Tse Qigong Centre

Although it is accepted to call it Taiji or even Tai Chi, the proper name of this skill is called Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan). Taijiquan literally means "Yin/Yang fist" . Taiji is the Chinese Pinyin spelling but the pronunciation sounds like "tie-jee". 

Many people decide to study Taijiquan because they have heard that it is good for health. Others may decide to study because they have seen someone practising and are attracted by the movements. Others may begin Taijiquan because they have heard that it is a very good martial art skill. Either way, your studies in Chen Taijiquan will be fascinating and varied.
 

History

Actually, there are actually many different styles of Taijiquan and these are like branches of a tree. However, it is said that all Taiji developed from the Chen family, so this is the root of the Taijiquan tree.

The Chen family Taijiquan was originally developed as a martial art skill over 400 years ago by a man called Chen Wang Ting who lived in Chenjiagou, Henan Province, China. He was actually a famous warrior who lived at the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.). He fought against the government and was reputed to have defeated more than 1,000 bandits. However, when the Ming government was finally deposed by the Qing, he retired back to his village to become a scholar and develop his martial art skills.  

Many of you will have seen pictures of old Chinese people doing slow, gentle exercises in a park. The movements look nice, very gentle and relaxing and so this is your image of Taijiquan. It is true, that in the west and even throughout much of China, Taijiquan is widely known as an ancient health exercise. But if you look back into its history, you will find that Taiji had a very different beginning. Although it deals with health, it began as a means of self defence

There is no doubt that Taijiquan is very good for your health. This is because the first thing you need to do is relax when you begin your practise. You need to relax both your body and you mind and this is very beneficial to your health, especially in our very busy lives and world. After this you need to keep a good posture. When you have a good posture and are relaxed and your mind is calm, then your Qi can start to flow naturally around the body.

There are many forms that have developed in Chen Taijiquan's 400 year history. The older forms are call Lao and forms are called Jia and so Laojia means old frame.  Xin means new and so Xinjia means new frame. Frame means the set or frame of movements.

The old frame forms have bigger circles and spiralling movements whereas in the new frame forms, the spirals are much smaller which make the forms more challenging as the waist is used even more.

Short Forms & Long Forms

Beginners in the Tse Qigong Centre usually begin with the Chen 19 form as it is a good introduction to the Chen skill. It was created by Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang and is based upon the principles found in Laojia. It is very good for giving the practitioners a taste of Chen Taiji yet does not take too long to learn or practise.

Another shorter form is the Chen 38 which uses more principles of the new frame skill with more spiralling of the waist. It is slightly longer and has many interesting movements, moving the skill to another level. Performed correctly, it is very beautiful to watch, showing a perfect balance of Yin and Yang energies.

Tui Shou (Pushing Hands)

We do Tui Shou (Pushing Hands) to help us better understand and apply the energies and applications found in the forms but in a safe and non-combative situation. If we only think of using strength, our Taijiquan skill will be low level. High level is learning how to defeat an opponent using sensitivity, skill and footwork.