Yang Family Tai Chi Discussion Board

Hello to All,
Ok, yesterday I went for a free class in Yang style tai chi. I was taught
1. Hug a tree
2. Eagle takes Flight
3. Grasping Bird's Tail
4. Shoulder Twist
Is this what every beginner starts of with and I did this for 1 hour. I mean I really didn't know what to expect. Coming from a Karate background I remember doing exercise then learing my kicks and punches all within one hour. Any help and insite would be appreciate. Not only do I want to study Tai Chi for the health benefit but also for the martial art help too.

Alicia

Hi Alicia,

You ask a very astute question that could take many, many pages to answer completely. Since I do not know your level of interest or the details of your experience, I will try to give just a basic answer. Others may well disagree with what I say.

The names you cite are not part of the Yang Style tradition (or any other I am familiar with) and so it is difficult to respond to your question with any certainty.

If your teacher claims to be teaching Yang Style, I could speculate that your teacher has renamed moves 2 through 4 of the traditional form (see elsewhere on this site, under Tai Chi Info), using names he or she thinks would be less intimidating or more evocative than the traditional names. If I am correct about this, spending an hour to learn and practice these moves would not be unusual for a beginning class, or even some advanced classes.

Another possibility is that your teacher is teaching isolated postures or Qi Gong moves meant either to give you a feel for Taijiquan or to allow you to practice basic types of movement. This type of approach seems to be reasonably common among teachers that are less traditional in their approach. Spending an hour doing this would probably not be so common, but still would not be considered as strange as it would be in a Karate class.

Although some see Taijiquan and Karate as being simply different approaches to developing the same martial skills, I think that there are profound differences between the two that benefit best from quite different training, teaching, and study methods.

It is often said that arts like Karate favor training from the outside in, while arts like Taijiquan favor training from the inside out. This means that the purpose of practicing movements and the principles that they express is often quite different, even when there is an external resemblance. Although Taijiquan has punches and kicks, these are generally not useful units for studying or even discussing the basics of Taijiquan.

I hope this helps.

Take care,
Audi

Thanks for the reponse. I got the teacher info off this site, that is why I was asking here about this paticular way of learning.
I really do want to study Tai Chi but I don't want to get ripped off in the process either. I don't mind paying at all and know my money is well spent because it is a investment in my health.

Alicia

Hug a tree?
That I would like to see.
What does "hug a tree" entail? Can you describe it for us?
Just curious.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by adelo36018:
[ I got the teacher info off this site, that is why I was asking here about this paticular way of learning.
Alicia[/B]</font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hi Alicia,
Inre: to getting your teacher from the teacher database on this site, they are not all necessarily of the same lineage, nor does the Yang Family (and the International Association) vouch for all of them. I have not heard of this move "hug a tree" either. Good luck on your journey.
Charla

Good Morning,
I don't know if I'm spelling it right but here goes.
U go Tajii, Wujii, knees bent and your arms goes up like u r hugging a tree.

Thanks Alicia

Ah.
Sounds like "Raise Hands"? A different name, but the description seems right.
From this I would venture to say Audi is correct in that your teacher has changed the names of some of the forms.

[This message has been edited by Wushuer (edited 05-12-2003).]

Thanks, for letting me know.

Alicia

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by adelo36018:
U go Tajii, Wujii, knees bent and your arms goes up like u r hugging a tree.</font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

To me this sounds like Taiji Beginning. Although I think Wuji and Taiji are reversed. Wuji is stillness, Taiji is motion that comes from Wuji.

If you start the form and stop when your hands reach shoulder height, you could argue that it looks like hugging a tree.

Hi Alicia,

"Hug a tree" is likely a common qigong posture.

Standing like a tree, Zhan Zhuang, are popular training stances.

Notably practiced by Wang Shu Jin.

http://cstang.www3.50megs.com/wangsj2.jpg

RonK

Thanks for the link.

Alicia