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It is a loser as far as swords go. Skinny and thin, it is not able to take the bashing of force like a sabre would. Having curve only at the tip, it is not able to slice through armor as would a samurai sword.
Yet, in the skinny of the blade is the strength. And in the lack of curve in that fine piece of steel is the art. Indeed, for the true artist, the tai chi sword may be the ultimate weapon.
Skinny, it is light and quick, more like a knitting needle than a sword. Yet a knitting needle carves the most beautiful garments. And to watch knitting needles in the hands of a practiced granny is to see the twinkling of art come alive.
At the far end of the length of steel the tip curves, a mere inch of cutting surface. Yet, any person who has experienced the sharp scratch of needle tip knows its potency. Indeed, the mere scratch of a needle tip can leave a jagged wound that is unwilling to readily repair itself.
The real point here is that such a fine and delicate tool as the tai chi sword is not meant for bashing or massive slicing any more than a doctors scalpel is meant for pounding in nails or sawing beams of wood. It is meant for sliding in past the guard and tickling in behind the swing, and...tipping. It is meant for the delicate move which comes in under, past and over the mighty swing of the basher and the cutter.
A delicate insertion, a quick flick of the wrist, and art is attained. This art is an appreciation of the space around the practitioner. This appreciation of space is at the heart of the art.
Cutters and bashers are fence painters, splashing indiscriminately, and ruling by force. The wielder of the tai chi sword, however, is a an artist, a sculptor, a doctor. He rules by intelligence.
For he who parries and thrusts with the tai chi sword must hold sway by exercising the intelligence to perceive the true geometries of the world, and thus undo, the ruthlessness of the cutter and the force of the basher. He must cut under and over brute force with intelligence to prove that he is equal to and better. And within his strivings are the heart of the artist, the accomplishment of the unique individual, and the manifestation of the true art.
Yet, in the skinny of the blade is the strength. And in the lack of curve in that fine piece of steel is the art. Indeed, for the true artist, the tai chi sword may be the ultimate weapon.
Skinny, it is light and quick, more like a knitting needle than a sword. Yet a knitting needle carves the most beautiful garments. And to watch knitting needles in the hands of a practiced granny is to see the twinkling of art come alive.
At the far end of the length of steel the tip curves, a mere inch of cutting surface. Yet, any person who has experienced the sharp scratch of needle tip knows its potency. Indeed, the mere scratch of a needle tip can leave a jagged wound that is unwilling to readily repair itself.
The real point here is that such a fine and delicate tool as the tai chi sword is not meant for bashing or massive slicing any more than a doctors scalpel is meant for pounding in nails or sawing beams of wood. It is meant for sliding in past the guard and tickling in behind the swing, and...tipping. It is meant for the delicate move which comes in under, past and over the mighty swing of the basher and the cutter.
A delicate insertion, a quick flick of the wrist, and art is attained. This art is an appreciation of the space around the practitioner. This appreciation of space is at the heart of the art.
Cutters and bashers are fence painters, splashing indiscriminately, and ruling by force. The wielder of the tai chi sword, however, is a an artist, a sculptor, a doctor. He rules by intelligence.
For he who parries and thrusts with the tai chi sword must hold sway by exercising the intelligence to perceive the true geometries of the world, and thus undo, the ruthlessness of the cutter and the force of the basher. He must cut under and over brute force with intelligence to prove that he is equal to and better. And within his strivings are the heart of the artist, the accomplishment of the unique individual, and the manifestation of the true art.
About the Author:
Al Case has studied tai chi for 3O years. You can avail yourself of his ebook at Monster Martial Arts.
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