Page 175 - The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin_Neat plip book

of the ring. The inner game of Moving Step is subt le; it requi res fi -tune d
presence, technical mastery, and qui ckly evolving strategy. But from the

outside much more apparent is the feral athl eticism of the bes t fight ers. It is a
physical and mental melee of the hi ghes t order.
The Taiwan-style Fixed Step game is much more restrictive—in many ways,
it is the truest test of a Tai Chi pr actitioner becau se ther e is no way to ge t

around the internal principles of the art. Ther e is no room to mask techni cal
weakness with athleticism in Fixed Step. It is mini mal, like hai ku. You ha ve
two highly trained martial artists engag ing in an expl osive cont est at very close
range. There is great potential for inj ur y becau se of violent clashi ng and sudde n

joint manipulation. The game is tight and the po wer generated is so conde ns ed
that an untrained spectator can often see nothi ng unt il one fi er sudde nl y
goes ying away from the other and l ands on hi s back ei ght or ten feet away.
Thursday night, about four hours after I go t back from my bl us tery hi ke up

Elephant Mountain, I found out that the tournament officials had changed the
rules of the competition. Previous years in Taiwan, Fi xed Step had be en pl ayed
on raised pedestals, each fighter standi ng with hi s right foot forward, left foot
back about three feet to allow for a dynam ic, rooted stance. In thi s year’s

competition, the Taiwanese removed the pedestals witho ut any warni ng to
foreign teams. This apparently small alteration in format woul d gi ve a cruc ial
advantage to the local teams who had been training under the correct
conditions for the previous year. I will come back to thi s sur pr ise soon—but

first imagine a Fixed Step competition.
The forward feet of the opponents are lined up heel to toe, about one foot
apart. Players are very close together, with oppo sing right wrists crossed and
touching, and left hands hanging by the left hips like old Western gun ers.

In this posture the mental game begins . Players stand still, poised, vying for
subtle advantages that will key expl osive attacks . Thi s moment is an ene rge tic
stare-down.
Then the ref says go and play erupts. The first to move a foot loses the po int ,

or if someone is thrown to the gr ound, two po int s. If a lead ever exceeds ten
points in a round, round over. At first glance, it looks like po wer and spe ed are
decisive. Whoever is faster getting his hands on the other guy seems to win.
But if you break the game down it becomes appar ent that certain techni que s

refute other techniques. Every attack will get you thr own on the floor if met by