Remembering a Tai Chi Master (2)
My Tai Chi teacher said, "I like the English name 'Shadow Boxing' very much. It highlights the essence of the whole fighting technique of Tai Chi. Even one is learning Tai Chi for fun; one still needs to bear in mind that it is designed to defeat one's enemy in a fight. That is the best way to understand the inner beauty of the movements."
How can the participants in the research in the University of California, Los Angeles, understand the essence of Shadow Boxing? They are not professional fighters. It is not very likely that they are very sportive because they are not very young and they have depression.
How can they improve so much in ten weeks? I have been doing Tai Chi for more than five years. I want to find out more about this legendary exercise.
It is a pity that I cannot watch how the teacher conduct the research in the University of California, Los Angeles, teaches Tai Chi there. I believe teaching people with depression to do the subtle movements of Shadow Boxing must be a very demanding job. Of course, people who have depression are often very sensitive. They might have the right attitude to learn Shadow Boxing. After all, it is a matter of handling the relation between one and one's foe（敵人） in a fight. It is a matter of timing and sensing.
