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While the beauty of the sword forms is its external grace & elegance, the sword offers another level of Tai Chi Chuan's profound internal principles. Externally, the speed of the forms is even tempo with soft steps with occasional jumps. The practitoner executes horizonal, vertical, diagonal, circular, forward & backward cuts, thrusts, chops, blocks, & slices throughout the forms, while kicks are added in the second sword form. Internally, a strong connection between the body & the sword has to exist; if not, aforementioned techniques cannot be properly executed. Like the long form, the practitioner is practicing the power principles, using a sword instead of the hands. The sword is a part of the body; therefore, it is the body; hence, the sword is never dangled by the fingers. In sword forms, the practitioner pays attention of the movements of the sword by using the waist. Like the rest of Tai Chi Chuan curriculum, the sword is a powerful weapon to reckon with. |
