Tai Chi Jenga

Imagine that you and your partner are two Jenga towers. In the game of Jenga, your goal is to remove a block without collapsing the tower. In Tai Chi grappling, the objective is the opposite. Your opponent's body is one tower. Your own body is another tower.

The question is not, "How do I push his tower over?" It is, "Which block is already loose enough that I can topple him with the minimum of effort?"

The sequence then becomes:

1. Jué (Awareness)

Become aware of the entire relationship between the two structures. Where are we connected? How are we connected? Where is my weight? Where is theirs? Is my structure aligned? Where is theirs nonaligned, This stage is simply observing.

2. Tīng Jìn (Listening Energy)

Now begin asking questions with Ting Jin. Tiny expansions of Peng. Tiny compressions with An. Small turns of your waist. Tiny weight shifts. Song more. Each energy one is like gently testing a Jenga block. Does this point resist? Does it yield? Does it tighten another part of their body? Does it empty one leg?

The important thing is that you are not trying to topple them yet. You are gathering information.

3. Dǒng (Understanding):

Recognize what you have learned from the information you have gathered and if things are changing. Is your partner correcting, under correcting, over correcting?

4. Yì (Intent)

Only when enough information has been gathered does intent arise. Now you know which "block" is already vulnerable. Yi is not merely deciding to push. Yi is selecting the precise direction, timing, and amount of force that will produce the greatest effect with the least effort.

5. Back to Jué, Tīng, Dǒng.

As soon as they react to your energies, the process begins again.

Awareness. Listening. Understanding. Intent. Awareness. Listening. Understanding. Intent.

Modern neuroscience calls this an active perception loop.

The brain doesn't first observe the world and then act. It observes, acts a little, gathers new information, updates its internal model, acts again, and repeats this process many times every second. That is exactly what elite wrestlers, judoka, and push-hands practitioners do.

© 2026 Stephen Washington. All rights reserved.