Yang Tai Chi - Application
From the YouTube Channel of Kevin Lee we see Dr Mark Cheng showing the application of techniques from Yang Style Long Form (large frame, old style). It seems that he learned Tai Chi from this father.
Dr Cheng explains that like most Chinese Martial arts, Tai Chi includes the ability to:
Kick
Punch / strike
Throw, and
Joint lock
The way of the warrior
In this podcast there was a reminder of the wonderful 1983 BBC series - The Way of the Warrior - which has been uploaded to YouTube.
I watched this series with my father, but can’t say I remember the individual programmes. He bought the book that accompanied the series and I am currently looking for a copy.
The quality of the video compared to modern standards is shocking! Nevertheless, there is so much there worth learning, you just have to push through.
Peng, Lu, Ji, An
Literally - ward off, rollback, press and push.
From Tai Chi Forms in the section called grasp the bird’s tail or grasp the sparrow’s tail.
The Tai Chi Classics
I am a keen podcast listener, and one that I look forward to is The Tai Chi Notebook by martial artist Graham Barlow. His interests cover Tai Chi, Xing Yi, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and the study of the martial arts. He often interviews fellow practitioners, but on his most recent podcast he was alone and talking about the ‘Tai Chi Classics’. I played this over and over on repeat, and I am sure I will do so again. Listen below or find the podcast in your favourite podcast player.
Is Tai Chi Good For You?
Difficult to say, but speaking as a slightly overweight man in his late fifties (1.9 m, 98 kg), I enjoy it! And isn’t that half the battle with exercise?
Short Form - deeper
There are five main family styles of Tai Chi, and Wutan schools start by teaching the Yang family style (link).
Specifically, the head of our school, Master They Soon Tuan, recommends we initially teach what is colloquially called ‘Short Form’.
The Short Form comes in many variations. The one we teach consists of thirty seven ‘postures’, and is much abbreviated from Yang’s original ‘long form’, but can still take anywhere from six to ten minutes to complete when focusing carefully on technique and breathing.
Wutan’s ‘Yang’ short form is actually derived from a form created by Cheng Man-ch’ing (Zheng Manqing and sometimes referred to as ‘CMC’) (link), who studied with Yang Chengfu for a number of years.
Short Form - An Aide Memoir
Tai Chi ‘Short Form’ after Cheng Man-ch'ing (or Zheng Manqing).
Always forgetting the sequence of moves? We hope this helps.
Each ‘section’ finishes / starts with Single Whip.