the fourth is a leisurely but powerful double handed strike meant drive your opponent back and allow you more room to formulate a strategy of attack.

How to Do The Ji Technique In Tai Chi

Using The Ji Technique

Step 1:
Begin in the final position of the Liu technique, the Liu technique’s predecessor. Your feet should be in the typical fighter’s pose, with your off foot forward. The final pose of the Liu technique requires you to rock your weight back on your heels. So start leaning backward. Your main hand and forearm should form a horizontal bar in front of your midsection. The hand should be a flat knife with your thumb at the top and fingers pointing to your side. Your off hand should be cocked back at your side slightly below the level of your shoulder. It should be held flat and your fingers pointing upward.

Step 2:
Push off and forward with your feet, though do not move them from their places on the ground. Rock your body forward as hard and fast as you can.

Step 3:
Bring the flat of your off hand to press firmly against the inside of your main hand’s wrist. Drive both forward sharply aimed at the opponent’s throat or face, keeping your main hand in the same position with your thumb on top. For this move to work you hands must come together and snap forward in one smooth movement. The back of your main wrist should slam hard into your opponent’s face or throat. This is a short strike, with not much range, but is deceptively powerful because it uses the weight of your body as you rock forward and the reinforcement of your off hand to help follow through.

Tips & Warnings
To make sure you have the movements correct, perform these techniques slowly and increase their pace when you're comfortable with them. Practicing in front of a mirror can help you perfect your form. All the instructions are for a right hand dominant individual, for a left hand dominant individual simply reverse the placement of the hands and feet. The literal translation for Ji is push, it is the first offensive strike utilized as the third move in a series of four: Pon, Liu, Ji, and Ang. Remember to follow through with this strike. Don’t just impact and pull back. Push or drive through the target. That’s what this is called the Ji (push) technique.

How to Do The Liu Technique In Tai Chi

Step 1: Begin in the final Pon block position. You should be leaning forward with your off foot forward in a standard fighter’ pose. Your right hand and arm should form a horizontal bar forward of and crossing your upper chest. Your left hand should be back, about four inches lower and slightly to your left so your elbow is cocked and ready to deliver a strike. In this stance you would’ve just completed deflecting your opponent’s punch upward with your right forearm.

Step 2: Rock backward as your opponent begins to throw a follow up punch to your midsection as your upper chest and face are guarded.

Step 3: Bring your right arm down so that the flat palm of your right palm impacts with the incoming punch along the opponent’s forearm. Push the punch down and to the side so your opponent’s arm is crossing his body, this will make a follow up strike with his other arm difficult. You also have the option of blocking with a clenching hand to hold or immobilize your opponent’s arm instead of deflecting it. It’s your choice. Your left hand should not have moved up until this point.

Step 4: Make your left hand into a knife, palm down to the ground. Drive your left hand forward into your opponent’s eyes as he continues by the deflection of his punch. Stop short of your opponent’s face if this is a competition or sparring match. This counter strike could permanently blind a real opponent, so it should only be used in life or death situations.

Tips & Warnings
To make sure you have the movements correct, perform these techniques slowly and increase their pace when you're comfortable with them. Practicing in front of a mirror can help you perfect your form. All the instructions are for a right hand dominant individual, for a left hand dominant individual simply reverse the placement of the hands and feet. The literal translation of Liu is carry. This works in concert with the Pon technique. While the Pon technique is a block in which the user drives forward, the Liu technique pulls back and carries and opponent’s strike inward to slow and stop it. Because of this the Liu technique block and counter strike is used as a follow up to a Pon block.

How to Do the Pon Technique in Tai Chi

Well that's about it for Aikido, at least the useful stuff anyway. Now I'd like to segue into a useful combination of block, counter, light attack, and finishing attack I've found to be both simple and useful. It's from Tai Chi Chuan, the whole series is called Pon, Lu, Ji, Ang. I'll be posting one of these moves each day for the next four days. I hope they're helpful, or at the very least entertaining.

Tai Chi that we know today is actually a short form for the phrase Tai Chi Chuan. It is a very old form of Chinese martial art whose founder is unknown. Because of its age multiple schools of Tai Chi have inherited separate styles of the same martial art. It is what is called an internal martial art in that its movements are fluid and circular, seeming to flow rather than move. This is opposite to external martial arts which use direct and abrupt movements. Most people know Tai Chi as the slow movements people perform in parks and yards. These are actually the training forms of Tai Chi Chaun; the fighting style meant to be used in actual combat is much faster, though it is comprised of the training form moves. It is so prevalent because many people believe that practicing the training forms is effective in promoting good health and longevity. It's also effective as a form of mental focus or meditation. There are four main techniques or styles of attack and defense: Pon, Liu, Ji, and Ang. A Tai Chi martial artist can pass from one style to the next depending on the situation he/she finds him/herself in. This guide will teach you how to use the Pon style.

Using The Pon Technique
Step 1:
Begin by taking a half step forward with your left foot just as an opponent throws a direct punch or kick aimed to the face or chest. Put your weight on your forward foot. Your hands should be at your sides to start with.

Step 2:
Draw your right hand straight up to shoulder height as you step. At the same time begin to pull your left hand up and forward. Your left hand should be horizontal at all times, making a flat bar with your lower arm. Remember in Tai Chi movements of the hands and arms appear to begin with the wrist, as if it were pulling the rest of the arm along. This creates a flowing look that is the hallmark of Tai Chi.

Step 3:
Bring your left arm up horizontally to block, at the same time pull your right hand down so that your palms brush each other before taking their finishing positions. From the attacker’s point of view it will appear as if your arms create a framework. You will have correctly completed the technique up to this point if you appear to have made this framework.

Step 4:
Your left arm should deflect an opponent’s strike upward, while your right fist sits about a half foot behind the other arm. This gives you the immediate opportunity to block a follow-up attack, or to counter. Because all your body’s weight is on your forward foot you also have the opportunity to strike your opponent in the knee or shin with a short kick from your rear foot.

Tips & Warnings
To make sure you have the movements right, perform these techniques slowly and increase their pace when you're comfortable with them. Practicing in front of a mirror can help you perfect your form. The literal translation of Pon is frame. This is a defensive technique reliant on countering an opponent's strike. It takes its name from the manner in which the user's hands move apart, creating the appearance of a framework or picture frame. All the instructions are for a right hand dominant individual, for a left hand dominant individual simply reverse the placement of the hands and feet.