Why do people do taiji?

[Tainan Mantis]

As a student what part of taiji do you enjoy the most?
As a teacher, what part of taiji do you think that your students enjoy the most?

One part of taiji that I like is the feeling of being rooted that starts to come after training of an hour or so.

[No_Know]

T'ai Chi Ch'uan, I most enjoy refining technique, .

No_Know

[taai gihk yahn]

One part of taiji that I like is the feeling of being rooted that starts to come after training of an hour or so.

wow, that's fast - it took me ~8 years!

[Taryn P.]

I started it 'cause it was pretty.... it seemed like dancing, only it had something *more* in it somehow.... and I was hoping it would provide some stress relief.

Later on, I appreciated that a decade (on and off) of tai chi gave me a solid foundation for other martial arts.

[woliveri]

Why do people practice Taiji?

Because they haven't yet found Bagua.

LOL

[Luk Hop]

Because they haven't yet found Bagua.

LOL

So true. Well for me at least. The more Bagua I practice the better my Tai Chi becomes. Not that Tai Chi lacks.

[oasis]

hey kevin, are you now studying taiji as well? what style? i think taiji is a nice training complement to kung fu because it's a different type of stress/tension to the body. In a way it's like how cardio training complements resistance training, or like kettlebell training complementing dumbbell training.

[Tainan Mantis]

Hi Oasis,
I started Taiji in the '80's.
I was living in Shifu's house and when he taught Taiji I just hung out and played guitar or something.

So, he said fix my car (an old VW) and you can join Taiji.

It was something for me to train when I was too sore to train kung fu.

But, I wonder why other people like taiji because now I teach it in the states.

In Taiwan, people learn taiji for exercise or for fighting.
But, from talking to people here in the states, I think that there must be different reasons such as stress, lower blood pressure.

One of my students teaches it in the hospital and his patients / students claim that it has cured their arthritis.

Thanks for the answers all,

Kevin

[woliveri]

Hey Kevin,

Are you coming to the Nick Scrima International Chinese Martial Arts Championship next month? It would be nice to have you there even for a look see. Bring Steve and some more guys from the Tampa area. Would love to meet you (we talked one day briefly on the phone). One of these days I'd like to get over to your area and get refreshed on the Tai Mantis Tai chi I learned many years ago but have nearly all but forgotten.

http://www.kungfuchampionship.com/

Hope to see you there.

Bill

[monkey mind]

I enjoy developing sensitivity, softness and fluidity. It's a process that I find makes me much more well-rounded as a martial artist. After a couple of years hard-core Muay Thai training in Thailand, I'm more familiar with the yang side of the equation, but working on that balance is challenging and rewarding. And fun.

[Tainan Mantis]

Hi Bill,
I probably won't make it out to the tourny.

Kevin

[Yao Sing]

woliveri, did you notice Sean Cochran is teaching a seminar? 3-Section Stick, now that's got to be a tough seminar.

Don't think I want to be in that room.

I got my cheek sliced at a Chen Dao Yun gim seminar so I don't trust peeps I don't know swinging weapons around.

[woliveri]

woliveri, did you notice Sean Cochran is teaching a seminar? 3-Section Stick, now that's got to be a tough seminar.

Don't think I want to be in that room.

I got my cheek sliced at a Chen Dao Yun gim seminar so I don't trust peeps I don't know swinging weapons around.

Yeah, that's gotta be a big room. It kills me that when I got back from my 1985 trip to China I set my 3 sectional staff I brought back from China on my garbage can after playing with them a bit. I had forgot about them and later, the garbage man came and picked up the garbage, 3 sectional and all. Man, I was so mad Called the garbage pickup company but no luck.


I'm actually thinking of taking the Saturday morning seminar from Master Liu Xiao Ling. Looks interesting. Haven't seen any prices though.

[KC Elbows]

My style is not as common a branch, and, quite honestly, I didn't even know it was taiji when I started it. I took it for the throws and strikes and detail work.

[taai gihk yahn]

My style is not as common a branch, and, quite honestly, I didn't even know it was taiji when I started it. I took it for the throws and strikes and detail work.

what is your lineage? mine is also "uncommon" - according to my sifu, we come from Yang Lu Chan, but not via his sons (that is, my teacher's teacher's teacher studied w/YLC when he first hit Beijing); as such, our form has some "stuff" in it you don't usually (or ever) see elsewhere;