Short forms - bad?

[IronFist]

Ok, I'll make this quick because I don't really know what I"m talking about here. I am aware that some Tai Chi's have "short forms" which are condensed versions of the standard form. Anyway, I read somewhere (Erle Montaigue's site, I believe), that these "short forms" are bad for you, because they lead the Chi through the body in the wrong direction and it doesn't get to complete its path because all the movements are not included.

I am aware that a lot of controversy surrounds Erle, but if anyone could shed any light on this for me it would be cool. Thanks.

Iron

[GLW]

Let's not go there....

There was a long discussion on this a while back.

Erle's camp maintains he is right...

Others, like myself, disagree. My disagreement is based upon study under one of the founding professors and doctors of the Shanghai College of Chinese Medicine...with the medical and Qi Gong ideas intact they do NOT have any problem with the short forms...

But, you must do them for the proper amount of time. Doing a 5 minute form 1 time will not do it...you have to get the 20 minute thing going. So, you have to do a 5 minute form 4 times in a row...non-stop.

The short forms were created to get people started. If you stop there, you did not really get started very far.

[Brad]

I usually feel pretty good after practicing the 24 form. My health has defenitely improved since I started practicing it.

[Ma_Xu_Zha]

short forms are good for beginners to make them healthy before learning the longer versions tha develope kung fu.

To the chinese- health is when the 12 meridians are opened and function in balance, kung fu is when 12 meridians function properly and the 8 channels are strenghtened and vibrant. ultimate level of kung fu is attained by opening 12 meridans, 8 channels, and the energy centers along central channel. thats more spiritual attainment which the new age taiji practitioners strive for and bypass the 8 channels there by not attainning kung fu.

hua jing is attainned by doing the long form a few times, while if you do 24 form you would have to repeat it at least 10 times.

[TheBigToad]

I always thought that short forms repeated over and over again is where its at. Since you would be proforming the same select movements again and again in a closer time ration your understanding of them and power development of them would be greater, wouldn't it?

The circle will always be, but you alone decides when it starts and where it ends.

[EARTH DRAGON]

that is not true what you have heard of the short forms, for all tai chi comes from the 13 basic movements as taught by Yang Lu San in the chen village so although there are now many stlyles they are only versions of the basic set!

http://www.kungfuUSA.net

[Wongsifu]

thats the stupidest thing ive heard if it took so long to send the energy up and down the meridian that if you dont do a long form it wont go all the way
THEN >...
There would be no internal strikes you would start to pull a punch now and in 15 minutes the fight would start so you could channel all the nergy down the fist for the strike
DUH :rolleyes:

Ive finally done it I can train longer by getting paid to do nothing , and my parents always called me lazy :)
get paid online http://www.spedia.net/cgi-bin/tz.cgi?run=show_svc&fl=8&vid=2475225