Grandmaster William Chen has always emphasized the practical aspects of Tai Chi Quan, thus Push Hands, Practical Applications, and Free Style Boxing have been an integral part of his teaching. Taiji Quan, to be effective, requires that one must immerse oneself deeply into this work. Forms practice alone will avail to nothing if you have never crossed hands with a…
Yang style Taiji Quan, also written Tai Chi Chuan, traditionally did not have many weapons in its curriculum. Nonetheless, particular attention was placed on the Jian (Sword), Dao (Saber), Qiang (Spear), and Gun (Staff). These four weapons are divided into two groups: short weapons and long weapons. The short Tai Chi weapons are the sword and the saber; the long Tai Chi weapons…
Tui Shou is made up of two Chinese Characters. The first, 推, Tui means to push. The second character, 手, Shou, means hand. Hence, Tui Shou is translated as Push Hands or Pushing Hands. This definition, however, does not do justice to the intricacies and highly evolved concepts that guide its practice. Tui Shou is…
Zheng Manqing (Cheng Man-ch’ing) was born in 1902 in Yongjia (present-day Wenzhou) in Zhejiang Province, China. Known as the Master of Five Excellences, he was highly accomplished in Calligraphy, Poetry, the Chinese Classics, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Tai Chi Chuan (Taiji Quan). A college professor, he became known to his Tai Chi students as Professor Zheng. Zheng Manqing learned the classical Yang…
Anyone interested in Tai Chi classes might be surprised to learn that there are different Tai Chi Chuan styles (also written as Taij Quan and Taijiquan). Although many styles have been developed in modern times, in China there are five major styles of Tai Chi that are widely recognized (“style,” in Pinyin, is Shi 氏)….
The Traditional Taiji Quan forms, or routines, are lengthy. Not only do they require considerable time to learn and memorize, but they also need far more time to refine. Since the 1930s, masters saw the need for condensing the forms to make them available to the public. This was achieved by eliminating repetitive movements. Perhaps…
There is saying in China “Ren Lao Xian Lao Tui,” which means that people age first in their legs. Evermore, people lead sedentary lives with prolonged seating and little or no exercise. This is especially true for middle-aged and elderly people. Studies have shown that loss of muscle strength in the legs results in declining…
I recall meeting Grandmaster William C.C. Chen (Chen Chi-Cheng) for the first time more than 40 years ago. In our first meeting he asked that I call him “William.” I was taken aback by such humility, but I have always addressed him as “Master Chen” out of the respect that I have for him. There…
The art of Taiji Quan is intricate and sublime. Practice is governed by many principles, which for a beginner can be overwhelming. Having a place to start from, where you can build your foundation and increase your understanding will help keep you interested in Taiji practice. Following are Four Key Words that will build your…
