TAI CHI, HEALTH EXERCISE OR COMPETITIVE SPORT? MEDIATION OF THE EMERSIOLOGY PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Tai chi (tai chi chuan, taijiquan) has two seemingly contradictory aspects: solitary practice of forms, essentially reflective and peaceful, and practice with a partner, of a competitive nature with potentially violent overtones. While those who practice tai chi as a health exercise focus solely on the first aspect, those who practice tai chi as a martial art train in both, despite the apparent incompatibility. Based on our experience in learning Chen style tai chi from 1999 until 2022, we will demonstrate that the practice of forms contributes to martial training in that it transforms the instinctive coordination of the body from a state that primarily uses the extremities to reach the opponent to one that activates the trunk and hips to achieve the same goal more effectively. We also show that this radicalization of coordination is accompanied by emersions (Andrieu, 2016, 2017) on the surface of consciousness, not only of inefficient gestures that we had been performing involuntarily, but also of a bodily belief that had prevented us from getting rid of them.