Most people who practice Taijiquan know about the Taiji Sphere.  When you reach a certain level in your barehanded practice, it is good to train with the Taiji Sphere; how one trains, for which purpose it is useful for, and what form its practice takes, is frequently neglected by those seeking "gongfu."  In the investigative spirit of the present, I present by experience and developed skills to all Taijiquan players, in order to "toss a few bricks to entice some jade."

In 1944, when I was ten years old, in the yard of my house there was a roughly finished stone (qing shi) sphere with some white veins in it, about the same size as a soccer ball, that everyone called the "stone egg."  I thought that I would grab it up into my arms, but I couldn't do it.  At times my father would take an interest and approach the stone; taking a horse stance, he would pick it up with both hands and proceed to roll it around his abdomen.  At times he would fling it off (with his abdomen) and at the end of his training the ball remained on the ground.  My father said, "this is to play with after you have gotten a grasp on the barehanded postures."  Many years later, it occurred to me that the "stone (qing shi) sphere" ought to have been the ancient "Taiji Qiu" (Taiji sphere).

Nineteen years later, when I was studying Chen style Taijiquan with Master Chen Zhaopei, I had seen basketball being played on the basketball court, which brought to mind the teachings of the Taiji sphere.  The better basketball players, when they caught a pass, really looked as if they were working out with a Taiji sphere.  Just as in the peng (ward off),   lu (roll back),   chan si jin (silk reeling force) of the posture Jin Gang Dao Dui(Vajra Pounds the Mortar), first they would rotate toward the rear to neutralize the incoming force of the pass and then they were able to turn at will with the ball.

In the past, the previous generations of masters placed great emphasis on special power training techniques (xing gong), training with a Taiji sphere of over fifty pounds, hitting three sandbags (da san dai), and training with a stick [or ruler] (xing gong bang)in order to develop the foundation gongfu of Chen style Taijiquan.  From the Qing dynasty, after the introduction of Western rifles and cannon into China, people became indifferent to traditional martial arts training.  The more difficult postures were eliminated from the old Taijiquan training routine which then developed into [more of] a health oriented practice.  A few of the methods that were of benefit to developing "gongfu" were no longer practiced and basically should have ceased to be transmitted.  At the same time the set was being changed the kind of sentiment in the following line was being expressed:  "Do you want to know the entire purpose of Taijiquan?  It lies in enhancing longevity and extending radiant good health into old age."

When I was learning the Taiji sphere, there wasn't any Taiji sphere to practice with, it was only by explaining a few movements by describing the movements with empty hands and performing as if holding a Taiji sphere that I was able to learn.  Later on, I found an old leather ball and filled it with sand and practiced revolving it continually.  Luckily, in 1973 I chanced to see three steel Taiji spheres in  Zhengzhou.  I happily purchased one as if it were a precious object and have practiced with it up until the present day, the surface of the sphere turning into a shiny black color.