24 Simplified Set

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

Form is secondary to principle.. the form is a platform for drilling and refining principles.. any form without principles is just a bad dance.. The 24 movement form is a great wake-up form in the mornings when time might be limited (ie: work constraints).. but, the form is only as good as the principles that support it..

No form is valid without testing its usefulness.. sparring, pushing hands (chin na allowed, but not to the extreme), and weapons work (controlled weapons sparring) demonstrate the usefulness of theory.. without the testing it is only an academic exercise, useful for many things, but lacking the experience and refinement of its martial capabilities.. using only the techniques from the 24 movement form one can develop a sound self-defense.. but, you only get out of it what you put into it.. if you begin with skepticism, that's likely where you will end up.. begin with an open mind and let the form/principles speak for itself..

Be well..

[omarthefish]

Originally posted by Vapour
[B]Thank you wujimon for the links.

24 set is the form which every Mainland Chinese kids now learn in school and ....

I heard Nixon is planning a visit to China soon. Do you know anything about that?

[SPJ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKuGT...elated&search=

a good clip of the simplified 24 Shi Tai Chi.

[SPJ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKpXq...elated&search=

Yang 42 form.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nprZh...elated&search=

Yang 108 form.

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

Of the 3 videos, 24 has the most going for it.. the form is essentially the same as the compulsory, and the young lady is executing it fairly well.. she, as well as the others, have difficulty with maintaining consistent postures vertically (they bob up and down).. rear power leg foot positions are too angled to make efficient use of structure, at those angles you will feel counter-tension in the quads which will mis-align the hips.. the rear power foot should be no more than 30° off the direction of travel, 15° preferred.. there was a bit of wrists crossing the centerline, a no-no as i understand things.. but, these are just my personal understandings.. there was not very much attention to coordinating open and closed Kua with the postures..

The 42 form is vastly different than Ley Deyin's (he developed 42 by the way)..

All in all, the movements were graceful and expressive, but.. left me wanting for spirit, power and application.. The players were better than most, but not a really good representation of Taiji's potential..

Be well..

[B-Rad]

The 42 form is vastly different than Ley Deyin's (he developed 42 by the way)..

That's because the video is mis-labeled. That's the 40 move Yang style form, the "official" PRC Yang style competition form, rather than the more common 42 move combined competition form.

[Nexus]

So far i ony watched the 24 movement form. The form was graceful and elegant but lacked as Taichibob said the expressions of Power and Pung that the Yang form cultivates and embodies. Her form was very soft and at times was too collapsed (watch 3:50-4:15 for examples). Her kick was nicely executed and her snake crreeps down (4:42) was nice and low, the problem is her hand instead of her dantien lead the movement meaning when actually used in application it would be very poor effect. One thing I notice throughout is that her dantien does not act as the center consistently.

[shrub]

Nexus and TaiChiBob - can you guys post your version of the 24 form so that I can make some smart ass comments.

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

Nexus and TaiChiBob - can you guys post your version of the 24 form so that I can make some smart ass comments.

I humbly apologize if my comments are perceived as "smart ass", that was not the intention.. i hoped others would confirm or challenge my observations so i could better understand the Art.. but, yes, if i can figure out the technology i will post my interpretation of the form (the holidays can always benefit from good comedy)..

The young lady that performs the 24 also has a 42 on YouTube, i think.. it is a bit better than the 24..

Be well..

[Judge Pen]

I am not a tai chi person by any stretch of the imagination, though I do 24 posture from time to time. Let me ask this: Should her knee extend out that far over her toes? I thought that was a no-no, but I'll defer to those that have more knowledge than me. I certainly can't do a better version than her.

[B-Rad]

I was taught that the knee shouldn't go past the ends of the toes, though I usually stop the knee a tab bit short of that line. When I go past is when I feel the knee strain. Some people prefer to teach where the lower leg is perpendicular to the ground (not over the foot at all). I think my teacher would probably get on her a bit for over extension. I imagine some younger taiji people can probably get away with it for awhile. I used to have this habit, but I find I feel the problem a lot more now at 205 lbs than I did at 175 lbs Still, I found myself doing this once in awhile when performing for strangers... I don't think she does it ever posture though, so she probably was taught correctly.

The only other things I can think of that my teacher would probably get on me for (if that were my performance) is a more even pacing (less start/stop fast/slow more even speed), and a couple slight differences in hand/arm position in the form. For example, in repulse monkey he'd get on me for bending the elbow too much and pulling straight back, and more relaxation on the bottom hand during the cloud hands portion (hers sticks out more, kind of like I learned in Sun style). Little tiny differences like that, which probably aren't too big of deals in the big picture. Her taiji is VERY good though. Probably the best 24 form overall I've seen on the net

[Ford Prefect]

I've been taught the same in regards to knees and toes...

[qiphlow]

watched the first minute or two of the 24: i liked her low posture and consistent speed. i did not like the fact that in her bow stances, the front knee consistently came past her front toe. i also thought the form was just too flowery--she'd probably win alot of wushu internal division tournaments with that form.

[SPJ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX6QD...BCDF4C&index=0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z6TD...elated&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLS2yHhIYFQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy-wr...elated&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8Bok...elated&search=

118 Yang forms.

[SPJ]

http://www.6rooms.com/watch/8304.html

another clip of 24 forms Tai Chi.