Tai Chi Long form - grasp sparrow’s tail

3 June 2024 Grasp Sparrow’s Tail

 “Grasp Sparrow’s Tail” can be broken down into 1. Ward-off Right, 2. Roll Back, 3. Press, and 4. Push.

Ward-off Right. Rotate hips to the left and hold left ball, moving briefly into a right foot forward cat stance. Rotate hips to the right as you step forward to 3 o’clock with your right foot, heel makes contact with the ground first, then your toes. Pay attention to your knees when turning the hip to make sure that they don’t lose their structure. Right hand leads, moving forward and a little bit up, left hand follows but trails the right hand. The fingers of your right hand should be above the level of your right elbow. Both elbows are soft and relaxed. Sink your shoulders and elbows. If your muscles are tense qi can not flow. At the end of your forward shift your chest should also be facing 3 o’clock. Head is erect eyes look forward and are focused on nothing in particular. Ward-off brings energy forward and up, and can be used to uproot an opponent.

Roll back. If you grab your opponent’s arm, Roll Back can be used to put your opponent into an arm bar. Continue turning your waist to the right. Your right hand is at the level of your right shoulder. Rotate your right hand to the left until your right palm faces to the left (and a little bit down), rotating your left palm slightly as well. Turn your hips to the left, moving both arms to the left until your torso is facing to 1:30.

Press. Your left arm continues to move to the left and makes a small circle, rotating at the elbow positioning your left palm into an angle that will allow a forward push. Turn your hips to the right. Your right forearm continues to move until it is parallel to the ground. As your hips turn to the right shift your weight onto your right foot moving into a 60/40 stance towards 3 o’clock. Your left hand approaches the inside of your right forearm but doesn’t quite touch it. In this movement your hands will be moving at different speeds. Be careful not to push from your arm; instead, shift your weight forward. Press brings two energies together. At this part of the form press could be used to strike an opponent.

Push. Turn your hips a little to the left and cross your left hand over your right arm in a small circle. Hands separate, palms are facing forward and are angled a little down. Sink your elbows and shift your weight back into a 60/40 stance, weight is over your left foot. Shift your weight forward onto your right foot. Both hands are facing forward, fingers are up, pushing towards 3 o’clock. Don’t straighten your elbows, keep them soft, relaxed, and bent. Your torso is also facing 3 o’clock at the end of this move. Push moves energy from back to front.

From Boonchai

“Step up, lean forward, left hand goes forward. Turn left, step up, raise right hand to shoulder then left hand goes forward. Again. Shift back, step up, press. Again. Step right, press. Good. Turn left step right and press. Don’t touch. Eyes forward. Legs go before hands. Legs finish before hands. They should be connected. The waist is the commander. Step up firmly before you touch people. The short form has big movements of the arms, but the long form is more grounding and centered. Now that you’ve learned the short form forget the short form and learn the long.”

“The short form is good for everybody. The long form is more advanced, more mental, inside. That’s why we say tai chi is like moving meditation. You’re doing the move but you don’t focus on the outside you focus on the inside. How you bring your hands up, etc. People that practice the long form eventually they don’t do the short form. Long form takes a long time to learn. Eventually you forget the short form. You will like the long form – it’s like meditating.”