Agile Tai Chi 101

As its 101, Agile Tai Chi uses the number 518. Historically, this number, pronounced Wu Yao Ba in Chinese, was considered lucky because it sounds like Wu Yao Fa – or “I will grow/prosper”. In Agile Tai Chi, the number refers to the number of steps in the Agile Tai Chi Long Form, but also to the sources or ingredients that were baked into the art.

The further meaning of 518 comes from splitting the 5 – 1 – 8.

Five represents the five major sources that originally influenced Agile Tai Chi’s approach to Agile, as follows:

·      Scrum

·      XP (eXtreme Programming, an example of One-Piece-Flow)

·      Kanban

·      Kaizen/TPS (Continuous Improvement/Toyota Production System)

·      BDD (Behaviour Driven Development)

Five also refers to the Five Coloured Stones that in legend Nuwa used to repair the heavens. These represent five phases of energy, as follows:

·      Vermillion Stone

·      Yellow Stone

·      Cerulean Stone

·      White Stone

·      Dark Stone

Five also refers to the five schools of Tai Chi Chuan that were incorporated into Agile Tai Chi. In decreasing order of the influence that they have had on Agile Tai Chi, these are:

1.     Old Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan (of Yang Jian Hou/Li Jing Lin lineage)

2.     Old Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan (of Wu Chuan Yu lineage)

3.     Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan

4.     Sun Style Tai Chi Chuan

5.     Chen Style Tai Chi Chuan

The number one refers to Tai Chi as the Unity that gives rise to the Yin and Yang experiences of energy change. It also represents the use of the I-Ching, or Book of Changes, as the unifying manual of Agile Tai Chi.

Eight refers to the eight trigrams that represent commonly recurring patterns of energy change. The eight trigrams form the basis of the 64 hexagrams of the Book of Changes. In Agile Tai Chi, the Book of Changes was the unifying agent that was used to bring all of the sources together in a single harmonious art, and remains the manual of Agile Tai Chi.

Eight also refers to the eight internal arts that were incorporated into Agile Tai Chi:

·      Tai Chi Chuan

·      Xing Yi

·      Baguazhang

·      Baji

·      Qigong

·      Liu He Ba Fa

·      Bai Mei

·      Meihua Zhuang

Eight also refers to the eight different types of Tui Shou or “Push Hands” that are employed in learning and testing Agile Tai Chi:

1.     Silk Reeling Push Hands

2.     Golden Rooster Push Hands

3.     Praying Mantis Push Hands

4.     Foaming Waves Push Hands

5.     Double Hand Push Hands

6.     Coiling Snake Push Hands

7.     Key Turning Push Hands

8.     Five Elements Push Hands

As it stands today, Agile Tai Chi is a single, unified art, but understanding where it came from is useful in understanding its broad scope of application. Thus 5-1-8 refers both to the original sources and to current practice.