Peace

Principle: Spiral Power: The Drill

Elastic recoil and rebound are well-established in Taiji circles for their defensive capabilities. Still, the other offensive side receives less attention. This may be because elastic recoil and rebound are used in push hands and are found primarily in stationary push-hand grounding practice or moving two-person sets. In both usages, the strike or blow is a predominant weapon. However, elastic recoil and the spiral, the origin of its power, differs from other styles and is largely misunderstood.

For those familiar with boxing, "slipping and punching" means moving the head or body in the direction the blow travels so that it glances off or misses its intended target. The same idea functions in elastic recoil. The soft tissues the opponent attacks, especially in the torso, "retreat," absorb and hold the blow, causing the punch to miss its target.

The retreat does not have to be great or the hold of its force long; it just has to cause the sensation of failing to achieve its intention. However, what the recoil does accomplish is the creation of kinetic energy. However, unlike Sifu Chen's basketball example of rebound, elastic generation allows rebound to be transferred and power to be released from another part of the body. The analogy of the slipped punch is applicable again; when the punch is slipped on the left, leverage supplies the right-hand counter punch with knock-out disproportional strength.