About the Chen Style Double Edge Single Sword

The Chen style sword form is one of the oldest known Taiji forms. This belongs to short weapon form combines naturally relaxed and extended techniques with nimble and steady stepping. It uses variations of hard and soft, hiding and revealing, sticking and following; together with leaping, dodging, folding and emptying. This swordplay consists of 49 movements, mainly including thrust, hack, uppercut, parry, point,slice, block sweep, intercept, prick, push, deflect and neutralization. Taiji sword play is full of changes. Sometimes the sword is played so fast that it cannot be seen. You should move smoothly like flying clouds and flowing water, turn in circles and ally your force explosively like a lion shaking its hair.

The straight sword is a beautiful ancient weapon first mentioned in China’s oldest written records and deserves a little indulgent aside all to itself, particularly as it is the weapon most associated with Taijii and with Daoism in general. The straight sword is a flexible blade that is not able to meet force with force, instead the blade is used to deflect and redirect blows before delivering a slash or stab of its own. This nature of the weapon lends itself naturally to the principles of Taiji. It is so hard to master that it is often called the “Queen of Weapons” and perhaps for that reason was a weapon of choice for famous generals and scholars.

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The sword represents a symbolic system representing justice and fairness, dignity and honor. The swordplay is characterized by the balanced body positions and all-around defense and offense techniques. In sword play, the smooth body movements, the lightning thrusting and dazzling swings,are synchronized into a fluid rhythm.

It is a developmental exercise teaching relaxation and extension of energy. The sword practice can be a tool for developing harmony in one’s mind and body. It is a method for exercising the upper body.

--Professor Florin Szondi