http://www.chentaichi.com
http://www.chiflow.com/html/Taijiquan_Chen3.html

When it comes to Taiji practice, have you ever felt like you are in a maze running in circles, almost with no hope of seeing light at the end of the tunnel? You can be sure you are not alone, and going online in search for new perspectives might just be the way to cheer you up! These two websites stated above caught my eye, with the contents bearing the hallmark that would only come with years of genuine practice. In addition, the authors are from lineages not familiar to most from this part of the world so it will be good to briefly talk about them.

Chentaichi.com

Paul Chou is the person behind http://www.chentaichi.com, one of the first Chen Style Taiji sites that surfaced in the 1990s. His teacher is Master Pan Wing Chow, who was one of the first students of Chen Fake during the 1930s in Beijing, China. And also Gerald A Sharp, who occasionally writes for Taichi Magazine, also has a site dedicated to the practice of the internal martial arts and qigong. Gerald spent many years in China researching with top masters of the internal arts; he is a student of Master Zhou Yun Long, who learnt from Chen Zhao Kui, the son of Chen Fake.

Chi Flow

So what is so special about the two sites? For one, they have video clips to effectively illustrate the point across. Paul’s site has the full length clips of him performing Laojia Yilu and Erlu, which can be co-related to online lessons. While Gerald’s site is not exclusively on Chen Style Taiji, there are video clips of martial application of the various Chen Taiji postures i.e. Single whip etc.

One of the main aims of http://www.chentaichi.com is to communicate by  translating the teachings of Master Pan Wing Chow. There is a good mix of theories complementing the online lessons that focus on form practice. The theories presented include topics such as Ying and Yang, Peng Jing and Application, Chung Chi, Load path, essence of Taichi etc.

As a beginner looking for encouragement, this is one of my favorite lines from Paul’s site
“They are partially correct. The achievement you have is a necessary intermediate step, not the stage Great Master demonstrated in their generation, not the one the story tells….However, Master Pan’s saying is to encourage us. Master Pan himself didn’t stop here. He move on to that stage with pure elegancy with all his energy embedded. He used to let me grasp his hand and move around while I feel not a single trace of resistance, though he is in perfectly connecting and ready to use my energy at any instance. Therefore, if your opponent tells you: That’s not Taichi, don’t be angry or frustrated. You are on the right track, just not there yet. – <Beyond root and load path>“

The chiflow site however, presents us with yet another perspective; this time how not to practice Chen Style Taiji “If the practitioner employs patience, slowness and softness and is able to find stillness in their movement, they will develop a natural twisting and diligent practice will yield huge results. The key word is patience. Without that, you’re really banging your head against the wall. Chen Taijiquan can be very powerful, but if practiced incorrectly, you can damage your back, energy, knees, etc. With improper practice, such as moving first from the waist, you can also make yourself putty in the hands of those who know how to use lightness in applications……..Generally the nontraditional Chen stylists are the same people who believe that something slow and intricate is useless and flowery. This group has an excessive desire to see overt training that involves heavy perspiration and heavy-handed looking blows they can revere and label as “martial.”"

So if you make a cross-reference and view Paul’s form in the video clips on his site, do you see slowness, softness and intricacy? Well, that’s for the experts to tell. For now, I’ll leave you with what I think might be the most important lesson, as a closing remark of my visit to two of the finest sites on Chen style Taiji  “‘First let it in your heart (Conscious mind), then apply through your body (Subconscious reflex) <From Master Pan>.’ This is the approach to build the circles of Taiji into ourselves. Until one day we succeed, the movements we make will be in perfect harmony and balance.”

“I have to share this with someone”, I said to myself, looking at the dim sum dumplings packed in the styrofoam box that had just been distributed. The portion resembles more like a main meal rather than mid-afternoon refreshment. If anything, it is an indication of how well the event had been managed. “Taiji for Osteoporosis” is a public forum organised by the Osteoporosis Society of Singapore, which is backed by the Lee Foundation, Tote Board and the National Health Group. Dr Paul Lam from Sydney was the main speaker.

Dr Paul Lam, a western doctor and lecturer at the University of New South Wales, has been practicing different styles of Taiji for over 30 years. His rehabilitation Taiji programs – for conditions – have been well received worldwide, which are only now just making headway into Singapore.

The specially designed osteoporosis program is easy to learn, safe, enjoyable yet effective and therefore suitable to help prevent, or improve Osteoporosis conditions.

“Not all Taiji are suitable for people with Osteoporosis. For example, the Chen style might even be harmful for those with such conditions”, he qualified. And in response to a question about how the various Taiji styles compare in terms of their rehabilitation effectiveness he said, “It’s hard to compare due to the diversity involved; but the program that we are running has been specially designed with that purpose in mind”.

The popularity of his osteoporosis program can be said to be due to the research evidence that it works. Ended in 2006, the Central Sydney Taiji Trial for 700 elderly people showed a strong correlation between confidence and fall prevention.

“Fall prevention is important because most of the time people with Osteoporosis don’t feel anything but once they have fallen, their bones will easily snap due to the brittleness caused by their condition”, said Dr Lam when talking about how Taiji can help prevent fall. Balance, strength and confidence are factors that can help prevent a fall. Studies, including the Atlanta FICIT study in 1996, have shown that regular Taiji practice can improve all of that as well as reducing bone loss, or even increasing Bone Mass Density (BMD).

Dr Paul Lam, of Teochew descent, sees himself as a bridge between the old Chinese tradition and modern western medical science. Looking at the evolution of Taiji, this may be the beginning of a new wave where forerunners such as Dr Lam himself, is introducing Taiji mainly as a rehabilitation tool to the world. The first wave development is popularly seen as the bringing of a Village Family Martial Art into capital Beijing in the late 19th Century. The second wave development is marked by the pivotal figure Yang ChengFu and his contemporaries, who taught Taiji publicly for the first time in 1910s Beijing.

Towards the end of the forum, Dr Lam impressed the near capacity crowd at the Teochew Building with his play of the various Taiji Forms. We were also showered with health information pamphlets, sample vitamin pills, salt/sugar substitutes etc as part of a health starter kit.

Dim Sum Taiji

To me the 10 different dim sum dumplings packed for each participant can really be used to sum up the takeaway message for the afternoon. Just as the different dumplings have different appeal, Taiji can also be multi facet when served on the 21st century platter. Regardless of your personal needs and goals, there will always be a Taiji form suitable for you. Whatever the reasons you have for Taiji play, don’t forget to share the goodness around.

Zhu TianCai New Frame DVD

This is one of the newer titles that Zhu Tiancai has produced. Other titles in the new series are :

• Old Frame Routine 1
• Old Frame Routine 2
• New Frame Routine 2

The video quality is a lot better than the VHS/VCDs series produced years ago.

The DVD menu has 3 items :

1. Introduction : A short introduction with chinese and english text subtitles of Master Zhu Tiancai
2. Taolu – This is the 18 min segment of the DVD that Zhu Tiancai performed at normal speed. This segment is great for appreciation of the New Frame Routine 1 新架一路 form.
3. Forms – this is the 34min segment of the DVD that Zhu Tiancai performed in slow speed. There is only one camera angle and no audio teaching by Zhu Tiancai unlike the earlier VHS/VCD series.
4. Forms segment selection – this is the segment where you can select individual stroke in the forms from pt 2. Good for learning and reviewing at your own pace.

While this DVD is well produced with excellent video quality, its lack of verbal instruction from the master himself made it a lot weaker. It would served well for advanced students who already learnt the form and need the DVD for reference or revision.