Tai Chi the Martial Art & Philosophy – Ji Hong Tai Chi Mississauga

5 Myths about Tai Chi

July 7, 2018 by May Rahnema Leave a Comment

In North America, most people have only seen Tai Chi, also written as taiji or taijiquan, as an exercise that people perform in the park. But, most people don’t understand its full potential as a work out for people of all ages.

Many do not realize that tai chi originated as an internal martial arts, from a place known as Chen Village. As a means of survival, the entire village, from the very young to the very old, learned tai chi and have become renowned for their martial arts. Tai chi is a highly effective martial arts. However it takes a long time, with a lot of commitment and hard work to become proficient.

People may have a few ideas about tai chi but there are also definitely some misconceptions about tai chi. Very often these misconceptions prevent many people from even trying out tai chi.

Myth 1: Isn’t Tai Chi Too Slow to offer a Good Work Out?

In North America, we believe that a real work out must involve fast aerobic exercises. However, practicing the Yang style tai chi form which can take 25 – 30 minutes to complete will have fitness effects lasting hours afterwards. And, on top of that, there are other health benefits.

If your additional health goals include any of the following, then you should try a tai chi class.

Improving balance to reduce injuries due to falls
Improving postural alignment
Using core muscles for movement and work
Improving biomechanics
Reducing joint wear and tear
Increasing muscle relaxation and balanced muscle use
Reducing mental stress and anxiety

Tai Chi when performed correctly in this slow and deliberate manner is more strenuous than it looks, while providing a safer and better whole body workout from the inside to the outside.

Myth 2: I thought Tai Chi is too gentle for anyone except the Elderly

Most of the tai chi styles do appear to be soft and gentle, but this is not always the case. After all, its origins are from martial arts. For instance, the Chen style tai chi form incorporates gentle movements with interjected explosive movements. As the original and oldest form of tai chi, this style retained most of its martial arts roots and techniques.

The Chen Style form includes a more dynamic range of postures that demand more strength, flexibility and engagement of the core muscles. Also, when our bodies move from a slow gentle movement to an explosive one, it is like accelerating a vehicle from 0 to 100km/hr, it requires a lot more energy and stability. Our bodies demand a great deal of cardiovascular activity as well as core muscle strength to move powerfully in quick bursts.

While there are many incidental health benefits for the elderly or those handicapped by other health issues, when practiced correctly, tai chi is both physically demanding as well as difficult to master advanced biomechanics. A typical practice of the Chen style first routine followed by the second routine can last for up to 40 minutes and leave you soaking in sweat as well as both mentally and physically exhausted.

Myth 3: Is Tai Chi just a series of Steps with Waving Arm Movements

If you end up in a class where you don’t learn anything more than which direction to wave your arm next, then you are not learning tai chi. To get the best out of practicing tai chi and the full health benefits, you want to understand how to move from the inside out using internal martial arts principles which engage core muscles fully, employ the full range of motion of our joints and demands postural alignment.

A good teacher will guide you through how to work with your internal core as much as your arms and legs which are the manifestation of the movement of our core energy or the “dantian”. A good teacher will guide you with goals that are within your abilities and explain how to achieve it in your practice. Repetition and a variety of training programs are required to achieve the muscle memory as well as mastery of concepts first introduced in the Tai Chi Basics class. And it does not need to be boring.

With a wide variety of tai chi class choices, people are able to continue learning, practicing and remain challenged while staying healthy and eventually mastering some of the more elusive concepts of an internal martial art. Our extensive offering of tai chi programs means people can tailor a journey that most inspires them.

Tai Chi Basics – our mandatory introductory course
Chen Style Tai Chi – Level 1, 2 & 3 plus workshops
Yang Style Tai Chi – Level 1, & 2 plus workshops
Wu Style Tai Chi – Level 1, 2 & 3 plus workshops
Tai Chi Push Hands
Cannon Fist which is the Chen Style Second Routine
Tai Chi Weapons– Spear, Sword, Sabre & Long Pole
Forms Practice – practice skills from the many classes
Tai Chi Fitness – enhance your fitness while honing more difficult Yang & Chen Style moves
Qi Gong Health and Vitality (read more about Qi Gong here: What is Qi Gong? )

The Tai Chi Fitness class is a unique offering pioneered at our Mississauga school which incorporates repetitive Tai Chi movements from Yang and Chen styles tai chi to achieve fluency in the movements while getting a good work out. People attend Qi Gong, Forms Practice and Tai Chi Fitness in addition to a primary program to boost their weekly work out time or hone skills which may still seem elusive.

Myth 4: But, I have bad knees so I can’t practice Tai Chi

When you practice tai chi as intended, tai chi will help your knees not hurt them. Knowing how to move into and out of the most effective postures for your body, you’ll learn good biomechanics which minimize impact on your knees and return proper knee alignment and function. On the other hand, poor biomechanics, tense muscles and tight knee joints are some of the issues which lead to the deterioration of our knees.

Start slow and do not push yourself too hard too fast, your muscles need time to strengthen and joints need time to restore its elasticity. Rest when you are either mentally or physically tired. We make mistakes in our movements when we are tired and not paying attention, so avoid injuries by taking a break.

To learn more about why tai chi helps knees, read our blog on how to Strengthen and Protect Knee Joints with Tai Chi.

Myth 5: Isn’t Tai Chi the Chinese version of Yoga?

Tai Chi is not anything like yoga. Firstly, Tai Chi is an internal martial art, even if you are practicing it for health reasons. Tai Chi is not static and will never fit on a mat like yoga. It’s a series of continuous movements which flow from one to the next. Hyperextension or over stretching is discouraged due to its potential for injury while moving from one stance to the next.

Tai Chi is known as the “moving meditation”. How you move is just as important as the final stance into which the movements evolve. It takes all of our awareness and focus to move into and finish tai chi stances as they were intended. Since there is no stopping between movements, there’s no time for our focus or attention to lapse. We have no choice except to be fully present as we practice tai chi. This fully engaged mindfulness into what you are doing now is the definition of meditation.

Even with a hip or knee replacement, tai chi can be practiced as joints remain well within their normal range of movement and typically, within the strongest range of its movement. And, because all the movements are done slowly in standing stances, people with hypertension or vascular conditions are able to participate safely.

Explore the Many Exciting Aspects of Tai Chi

These are just a few of the myths that we answer for new or prospective participants who may hesitate to join a tai chi class. The only way to understand is to get started with one of our Basic Tai Chi classes. We’ll get you started with tai chi terminology as well as typical movements which you will need again and again as you take your journey through the many exciting and challenging tai chi or qi gong classes. Check out our schedule and contact us to attend an open house or trial class.

Tai Chi for All Ages of the Family

February 17, 2018 by May Rahnema 1 Comment

If you’re considering what everyone in the family can do this coming Family Day, consider tai chi also known as taiji quan. Tai Chi is a form of exercise that has been widely adopted around the world. It originated from China where it became popular when it was promoted as a way to help the people stay healthy throughout life and well into old age. The Chinese approach to health care starts with prevention so having a form of exercise to help people maintain a high quality of life while aging was the key to looking after the people.

Today, Tai Chi is practiced by millions of people worldwide. Some people start as young as 5 years old but there are also many people who are 85 years old and older who are continually practicing. Tai Chi spans the generations found in many Asian as well as other families.

Tai Chi for the Whole Family

Tai chi is appropriate for the whole family and people of all ages because of its intentionally focused and slow movement. The numerous health benefits of tai chi have been vetted by extensive research. The multitude of benefits that come from Tai Chi practice is so wide ranging that it benefits people at every age and over time as each of our body’s needs evolve with the different stages at different ages.

Here are some of the key benefits:

Improves balance and reduces incidences of falling
Improves posture for better body alignment and reduced muscle imbalances or pain
Low impact work out that provides cardio benefits
Increases mental and physical engagement
Reduces stress with slow movements and the focused mental engagement

Tai Chi for the Younger Family Members

Whether you have little ones interested in martial arts or a young person who finds it difficult to get into highly physical activities, Tai Chi offers some amazing benefits for young people.

For those who start out young, tai chi classes focus on the physical challenges and athletic development. Having had two boys who grew up learning wushu (Chinese martial art), Sifu May is well versed in what young people need to learn and remain interested in tai chi.

Younger participants are typically encouraged to engage in the Chen Style Tai Chi form. It is more dynamic and physically challenging with its low squats, powerful bursts and large robust limb movements. This form encourages increased strengthening and stretching of the lower limbs as well as the dantian or core strength. This demanding form is ideal for the growing and active bodies of young people while keeping them engaged and interested.

Maintaining the 5 bows stance of the body allows the tai chi martial artist to maintain the strongest stance possible while minimizing the chance of being knocked over by external forces or by a tai chi partner during an interactive exchange in class. Not only does this improve the balance of the person practicing tai chi but it also reinforces proper postural habits. Proper posture is key for young people to establish at an early age.

Of course, any type of martial arts training requires a discipline to learn movements but also to control the mind and body through the fluid and flawless execution of these movements. For many young people, this is a great way to improve awareness of their physical bodies and the movements. So, whether your child is a burgeoning athlete or a child who is clumsy and could use a better awareness of their own bodies, tai chi is a great way for them to strengthen as well as grow confidence in their own body.

And, of course, there’s the appeal of learning tai chi because it is a martial art. For many young kids, there is a huge appeal in becoming a martial arts expert and learning to handle a weapon safely as well as adeptly.

Tai Chi for the Adult Family Members

As the parent, participating in your own class while waiting on a younger family member is a great way to address some of our own adult concerns such as reducing stress from day to day life. Unlike other forms of exercise, it’s impossible to practice tai chi without being fully engaged in thinking about your entire body and where your hands, feet, legs and head will be moving next as well as the final direction that they’ll face. There is no room for the mind to wander while participating in tai chi

It is this demand for complete attention that gives tai chi the nickname as being the “moving meditation” of exercises. It is practiced slowly so that it forces people to think of all the details of each movement but the slowness also provides part of its meditative qualities.

When we approach middle age, we constantly have to balance our family as well as work lives. Our focus moves to deeper and more mindful aspects of tai chi such as the concept of Yin and Yang and what it means to have balance. Not just the kind of balance that prevents us from falling but in the use of our bodies to push or pull. In the advanced Push Hands class, your awareness of balance extends beyond your own body and includes your partner’s physical space. You are therefore actively listening and constantly adjusting to maintain the Yin/ Yang of the partnership.

Ultimately, learning how to move from an internal intention is a very important part of the tai chi growth path. Where children learn to mimic the movements with amazing results, when we advance as adults, we learn the internal intention behind the advance concepts of tai chi movements. We learn to practice how controlling our internal intention affects our external movements. We focus on what’s important about intention and we don’t let the smaller external or unimportant stuff distract us from intention.

Tai Chi for Family Members Beyond Middle Age

As we reach our 40’s and 50’s and beyond, our concern starts to shift towards aging gracefully and avoiding illnesses typically developed later in life. We want to remain physically capable and fit instead of aging prematurely. Tai chi is well known for preventing and alleviating the symptoms of diabetes, high blood pressure, Parkinson’s, osteoarthritis and other pathologies.

In addition, many people recovering from heart surgery or other injuries are still able to practice tai chi when other high impact work outs wouldn’t be appropriate. So, whether we are limited in what we can do and need to progress towards an ability to perform more intensive activities or we are looking for other ways to return balance to our bodies, tai chi has proven to be effective.

Tai chi helps people remain fit and maintain their core strength without the kind of high impact activities which may cause backs, knees, hips and other joints to deteriorate prematurely. At this age, our bodies are not able to recover seemingly instantaneously as our bodies did when we were in our 20’s. Tai chi is a slower moving and gentle practice which raises our heart rates giving us a good cardio work out as well. It seems counterintuitive that a slow moving activity can raise our heart rate but tai chi does improve our circulation significantly and people feel their core temperature rise after just a one hour class.

Tai Chi for Elderly Family Members

As we age further, it becomes difficult to find an activity that we can continue to do well and consistently. For people in their senior years, there are many benefits of learning and participating in tai chi. After a fall, seniors tend to continue to experience a wide variety of physical ailments from which they are slow to recover. After a single fall, many seniors find their health deteriorates significantly. However, maintaining good health, a strong core and posture as well as an ability to re-balance their bodies quickly allows elderly people to avoid a fall. This makes a huge difference in the upcoming quality of life in a senior.

Tai chi is not only physically beneficial but the mental challenges and the social nature of practicing tai chi helps to alleviate some of the top mental conditions seniors face today. The conditions of most concern to seniors include depression and dementia. Research shows that the people who practice tai chi tend to avoid these conditions or reduce their symptoms. Part of the reason is that tai chi helps improve the social aspects of our seniors’ lives because tai chi is practiced in groups with friends, families and people of all ages.

Finally, tai chi offers physical and mental challenges for seniors while giving them a sense of accomplishment. We all need goals and objectives which is the same for the elderly where a sense of accomplishment and purpose helps the mental state and well-being of all our grandmothers and grandfathers everywhere.

Celebrate Family Day with a Visit to Our Mississauga Tai Chi Studio

So, if you’re still not sure that tai chi is for the whole family, we invite you to come down to our Mississauga tai chi studio to experience it for yourself and meet people who are having a fun and challenging experience with tai chi.

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

The Tai Chi Learning Path – Part 2 of 2

January 22, 2018 by May Rahnema Leave a Comment

While in the Basics classes, people are learning basic movements and positions as well as much of the terminology. In the advanced classes, we go beyond. In the Basic classes, everyone is mostly just following and copying what they see.

In the advanced tai chi learning path, people start to understand why these basic concepts exist and how to leverage these concepts to be able to move fluently. They’re learning more complex series of movements which challenge their balance and ability to be centred or grounded even when the movements and postures become more intricate and complicated.

As we touched upon in the last blog, the next step in the learning path after the Basics class is choosing either a Yang Style or a Chen Style tai chi forms class.

Tai Chi Forms (or Taolu)

A Tai Chi form is a series of moves that are executed continuously from one move to the next, similar to a choreographed dance routine. A traditional tai chi form will take somewhere between 20 to 30 minutes to complete. At the beginning, you have to learn and remember the sequence of moves in the routine called a form.

Whether you’re good at memorizing or not, there’s more to being able to execute a form than just knowing the order of the movements. Being good at a form whether it’s the Yang Style or Chen Style form, it’s all in the little details of knowing how to shift your centre or dantian. And, at the same time, maintain optimal balance and postural strength with each upcoming movement or stance.

While you are achieving a certain amount of fluency with the moves, learning to apply tai chi concepts begins and continues to deepen with time. Using the choreography of the form, people learn to incorporate tai chi concepts into the movements, starting with the basic concepts then progressively layering on more difficult and complex tai chi principles into the movements. It may take 3 seasons to learn the basic movements of the form but a lifetime to learn and master tai chi concepts and principles.

A form is much like a dance. We can all learn how to achieve a level of competency so we can enjoy the basic form. To master a tai chi form takes years of practice to unleash and have our bodies understand both the art and science of fluid yet powerful movement concepts. The consistent long term practice makes it easier for us to remember movements while staying active and physically fit. And, some people enjoy perfecting a single form as a way of learning and achieving this understanding.

Some people like to explore the different styles of tai chi and understand the unique characteristics of each style, hence learning multiple tai chi forms. There is no rule or set path to learning tai chi. Learn from various forms as well as other advanced classes to continue understanding how to apply the concepts. Follow your heart and take the path that feels right.

Depending on people’s personalities and personal preferences, some like to mix it up to add variety and different challenges which teach us the same concepts from a different perspective.

Push Hands (or Tuishou)

Push Hands is a sparring activity meant to teach us how tai chi principles are applied. Instead of learning a series of movements in a choreographed set, we learn to respond and react to an outside force or a partner. It is a practical application of tai chi skills taught in various forms practice and applying these skills and concepts to interactive live situations where your partner is constantly moving and shifting.

It is about learning to sense the outside forces and becoming aware of other people’s movements. In turn, we learn to become much more aware of our own movements. We’re challenging the practical application of movements we learned in tai chi forms. And, we’re learning new movements as a way to respond to forces applied on us from our classroom partners without losing our own centre of balance.

Most people do not learn tai chi for the purpose of martial arts, therefore learning push hands is not always the first thing that comes to mind. However, it can be an important aspect of the learning path and this class is another part of the path to understanding many of the tai chi principles. Without actual physical contact with another person, it may often be difficult to appreciate some of the nuances of tai chi concepts.

Push hands is a direct path to learning tai chi principles as opposed to learning movements. You can start push hands training after learning the basics but it`s recommended to practice at least one form prior to or concurrently with the push hands class. Alternatively, start by achieving some fluency with a form first before beginning Push Hands.

For those looking to learn the martial aspects of tai chi, push hands is an essential course on the martial arts path within tai chi. And, for those looking to master tai chi, push hands is a necessary practice to achieving a complete understanding of tai chi principles.

Weapons

Incorporating weapons into tai chi practice takes our training to a different dimension. It is difficult enough trying to control our own body to achieve the tai chi principles. Adding an inanimate object extends our physical awareness beyond the length of our arms. People learn to incorporate the movements of the weapons as an extension of our own bodies.

Weapons have a tendency to exaggerate and expose flaws in our posture, balance and other tai chi principles. So it is an excellent means to enhancing tai chi skills while conditioning the physical body and sharpening our mental focus.

Learning one of the tai chi open hand forms for a minimum of 2 years is a pre-requisite for any of the 4 types of weapons classes: spear, sword, broad sword and long pole. In order to extend tai chi principles to a weapon, it is necessary to be fluent with basic tai chi concepts for the physical body first. Without understanding how to access the dantian or how to maintain the physically sturdy bow stances, it becomes impossible to translate tai chi concepts of movement to the weapon being wielded during class.

Without the open hand forms experience, the movements used with the weapon in our hands becomes clumsy and dangerous to others in the class as well as to ourselves. Learning a weapon is both mentally and physically challenging. The physical challenge is obvious as the extra weight of the weapon adds a level of physical work not found in the open hand forms.

A couple of years of open hand form conditioning will ease the transition to the weapons classes. Even the mental focus that is required can be exhausting. Each person has to be vigilant and pay constant attention or the weapon will hurt us or someone else.

Once people are ready, they find that learning a weapon is a lot of fun. The child in us comes out to play all while we learn to master tai chi skills.

Weapons have a tendency to exaggerate and expose flaws in posture, balance and other tai chi principles. Weapons classes are an excellent means to enhancing tai chi skills, conditioning the physical body and sharpening mental focus. All of this while having a lot of fun learning to master tai chi.

The Tai Chi Learning Path

The rich philosophical roots of tai chi bring a wealth of knowledge and principles that can make learning tai chi a life long journey. Each person’s journey is different depending on what we each want to learn of tai chi.

Each person`s learning path is unique to them. After a couple of years of taking steps to master the basics followed by some open hand forms training, people keep it lively and interesting by mixing, matching and even re-learning with deeper perspectives and appreciation.

Regardless of the journey ahead, start with a visit to our studio to meet our tai chi community. And, we`ll help you get started in a Tai Chi Basics class so you`ll have the foundation needed to enjoy a lifelong journey in tai chi.

The Tai Chi Learning Path – Part 1 of 2

December 5, 2017 by May Rahnema Leave a Comment

When you first investigate tai chi as well as what to learn and how to learn, you may wonder how to get the most out of your tai chi class and feel like you’ve learned skills that are meaningful to you. Even when you might not remember every move in the right order for a while, tai chi will give you many skills that help with your physical fitness, postural and movement goals.

After having taught tai chi for 14 years, I have been enhancing our classes and how we teach tai chi in order to help people gain a more in-depth understanding at every level and facet of the learning experience. Whether you are starting with a high level of fitness or you are working at getting fit, you will gain improved understanding of posture and positioning which will protect your body from over extending, remain more solidly grounded even while moving and using postures which do not over stress your weight bearing joints such as hips, knees and ankles.

If you do feel these joints are stressed even after learning how to align your posture, you may have a variety of tight muscles and / or adhered connective tissues which is preventing you from accomplishing your full range of motion in a pain-free way. Tai Chi can help stretch and strengthen muscles through slow repeated motions while encouraging your joints to move more easily.

Why People Want to Learn Tai Chi

Everyone has their own personal goal or reasons for learning tai chi. Based on what I have learned from my students over the years, here are some of their goals for wanting to learn tai chi.

To stay healthy by being active
To recover from injuries, illnesses or recent surgeries
To reduce stress or tension in their lives
To prevent deterioration of existing health conditions
To improve their health and to strengthen the body
To learn a softer kind of martial art
To learn a skill that can complement another sport or martial art
To excel in martial arts
To satisfy their curiosity about this sometimes mysterious art

Regardless of which goal encourages you to learn tai chi, we all have to start from the beginning with the basics. If you haven’t practiced tai chi previously, we’ll help you start by understanding the basic movement and postural concepts which you’ll continue to practice and master throughout the course of your tai chi journey no matter which style of tai chi you take after the introductory course.

Several core basic movements are introduced within the Tai Chi Basics class. However, a true understanding of how these movements help you remain grounded and balanced as well as their mastery typically requires that you challenge yourself through a variety of forms and weapons classes. In these classes, you’ll be applying and maintaining these techniques while adding a level of challenge to movements.

Learning Tai Chi Basics

A lot of people may feel that they need to choose one tai chi style over the other but this is hard to do if you have never tried tai chi before so we like to start people with a tai chi basics course. You can learn basic moves which are common to most of the tai chi styles. Even the vocabulary translates across styles so once you start learning tai chi, you can easily start with one style and translate your skills over to another style if you have the basics.

Learning the basics include learning what it means to have a good posture, how to move without causing injury, what is true relaxation, how does tai chi achieve mind/body awareness, how to harness internal strength, etc. These are important concepts for a student to understand, even if you are not able to physically execute the moves correctly at the beginning, you need to know why and what you are trying to achieve.

In our Basics class, which everyone takes when they first join our tai chi studio, we teach the core routines which also help warm up the body. These routines help people re-acquaint their access to the body’s core or dantian before working on practice routines for your posture, balance and movement. At the end of our 3 month Basics program, people can expect to know what each movement looks like visually and be able to mirror them in a basic way.

Tai Chi Forms and Push Hands Classes

After learning basics, you’ll want to make a choice of taking your new found skills into an area where you can use them to continue your health and fitness journey with tai chi. There are a couple of ways to accomplish this.

Typically, people will learn a Form which is a series of movements choreographed to apply and hone the skills learned during the Tai Chi Basics classes. Typically, to learn a whole form takes 2 to 3 seasons so that students both have the time to build new muscle memory by executing movements in new combinations which will challenge their ability to maintain balance and posture while getting their brains to create new movement pathways in a fun and fulfilling way.

One of the forms that we teach is Chen Style Tai Chi which is the original and the oldest of all the tai chi styles. It is a little more demanding because it was designed for the old time warriors of the day. These warriors depend on their tai chi martial arts skills for survival and as a livelihood.

The other form we teach is Yang Style Tai Chi which is today, the most popular tai chi form practiced. It is gentler and has a more graceful appearance to all its movements. But, don’t be fooled, it is still a challenging form in its own way.

Push Hands is an interactive use of open hand skills. Push Hands is typically considered a more advanced course than the Forms courses because it challenges our ability to use movements and stances learned in the forms classes. In Push Hands, we challenge ourselves to remain balanced when approached by another person who is attempting to unbalance or throw us off our feet.

People begin to have a deeper understanding energy flow of the movement or posture and the deeper connection of how it gives us balance and strength when they start one of the Advanced classes.

In the next blog, we will discuss these Advanced courses along with where the Weapons courses help people gain an advanced understanding of their skills.

Joining the Tai Chi Basics Class

In the meantime, check out our full tai chi schedule for the current and upcoming season to find a date and time which will work for you. Or, contact us today to discuss how you can visit our studio and trial a class which will give you more insights to the teaching style as well as the community you’ll find within our studio. I look forward to meeting you about tai chi and whether it may be for you.

Why People Learn Tai Chi Sword

October 1, 2017 by May Rahnema Leave a Comment

For some people, one look at the schedule and they are instantly drawn to the Tai Chi Sword class. They find it both exciting and exhilarating even to think about wielding a sword with some degree of competency. If you feel this way, you can get some background information throughout this blog to make your experience in class that much more enriching.

For many others, seeing Tai Chi Sword on the class schedule will pique their curiosity and make them wonder if it’s for them. It may also seem intimidating to some people. If you feel this way, you may be wondering if you are ready or if you will enjoy yourself or if you will be coordinated enough to accomplish all the movements. This blog will help you figure out if Tai Chi sword is right for you.

What’s Fascinating about Tai Chi Sword

Of the four main tai chi weapons: long pole, spear, sabre and sword, the sword is the lightest weapon. The sword requires only one hand to wield and people are often entranced by the graceful, intricate and fluid movements.

This explains why the sword is the most popular weapon to learn amongst tai chi students. Now, even though the sword may have the most appeal and seem easiest to learn, in reality, it is the most difficult of all the weapons to master.

The sword form is beautiful to look at, and just like any performance, the movements require dexterity, balance and precision to be flawless while appearing effortless to the observer.

Fundamental Tai Chi Sword Techniques

The Tai Chi Sword is a double edged straight sword with a long history in Chinese martial arts with a variety of additional characteristics. Regardless of the additional characteristics and names for the different types of swords, all double edged straight swords perform 4 specific actions.

Point – this applies to movements where power travels to the tip of the blade hitting the target at the blade tip. Point techniques typically feel like a flick or a whip.
Thrust – this applies to movements where the arm is flexed and extended making a straight line from arm to sword handle to sword tip. Power extends from the arm onto the entire sword blade. The tip of the blade connects with the target first and the rest of the blade follows through at the same connection point. Thrust techniques have motions that are led by the sword tip.
Cut – this applies to movements where the sword hits the target along the edge of the blade with power focused about mid-length of the sword where the blade meets the target. Cut techniques have motions that are led by the sword edge.
Slice – this applies to movements where the sword connects to the target along the edge of the blade at one point and travels to another point on the edge. That means power is exerted on the sword edge and slides along the blade following the changing contact point. Slice techniques typically have a circular and fluid feel to it.

Learning each type of movement and the focus of each is important to knowing how to focus the body’s power or jing. Body movements and focus will be different in each action. Knowing which action is being executed will change the mental and physical focus of body movements used to accomplish each. Numerous challenges in posture and balance will occur due to the addition of a weapon in the hand but more than physical movements, a lot more mental focus is required to focus the body and sword to act in a precise and controlled manner.

Tai Chi Sword Proprioception and Mastery

Unlike the other weapons, not only do we need to move the sword into position in a striking motion at the target but the sword needs to flow through the air following a very specific path throughout the entire motion. The 4 main types of sword techniques each require movements that travel in very different paths. The practitioner must know the technique, understand the path and be able to guide the sword along the exact path with the utmost precision.

While it is easier to use a sword because it is lighter, it also means that people must take extra care even when walking with the sword in hand. One needs to be vigilant and intentional when carrying a sword or you may cut yourself or worse, someone else around you.

To be able to practice the sword with precision requires your full attention. Your mind is on full alert, constantly observing and following the prescribed path for the sword. When you practice this way through the entire sword form, you find yourself exhausted mentally more so than physically.

Using the sword is like a dance with your sword. In the beginning, you are just following the steps and completing the action in a technical way, often getting in the way of the sword and moving awkwardly. With a great deal of practice, mental focus and precision of motion, the sword slowly becomes a mere extension of the martial artist.

You will begin to sense the entire sword as an extension of your own body from the blade through to the tip. You will no longer think of how to move the sword to where you want it to go, but you will think of where you want to go. You and your sword become one.

Tai Chi Sword to Enhance Balance and Posture

Long before we achieve this level of mastery, working with the sword will challenge all the basic concepts of tai chi balance and posture. Whenever we add a weapon to our practice, we are adding a weight with some length that challenges our sense of balance. If we are not paying attention, our posture will tilt. We constantly need an increased awareness and focus on both posture and balance while practicing the sword form.

Students are ready to learn Tai Chi Sword when they have enough experience to know how to maintain the 5 bows in their posture in any variety of empty hand tai chi forms. The 5 bows posture ensure the strength and flexibility within the body to move without losing balance or being knocked over by either the added weight of the weapon or by contact with external elements.

Maintaining the proper 5 bows posture for strength throughout the key joints of the body is difficult even in empty hand forms. Adding the sword and having to guide it through a specific path creates new challenges. Advancement of this skill takes a lot of practice with both the sword and empty hand forms. And, it takes even more time to fully master.

Finally, we challenge our ability to use the energy of the body with intention to create movement. This intention starts at our dantien which is at our body’s core. In an empty hand form, this energy moves from dantien to shoulder to elbow and finally hand. With the sword, the energy now has to be transferred from dantien to shoulder to elbow to the hand and finally into the sword.

To achieve this principle, you need absolute control of the sword both mentally and physically. Using a simple movement of sweeping the sword from left to right, you have to hold the sword steady while waiting for your dantien or core to shift to the right. Next, your body turns and then your arm starts to pull the sword to the right. All the while, you hold the sword steady until your core has shifted before the elbow begins to lead followed by the hand directing the motion. Finally, the energy is directed through the sword to finish the path and intention of the movement.

This unfettered direction of energy is where the swordsman gains the power to wield the weapon both effectively and powerfully. Very often we can judge the skill level of a swordsman by how steady the sword is held throughout the entire range of each movement.

Tai Chi Sword for Fun and Fitness

One of the main reason we practice tai chi together is for fun and fitness.

In modern society, we do not practice the sword for self defense or survival. So most of us will never achieve the level of master swordsman, but this should not stop us from learning the sword or the joy of learning it.

There are two basic requirements that I ask of my students who want to learn tai chi sword. Firstly, know the tai chi basics and have practiced an empty hand form for at least 6 months to a year. Your readiness depends on how diligently you have been practicing the details of your form throughout the months and years. Secondly, bring your full attention to class so you know exactly where your sword is at all times for your own and other people’s safety.

Learning tai chi sword is hard work but the rewards are worthwhile. There are no words to explain the exhilaration and joy of moving and being one with your sword until you’ve tried it for yourself. People just have fun when it comes to Tai Chi Sword!

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