Hello everyone !

Today, a Tai Ji Quan tutorial, we will learn the second sequence of Tai Ji Quan 24 of Yang Style.

Here is the link of the first article to learn the first sequence, you will also find a small introduction on this form: Tai Ji Quan 24 First part

13 . 右蹬脚 ( You Deng Jiao): Right Heel Kick

This Ji ben gong allows you to work on your balance and flexibility.

It is done in the same way as a direct kick in kung fu, with the difference that the support leg is slightly bent. He must also hit with the heel and tiptoe back to his body.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve the capacity of your lungs and is considered a yin movement

14. 双峰贯耳 ( Shuang Feng Guan Er) Strike to Ears with Both Fists

This movement is in continuity with the previous one, once after hitting your heel strike, you go into a gong position up high then hit double inverted punches on the face.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve your liver and is considered a yin movement

15. 转身左蹬脚 ( Zhuan Shen Zuo Deng Jiao) Turn Body and Left Heel Kick

As the name implies, one pivots by alternating the weight of one’s body on the left leg then on the right leg (support leg) once the rotation is completed to make the same kick as the movement 13 but of the left leg.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve your spleen and is considered a yin movement

16. 左下势独立 ( Zuo Xia Shi Du Li) Left Lower Body and Stand on One Leg

The left kick is done, we bring the leg back, we move to the po po dr position and we go down the body like a snake and then put ourselves in the gong bu position (beware the difficulty is to keep the same height between the po po bu and the drunk gong, one must not do the elevator with one’s body)

Finally, you raise your right leg to move to the position of the li

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve your kidneys and is considered a yin movement

17. 右下势独立 ( You Xia Shi Du Li ) Right Lower Body and Stand on One Leg

It’s exactly the same movement as on the 16th, but on the opposite side

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve your kidneys and is considered a yin movement

18. 右左穿梭(  You Zuo Chuan Suo )Shuttle Back and Forth

A very interesting exercise to work his tai Ji because we work with a “ball”
Keep the round shape of the balloon to “roll” to block and hit.
We can imagine a woman weaving in the era of ancient China

The movement will require a lot of work because it must be very fluid, very round, without any constraint

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve your bladder and is considered a yang movement

19. 海底针 (  Hai Di Zhen ) Needle at Sea Bottom

In the continuity of the movement, we imagine that the woman who wove lost her needle and that it must be picked up

All the weight of the body is on the right leg, we are in position Po Bu

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve your gallbladder and is considered a yang movement

20. 闪通臂 ( Shan tong Bi ) Fan Through Back

The left foot is lifted so that the hands meet and then we go drunk drunk so that the hands move apart as if we were opening a fan.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve your spleen and is considered a yin movement

21. 转身搬拦锤 ( Zhuan Shen Ban Lan Chui ) Turn Body, Deflect, Parry, and Punch

One reverses one’s body weight to make a blocking while turning around then one goes in gong drunk to strike

Leg / arm coordination is relatively difficult during this exercise

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve your kidneys and is considered a yin movement

22.如封似闭 (Ru Feng Shi Bi) Appears Closed

In the Gong Bu position, we just pass the weight of the body on the back leg as if we were absorbing and then pass it on the front leg, while pushing

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve your small intestine and is considered a yang movement

23. 十字手 ( Shi Zi Shou ) Cross Hands

In this exercise, it is important to move your body weight on the back leg and then refocus while crossing your hands. When changing body weight, it is important to keep the pelvis at the same height

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve your large bowel and is considered a yang movement

24.收势 ( Shou Shi ) Closing

Exercise found in most forms of tai chi since it comes to finish your form

We just do the reverse of the first position to get back to where we started

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve your stomach and is considered a yang movement

Hello everyone !

I prepared a little tutorial but this time a little more theoretical.
I know that there are all levels among our readers, so I will try to explain with very simple words and in the most clear and precise way (maybe for some purists the terms will not be accurate but for those who wish to have the terms in Chinese, the very scientific point of view … you are welcome here for further explanations)

1. Introduction

In this tutorial I will explain the 1st ji ben gong (basic exercises) that we teach to those who want to learn Tai Ji Quan.
This is valid for most styles, Master Zhang (Shi Heng Ye) is our specialist in Tai Ji Quan, he practices many different styles and continues to study others … He explains that all styles share the same basis with a few different interpretations and variations, so it is good to see all these interpretations and to draw the good points of each.

My explanations today will therefore be based on a very broad point of view so that all practitioners of Tai Ji Quan whatever their styles can find their account.

We consider Tai Ji Quan in 2 main aspects the side “yang sheng” (health – well being, the best known in the West) and the martial side. These 2 aspects are complementary.

We will see how to perform this basic exercise, what it brings from a martial point of view …
There are very good articles on the health side, well being … So I will stay mainly on this very martial side and you learn to use it in your external martial arts … because we must not forget that the external arts and internal do not go one without the other.

2. 浑圆桩 Hun Yuan Zhuang

This is his name, there are many possible translations …
I will rather give you an interpretation by the fact of working a force / energy released by the entirety of its body, I will call it by my own words “circular forces” it is not the exact term but it will allow to all to understand more easily.

Now, let us ask the question of how is formed the representation of yin and yang, we can divide it into 3:

– The circle that contains yin and yang
– The yin
– The yang

It can be interpreted as Tai Ji is also composed of 3 essential Ji Gong Gong that must be transcribed in each of its forms.

Today, we will be interested in the first who is The circle. It is always considered the first because without the circle, you can not build yin and yang.

3. Le Mouvement

This Ji Ben Gong is extremely simple because it is indeed a simple posture.

This posture, most practitioners of Tai Ji Quan know very well, it is often called the posture of the tree (Zhan Zhuang).

Here are some pictures of the posture:

Since this Ji Ben gong consists of simply holding a posture, it must be done correctly:

– The body must be released
– Open and release the joints
– Tuck your chest
– Feet slightly wider than the pelvis and slightly open to the outside
– Legs flexed
– Hips relaxed and open basin
– Arms flexed at shoulder height
– The head should be hung as if pulled by a wire
– We stick the tongue to the upper palace

So now that we know how to put ourselves in the position, we will mainly see how to work this position so as to develop this “circular force”.

I drew on these photos 3 circles:

 

– at  legs
– at  arms and the ribcage
– The back and the floor

These circles symbolize the different “circular forces” that must be exercised by your body.
There are others that can be found in the books but these are the 3 Principaux, Master zhang also used to say “when we manage to exercise these 3 circular forces at the same time, our body becomes the circle “

3. Why a Circle ?

Chinese philosophy, Chinese martial arts have always used the image of the circle for their practice / interpretation … You can find very good articles on the subject.

As for me, I will explain it from a martial point of view with a simple example.

Take the stone bridges, we notice that most bridges are vaulted or arcuate simply because it is much more solid as well (I am not a specialist in physics, I will not explain why but we can easily find it on the net) and therefore the bridge is much more resistant and gives off a very strong force.
We also note that the bridge constantly withstands the force of gravity, it exerts a constant force, whether or not there is a car running through it, the bridge does not move.

We can therefore interpret this circle as a constant force that is always present and extremely powerful / resistant.

A very good exercise is to put yourself by 2, one executes the position while the other pushes it at the level of the arms and the legs. The one in position must resist but without pushing (the bridge does not push the car towards the sky when it crosses it).

 

4. Circular forces and martial applications

I repeated several times the same vague term of “circular forces”, we will see what it means concretely.

First of all, one must simply say that a circle is nothing more than a series of small dots behind each other.
Specifically, the power that is released in these strikes is based on the same principle, we use a sequence of micro movements to be struck or perform a physical effort.

When you give a punch, the force does not just start from the forearm or the shoulder … it starts from your foot and then goes through the knee, the pelvis … go out by the fist.
This may seem obvious but I see very few people able to do it because it requires to synchronize each part of his body to the thousandth of a second to execute a movement.

We can simply imagine:

Your car breaks down and you have to push it. Are you going to push her as in picture 1 using just the strength of your arms or as in picture 2 using your whole body?

In this example, the answer seems obvious and there are still many examples of the same type (wear something very heavy …)
This way of using force in everyday life is already used naturally, but since martial arts are not natural movements (let alone the complexity of certain movements) that we have been practicing since childhood, it is very difficult to use it within our own practice.

That’s why working on this exercise can help you both in your Tai chi forms and in the outer arts and will improve the way you hit in combat …

Take a simple form that you practice regularly and try to practice it by applying this principle of Tai Ji, you will quickly see that you win both in speed and power (attention is very difficult to get to apply it it will take a lot of practice)

For those who want to improve their martial forms, I recommend a simple training:

Take a half an hour on your training, run this Ji Ben gong 1-2 minutes thinking all these explanations, then run your form by applying this Ji Ben Gong inside the form and so on !

This is only a summary of how we teach this first exercise, there are still many nuances and terms in Chinese that I did not address to avoid overloading at once, you are however the welcome to our school in Shaolin to learn more!

Hello everyone !

Let’s have a Tai Ji Quan Tutorial

Today we will learn the first sequence of Tai Ji Quan 24 Style Yang.

Why did I choose this form? First, it is one of the most famous and gives the beginner an introduction to the essentials of Tai Ji Quan.

But in reality, the form is not important. I chose it because inside we can find basic exercises / basic techniques (in China we call them “Ji Ben Gong”). Whatever your level, beginner or advanced, these exercises are very important.

Indeed, you will find these Ji Ben Gong in most forms of tai ji whatever the style. There may be variations, small details depending on the style but the movements, balance, direction … are always the same.

I always tell my students that training a form / Tao is not the most important and will not improve  your kung fu / Tai Ji skills. Of course, learning this will improve your knowledge but if you really want to master it, you have to work and repeat every Ji Ben Gong or sequence (one by one, not together) that compose the form, this is the only way to actually improve your skills.

That’s why in this tutorial i separate each movement 1 by 1 so you can learn and perfect each ji Ben Gong and as a bonus in the end, you will have learned a new form (half one).

1 . 起式 ( Qishi ): Starting

You will find this exercise in most shapes and styles of tai chi (it can vary in balance and body position)

It can be summed up by: “Stand up, raise and lower your hands”, However there is a certain order to be respected at your arms: it is said that the shoulder makes move the elbow, the elbow makes move the wrist, the wrist makes the hand move

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we say that this exercise will improve your stomach and considered as a yang movement

2. 左右野马分鬃 ( Zuo You Ye Ma Fen Zong ) Left and Right part the wild horse’s mane

In the form, you must repeat this movement 3 times in this order (left – right – left)

For the exercise itself, the most important is to keep the pelvis at the same height, as if you had an imaginary line at the top of your head, after having positioned it at a certain height, you can not cross it anymore. .

In TCM, we say that this exercise will improve your small intestine and considered as a yang movement

3. 白鹤亮翅 ( Bai He Liang Chi ) White Crane Spreads Its Wings

The most important thing is to put all your body weight on your right leg. In Wushu, we call this position: 虚 步 (Xu Bu)  empty stance.

In TCM, we say that this exercise will improve your heart and considered as a Yin movement

4.1 左右搂膝拗步  1 ( Zuo You Lou Xi AoBu )   Left and Right Brush Knee and Push Forward view 1

4.2 左右搂膝拗步 2 ( Zuo You Lou Xi AoBu )   Left and Right Brush Knee and Push Forward view 2

These 2 gifs describe the same movement, it is only 2 different points of view

Like movement 2. you have to repeat it 3 times in a row and keep the pelvis at the same height.

Brush the knee of the front leg (Blocks) and then push with the opposite hand.

In TCM, we say that this exercise will improve your large intestine and considered as a Yang movement.

5. 手挥琵琶  ( Shou Hui Pi Pa ) Playing the Lute

We move to position 虚 步 (Xu Bu), your arm is positioned as if you were playing the guitar. The arms slightly bent

In TCM, we say that this exercise will improve your liver and considered as a Yin movement.

6. 左右倒卷肱(  Zuo You Dao Juan Gong )Step Back and Repulse Moneky

Like movement 2 and 4, you must stay at the same height

To continue the form it is necessary to repeat it 4 times (2 left / 2 right), A hand goes down to describe an arc of circle then to join the other hand in order to take its place. The left foot is lifted at the moment when the hands begin to ascend.

In TCM, we say that this exercise will improve the capacity of your lungs and considered as a Yin movement

7. 左拦雀尾 (  Zuo Lan Que Wei )Left Grasp Sparrow’s Tail

8. 右拦雀尾 ( You Lan Que Wei )Right Grasp Sparrow’s Tail

These 2 movements are considered in 2 separate parts but they are exactly the same, you have to do it a first time on the left and the second time on the right

The most important thing is to alternate your weight in the front and back successively following the movements of the hands

In TCM, we say that this 2 exercises will improve your pericardium and considered as a Yin movement.

9. 单鞭 ( Dan Bian ) Single Whip

We find this technique in many forms and style of Tai Chi.

The transition is quite difficult, so I advise you to work several times to thin it.

In TCM, we say that this exercise will improve your heart and considered as a Yin movement.

10.云手 (Yun Shou) Wave Hands Like Clouds

This exercise is very important, you will find it in most forms of wushu, not only in tai ji quan, but also in kung fu shaolin and other styles.

The most important thing during this exercise is to keep your knees bent and relax your shoulder, your arm moves as your whole body moves. The look must follow the movement of the hands.

The synchronization feet / hands is a delicate point.

In TCM, we say that this exercise will improve your triple heater and considered as a Yang movement

11. 单鞭 ( Dan Bian ) Single Whip

Lets do it again, just like 9.

12.高探马 ( Gao Tan Ma ) High Pat on Horse

Be careful not to bring the feet too close to each other, then go to position 虚 步 (Xu Bu)

In TCM, we say that this exercise will improve your small intestine and considered as a Yang movement.

This exercise is the last of the first 12 moves, if you chain the movements together as a result, you already get half of the form.