Tai Chi with a weight

[Mojo]

Check out this video of Yang Fukui practicing a tai chi exercise with what I think is a solid wooden ball.
I don't know what it weighs but I would think it would be over 20 lbs.
http://www.yangfukui.com/ball.mov

He also practices Hsing-I with a very heavy spear for strength and explosivness.

[Kumkuat]

It looks more like a iron ball than a wooden one to me.

[Mojo]

That may very well be. Imagine what an iron ball that size must weigh !!! And he was handling it one handed with alot of grace and control.

[wu_de36]

i thought it looked like a medicine ball.

I think those weigh about 20 pounds. Very nice movie.

[bamboo_ leaf]

Based on what you looking at what would you say he is working?

[Cody]

without my glasses. I'm curious about the weight.

Thanks for sharing this clip. I've not seen anything like it before. It's known that doing forms and drills with different kinds of weights is excellent training for strength and speed. There seems to be more than that going on here; it goes on to an exercise with a different aim. Vaguely remember hearing mention long ago of T'ai Chi ball. Glad I got to see it, and I'll look at it again later.

Cody

[bamboo_ leaf]

I asked this because we all talk of what internal is and is not.

Many people talk of using weight vest, iron balls (och!) and other training devices along with extremely low dramatic stances.

Just wondered what people thought of it and dose it still fit in the realm of what some would call internal.

Please refer to the thread on wt training and internal arts and contrast that with what you see here using this clip.

This is not to say what is right or wrong only in the sprit of seeing different approaches

[Cody]

I tried to get back to the film, but the website was temporarily inaccessible.

However, I did get info. I found out that there was an article re Yang Fukui doing Yang style T'ai Chi Ball in the June 2001 T'ai Chi Magazine. In the summary, it says he uses a 15-pound ball, but there are other weights available.
http://www.tai-chi.com/magazine.htm

I glanced at the weight training thread. It was too extensive for me to get into now. However, it is clear to me that this is not the same as the usual kinds of weight training, for strength and speed (though these side effects might carry thru to here). This looks (feels) like an internal exercise, the next step from doing form moves which enclose an invisible ball. I would say there is sticking involved at the very least.

Cody

[bamboo_ leaf]

Interesting!!

I don’t think I would call it an internal exercise maybe some type of wt. Training.

I could see some benefits relating to structural definition and what is called carrying in TC (using the structure to lift after uprooting someone)

I have come across any one who used this type of training method yet.

[GeneChing]

Chinese tai chi master sets record for bearing heaviest load while suspended
by Chi Dehua Apr 17, 2018 13:28 MARTIAL ARTS WUHAN



A Chinese tai chi master has set a world record for balancing the heaviest load on a human abdomen while hanging in the air.

Cai Mingyong, 42, successfully held a 90 kg weight on his stomach for ten seconds while lying across two raised pillars, Sohu reports.

"It is the first world record for a person carrying such a heavy load with his stomach," stated Zuzana Pavlonova, the certification officer from the London-based World Record Certification Agency (WRCA), who witnessed Cai's challenge in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei Province.

Cai, who has suffered from poor health since childhood, has been practicing tai chi for more than 20 years and created his own 'Tianxing Lie Gong' style, which means 'carrying weight on the abdomen while suspending one's body in the air'.

Cai said that "China has a history of more than 5,000 years and a rich culture. I have achieved something by digging only a little from it...We should really feel confident and proud of our culture," according to Caidian News, a local media outlet.

Tai chi, also known as shadow boxing, is traditionally an internal Chinese martial art featuring relatively slow movements, but is practiced more for its health benefits these days.

The WRCA is not affiliated with Guinness World Records in any way.

Chi Dehua has been a staff editor at GBTIMES since 2013. She covers foreign affairs, business and culture.

Threads:
Martial Arts World Records and Stunts
Tai Chi with a weight