Tai Chi Energies Part 3 - Pressing Forward with Ji Jin - Press Energy
Three days ago I turned 73 years old. That's kind of a shocking number, then I realized that I still feel the same as I did when I was 72, and in my head I still feel like I'm 20. So we carry on.
The last couple of blog posts have focused on the first two Taiji "energies," Peng Jin and Liu Jin.
In this post, I'm looking at Ji Jin, or "Press" energy.
These Tai Chi energies are actually "methods" of dealing with force.
A lot of people believe Press is just like it's shown in the Yang style form -- you are pressing on someone with your hands pressed together. I Googled "Tai Chi Press" and got this picture. This is from a Yang form such as the Yang 24.
But that isn't really Ji Jin. That is simply a posture. The actual Jin is more complex, but the application of it is an excellent self-defense technique.
Ji means "to crowd, press together, squeeze into."
A good summary of Press energy would be: "The art of entering and narrowing space, crowding until your opponent has no room to defend."
Press doesn't push your opponent away, it presses him into his own structure.
It's about not giving him enough room to be dangerous.
When you apply press, he has no room to strike, no room to step, no room to reset.
If he moves away, that means I pushed. If he can't move or defend, I used Ji Jin.
And like all of the Taiji "energies," Press depends on Peng Jin.
Actually, a better term than Press is "Squeeze." Let's look at one simple way this is used. In the first photo below, I am doing push hands with a partner.
As we do push hands, I pick the right time in the pattern and I step a little closer to him -- small steps so he doesn't notice, as in the next image. You can see how I've stepped closer compared with the photo above. 
Finally, in the next photo, I step in and have gotten so close, he can't defend. I am "squeezing" him, and I could push him away, I could pull his left arm and use my shoulder to break his elbow, but I have choices and he doesn't. This is a classic definition of Ji Jin -- Press Energy. 
In movements throughout the form, you have many opportunities for Ji Jin.
I am so close to him, and he is so "squeezed," I can control his center. And controlling our opponent's center is a main goal of Taiji self-defense.
Ji is effective because I deny him punching or kicking space, I deny him the ability to wind up, and I don't let him reset his position.
With Press, you make the space smaller, not the force bigger.
"Press" is not the finish. It sets you up for the technique that finishes the self-defense -- typically another energy such as An, Lie, Zhao or Kao. We will discuss these in the next few weekly tips.
Here is another example of Press which turns into two other "energies."
In the movement "Single Whip," I catch the punch with my right hand, "Press" in close so my opponent has no room, and then I knock him over my leg.
There are four Taiji energies happening in this quick sequence -- Peng, Ji, Lie and An. I'll talk more about that in the next post.
Press Energy is not great for photo opps. It isn't flashy. But it's very effective.
Ji Jin removes the space your opponent needs to function.
We talk about things like this in my live online classes. If you're a member of the website and not taking advantage of the group live classes or the one-on-one classes, remember there is no extra cost for these. All I can do is invite you to join me and melt years away from the time it normally takes to find out this type of information. I provide the opportunity. Showing up is your job.
In the next post, I'll take a deep dive into Lie Jin -- "Split" Energy.
--by Ken Gullette
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Ken Gullette
I have practiced martial arts since 1973 and began studying the internal arts in 1987. My goal is to cut years off your development time by coaching you in the real skills for high-quality Tai Chi, Xingyi, Bagua. To see more about my bio, click the "About Ken" link on the menu at the top of this page.
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