A doctor of Acupuncture, the late Dr. Tao was also an accomplished machinist, engineer, and mechanic. He worked for various departments of the Chinese military in mainland China and in Taiwan. Well versed in the sciences, he based his martial arts teachings on the science of physics.
Dr. Tao began his martial arts studies very early in his life with Shaolin-style Springing Leg. His studies of internal systems include Liu He Ba Fa (Water Style), Tai Chi Chuan, Hsing-I, and Ba Gua. Over the years he became a student of many famous masters, becoming an “inside” student to many of them. Dr. Tao was most influenced by his study of Water Style with Wu-Yi-Hui and Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan, first with Zhang Jin-Ling, then with Cheng Man-Ching.
He eventually became known as the “Master of the Soft Way”. His push hands style evolved from all of his experiences with these various arts, and he firmly believed that prolonged study of soft-style push hands would change one’s character.
For both beginners and experts at Tai Ji Quan; it is good to be sparing, to connect and to unify, both in movement and in stillness. In being sparing; be sure not to use force, to relax the whole body; the mind should govern. In connecting; the whole body, each joint and segment, should be linked; do not allow any part to become cut off. In unification; constantly remember to unify body and mind, to be light, sensitive, connected and both relaxed and soft. Strengthen the body and cultivate the mind; be appropriately relaxed and soft; be like a needle hidden in cotton; lead attacking force in so that it drops into emptiness. In self defense and in other applications, character is changed, life is prolonged, and strength and health come naturally.
