Commonly known as the GuanDao, the weapon of General Yu of the Three Kingdoms fame，the Spring And Autumn Falchion is classified as a long weapon. Traditionally very heavy,there are now lighter versions that weight less than 2 kg.
The Chen Taiji routine is made up of thirty phrases that run like a poem. The main applications of this weapons They are chop, cut, pierce, parry, thrust, intercept, press, push, slice, block and swing in figure-8 form. Here is a clip by Ni ShiQing ( 倪世清）, a disciple of Chen Zhenglei. Ni …

This 2 sectioned staff is actually a farming device and evolved into a weapon used by the common folks. The bigger size is known as shaokan (梢杆) while the smaller size is known as shaogun (梢棍).  The shorter section is attached to the longer section via chain of rings. At the other end of the longer section is usually a pointed tip.
This weapon routine is not commonly taught beyond China. In the Chen village,  Chen XiaoXing’s school teaches them. Let look at the 2 routines here and you will see …

This is a post by our guest blogger, Silkreeling who is also a keen player of Chen Style Taijiquan.

A lesser known figure outside of China, Li Jingwu (1912-1997)probably is one of the most accomplished Chen style Taiji master of his generation. Listed below are some quick references to his achievements:

One of Chen Fake’s top disciples, who could neutralise up to 4 of Chen’s successive fajings.
 Known for his upright character, mild mannerism and integrity, especially when exchanging pointers with opponents.
Respected Grand Master of both Chen and Wu style Taiji.
He is Wang …

Just when I thought ChenXiaowang has published the largest collection of DVDs , his fellow gongfu brother, Zhu Tiancai come out with a collection of 37 DVDs. One of the most comprehensive collection as it covers the Old, New and Small Frame, short and long weapons including a new fan routine. Here are the contents :
The 39 Discs consist of the following
1. Chen-style Taiji Fan – 2 discs
2. Chen Style Spring & Autumn Falchion – 2 discs
3. Chen Style – 13 strokes Old Frame – 1 disc
4. Chen Style 4 …

I have been wearing either the Feiyue or Warrior brand shoes for the past 6-7 years since I start doing taijiquan. The most common shoe model is a canvas shoe with a hard rubber sole.  On the canvas shoe, there is usually a few strips of either white, red or blue color. The amount of padding is minimum compared to running track shoes. The canvas cover and lack or padding make it easier for  us to do some stances compared to a running or x-training shoes.

In the report, it mentioned …