The Art of the Small Change

Between fists and palms, fixed and moving, grappling and striking it's all about change isn't it? That may seem a blindingly obvious statement. We spend time trying to find the real style of tai chi chuan, to find its real strengths, and yet I'm beginning to suspect that its strength lies in not having salient "techniques" as such. I know what you'll say next: what about Brush Knee Twist Step or White Crane Flaps Its Wings or any other of the fifty-four major techniques? So there is a level at which certain combinations of tactics seem especially effective. What is more important however is to know how and why those tactics work, to know the smal, steps that make for an effective defense.If you can't identify where the opponent's weight is, how will you know to sweep or trip him? If you can't feel what range the opponent is at, how are you going to hit them? In utillising good body mechanics, and sensitivity, we don't need to wheel out the big guns. Rather than the big money techniques, I think tai chi chuan could be characterised as the art of the small change, as it were. Our currency is made up of nifty trips, clandestine shoulder and elbow hits, small moves to unbalance and distract, rather more like a swarm of bees than a sack of potatoes. It isn't necessarily dramatic, it's not going to win any Wushu competitions anytime soon, nor will it spawn thousands of keen-eyed young imitators. But in a litigious, CCTV and phone-camera ridden society, keeping a low profile is as handy a skill as any; managing to keep a low profile whilst some unfortunate attempts to do violence is a wonderful skill indeed...