Help with beginning

[Tai-Jutsuka]

I want to begin studying Tai Chi Quan in earnest. But, there are no schools in my area. But, my bookstore has a fairly good selection of books on it. How can I benefit from just books? Do I mimic what I see in the books or is there more to it?

[Kumkuat]

No, books suck. Where are you in FL? Are you near Ft. Lauderdale?

[red_fists]

Forget Books.

Tai Chi goes way deeper than what a Book can even start to relate.

If you train from a Book, you might get a good wushu like form execution.

[Tai-Jutsuka]

Yeah, I'm near Ft. Lauderdale. Coral Springs to be precise.

[Repulsive Monkey]

You cannot possibly learn the internal principles from a book. What you may end up with is a shell of a form, i.e. an external mimicry which will be obvious to an experienced practitioner that no internal power has been trained. Im sorry but a good teacher is definitely needed if you want to learn Taiji properly.

[Kumkuat]

Oops, I thought Yan was in Ft. Lauderdale, but he's actually in Hollywood, FL. It isn't that much far away from Ft. Lauderdale. Anyway, here is his address and phone number. The guy's name is Yan Gao Fei. I've met him. Yan's really good and he teaches chen taijiquan. For more info and the guy you can go to www.yangaofei.com or www.americanchentaichi.com

2051 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, FL 33020
Phone: (954) 924-3445
Fax: (305) 945-5228

[Tai-Jutsuka]

If I'm not mistaken, he charges $500 a week for his training. If he does, I cannot train with him since I don't have that kind of money.

[Tai-Jutsuka]

I found a Tai Chi school thats closer to where I live. Ever hear of Sifu Ken Chong?

[red_fists]

What Styles & forms does he teach?

[Tai-Jutsuka]

His ad didn't say which forms/styles he taught specifically. But, I called and they told me that they teach Yang Style Tai Chi. I am going for an intro lesson today.

[No_Know]

An introductory lesson? Well done.

If trying from just pictures in a book. Note the relation of the fingertips to the forearm, the bend of the elbow, the direction of the toes .

Your posture like sitting on a stool

Head level like chin on a table.

Move like water all around you (yet breathing easy)

If shoulders are up then shoulders relaxedly down.

Elbows down; yet out (shoulder controls out/in/side/up/down;elbow controlsforward backward of the hand (and all between (not that that matters)).

See the move in your mind while you are doing that move.

Try to notice that it can take several pictures to illustrate one technique. Go through the pages several times and try to see where a technique kind of begins and kind of ends. Later the beginning and ending of a technique will be indiscernable.

[red_fists]

TaiJutsu-Ka.

May I suggest reading the "Tai Chi Classics" and the "I-Ching".

Both are good reading, even though they might not make much sense until your skill improves.

Peace.