Taiji qin-na coaching clinic: needle at the bottom of the sea
Introduction The sequence in taijiquan known as "needle at the bottom of the sea" occurs quite a few times in the long form and in a variety of circumstances. I've always understood it to be a classic qin-na technique - the "small wrap" known as " xiao chan " (nikkyo in aikido/jujutsu). I thought this would make an excellent subject for analysis in this series. I'm going to go through two different variations seen in the form: the one I call the "straight dive down" and the one I call the "roll over". The "roll over" version I'll use is followed by the kick and "double wind blows on ears" from the second section, but a second such technique is also found at the end of the second section using a low kick. The "straight dive down" occurs in both the second and third sections and is followed by "fan through back". Let's go through that one first. Needle variation ...