Taijijian () is a straight two-edged sword used in the training of the Chinese martial art tai chi. The straight sword, sometimes with a tassel and sometimes not, is used for upper body conditioning and martial training in traditional tai chi schools. The different family schools have various warmups, forms and fencing drills for training with the double-edged sword known as jian.
Historical use of jian in taijiquan
The Yang and Wu families were involved in Qing dynasty military officer training, and taught jian technique to their students. Traditional taijijian forms are rooted in martial application, and are thus originally designed to make use of the weapons available at the time of their development. As there was no historical jian type created specifically for tai chi, the forms were designed around the use of a functional jian of the day, being of appropriate weight, balance, sharpness and resilience to be effective in armed combat.
Modern wushu
A lighter version of the traditional sword and theatrical versions of traditional sword forms are also used in the tai chi routines of wushu curriculum. The wushu sword is a narrow, double-edged Chinese jian with a thin blade designed to make noise when it is shaken by the competitor during competition and a tassel is always attached to the pommel. The jian variants used for taijijian wushu display or as training tools in modern-day martial arts schools often have properties that render them unsuitable for historically accurate combat. These properties, such as extreme blade thinness or a high degree of flexibility compared to historical battlefield-quality jian, are intended to add auditory and visual appeal to a wushu performance.
32 forms
Taijijian 32 sword forms (32张太極åÂÂ)
1. Point Sword with Feet Together (å¹¶æÂ¥ç¹åÂÂ) â Beginning (èµ·å¿)
2. Stand on One Leg and Thrust (ç¬ç«ÂÃ¥ÂÂåº)
3. Sweep Sword in Crouch (ä»ÂæÂ¥æ¨ªæÂÂ)
4. Carry Sword to the Right (Ã¥ÂÂå³平带)
5. Carry Sword to the Left (Ã¥ÂÂ左平带)
6. Stand on One Leg and Cut with Armswing (ç¬ç«ÂæÂÂÃ¥ÂÂ)
7. Step Back and Withdraw Sword (éÂÂæÂ¥åÂÂæÂ½)
8. Stand on One Leg and Thrust (ç¬ç«Âä¸Âåº)
9. Plunge Sword Downward in Empty Stance (èÂÂæÂ¥ä¸ÂæÂª)
10. Thrust in Left Bow Stance (å·¦å¼ÂæÂ¥åº)
11. Turn Round and Carry Sword (转身æÂÂ带)
12. Retreat and Carry Sword (缩身æÂÂ带)
13. Lift Knee and Hold Sword with Both Hands (æÂÂèÂÂæÂ§åÂÂ)
14. Hop and Thrust (è·³æÂ¥å¹³åº)
15. Swing Up Sword in Left Empty Stance (å·¦èÂÂæÂ¥æÂ©)
16. Swing Up Sword in Right Bow Stance (å³å¼ÂæÂ¥æÂ©)
17. Turn Round and Withdraw Sword (转身åÂÂæÂ½)
18. Thrust with Feet Together (å¹¶æÂ¥å¹³åº)
19. Parry in Left Bow Stance (å·¦å¼ÂæÂ¥æÂÂ)
20. Parry in Right Bow Stance (å³å¼ÂæÂ¥æÂÂ)
21. Parry in Left Bow Stance (å·¦å¼ÂæÂ¥æÂÂ)
22. Step Forward and Plunge Backward (å¼ÂæÂ¥åÂÂåºï¼Â
23. Turn Round to Cut (Ã¥ÂÂ身åÂÂÃ¥ÂÂ)
24. Point Sword in Right Empty Stance (èÂÂæÂ¥ç¹åÂÂ)
25. Stand on One Leg and Hold Sword Level (ç¬ç«Âå¹³æÂÂ)
26. Cut in Bow Stance (å¼ÂæÂ¥æÂÂå )
27. Cut with Armswing in Empty Stance (èÂÂæÂ¥æÂÂÃ¥ÂÂ)
28. Step Back to Strike (æÂ¤æÂ¥åÂÂæÂÂ)
29. Step Forward to Thrust (è¿ÂæÂ¥å¹³åº)
30. Withdraw Sword in T-Step (ä¸ÂæÂ¥åÂÂæÂ½)
31. Circle Sword Horizontally (æÂÂ转平æÂ¹)
32. Thrust Forward in Bow Stance (å¼ÂæÂ¥ç´åº) â Closing Form (æÂ¶å¿)
See also
References
External links