Yang Family Tai Chi Discussion Board

Would this be what is usually called an epiphany? Yes I certainly have epiphanies. Sometimes they are so subtle they are hard to express. I like what you are mentioning about energy. Energy in the form is itself often forgotten, however in particular we forget about the changing energies, and your p...

His push hands is very soft and crisp. I like his timing which is clear and variable. His first press is text book Yang style, it's nice to see it. I also like his sweep at the very end of the video.

What would be good opening remarks to make just at the moment of starting a new class, whether it is the first class of a new series or you are in the middle of a series? There is this distinctive moment between the time when students are milling about not yet engaged, and when the teacher has prope...

Yes I agree, knowing if a student is internally relaxed, lets say psychologically and emotionally, is very hard to see, and will not necessarily show through touch-contact. I think that in part the expectations of the class (something created by the instructor but then takes on its own life) uninten...

The video being so short can only adequately represent a mentality. The issue is not losing-versus-winning; the issue is, do you want to fight like that? Do you want to fight--and by extension, spend your life's time learning--by way of throwing a barrage of street style punches? To put it the other...

It would be nice to move on to the next topic suggested by the poster, as he is going through the book.

Can we, as teachers or facilitators, know if our students are relaxed? And if so, how do you know if your students are relaxed? In a typical tai chi class we practice the form together, everyone moving slowly, fluidly, and quietly, but do you know if your students are relaxed while they practice? Do...

I enjoyed watching your form. You do seem to have found a sequence more conducive to internal flow. Sometimes I feel the Yang form has aspects where it is difficult to maintain chi. I do not personally necessarily consider that a problem however. Some movements are more sensitive to chi such as clou...

These are thought-provoking responses. I also feel in large part like I have not yet discovered why I teach. I go to class dutifully, similar to how a student would do. I gain many tangible experiences from teaching, always finding more understanding about tai chi, but not always on the topics I exp...

The theory of teaching typically focuses on students (albeit often in an disingenuous manner). Teaching theory is generally about how to transmit knowledge and skills from a trained source to another person. But what about the teacher's own goals and meanings? As teachers we are in the class just li...

Many years. If you are implying what I think you're implying, you are way off base and I'm not falling for your trap.

I'm interested in discussion of the matter at hand, if you do not like the topic then find another topic.

If you successfully stab someone with either a sword or a saber, what's he going to do? He's very likely going to drop, and he's still going to be attached to your weapon unless you pull it out very forcefully. So if that happens, holding your weapon "like a steak knife" will wrench your ...

You're right there is a gap in tai chi conceptualization as regards the lower body and the energies, as well as the fist in the upper body. There is very little talk about energies with regard to those two parts of the body. However, there is not a complete dismissal of lower body energies. It's jus...

To carry on further, I'm wondering if anyone has actually applied forward sinking as a counter to heavy (and long) pulls? For instance, when your partner tries to heave you forward. Since attacks often are based on forward pushing energy, the change to pulling (forwards) can really catch a person of...

Sinking is typically considered a straight downwards energy, and the related concept of rooting is associated downwards but with some emphasis on the back leg. Basically my point is that sinking and rooting is typically applied to incoming force, but recently I have been applying it to pulling force...