Yang Family Tai Chi Discussion Board

Greetings, The first phrase, 中正安舒, appears in tact in Wu Yuxiang's "Mental Elucidation," which I rendered as "centrally aligned, calm and at ease." The second phrase I don't recall off hand seeing as an in-tact phrase, but 圆活 (roundness and liveliness) also appears in the "M...

Greetings, Yes, these naming conventions are interesting. I don't think they refer to fighting actual tigers, but that the tiger is an image for a fierce opponent over which you must gain control. Regarding the left and right Strike Tiger forms, I recall Yang Zhenduo addressing the posture name at a...

Greetings Audi, It's great to hear that your back pain management methods are working. i can also attest to the effectiveness of the McKenzie method (for neck issues -- I wonder if I learned about it from you), and regular taiji practice is also key. I wonder if you've tried any core strengthening e...

Hi CD, Re: Under those conditions highlighted in red, are you able to lift up anyone of your legs at any time. If not, then, you are "double-weighted." I don't agree that the conditions described constitute instances of double weighing. To say that in a particular instant you cannot lift o...

Greetings Bob, Re: "Most people become double weighted when they stand on one leg. Think about it, when most people stand on only one leg can they respond to incoming energy without even a split second of not being able to move freely?" That's right, with regard to "most people."...

"Double weighted(DW)" was never considered as a principle of Tai Chi Quan but it was referred as a disease. As I was saying, the original idea of DW was derived from the legs being extended too far apart which disable the ability to move freely. Then, the idea of DW was applied in describ...

Greetings CD, I think you need to go beyond a superficial understanding of the taijiquan concept known as "double weighting." Here's a translation I did some years ago of a helpful passage by the famous writer and martial artist, Xiang Kairan. ~~~ What is called double weighting, then, is ...

Greetings CD, You may be right, but I'm inclined not to agree with your interpretation. I don’t think it reads that way in the context of the whole presentation on palm forms. Po can refer to a slope as a line, as a somewhat abstract way of describing an orientation. I think that's how Yang Zhenji i...

Hi CD, I'm not sure what you mean by "in classics." Yang Zhenji's book was published in 1993, and by and large he used quite modern language. In any case, it's pretty much a given that the shape of the palm in Yang taijiquan is usually somewhat concave. Fu Zhongwen, for example, said, &quo...

Greetings Audi, It would be great to do some close reading of 太極體用解. It seems to be loaded with Neo-Confucian ideas and language. Zhu Xi and the Neo-Confucians of his day were very preoccupied with the interactions of 理 and 氣, and this document appears to draw on those philosophical ideas. For refer...

Greetings CD,

That's interesting, but I suppose if Yang Zhenji's intended meaning had been 凹形坡, he would have used that term, but he didn't did he? I think he's just describing the plane of the back of the hand.

Take care,
Louis

Greetings Audi,

Regarding: What posture is 肘麻捶式? Is that perhaps a typo?

Yes. That should be 肘底捶式. It's correct in the printed book.

I'll try to address other questions later.

Take care,
Louis

Greetings,

I haven't checked it for accuracy, but here's a link to a page with an extended passage from Yang Zhenji's book, including his remarks on jin points 勁點：

http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_91e7cb7b0102w2vw.html

There's some very useful material in that book!

Louis

Greetings Audi, Here's something found in Yang Zhenji's book about jindian 勁點 from an old post I made years back when this term was being discussed: I’ve done a rough translation of the pertinent jindian comments here. Note that Yang Zhenji’s book has a classification scheme of the palm orientations...

Greetings, I've just checked Paul Brennan's site, and he has posted a new complete translation of Wu Zhiqing's book, 太極正宗 AUTHENTIC TAIJI. This could also be translated Orthodox Taiji. I bought a copy of this book many years ago, and think is is quite valuable. I'm looking forward to delving into Br...