Grandmaster Tse’s Tàijí Fist 168

Breathing – Part 4

When we practise Tàijíquán太極拳 we rarely breathe hard, however, there are a few occasions and this is when we Fā Jìn 發勁. For example, in the movement Yǎn Shǒu Gōng Chuí 掩手肱捶 – Conceal and Strike, before we Fā Jìn, we wil breathe in as we open both hands, and we might actually make a slight sound. This sound is Hēng 哼 and is created by inhaling with the mouth closed. The Hēng sound creates more power, before the Fā Jìn and the breath is longer, around two to three seconds. Once we have increased the power, we will release it and that is Fā Jìn. When we release the power, we will make a Hā 哈 sound. This sound is very short, but can be quite loud, and it comes from the Dāntián 丹田. During Tàijíquán, in all the breathing we must use the Dāntián. This is good for our health as it stimulates the organs and the Jīngluò經絡 – Channels and the Acupuncture points. This is what makes our Qi and strength come together to make our Fā Jìn powerful, and if this hits any part of the opponent’s body, it will cause a lot of damage.