Articles

Articles

Every article in this guide, grouped by subject. Each summary says in a sentence or two what the page covers, so you can go straight to what you need.

History and styles

• A history of t'ai chi ch'uan — The legend of Zhang Sanfeng and the Wudang Mountains set beside the documented story of Chen village, Yang Luchan's teaching in Beijing, the rise of the family styles and the art's twentieth-century turn to public health exercise and travel to North America.
• Comparing t'ai chi styles: Chen, Yang, Wu and Sun — How the family styles differ in frame, pace, stances and release of power, why fair comparisons are harder than they look, and why the teacher matters more than the label.
• The symmetrical ("dual style") Yang form — The idea of practising a form to both the left and the right, why training both sides is valued, and how the dual method of the Old Form sits within the Yang tradition.
• Kuang Ping (Guang Ping) Yang style — A branch named after the Yang family's home prefecture, its link to Kuo Lien-ying and San Francisco, and how it compares with the large-frame form.
• Tchoung Ta-tchen: a teacher of the Old Form in the Pacific Northwest — What the published record says about his training, his membership of the Chinese Tai Chi Ch'uan Association and his teaching in Vancouver and Seattle, and where the record needs care.
• Taoism, Buddhism and the martial arts — The taijitu and yin and yang, the Taoist associations of Wudang, Chan Buddhism at Shaolin, and why practice asks for no belief.
• Shaolin and the "internal" and "external" arts — The monastery's history and legend, what neijia means, and why the famous distinction began partly as a political statement.
• The t'ai chi classics: principles in brief — What the classics are and a plain account of the ideas they return to: softness, rooting, moving as one, full and empty, and listening.

Practice

• New to t'ai chi? What to expect — Warm-ups, stances and first postures, what to wear, how long learning takes and questions to ask a teacher.
• Progressing in t'ai chi: practice, patience and the teacher — Learning a long form in layers, daily practice, plateaus, class notes, the teacher–student relationship and returning after a break.
• San shou: the two-person t'ai chi form — A choreographed partner set that puts the solo postures into use, with notes on timing, distance and safe practice.
• Pushing hands (tui shou) — Fixed-step and moving-step drills, listening and yielding, and the difference between cooperative practice and competition.
• Choosing a teacher: lineage, certification and what to look for — What lineage and certification mean, questions to ask and the warning signs to walk away from.
• Learning t'ai chi in Southern California — The kinds of classes found in the region, practising outdoors in a warm, dry climate and how to judge a class.
• Gatherings: conferences, tournaments and World Tai Chi and Qigong Day — Why practitioners meet across schools, how forms and pushing-hands events are generally judged, and a worldwide day of practice.
• Frequently asked questions — Short answers on the name, age and fitness, styles, uniforms, qigong and more.

Weapons

• The sword of t'ai chi: the jian — The straight double-edged sword, its parts, how sword forms extend the hand form, wooden practice swords and etiquette with blades.
• The sabre: the dao in t'ai chi — The single-edged sabre compared with the jian, its bold movements and its place in Yang-style training.
• Weapons and specialty training — The staff, spear, walking stick and fan, qigong and pushing-hands workshops, and safety with training weapons.

Related arts

• Baguazhang (pa-kua chang): walking the circle — Circle walking, palm changes, Dong Haichuan and how to read a lineage chart.
• Xingyiquan (hsing-i ch'uan) — The five elements and animal forms, direct linear power, and how xingyi complements t'ai chi and bagua.
• Ch'i kung (qigong): breathing, posture and practising sensibly — Standing and moving practice, breathing without force, and caution about exaggerated claims.

Health

• T'ai chi and health: what research has looked at — The size and focus of the research, trials in fibromyalgia and Parkinson's disease, and how to read studies modestly.
• Balance, falls and t'ai chi for older adults — Why falls matter, what a review and a trial of tai chi and falls studied, and how practice is adapted for balance.
• The heart, blood pressure and gentle exercise — What cardiac rehabilitation is and what two studies of tai chi examined, with their limits.
• T'ai chi as exercise — Where t'ai chi sits among endurance, strength, balance and flexibility exercise, and how to pair it with other activity.
• Knees, joints and a lifetime of practice — How the knee works, how stances load it, how teachers adapt postures and what research on knee osteoarthritis examined.

The health pages give general information, not medical advice.

Other

• International Scouting: world jamborees, radio contacts and friendship exchanges — An introduction for adult leaders and families to Scouting as a worldwide movement and its international events.
• About Do Tai Chi — What this guide covers and how it is written.