We have to change our frame!

Tradition and transformation

We Have to Change Our Frame

There has been a great deal of discussion about the small, large, new and old frames found within the traditions of Chen Taijiquan. Today, however, I want to approach the subject from a different perspective: we have to change our frame.

I sometimes encounter—in myself as well as in others—a mistaken sense of tradition and obligation that suggests we should never change anything our teacher has taught us. There is some truth in this: it makes little sense to alter everything we have been shown before understanding its depth. Nevertheless, it would also be wrong for our frame never to change at all.

In the beginning, our frame will not yet be correct. Chen Taijiquan—like most other martial arts—contains many fundamental requirements intended to initiate precisely this process of improvement.

From Large Movements to Integrated Structure

When someone initially learns the external movements, their frame will often be relatively large. Children learning a new physical skill behave similarly: they use broad movements, mobilize their joints and stretch their bodies. This can be highly beneficial.

As we gradually incorporate the key requirements of a particular lineage, the frame becomes smaller and tighter while remaining expanded. It does not simply collapse or contract. Rather, the external range becomes increasingly governed by connected internal structure.

Consider 裆劲 dāngjìn, or crotch force, a specific term found in Chinese martial arts. As the crotch area becomes properly activated, the relationship between the feet changes. Forces are bound together internally, and even the range of movement in the hands is affected.

For serious practitioners, it becomes increasingly apparent how this force—like several other key forces—relates to the integrated whole-body force 整体劲 zhěngtǐjìn that we seek to develop. Opening and closing are fundamental to this kind of bodywork, and their application becomes progressively more precise.

Preservation Does Not Mean Stagnation

This may be a useful way to approach the subject: our training should transform the external frame by bringing internal concepts into concrete practice.

Whether we call a frame old, new, large or small is ultimately less important. These classifications belong largely to oral and written traditions, and the ways in which they have been used have changed over time.

What matters is whether the frame contains and expresses the internal methods of the art. A frame that changes because its structure and function are developing is not abandoning tradition. It is fulfilling the purpose of training.