Advice on Tai Chi from Home

[Hard Fists]

Hey, everyone. I've got a question for those of you that are experienced in Tai Chi. I would like to learn a couple forms to help center my mind in the mornings before I leave for work. My school has a Tai Chi program, but due to time constraints I am unable to attend. Is there an acceptable way to learn a style from home? What is the difference between Yang and Chen style?

I train a TCMA that has rooting low stances, with lots of power and solid technique. Does that even matter? Could y'all suggest some dvds or tapes?

Thx,
HF

[Ray Pina]

If you want to join the millions moving in slow motion who are completely disconnected, have no power and no idea of what they are actually doing ... go buy a video and book.

If you want to learn how to use your entire body leverage, how to hit someone from your foot pushing, hips, waist, rib, back, shoulder, elbow, wrist, finger go find a qualified teacher.

Sorry if this is coming off as being negative. Just want to be straight to the point with you. You can't learn 1/20th of taiji. You eather learn it or just move poorly but slowely.

Taiji is a martial art. You can't get the full health if the other parts are not right. If you're not relaxed and standing well in health, you're not in a position to utilize the martial aspects. They go hand in hand.

Too many people try to demonstrate their taiji power and it looks like bad external. Try to demonstrate soft and their structure is wrong. No power, but no structure to be relaxed .... no taiji. The art is completely gone already. Though I think Imperialtaiji is learning something.

[Hard Fists]

Thanks for your candor, Ray-I'll discuss working around my time constraints with one of my sihungs this evening.

HF

[SPJ]

To center your mind;

usually, we stand or sit in posture. relax all over your body.

pay attention to your breathing and then nothing.

listen to the birds chirping and feeling the wind.

you may close your eyes.

I have picked 8 postures from Chen Tai Ji.

I usually practice them after standing for 5 or 10 min.

I know I am lagging. 25 min or more of standing is the norm.

[Ray Pina]

Thanks for your candor, Ray-I'll discuss working around my time constraints with one of my sihungs this evening.

HF

I don't mean to be a pain in the a$$, just being straight with you so you know what to expect.

If you have 15 minutes in the morning, you have plenty of time to stand, meditate, or do some moving meditation. No doubt about it.

But what will you be practicing?

If you really want to learn hunt down a qualified teacher that can work around your schedule, maybe an hour after classes, or during lunch hour, etc. Then you can practice something.

If that's not possible, and though I don't think it's ideal, travel during break or vacation to a good teacher and spend a few days with them, get something, and then practice when you have time.

It's very important to have good materials when building a structure. If it's not a matter or needing it right now, better to wait a bit and get steal as a foundation then cover your head with straw.

Forget books and videos. Just waisting your time and money. You'd get more of your 15 minutes in the morning doing general stretching or swimming and having a tall glass of OJ.

There's a lot of little details in taiji that are important. There's not too many people that know them. Chances are, your local housewife taiji school lacks them. You really need to search out the good stuff.

[Hard Fists]

Thanks, SPJ.

You're not being a pain in the butt, ray. I would tell anyone the same thing if they had questions about training another type of kung fu at home. I guess I wasn't thinking about that. I'll continue my search.

[imperialtaichi]

If that's not possible, and though I don't think it's ideal, travel during break or vacation to a good teacher and spend a few days with them, get something, and then practice when you have time.

Hello Ray,

Good point. I never get to see my teacher for more than a couple of weeks each year either. One just have to do one's best under the circumstances.

A good friend of mine, he travels a fare bit, and each time he would pick up a few things from different teachers. He never get to stay for too long either, but he seems to have a good nick at picking out the underlying principles and he is pretty damm effective as a fighter.

Cheers,
John

[Ray Pina]

Yea, I think it's better to get a little good stuff that is correct in mechanics and principles, train it right, so it doesn't hurt you than to go nuts doing things that promote bad habits, are wrong, or unhealthy.

Few want to go out and fight anyway, so there's no rush. Better to take ones time and get the good stuff. And unfortunately many times the good stuff aint right up the block.

[scholar]

Another thing I can add to the advice above is that if you do find a teacher, but your time is limited, stick to the basics. Stance training, posture, stamina. Every style has a different set, but every style should have them. Don't fall into wanting to do too much too soon. Get the basics from the teacher and work them. When you are stable on your feet, then you need partner(s) to train timing, coordination, positioning. With the basics, once truly assimilated, you can do anything (even become self-correcting at home!) without them, you can't do anything. Basics are boring, but just like music, you can't play a full range of chords without knowing the scales.

[RonH]

Using books and tapes are okay, as long as you also train with someone. Training with just someone and no tapes or books makes you run the risk of becoming cult follower-like because you are hit with the views of just one style and especially just one person. Books let information survive centuries when people right down notes and pieces of info they've gathered over the years and look back at it, as they continue to develop. Tapes let something like books to exist for a longer time, too. You may not get as much info, as a book, but you also get a view of how certain movements are done. When someone makes a video is also gonna influence what you can pick up from viewing it. Someone doing it for many decades has refined their nervo-muscular movements, so it seems like they are doing very little, but the actual mechanics are very detailed and are a lot of work. This is where we go back to having a one-on-one teacher is good because you can ask questions on specific mechanics.

[Ray Pina]

Someone doing it for many decades has refined their nervo-muscular movements, so it seems like they are doing very little, but the actual mechanics are very detailed and are a lot of work. This is where we go back to having a one-on-one teacher is good because you can ask questions on specific mechanics.

This is a good point. When my master does certain things to me, it doesn't appear that he moves at all. For instance, he can use very sharp power to collapse yet his hands remain where they are.

The power feels like if I held my arm out and he grabbed it, swung it up over his head, jumped, and pulled the whole thing down with all his might.

So I train sinking the rib, the lower body, sinking a lot of individual parts of the body as well as pressing with the shoulder, elbow, wrist. You start big and as you get better more body parts can do less with equal results.