Building a daily practice with Tai Chi Chuan

Here is a list of some things you can do to build your practice. It

serves as a guideline for a healthy practice.
Tai Chi is there for you, you do not have to be there for Tai chi.-
Dr. Amy Tseng
Be sensitive to your body and do not pile stress on top of stress.
Exercise every day until you break a light sweat. Dress warmly in
several layers and walk, do slow motion squatting exercises, or Tai
Chi until you sweat (lightly). This helps eliminate toxins and raise the
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) so that you more efficiently metabolize
the food you eat. Make small goals each day: maybe start with 15
minutes of Tai Chi in the morning and afternoon and build up the
time. When you develop a routine in the morning, it helps your body
to save some energy. Go to bed on time and then get up early enough
to give yourself time to follow your routine calmly and quietly. Each
time you get out of the routine, it is a small trauma for your body.
There is a saying in Kung fu training: Training is like rowing up a
river, but when you take time off from your routine, you are going
down the stream and losing your gains to the final destination.
The style of Tai Chi Chuan I do is Yang style. It comes from the
lineage of Yang Cheng Fu from his disciple Fu Zhong Wen to Sifu
Wei Qi He, who was my teacher.

Tai Chi salute and motto: diligence, perseverance, respect,

sincerity are ingredients for Tai chi kung fu.
Diligence Hard work and effort is prerequisite for skilled
development. Daily practice on a regular basic will ultimately be
rewarded by beneficial results.
Perseverance-It is important that a long and enduring sense of
purpose be cultivated. A sense of purpose combined with regular
daily practice will serve to achieve that purpose.
Respect- Respect for your master, teacher, and fellow man is
paramount. Deal with others in taking consideration their
backgrounds and in the light of their expectations. Mutual respect
serves to enhance a sense of community and solidarity in a society
where individuals treat each other with respect.
Sincerity- Sincerity in attitude or motivation is a prerequisite for
learning Taijiquan. In order to achieve, a genuine resolve to pursue
your goal must exist. Deal with others sincerely if you want them to
reciprocate. Maintain sincerity in the fore of your dealing with others
and you will achieve a smooth flow in relationships.
Yang Cheng Fus 10 essences of Taijiquan: Take time to stand
and go over these mentally and keep in mind when performing Tai
Chi chuan:
1. Raise the head, lift the spirit to the crown.
2. Sink the chest and round the back.
3. Relax the waist.
4. Separate the weight, understand the full and empty in the legs.
5. Drop the elbows and shoulders.
6. Coordinate the upper and lower body.
7. Coordinate the inner with the outer.
8. Use the mind not external force.
9. Move continuously without interruption.
10. Seek stillness within motion.
Warm-ups: opening the joints.
1. Neck rotations-3
2. Shoulder rotations-3
3. Wrist rotations-3
4. Elbow rotations-2
5. Waist rotations-2
6. Waist twist-2
7. Spine flex and extend-2
8. Hip circles-2
9. Knee circles-3
10. Ankle circles-2
Stretches-
Floor sitting stretches:
1. Straddle front, left and right
2. Single leg left and right
3. Forward bend with two feet
Standing/wall stretches:
1. Leg swing back and fourth (both legs)
2. Leg swing sideways(both legs)
3. Touch toes
4. Various partner stretches, some of the above can be done with
partner to get extra range of motion.
Standing meditation: take a few breaths to relax each section:
Close eyes:
Relax crown, relax facial muscles, relax sides of neck.
Relax shoulders, relax upper arms, relax forearms, relax hands.
Relax chest, relax upper back, relax waist, relax abdomen, relax hips
and groin.
Relax lower back, relax upper legs, relax calves, relax down to feet.
Visualize favorite color inside and out.
Slowly open eyes.
8 Piece brocade or Yang Taiji Qigong: build a surplus of Qi.
Breath silently, use feeling.
Yang taiji sample qigong:
1. Dan tien breathing.
2. Raise hands.
3. Repulse monkey.
4. Wave hands like clouds.
5. Closing qigong at dan tien.
Tai Chi stance work-
1. Open and closing hips in Tai chi front stance. (fundamental taiji
stance weight shifting)
2. Vertical circle with hips. (push stance weight shifting)
Other: empty stance, drop down stance, balance stance, etc.
Tai Chi walking (5 directions/elements)
1. Central equilibrium (stillness and centered when starting and
finishing).
2. Forward stepping
3. Backward stepping
4. Left side stepping
5. Right side stepping
practice 2-5 across a room to get deep leg workout. Later add hand
movement with the Tai Chi walking.
Stepping with hand:coordinate upper and lower body as
one unit
1. Part horse mane (similar to ward off) forward stepping.
2. Repulse monkey- backward step w/ hand.
3. Wave hands like clouds- sideways stepping.
4. Grasp Bird Tail- ward off, roll back, press and push (4 core
movements of Tai Chi).
practice each across a room to get deep leg workout with upper
body coordination.

Taolu: short form repetitions. 2x

24 shi Taijiquan video here
40 shi Taijiquan video here
Basic Tui Shou/Push hands: partner- yield and push exercises.
1. Ward off circle left. (same hand and foot)
2. Ward off circle right.
3. Brush knee circle left.(opposite hand and foot)
4. Brush knee circle right.
Tai chi warm down/self patting massage
1. Outside of legs
2. Inside of legs
3. Lower back/kidneys
extra: swinging arms hitting body- abs, shoulders, etc.
4. Outside of arms
5. Inside of arms
6. Face massage
7. Scalp massage- wake brain.
8. Ear massage
9. Stomach massage
10. Reverse tan tien breathing 9x
Background History-
Tai Chi Chuan (pinyin: Taijiquan) is practiced by millions of people
daily in Asia and around the world as a means of exercise for health
and healing. Tai chi chuan is often associated with myths that it was
studied by monks in the temples at the sacred Taoist mountain of Wu
Dang. It was created by a legendary martial artist name Chan San
Fengwho had studied some Shaolin boxing, but having a dream of a
crane and snake fighting, came up with the idea of a boxing style that
would use principles of yin and yang, softness and hardness in
execution. Tai Chi is the classic Taoist term for Yin and yang symbol
(pronounced Tai gee aka Taiji). It is also the name of the Taoist
constellation of the North star Polaris which is in line with the axis
of the earth. The human body also can rotate on its own axis and
center of gravity.
Historians point out that the origin is Chenjiaogou, a village in
Henan province of China. This martial art was eventually studied by
a Garrison Commander, Chen Wan ting. Chen family hid their art for
many generations. Yang Lu Chan, was a servant to the Chen family.
He was able to study with Chen Changxing, a 9th generation Chen
family.
Yang Lu chan learned to fight with the art. He was invited to teach
for the Emperors Imperial guard in Beijings Forbidden city. Later
his sons, Yang Pan Hou and Yang Chien Hou, became famous
teachers in Beijing and Shanghai for their fighting prowess. Yang Lu
Chans grandson, Yang Chen Fu had the most impact on the growth
of Tai Chi Chuan teaching to many cities in China. He standardized
the form and wrote several books.
In 1956, the Chinese Communist governments sport and health
department created a short form using the Yangs style of Tai chi
called 24 step Tai chi, so that it would be easier for people to
practice.
Tai chi chuan was studied by several different families. The
movements are expressed differently, so we have many styles of Tai
Chi today. Some Tai chi forms are using small circles, other large
circles, some use a low stance, while others might use high or
medium level stance, some focus more on fajin explosive power
while others try to relax inside or do soft chan su jin silk reel and
pull. In China, the different styles are classified in several ways- Old
frame, New frame, Big frame, Small frame, High frame, Low frame,
Fast frame, Big frame, etc. The Yang style form is considered Big
frame.
There are some styles of Tai Chi, Wu Dang Tai chi, that is from the
Wu Dang temple. There is the Chen Tai Chi practiced by the Chen
family descendants. Lao Jia(Old Frame) Chen forms are popular as
well as Xian Jia (New frame chen) and practiced today. Both the
Chen Lao Jia and Xian Jia have two routines: Yi Lu (first road) and
Er Lu (second road)form, the first road is a softer form, while the
second form is nicknamed Pao Chi or Cannon fist which is higher
use of fajin explosive movement.
Yang Tai Chi is from the Yang family style which we talked about
earlier. Wu Tai Chi is from Wu Quan Yu and his son Wu Chien
Chuan who studied with Yang Lu Chan were Manchurian Palace
guards. There is another Wu style from Wu Yu-Hsiang from Yang Lu
Chans home town of Guang Ping, in Yongnian Prefecture, who also
studied with Yang Lu-Chan and Chen Ching Ping. There is Hao style
Taiji and Li style Tai Chi that evolved fromWu Yu-Hsings nephew Li
Yi-Yu and his disciple Hao Wei Zheng. Lastly there is Sun Tai Chi
from Sun Lu-Tang, a student of Hao Wei Zheng.
Cheng Man Ching helped develop Tai Chi in the USA in the 1960s.
He was a ghost writer for Yang Chen Fus books, and his variation on
Tai Chi chuan is very popular in the Taiwan, Malaysia, USA, and
Europe. It is often called the Yang 37 Short form. Cheng Man
Chings student Robert W. Smith, who wrote many books on Tai Chi
Chuan in English, taught and lived in the Washington D.C. metro
area and is pivotal to the development in America as well. There are
even a dozen other rare styles of Tai Chi, but those mentioned are
typically the most popular and well known.

In this photo from left to right: Fu Zhong Wen, Yang Chen

Fu, Yang Shao Hao, Sun Lu Tang, Wu Chien Quan, Ma Yueh
Liang, Tung Ji Yieh, Chen Wei Ming (below Sun Lu Tang).
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Martial Training in Taijiquan:Advance training work after
developing your basics:
List of sample of more advanced training for those who want to go
deeper into the fighting aspects of the art.
Continuation of the Taijiquan/Tai chi chuan curriculum:
Taolu empty hand:
Yang Long form Big frame.
Yang Fajin form
Short Weapon: Yang Taiji straight sword (double edge sword)
 13 basic techniques
-Taiji sword form
-two person form
-padded short weapon fighting
Short weapon: Taiji saber (single edge sword)
13 basic techniques
-13 saber form
-two person form
-padded short weapon fighting
Long Weapon: Yang Taiji spear.
-13 basic techniques
-form
-two person forms
-padded long weapon fighting
sample of 20 Qin Na: (seizing and grappling)
1. Taiji Raise hands grab/and counter grab.(2)
2. Escapes- yank and turn away with wrist to escape grabs.
3. Escape two grips.-grab fist, tiger mouth escapes.(2)
4. Counter grabs and apply various qin-na: chen elbow roll.(2)
5. Taiji pung: step behind leg, shoulder shove.
sample of 20 combat throws:
11. Taiji Single leg take down.
12. Taiji Double leg take down (carry tiger back to mountain).
13. Taiji White Crane throw.
14. Taiji brush knee kick catch
15. Taiji cross hands as a double take down.
16. Carry tiger to mountain as a counter throw.
17. Taiji repulse monkey as a throw.
18. Taiji slant flying as a throw.
19. Taiji Wave hands like clouds as a throw.
20. Taiji Needle at sea bottom throw.
21. Squatting single whip to fireman carry.
Advanced Tui Shou/Push hands:
-4 square (pung, lu, ji, an).
Da Lu (tsai, lieh, zhou kao).
21 Step fighting techniques:Practice of these on focus mitts,
heavy bag, thai pads, and partner.
1. Offense: Jab, double jab, triple jab. (3) (Taiji single whip, open fan
with fist, Cross/straight rt. (taiji brush knee with fist), forward
pressure, timing, and angles.
2. Defense: 5 element stepping, step away, slip, parry, 6 pt. cover,
distance, timing.
19. Sealing Vessels.
20. Bone breaking, joint breaks.
21. Pressure point techniques.
sample of 20 Ground fighting techniques and training:
1. Shrimping/ground agility techniques and transitions, quad-animal
exercises (monkey, gator, etc.)
2. Rolling /tumbling, cartwheels.
3. Break falls- front ,back, side.
4. Positions: back mount, side mount, full mount, guard, half guard,
turtle,
Freestyle sparring: five 3 minute rounds of sparring.
Taijiquan/internal sparring. Demonstrate Taijiquan in the fighting.
Strength Conditioning: strength: Ma bu, burpies, leg lifts, plank,
sit ups, push ups.
Jibengong, stances, stretch work, jumps.
-advanced: 20 one arm push ups.
-weight training, sprints, stamina, endurance circuits and interval
drills.
Qigong attainment: Demo to be able to take hits to arms, legs,
torso, back, etc.
-Qigong ability: qi healing, massage, and acupressure.
Breaking- board and brick breaking with hands and feet.
All of these things are part of Chinese martial arts training as a
whole to train fighters willing to do the hard work.