Sifu Dave Tai Chi

Rule #1: Don't forget to breathe!

Sifu Hen-ping Chiang (1918-2002), from whom I learned the warm-up set that I teach. For some biographical info, see:
http://tigermountaintaiji.blogspot.com/2008/09/my-former-sifu-and-dear-friendmr-hen.html

No class Saturday, Dec. 21. Mark your calendar.

Practice Tai Chi, become healthier..

Medicine in motion: How Tai Chi heals body and mind There is evidence that an ancient Chinese form of martial arts improves your mind and body, and may even contribute to a longer life.

Another vintage film of Grandmaster William CC Chen demonstrating the 60-movement short form that we practice in class...Enjoy!

Tai-chi Grandmaster William Chen discusses Tai-chi and Demonstrates his Form This is old footage of Grandmaster William C. C. Chen performing his Yang form while he voices over his understanding of the Tai chi principles. It shows the...

This is the 60-movement short-form sequence we have been learning, performed by its creator, Grandmaster William C. C. Chen.

Though the film is not as clear as modern video, it is very useful for review once a student has learned some of the movements.

William CC Chen's Tai Chi Chuan 60 postures Tai Chi lesson's from a super 8 movie http://www.williamccchen.com/

Tai Chi, or taiji, is a Chinese exercise practiced for defense, health benefits and meditation. It involves a series of slow, focused, flowing movements accompanied by deep breathing.

Though originally conceived as an "internal" martial art -- Taijiquan (Supreme Ultimate Fist) -- today it is practiced for a variety of personal reasons such as improved leg strength, balance and posture; relaxation, stress relief, awareness and calmness; and gentle conditioning of the joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments.

It also can be used for competitive "wrestling" in the format of pushing hands (tui shou), and for movement demonstrations and contests.

As a result, a multitude of training forms exist, both traditional and modern, which correspond to those aims with differing emphasis. Some training forms of Tai Chi are especially known for being practiced with relatively slow movements. The speed and rhythm vary when using Taijiquan for self defense.

Today, Tai Chi has spread worldwide. Most modern styles of Tai Chi trace their development to at least one of the five traditional family schools: Chen, Yang, Wu (Hao), Wu and Sun. All of the former, in turn, trace their historical origins to Chen Family Village.

Hi!

Here is a bit of extra detail about one of the 2 Tai Chi forms that we are practicing, for those who have attended classes for some time or who are just curious:

We use a short form created about 50 years ago by Grandmaster William C. C. Chen, who teaches in New York City. He based his version on that of his teacher, Professor Cheng Man Ching (or: Zheng Manqing), who taught in New York through the 1970s. Both of these Grandmasters are well known for spreading modern Tai Chi worldwide.

After you have learned the first section of the form, and watched some Tai Chi videos, you may begin to wonder:

"What is the difference between Professor Cheng's form and that of William C. C. Chen?"

One simple answer is that the 2 versions are almost identical in sequence during the first section up thru the posture "playing guitar" (sometimes called "playing p**a" or "strumming the lute") after the first "brush knee and twisting step."

Later, several variations are seen, although generally the two sets are quite similar.

Grandmaster Chen adjusted the the form by removing a few repetitions, but added back a few maneuvers from the long form that had been deleted by Professor Cheng when he devised the short form: for example "needle at the bottom of the sea."

When a form is counted as having 37 postures, it usually will be the Cheng Man Ching version, although there are some other 37-posture forms. The William C. C. Chen form is called "60 movements of T'ai Chi Ch'uan."

The difference in number is partially a matter of how several movements can be counted together or separately, and thus does not represent as much of a difference in the actual form as one might think.

This clip is pretty useful if you want to follow along, because it has both front and back views and also the names of the postures!

37式太極拳 口令 字幕 背正雙面 本影片的詳細說明及其他保健功法請至http://uen.apponl.com

This form is nearly identical in sequence to the 108-movement Tung (or D**g) family form, because the Tung family founder was a top student of Yang Cheng Fu. Observe that, in forms like this, where the torso is inclined, the back generally is in line with the angle of the rear lower leg.

太極拳套拳動作示範 楊守中 Yang Sau Chung Yáng Shǒuzhōng Yang, Sau Chung (1910-1985), was the eldest son of Grandmaster Yang Cheng Fu. He started learning his family style when he was 8 years old und...