Taiji Fighting Set
(Taiji San Shou Dui Lian 太極散手對練)
Michelle tested the offensive side of the fighting set this past weekend in Boston. She was nervous, not used to the floor (going from concrete to wood to a matted surface feels strange), and not entirely warmed up ("okay, you test in 5 minutes"). She passed! Although she's improved significantly since testing the opposite side (Dec. 2017: 
• Taijiquan: Fighti... ), she still has a long way to go. Corrections included maintaining better root, being softer (still too Shaolin), and giving more trouble to her opponent. Now her job is to make what she has better and to begin changing targets & techniques to make the sequence more free and alive, eventually becoming Taiji sparring.
• Taijiquan: Fighti... ), she still has a long way to go. Corrections included maintaining better root, being softer (still too Shaolin), and giving more trouble to her opponent. Now her job is to make what she has better and to begin changing targets & techniques to make the sequence more free and alive, eventually becoming Taiji sparring. "Taiji Fighting Set (Taiji San Shou Dui Lian, 太極散手對練) is a 5th level requirement in the YMAA Taiji curriculum. The Taiji fighting set was designed so that two people could practice together in a situation resembling actual fighting. The main purpose of this training is to teach the student how to step and move his/her body in the most advantageous position in combat. Naturally, it also teaches the student how to avoid being channeled into a disadvantageous situation. The student needs to have practiced stationary pushing hands first, so that he/she can combine that experience with the fighting set to make the techniques come alive."
