Weapons

Tai Chi: 5 Minutes to Midnight

I always aim for the perfect week when it comes to my Tai Chi training.

This involves training six days a week with Sunday’s my Yin day (rest). Lately I’ve been very busy with work that I have to do what I call ‘catch up training’ on a Sunday – for the Tai Chi drills I haven’t been able to do during the week.

Well, last Saturday I knew I’d be doing ‘catch up training’ on Sunday so I had to make sure I did as much as I could on Saturday.

I did my early morning 30 minute stance work and then worked on a memoir I’m writing. In between the writing I did more Tai Chi training to stay on schedule.

I ran out of time because I had to dash off and go into town and catch a play which left me with 18 minutes of Tai Chi training to complete.

When we got back from town, about 8.00pm, I did 10 minutes of standing leg stretches but I still had to do my power weapon drills, unfortunately my weapons were at home.

So, luckily I had an ‘early’ night and got back home at about 11.47pm. As soon as I got home I turned on the heating and then grabbed my weapons to train with.

Eigth minutes later I’d completed my training. It was five minutes to midnight.

Well, I was feeling pretty good that I was on target to complete my perfect week of training – only about 70 minutes to do on Sunday. Easy.

Woke up Sunday morning with a head cold and that was the end of any more training and my perfect week of training.

As Ned Kelly once said, ‘such is life’.

But I am proud of my 5 minutes to midnight effort.

Star Wars Tai Chi

By Chris Leave a Comment

Here’s a very clever and funny clip of Darth Vader practicing a Tai Chi sword form. After watching this I think I’ll come over to the dark side 😉

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EOZ5vx9ubY[/youtube]

Footnote: I found this clip from one of my facebook friends Toni Tan

Tai Chi Spear vs TV Set

By Chris Leave a Comment

Lately it has been too wet to practice my Tai Chi weapons’ forms so I’ve had to practice in my living room.

I use my wooden sabre and sword for safety reasons but my eight foot spear can be a problem. Especially near a television set or over hanging lights not to mention the walls. So far I haven’t destroyed anything yet.

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Tai Chi Tip #52

By Chris Leave a Comment

Regulate your breathing – slow, smooth and deep – during your Tai Chi practice.

Spear Drill: Tan Tien

By Chris Leave a Comment

Here’s a Tai Chi spear exercise to test whether you are correctly using your tan tien or just muscle strength.

Stand with your spear beside you and then step forward.

Now lunge forward with your spear – chest high – until it is horizontal to the ground. As you do this slide your hands down the spear – holding the end – palms facing upward.

Now focus on your tan tien and move the spear to the left and then to the right and back to centre.

Lower the spear until the tip almost touches the ground and then raise it back up to the horizontal position.

Return to starting position

If you feel a strain in your shoulders and arms while you have the spear out in front of you then you are relying on external strength.

The key is to relax your body, particularly the arms and shoulders, and focus on your tan tien to initiate movements.