Glossary – Agile Tai Chi

Abdite: Adjective used to characterise a beneficial behaviour, action or strategy that is counter-intuitive.
Agile Tai Chi: A blend of Tai Chi and Agile developed from an initial combination of Tai Chi, Xing Yi, Baji, Scrum, Kanban, XP and other frameworks, but which through many years of development, has become a single, unified framework.
Baseline: Strategic or receptive realm. English translation of 技法線 Jì Fǎ Xiàn.
Bear Shoulders: Rounding the shoulders and hollowing the chest to increase structural integrity.
Black Sash: A group of advanced ability certifications. Collectively black sash holders are the most advanced group of Agile Tai Chi practitioners. Becoming an Agile Tai Chi black sash is a significant life commitment. Agile Tai Chi Black Sash standards have been set exceptionally high deliberately in order to counteract the negative effect of easy-to-gain certifications on the agile community globally.
Bricolage: The creation of usefulness from things available to hand.
Broadsword: English translation of two different traditional Chinese training implements, once called Dao and the other called Zhanmadao.
Broadsword methods form the basis of the 3rd Degree Black Sash backlog.
Chalicity: Invented English word to represent the Chinese 凈皿性 Jìng Mǐn Xìng.
Change is Business as Usual: A motto of Agile Tai Chi, which challenges the conceptual separation of projects on the one hand and business as usual on the other.
Changes, the: The eight fundamental energy changes (Ba Gua in Chinese), together with their 64 change/change-context combinations that form the backbone of Agile Tai Chi’s adaptiveness, and the model on which the diverse source frameworks were fused to form Agile Tai Chi. “Ba Gua” should not be confused with the internal art Ba Gua Zhang, which was a minor source framework in the early creation of Agile Tai Chi.
Chicken Leg: The flavour of the characteristic agile footwork of Agile Tai Chi.
Chin Na: Grappling methods.
Clay Grip: The characteristic feel or flavour of Agile Tai Chi Chin Na and Niu Da.
Collaboration Model, the: Agile Tai Chi’s predictive model for interactions of different traits in a team-working context.
Cref: Adjective used to characterise an intuitive behaviour that is assumed to be beneficial, but in fact is harmful or wasteful.
D.D.B.: Density Dependent Behaviour.
Displacement Change/Displacement Activity: Any change that is made out of context with the situation.
Dragon Body: Developing power through torsion from the waist, rather than through turning the hips.
Dust: Metaphorically, the negative effect of repeatedly seeking solutions from the wrong source. 尘 Chén in Chinese (see also Miasma, the)
Eagle Claw: The principle of hollowing the palms.
Fist-Palm Greeting: This movement, known as 抱拳 Bàoquán in Chinese, is the characteristic gesture of warmth, welcome and inclusiveness exchanged between practitioners. It is similar to the traditional Chinese Baoquan, but modified slightly because the modified version has a number of practical applications. It is thought that Baoquan arose originally in China as a sign that a person supported the former Ming Dynasty in opposition to the invading Ching (Manchu) Dynasty, thus it was used as a sign of recognition between people of similar outlook.
“Five Word Secret”, the: The basic adaptive strategy of Tai Chi Chuan: Listen-Stick-Yield-Neutralise-Attack. In Agile Tai Chi we change the final word to “Grow” in order to give the broader sense of a team or organisation growing into the spaces and opportunities afforded by its adaptive ways of working, while the individual practitioner similarly grows into emergent opportunities.
Flow: Any sequence of related changes. Usually taken to mean an unbroken chain of change.
Gyre: Any change with a yang baseline, yin midline and yin topline.
Hidden Gate (methods): Rough translation of the Chinese 祕傳 Mìchuán, meaning a deeper or more sophisticated application or understanding of methods that also carry a simpler or more obvious application.
Hierarchical Slope: The degree to which subordinates are empowered to challenge the judgement of superiors in an organisation or society. A lower gradient indicates a higher level of such empowerment.
Hierarchy of Defence, the: Three broad categories of defence, with each subsequent one in the series being less preferable than the preceding type. They are, Meet 迎 Yíng, Slip 側 Cè and Catch 擒 Qín.
I.M.I.: I.M.I. Pronounced “Eye Em Eye”. Short for “It’s My Issue”. A foundational principle of Agile Tai Chi team-working and quality management.
Initial Product Backlog: One of a group of template backlogs that have been pre-created for each of the Agile Tai Chi coloured sashes. They are not exhaustive and are intended to be extended by the Product Owner and their team over time. They exist for ease in getting started –
there is no requirement on Product Owners to use them – they can create their own. Note that is flexibility is possible because Agile Tai Chi Product Owners are restricted to certify coloured sashes well below their own personal ability level – for instance Expert Product Owners must hold a minimum of a second degree black sash, but can only certify up to 3rd Brown Sash.
Jag: Any change with a yang baseline, yang midline and yang topline.
Kindle: A yang baseline, yin mindline and yang topline.
K.I.S.S.: Acronym for Keep It Simple, Stupid. A foundational principle of Agile Tai Chi strategy, tactics and Pattern Review.
Ling Huo Tai Chi: The Chinese name of Agile Tai Chi. Ling Huo means “Agile”.
Long Form, the: This is the primary form of Agile Tai Chi, which consists of an intricate series of movements and strategic flavours which are subsequently applied in practical situations. Unlike many styles of Tai Chi Chuan, Agile Tai Chi does not have a Short Form. It is called the Long Form because it is more than twice the length of traditional Tai Chi Chuan long forms, such as the Yang 108. Practitioners sometimes humorously refer to it as the “Aptly Named Long Form”. The form is long because of the large number of source frameworks that were incorporated into it, and to give a much broader spectrum of application in scenarios that are not traditionally covered by Tai Chi Chuan. The Agile Tai Chi Long Form actually has significantly less repeated movements than most traditional Tai Chi Chuan Long Forms, but a lot more variety. The Long Form is divided into three sections, the first of which is much shorter than the other two and is used for teaching beginners.
Meld: Any change with a yin baseline, yin midline and yin topline.
Mere: Any change with a yang baseline, yang midline and yin topline.
Miasma, the: The cumulative effects of social and cultural conditioning/legacy as well as belief/faith on decision making. Often used in a negative sense, taking the form of excessive focus on the baseline without employing the midline and topline sufficiently. Otherwise inappropriately giving a baseline response to a midline or topline problem. (see also Dust and Cref)
Midline: The manifest or continuative realm. English translation of 實法線 Shí Fǎ Xiàn.
Moyen: A metaphorical translation of the Chinese phrase 格物致知 Géwù Zhìzhī (“Aquire knowledge of The Nature of Things”). The term is used to imply learning in the context of continual feedback and practical testing. In many ways, Moyen are a human equivalent of Test Driven Development. Literally, a means, a mediator; something interposed or intervening. Agile Tai Chis unique body of in-situ team-working exercises that leverage the learning-through-play instinct. Both singular for an individual exercise and plural for the whole body of moyen – “moyens” is not used.
Niu Da: Bind and strike.
Pattern: Recurring flows. (see Flow)
Pattern Analysis/Review: See Product Backlog Strategy.
Product Backlog: This is the total collection of currently known stories pertaining to an individual or group working towards a particular coloured sash, or any other objective in general. There are template product backlogs for all coloured sashes, but groups add further stories as needed in conjunction with their Product Owner as they progress.
Product Backlog Strategy: This is the overall strategy that the Product Owner uses to work with the team, and relates to how the product backlog is managed and the degree of visibility or otherwise that the team have on it. There are many options for this strategy that are agreed between teams and their Product Owner, but in general there are three broad categories: sprinting (similar to Scrum), continuous flow (similar to Kanban), or one-piece flow (similar to XP). Each of these different strategies has further implications for how the Product Owner works with the team. Agile Tai Chi product backlog strategies can be applied to any kind of work or activity, but for learning purposes we generally start with the template product backlogs for the Agile Tai Chi coloured sashes. The Product Backlog Strategy is continually reviewed and, if necessary, modified by each team in a process known as “Pattern Analysis”.
Product Owner: An individual qualified to answer the queries of groups of people practising Agile Tai Chi, to manage Agile Tai Chi backlogs, and to certify Agile Tai Chi ability and award coloured sashes up to a specific level determined by the type of Product Owner (Product Owner, Expert Product Owner, or Master Product Owner).
Push Hands (Tui Shou): This is the most basic of the four broad categories of collaborative learning and testing method in Agile Tai Chi, in which practitioners learn collaboratively and are able to test their skill and ability against each other. There are eight basic types of Push Hands, and infinite variations. Push Hands is also the first method that beginners are introduced to. Potentially painful methods are not allowed in beginner’s Push Hands, so it forms a comfortable bridge to more advanced testing methods such as Five Elements Fighting, Twelve Animals Fighting and Sanshou (“Free Hands”) in which an increasing spectrum of methods are allowed against practitioners who have already developed the ability to neutralise or mitigate them.
S.C.R.E.: Pronounced “scree”. Acronym for Structure -> Change -> Return -> Extremes.
Shard: Any change with a yin baseline, yin midline and yang topline.
Spear: English translation of the traditional Chinese practice implement called a Qiang. Spear methods form the foundation of the 4th Degree Black Sash backlog.
Squall: Any change with a yin baseline, yang midline and yang topline.
Straight Sword: English translation of the traditional Chinese practice implement called a Jian. Jian methods for the foundation of the 2nd Degree Black Sash backlog.
Teamskill: A non-literal translation of the Chinese word 召引 Zhào Yǐn. These are team working and team building skills derived from the Changes (see Changes, the) and designed to build a productive, open, nurturing culture.
“Ten Word Secret”, the: These are the ten principles that define Agile Tai Chi’s attitude, culture and worldview: Respecting, Changing, Adapting, Iterating, Listening, Sticking, Yielding, Neutralising, Growing and Continuing.
Thunder Sound: The characteristic feel or flavour of the power transfer of Agile Tai Chi.
Tiger Embrace: The characteristic feel or flavour of Agile Tai Chi. Welcoming people, rather than pushing them away. Also, from a structural viewpoint maintaining a rounded structure.
Topline: The creative realm. English translation of 靈法線 Líng Fǎ Xiàn.
Torrent: Any change with a yin baseline, a yang midline and a yin topline. Torrent is also sometimes called “the needle in the cotton”.
Trait Analysis: The process through which traits are identified.
Two-in-One: The principle, called 二合一 èrhéyī in Chinese, that dissimilar changes can be mutually supportive of each other, producing an effect that is greater than the sum of the parts.
Vacuum Change/Vacuum Activity: Any change that serves no useful purpose.
Yang: A creative, active or leading experience of energy change.
Yin: A nurturing or receptive experience of energy change.