These are the as yet undescribed movements of the final section of the form. Some of the pics below also feature the great master Professor Cheng Man Ching who developed this form and is widely recognised as one of the greatest tai chi masters of the twentieth century From single whip go down into descending single whip aka snake creeps down. From here bring your weight forward onto your left […]
Learning to move in fluid wave-like patterns is good for your health, open your joints and allows power to flow through you in the most efficient way. The tai chi move ‘push’ is an ideal move to incorporate this wave movement. Do practice the basic move first. Then check out the video below. To view this post in full you’ll need an Intermediate Level membership. This will give you access […]
The heaven figure 8 stepping pattern is very useful for tai chi practitioners to learn and essential for students of Jade Dragon Kung Fu. It forms a part of many of our styles and movements. You will find it in our leaping tiger form and discover many ways to use it. Practice the static heaven figure 8 until you have mastered it first before you even attempt to do it […]
This is the longest single movement in the tai chi form and takes up most of the fifth section. The practitioner steps out to all 4 diagonals, blocks up and pushes outwards then draws his energy back in. The arms The arms are fairly easy to understand. From a ‘holding the ball’ position you raise your lower hand turning it palm outwards as you do so that the fingers are […]
In both tai chi and kung fu our aim is for power to flow through the body and out again. Energy usually travels in waves so by creating wave movements we can prevent ourselves tensing up and let the movement flow. The power this can generate is enormous yet effortless. It also teaches you to move your arms in ways that don’t hold tension in your chest, neck, back or […]
This is the second of the two figure of eight arm movements. In a previous post we covered the heaven figure 8 movement. This one goes the opposite way round. Both movements have the following benefits The earth figure of 8 is also a great rooting exercise that teaches you to ‘sit’ on each leg more firmly. Stay upright throughout the movement. Don’t allow your arms to pull your body […]
The fourth section of the form is possibly the most physically demanding as part of it is done on one leg. The second half can be challenging regarding the footwork. Anyway, here is how it all fits together. Practice Practice Practice To view this post in full you’ll need an Intermediate Level membership. This will give you access to a huge range of material. Click Here to be taken to […]
We already looked at the brush knee in Module 4. In this section it comes up again but includes a step forward and doing it on the other side. It’s followed by a low punch and then we go straight into Ward Off East and carry on as we did in the first section to single whip. This next set of movements is quite hard to describe so study the […]
There are two figure of eight arm movements – heaven and earth. They have many uses: Today we are going to learn the heaven figure of eight. We will do a large movement that basically describes an anticlockwise circle to your left and a clockwise circle to your right. Stay upright throughout the movement. Don’t allow your arms to pull your body in any direction. Start in wuji position – […]
Developing an effective guard is essential in any combat situation. I have lost counts of the number of fights I have seen – both in real life and on video where one protagonist has his hands down around his waist and then wonders why he gets hit so easily. In fact, I can often tell before the fight really gets going who’s going to win by simply seeing who has […]
This move requires you to stay rooted and balanced on one leg while extending the other out in front of you. It also involves a twisting, circular movement that’s great for opening your hips and spine. This move also contains the most physically challenging move in the whole form but I will show you an easier version. How to do it Now for the really tricky part. You take both […]
Golden phoenix is a seemingly simple move that just requires you to stand on one leg with the fingers of one hand pointing up and the fingers of the other pointing down. Practice your crane stance first and the heaven and earth breathing practice as this combines both of those exercises. Standing on one leg requires some practice. It’s just a question of strengthening your legs and relaxing. How to […]