Tai Chi Fighting Is Like Kissing

Tai Chi fighting is like kissing”. Does that sound interesting? I certainly don’t like to kiss my opponent whilst fighting, so what does this mean? Why is Tai Chi fighting like kissing? How can we put this principle into practice?

Well, based on what I’ve found over the years, I would like to briefly make three points about my experience of practicing this old saying about “kissing” in Tai Chi fighting.

Point one: Force Borrowing

I am reluctant to use the word block when I contact an opponent physically for the first time. I prefer words like redirect or deflect. By redirecting or deflecting an opponent’s arm or leg, I can borrow force/power/energy from them, enabling me to move quickly toward them. Simultaneously, this borrowing action can also destroy their balance, draw their center of gravity forward, and shorten the distance between us. Now you can see we’re getting ready for kissing!

What makes force-borrowing possible? The answer is in the Tai Chi silk reeling technique. That is, the twisting rotation of the upper limb (hand and forearm) to generate shear force and friction.

If we think about what happens to a small stone when it’s thrown at a big rolling ball, it is redirected away at high speed. This is borrowing.

One example is the movement of Buddha’s Warrior Attendant Pounds Mortar (Jin Gang Dao Zui):

1. First I throw my left arm upward using the silk reeling technique to borrow and deflect the opponent’s force/power while they are throwing a right punch at me;

2. At the same time, using the borrowed force/power, I quickly move right step forward to hit their groin area with my thigh;
3. I then thrust my right palm as an arrow toward their throat;

. Finally I bend my right arm downward elbowing their chest heavily as I lower my centre of gravity.

Point two: Position Occupation

Bringing people together face against face is essential for kissing. How can we achieve this? The key is to occupy the opponent’s space, in other words displace them and take up their original spot.

Another example is the movement known as Lazy Putting Clothes On (Lan Za Yi). Using my right arm to redirect and deflect the opponent’s front kick leftward, I borrow their force/power to quickly move my right leg forward meanwhile shifting my centre of gravity forward to achieve two goals:


1. My right leg/foot overtakes the opponent’s centre of gravity

2. My trunk works against their trunk.

Now our bodies are overlapped —position occupation is next. I continue to roll my right arm downward against their chest, shifting my body weight on their centre of gravity. What is going to happen? They will be squeezed out of their place and collapse. They’ll most probably also be shocked by the kiss-like invasion of their personal space. This is position occupation.

Point three: Combination

In order to occupy an opponent’s space, I need to combine all my force against them. This is very important. Again I’ll use the movement, Lazy Putting Clothes On (Lan Za Yi) as an example. I place my right leg/foot close against their rear leg/foot, my right hand against their right shoulder and my elbow against their left ribcage. This means there are now three points (my right leg/foot, hand and elbow) that have control over the opponent, and it is time to conduct a combination process. In Chinese, we call it “Liu He”.
I try to combine:

• my right hand and right foot together
• my right elbow and right knee together
• my right shoulder and right hip together

Please remember there is still a person in between while I am carrying out the external combination (Wai Liu He) process, and it acts as a sort of scissor movement by which the opponent is cut, as it were, in half.

All in all, the old Tai Chi saying “Tai Chi fighting is like kissing” is a general fighting principle. It explains a lot about Tai Chi fighting in a very plain and simple way. When you practise Tai Chi, especially Chen style Tai Chi, you will find there are many movements that imply this principle. Remember, if you feel you haven’t used much effort to overcome your opponent, you have surely mastered the “kissing” principle.



Master Xiaotong Huang
Unlimited Tai Chi Group (UTCG), Sydney
E-mail: hxtagf@gmail.com