Taiji Broad Sword Form
Once you have completed the Taijiquan Open Hand Form the next step is to learn the weapons forms. These help to develop your spatial awareness and move your mental focus beyond your physical body and into the weapon. In doing this you become "one" with the weapon and it becomes an extended part of your being. This may sound esoteric, however what I really mean is that you must be aware of where the blade of the weapon is at all times.
Taiji Broadsword (Dao)
The Broad Sword is know as the "Hundred Day Weapon". This was the amount of time it took to train a person to become proficient in the use of the Broad sword. The Broad sword was the traditional weapon of the lower classes in Chinese society, this is why it was used both as a weapon during battle and a tool in the fields to cut and hack crops.
The Broad sword form that is taught at Xiong Jing Tai Chi Chuan is the "Yang Style 32 step". The purpose of practicing this form is to develop an inner awareness of the connection between the waist, legs and the arms. This awareness allows the practitioner to develop power and balance because to move the broad sword the whole body must be aligned to work as one integrated unit. Many students suffer from sore shoulders when starting out with this form because they do not use their whole body to move the additional weight of the weapon in their hand.
The form contains movements which use the waist and legs to turn to the left and right, as the arms slash downwards, cut upwards and across with the blade of the sword. There are also movements in the form where the palm of the free hand is used to reinforce the cutting or slashing action of the blade. In all it is a good workout when practicing the Dao form.
The whole form is a series of flowing continuous dynamic movements. There are also turns, punches and kicks in the Broad sword form. These movements build up the stamina of the practitioner and also improve their balance and spatial awareness.
By Sifu Chris Turner