Yang Family Tai Chi Discussion Board

Empirical? Unlikely! I doubt that your experience was verifiable and thus empirical, but go ahead and explain how this was done. The CDC has only recognized studies on Taijiquan for fall prevention as being empirical enough to receive their recommendation. It is difficult to design objective experim...

CD, Well, it is clear what you believe, but I do not take your speculation as the truth – I think that you misinterpret things based on an unproven dogma and wishful thinking. You present things as fact when, in fact, they are just theories. For those who do not remember previous threads where CD an...

Some might think that doing the daily chores like farming was aiding the Tai Ji practice. In reality, it is the other way around. Farming is considered to be external and consumes all the yang energy. CD, If, as you stated, daily chores like farming harm ones TJQ practice, but that practicing TJQ b...

Well, you have a lot of faith! Unfortunately, much of what you state is based primarily on dogma and wishful thinking. Most modern practitioners are hobbyists rather than full-time practitioners. I still think that weight training, in moderation, can help cardiovascular fitness and muscle tone for m...

I would agree that TJQ would refine how one uses their strength. It seems that you do not acknowledge that modern lifestyles tend to produce TJQ practitioners who are physically weaker than their ancestors. To me this indicates a potential deficiency in yang (being too weak, too yin). I think that j...

CD stated “if one can handle the sword with finesse...” but failed to address those who do not have sufficient strength to properly handle a sword of historically accurate weight. If someone is sedentary and does not have the strength of someone who does physical labor, then knowing about yin and ya...

No one ever believes it. Thanks Bob, I think that many people are aware of the benefit of space between bones on some level, but it is insufficient for them to KNOW it. It becomes a conscious factor concerning the spine, where some people suffer from compressed discs. They may even purchase product...

I like how the previous responders approach this topic. Remember that many early practitioners had physiques from being laborers; they were not just scholars. Therefore it seems to me that Taijiquan should be compatible with physical/muscle training or development. I do not have specific exercises t...

Now, consider this range-of-movement (particularly the limited range of movement with the "blade-down" position), not from the chair you're sitting in, but in a real fight where you and/or your opponent are running toward each other or even worse, galloping full-tilt toward each other. Im...

gvi, Thanks for the information. It makes sense that the weapon should be able to cut free rather than being carried down as the opponent falls. With a dao this would mean that the cutting edge should be up and the dull back of the blade down. Less clear is why the wrist is less vulnerable to injury...

CD, To me, it seems like you have practiced one example of a principle so dogmatically that it has come to define the principle rather than just illustrating the principle. This seems to be another example of the frog in the well story, or losing sight of the forest for the trees (getting caught in ...

太極推手四要：沾、黏、連、隨 It is an one person operation from the beginning to the end. The initial contact at one point with the edge of the palm(the baby finger edge). Then, turn the wrist to have multi-point of contact, with the palm, on the arm of the opponent; and also link and follow(adhere to the oppone...

I go by the interpretations here: 太極推手四要：沾、黏、連、隨 沾者，提上拔高。有一個點與對方接觸謂之「沾」，沾著不使丟脫。 What do we mean by 沾 ?...An one point contact with the opponent is considered to be 「沾」 . The contacter doesn't let the opponent to get away. IMMHO It has a hidden meaning in it as the initial contact, in order, to be a...

粘黏連隨 粘黏 These two characters seem to have the identical meaning as stick and adhere. However, the esoteric Tai Chi interpretation are contact and adhere seem to be making more sense. Could you elaborate? I may or may not agree with you depending on your interpretations. To me, both terms are about ...

The natural response to contact would be “fight-or-flight” whereas we train being in-between these – not resisting AND not letting lose (neither excess nor deficiency). To me, this can be done with either light OR heavy contact, and is dependant on having both yin and yang (neither all yang = fight,...