The Five Hammers of Yang Taijiquan, Part 1

The Five Hammers are an important part of Yang Family Taijiquan that are often overlooked. Every time you see a fist in the public form, you are seeing an opportunity for one of these techniques. This is the first in a series of articles outlining the Five Hammers.


The Five Hammers are:

1. 正捶
Zhèng Chuí
Straight Hammer

2. 横捶
Héng Chuí
Horizontal Hammer

3. 栽捶
Zāi Chuí
Plant Hammer (“Plant Punch”)


4. 降捶
Jiàng Chuí
Dropping Hammer


5. 提捶
Tí Chuí
Lifting Hammer


There is a whole form devoted to learning these techniques, called the Wise Hammers form. I'm releasing a book on this form in a few days, available from Lulu.com and my website, and there is also a VCD of the Imperial Yang version of this form. Plum Publications sells it under the title "Wisdom Fist." (I have no financial connection to Plum Publications, but I love what they offer. Google them.)

It’s important to understand that while on the surface these seem to be simple punches done at different angles, they are actually much more than this.

The word “Chuí” is a word commonly translated as “punch.” However, it includes a number of techniques that we wouldn’t consider to be punches, such as hammer fists. It also doesn’t include a number of techniques that we would consider punches, such as jabs. What’s the difference? This word means “to hammer,” or “to pound into.” A “Chuí” technique is one that uses striking mechanics, but hits with enough force to move whatever it hits. Jabs, for example, work by trauma to the nervous system: They aren’t designed to physically move the opponent.

So the purpose of a “Chuí” technique is to use the mechanics of striking to move something. That’s a deeper understanding, but there’s more. While each of these techniques is shown with a fist, they don’t have to be a punch. A lot of them are much more likely to be done with the elbow or the palm in a real fight.

On an even deeper level, they don’t even have to strike anything. This will be explained further on in the series.


The next installment will outline the Straight Hammer.