Wu Style Tai Chi

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.

Non-Negotiable Tai Chi

By Chris Leave a Comment

I train at least six times a week for about 1.5 hours per day and I consistently achieve my targeted sessions.

But some times when I’m whizzing around running Aged Care Chair Chi or BJ Seminars International (with Sue James) workshops either here in Melbourne, interstate and/or overseas it’s impossible to achieve my targets.

However there is one specific training I always do, six times a week. And that’s my Tai Chi stance work – both high and low stances.

If I’m on the road they’re done early in the morning and evening, usually in a hotel room before I start my day.

For me, stance work is non-negotiable Tai Chi – it must be done.

Tai Chi: Square Chair

By Chris Leave a Comment

Here’s a handy tip for beginners who practise a Tai Chi form.

By the way, the term ‘square’ refers to the stop start method of learning a Tai Chi form.

Whenever you are in an upright posture, as you move throughout the form, imagine you are sitting on a high chair (feet flat on the floor). Make sure the knees don’t go over the toes when you ‘sit on the chair’.

This square chair method will help you align your body correctly; helps avoid the common problems of rolling your hips forward and sticking your tailbone out.

Here are some examples in the Wu Style form where you can practice ‘square chair’ in the form:

Beginning
Seven Stars
Cross Hands
Fan Through the Back
Pat the Horse High
Golden Cockerel Stands on One Leg

I thought of this technique yesterday when I was practising the round form (continous flow) and imagined sitting on a high chair for a very brief moment as I moved into upright postures.

However, if you are a beginner, square up your form with ‘square chair’ Tai Chi.

Tai Chi Opposites Attract

By Chris Leave a Comment

Here’s an easy exercise to do so you can get an understanding of the importance of opposites (Yin Yang) in Tai Chi.

Step One

Stand with your feet about shoulder apart
Arms beside your body
Relax
Raise you arms out in front of you to about shoulder high
Bend your elbows so you arms move towards your body
Lower your arms to starting postion. [Read more…]

Qingdao Tai Chi

By Chris 2 Comments

It’s taken me over 25 years but I finally achieved my goal of practising Tai Chi in China.

Sue and I just came back from a business trip to Qingdao where we ran a three day workshop on Appreciative Inquiry for an international school. Part of the workshop included my Tai Chi energisers and I was pleased with the reaction as everybody seemed to listen closely, practice the skills and haved a good time.

It was a short stay, 5 days, and I was super busy day and night but managed to practice my stance work in the hotel room while there.

[Read more…]