Taiji Bailong Ball

Taiji Bailong Ball ( Chinese  太極 白龍 球  /  太极 白龙 球 , Pinyin Tàijí Bái Lóng qiú , “Taiji Ball of the White Dragon”, in China Chinese  太極 柔 力 球  /  太极 柔 力 球 , Pinyin Tàijí Róulìqiú , “Taiji ball with elastic power “Called) is a modern sport originating from China , which follows the principles of Taijiquan in its philosophy and movements . The game is played with racket and ball in multiplayer or single player mode. Taiji Bailong Ball combines the game idea of ​​ball / setback sports with the spirit and the health effects of traditional movement arts.

The game

When Taiji Bailong Ball to use a special, strung with a rubber surface racket and playing with a non-hopping, partly filled with sand ball.

If you play Taiji Bailong Ball as a single player (solo play), the ball with the racket is passed around you in a circling manner and without interruption. The movements are similar to and follow the principles of elementary Taiji movements. The ball is therefore guided by skillful holistic body movements, internal strength and various elastic hand techniques. The movements can be variably choreographed to music as a dance form or sequence of exercises like the forms of Taijiquan .

Another way of playing is playing with one or more partners against each other and with each other (multiplay). Similarities to ball sports such as tennis or badminton can be seen in these variants. Taiji Bailong Ball differs in one essential point from the well-known "kickback" ball sports. The ball is not returned to the teammate by hitting it in a straight line, but first "defused" by taking it up with the racket in its trajectory. The momentum is then used to direct the ball in a dynamic, circular movement back towards the teammates. If you want to “move” the ball, this is done by pulling, guiding, guiding and redirecting.

In Europe, championships are currently held in the following disciplines: solo play as the basic form, standard form and freestyle; Multiplay against each other single or double, and multiplay with each other.

Taiji Bailong Ball is also played by the physically challenged and of all ages.

Inventor and naming

The name Taiji Bailong Ball comes from Bai Rong, who developed this sport. In the tradition it often happens that scholars, out of modesty, do not give their real names to their publications. Bai Rong followed suit. "Bailong" means "white dragon". "Long", the dragon, moves according to legend, flying and swimming. It stands for elastic and spiral movements, which are also the basis of the ball game. Furthermore, the dragon stands for the Chinese nation. According to the five-element theory, the color white ("Bai") is assigned to the west. Thus the naming already creates a connection between the Chinese nation and the western population. If you compare the pronunciation of the inventor's name with that of the sport, they sound similar, with Bai Rong denoting the tree species "White Ficus benghalensis ".

Development in China

The Chinese Education Commission and Sports Commission has assessed and recognized the sport of Taiji Bailong Ball as "very valuable" after in-depth examinations and tests. In 1994, Taiji Bailong Ball was reviewed by other working groups from the Chinese Ministry of Education and the University Sports Management Commission. They declared it “particularly recommendable when accompanying schoolchildren / students with regard to their physical and psychological development”. It was recommended "to introduce the sport as a recreational sport accompanying the class" and "to integrate it into the teaching content of the physical education lessons in schools / training centers with certain requirements and possibilities in order to be able to introduce this sport as a tournament discipline across schools and countries".

The number of practitioners in China is estimated at around 2 million in 2006.

Development in Germany

In January 2005, Taiji Bailong Ball was introduced in Germany through the establishment of the Taiji Bailong Ball Association eV (TBBA). This non-profit association has set itself the goal of popularizing the sport invented by Bai Rong in Germany and Europe.