To review/summarize/update things I wrote before. Here’s rundown how I view the thirteen postures of Tai Chi for martial arts training
To review, the number 13 refers to the 5 Steps or Stances and the 8 Gates.
The 5 Steps: step forward, step back, look left, look right, and central equilibrium, relate to the 5 elements fire, water, wood, metal, and earth respectively. To me the elements are different ways the body as a whole can move without regard to specific techniques. So ,
Fire: Explosive power, like a tongbei extended strike
Water:Soft/Mobile, like baguazhang stepping or a yielding push hands
Wood: Structural, like Yang style big frame, or 5 fist Xingyiquan
Metal:Hard, bludgeoning often with elbows/knees-Xinyiliuhe or Thai boxing
Earth: Stable, absorbing force, like heavy wrestling or fixed-step push hands
The 8 gates are martial art techniques rather than postures, but they are still not fixed applications but general ideas. They are peng, lu, ji, an, cai, lie, zhou, kao. The 1st four are “regular” or structured the 2nd four are “irregular” or folding moves.
Regular:
Peng: ward off, or keeping enemy at safe distance without retreating
Lu: Flanking, or attacking from in the middle as opponent over-extends
Ji: Focused attack on a small area
An: Two (or more) sided attack to control or stop opponents momentum
Folding:
Cai: A pull taking advantage of over-extension
Lie: Quick strike taking advantage of an structural opening
Zhou: An elbow (or knee) strike taking advantage of forceful block.
Kao: A Shoulder (or hip) strike taking advantage of a forceful grab.
Most martial arts have at least some of these techniques. Taijiquan nicely categorizes them to be of use to martial artists not even interested in practicing a Tai Chi form.
