Ch’eng-fu and first published in 1925, since then they have become the classic principles followed by thousands of tai chi practitioners seeking a deeper understanding into These 10 Essential Principles were taught by the legendary Yang this ancient art of tai chi. By contemplating these principles and incorporating them into your practice you can transform your tai chi into an art that will give you ever-increasing levels of satisfaction and beauty of form.
1. The Head is naturally suspended from the Crown Point (Crown Chakra for Yoga Practitioners). Feel as if you are being magically lifted by an invisible strand of silk from Heaven. This allows for a feeling of openness and looseness in the spine making the spine extremely flexible. It also helps to imagine space between each of the vertebrae. The combination of the feeling of suspension and the spaciousness spine assists in correct postural alignment.
2. Keep the Chest relaxed while slightly stretching up the back. Slightly hollow the chest, this allows the breath to sink to the lower Dantian. If you protrude the chest the body can become “top heavy” and easy to topple over. Slightly Stretching up the back can help the energy move up the back. Keep the Chest relaxed and hollow out the chest is often confused with collapsing the chest in an over exaggerated fashion causing improper alignment. The correct method should begin with the head suspended from the Bui Hui point and then actually feeling as if the chest were plucked up from the sternum area, then consciously imagine the shoulder blades melting down the spine and you will bring yourself into a state of balance, counter- balance which is really the correct way to “hollow out” the chest with out collapsing the chest. This part of the Classic Ten Tai Chi Principle from Yang Ch’eng-fu is the principle that is most often misinterpreted leading to countless errors in postural alignment and integrity.
3. Relax the Waist, the waist is like the flywheel, or the steering wheel for the energy coming through the body. The classics tell us if the waist is relaxed then the feet will have power and our foundation will be stable. If the waist is not relaxed, but is rigid then the waist will be too slow and cumbersome to direct the energy quickly and directly. In Chinese terms the waist area also includes the area of the hips.
4. Differentiate between Substantial and Insubstantial You must clearly differentiate between the leg that is empty of weight and the leg that is the supporting leg. It is important to be able to load up one leg from the other in an easy and smooth transition of weight. This can be done quickly or slowly, but be careful of being caught with the weight even distributed between the two legs, this creates slowness and cumbersome movement translating into a loss of speed and agility.
5. Relax the Shoulders and Sink the Elbows The shoulder must always be relaxed and this is one of the most difficult things for most beginning tai chi practitioners to do. We are often unaware of the unconsciousness tension we carry in the shoulders, practicing tai chi is a great way to become aware of this tension so that we can eventually through awareness begin to let it go. If the shoulders are tense then the lever for the delivery of force will stop at the shoulder. That is why in tai chi it is so important to relax the shoulder. If the elbows rise up it creates tension in the shoulder, so one must learn to sink the elbows.
6. Use the Mind not Strength, let the Yi lead the Chi. Or letting the mind lead the energy. Even though Tai Chi Chuan is a highly effective martial art, the power comes from the mind and not from the muscle. This is a most difficult concept for most martial artist to grasp. How can you have an effective fighting art without using muscular strength? In tai chi the body becomes very pliable like a whip and the force is directed though the body by the mind. So in this art the mind is most powerful as well as having a body that is free from tension. Tension in the body is like having a kink in a hose. The energy will stop wherever there is a kink, just like a kink in a hose stops the water from coming through in full force, only a dribble comes out. It is exactly the same concept in tai chi. Wemustquietthemindsothatwecanusethemindtodirectthechi. Adisturbedor distracted mind cannot do this. This is one reason why the practice of tai chi has become to be know as a “moving meditation”, because of the mindfulness involved in the practice of tai chi.
7. Unity of the Upper Body and Lower Body, the upper body and lower body must interact together in constant connection. Kinesthetically we refer to this as successive contraction, or like flicking dominos to make them fall consecutively. Movement begins in the feet with a sense of being rooted from below the earth, then bringing that ground strength up through the legs, it is commanded or directed by the waist and if there in no obstruction in the shoulders then the energy is issued through the hands. Actually accomplished tai chi masters can issue the energy from anywhere on their body. The eyes are important in the direction of energy. The body must be relaxed so that the energy can travel through the body. The mind directs the flow of energy.
8. The Unity of Internal and External, in tai chi it is important that the mind, the body and the breath come into single focus. The mind is the spirit and the commander of the body. The body follows the mind responding effortlessly and without interruption. This comes with concentration and single-minded practice. When the body and the mind are one and there is no division between what the mind directs and the instantaneous response in the body. It is effortlessness in its highest form.
9. Continuity without Interruption, unlike the external styles of martial arts where there is a beginning and an end point, the practice of tai chi is more fluid, in fact sometimes described as moving like a great river. Once we separate from wu chi we are in a constant flux of motion alternating between yin and yang. Following the same principles that keeps the universe pulsing with the cosmic energies of polar opposites. The art of tai chi based on taoism, becomes an art that helps us understand the very laws of nature in our own beings.
10. Seeking Stillness in Movement, even in movement there is a sense of stillness. When practicing tai chi there is always a state of tranquility in the mind, like the eye in the center of a hurricane. From this serene perspective it is easier to focus the attention completely aware and open. When completely open and aware the chi can sink into the lower dantain.
Original article and pictures take www.taichiforhealth.net site
Taijiquan 24 Form Yang Style Standard Simplified Orthodox Chinese National Version, T'ai Chi Ch'uan 24 Movement Form, 1956, in the Yang Style of Taijiquan
Taijiquan 24 Form Webpage - Translate this Webpage into a Language Other than English
T'ai Chi Ch'uan: National 24 FormStandard Simplified Taijiquan Version, 24 Movements, 1956, Yang Style Taijiquan
24 Short Form, Simplified Tai Chi, Standard Beijing Taijiquan 24 Form, Chinese National 24 Form Taiji
Chen Chang Xing (1771-1853) developed the Chen Style T'ai Chi Ch'uan (Taijiquan) Old Frame, First Routine. He taught the Chen Style Taijiquan to Yang Lu Chan (1799-1872), who developed the Yang Style of Taijiquan. The grandson of Yang Lu Chan, Yang Cheng Fu (1883-1936) modified and popularized the Yang Style Taijiquan, and published a number of books on the subject in the 1930's.
In 1956, the National Physical Culture and Sports Commission of the People's Republic of China, under the leadership of the Taijiquan Committee Chairperson, Professor Li Tian Ji, developed standardized and simplified versions of many T'ai Chi Ch'uan (Taijiquan) forms. Professor Li Tian Ji (1914-1996) led the development of the 24 Taijiquan Form and the 32 Sword Taijiquan Form as well as many other standardized Taijiquan forms, and he is called by many "The Father of Modern Taijiquan."
The Standard Simplified Beijing 24 Taijiquan Form was based on the Yang Family style of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, as epitomized by Yang Cheng Fu. The 24 Taijiquan Form could be performed in 4 to 8 minutes, and consisted, as would be expected, of 24 movements, although some of the movements have two or three parts. The 24 Taijiquan Form eliminated some of the movements that are found in the Yang Style Taijiquan 108 long form such as the Sweeping Lotus Kick, Step Up to Seven Stars, Snake Darts out its Tongue, or Carry the Tiger to the Mountain. The short 24 Taijiquan Form also greatly reduced the number of times that some movements are repeated in the Yang Style 108 long form such as Grasping the Sparrow's Tail, Waving Hands Like Clouds, Left Ward Off, or Single Whip. The traditional Yang Style Taijiquan long form has 108 movements (postures or parts).
The Standard Simplified 24 Taijiquan Form, the short form, could be taught fairly quickly to students of various ages in physical education programs. The brevity of the form appealed to students of all ages. The short form could be done by large groups of people in rows since the movement choreography is in straight lines. The short form provided a standard form for use in some competitions. The new short form was less physically demanding than longer forms and other Tai Chi styles, and appealed to older beginners. It provided a good introduction to the basic elements of the Yang Family Taijiquan long form. When done properly, the short form can exemplify grace, beauty, and many fundamentals of the art. For these reasons, the Standard Simplified 24 Taijiquan Form has become quite popular and is now taught, practiced and played all over the world.
Forty years ago it was difficult to say whether the Standard 24 Form or the Cheng Man-Ch'ing 37 Form were the most popular in America. Professor Cheng's form, his inspired teaching, his many accomplished students, and his amazing push hands skills, all definitely sparked very sophisticated writing on the subject and intense commitment to his form; and his 37 short form was the most popular in America before 1977. Now, students have ready access to many more English language books and instructional media (DVDs and VHS videotapes) about the Standard Simplified T'ai Chi Ch'uan 24 Form, and instructors teaching the 24 Taijiquan Form are quite common in America. Since both forms use Yang style postures and skills, a few Yang style Tai Chi practitioners and teachers can do both the 24 and 37 forms, as well, of course, as the Traditional Yang Style Taijiquan 108 long form. However, in my opinion, the Standard 24 Taijiquan Form, in the Yang Style, is now the most popular Tai Chi form practiced in America and around the world.
Other shortened versions of T'ai Chi Ch'uan long forms are also practiced. A 48 movement Yang short form is also popular in China. The Chinese National Wushu Association has developed a 42 movement Yang style competition form. The Chen style of T'ai Chi Ch'uan also has 11, 18, 19, 36, 38, 56 movement short forms, as well as a Chen competition form of 56 movements. Both an 11 and 35 movement version of the Sun style of T'ai Chi Ch'uan also exist.
I first learned the Standard 24 Taijiquan Form in 1986, and have enjoyed practicing the form since then. To assist others in learning this popular Taiji form, I've prepared this webpage and provided many tools and suggestions for learning the 24 Taiji Form. I also enjoy practicing the Chen Style Taijiquan 18 Movement short form created by Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei.
This webpage was first published on the Internet in 2001. It is one of the more popular webpages on the Cloud Hands website. In 2009, this webpage was served to over 86,000 persons. I made an effort to significantly upgrade the quality of this webpage in 2011, and develop it to the quality of my 32 Taiji Sword Form webpage.
My very best wishes to you in your study and practice of the popular and delightful Standard Tai Chi 24 Form.
From Mike Garofalo, here at the Valley Spirit Center in Red Bluff, California, on April 4, 2016,
"No school of Chinese martial arts is as well known and popular as Taijiquan. It is suitable for both the young and the old, not only because Taijiquan possesses special features of stretching, flexing the joints, softly twining, exercising both the inside and the outside, dispelling diseases and prolonging life, but it is also the martial art that best reflects Chinese traditional philosophy. More and more people from other countries, especially those interested in Chinese culture, are beginning to practice Taijiquan. Taijiquan is becoming popular all over the world. Because of this, Taijiquan has no national boundary and is beyond the category of culture, and belongs to people everywhere." - Fan Chun-Lei and A. Frank Shiery, Traditional Chen Style Taijiquan
T'ai Chi Ch'uan: National 24 Form Taijiquan Standard Simplified Taijiquan, 24 Movements, 1956, Yang Style, Bejing (Peking) National Form
A Note to Readers: The Cloud Hands website has been online continuously since 2001. In 2009, over 1,350,000 webpages (excluding graphics) were served to readers around the world from the Cloud Hands website. Since 2005, I have also provided an associated blog to point to changes and additions at the Cloud Hands website: Cloud Hands: Mind/Body Movement Arts Blog. Since Cloud Hands is a very well-established and stable website, it provides readers with a good and secure starting point for their online research into Taijiquan and Qigong. The Cloud Hands website is funded entirely by Green Way Research, with volunteer efforts by Michael P. Garofalo.
Unfortunately, as everyone knows, many other websites and webpages appear and then disappear from the Internet scene. Authors do not pay to keep up their web hosting services, loose a "free hosting" option, or decide to remove webpages for various reasons. Consequently, links to some good webpages become invalid and files are no longer found on the Internet. You may find a some of these "dead links" to nonexistent webpages cited below; and, there is no way to avoid this troublesome situation. For this reason, when you do find a good and useful webpage, be sure to save the webpage to a folder on your hard drive or server.
I welcome and encourage your suggestions for how to improve this webpage. Your comments, ideas, contributions, and constructive criticism are encouraged. Send your suggestions to my email box.
Anatomy of Yang Family Tai Chi. By Steffan de Graffenried. Nomentira Publications, 2007. 108 pages. ISBN: 0979895626. VSCL.
Beginning T'ai Chi. By Tri Chong Dang. Tuttle Publishing, 1994. 67 pages. ISBN: 0804820015. 24 Form is taught.
Chang San Feng: Biography, Bibliography, Links, Quotes, and Notes. Taoist Master Chang San Feng, circa 1300 CE, is the legendary founder of T'ai Chi Ch'uan. He is considered to be a Taoist Immortal who lived for hundreds of years. He is often spoken about and quoted in books by Yang Family Taijiquan enthusiasts.
Cheng Man-Ch'ing (1901-1975) Bibliography, links, quotes, notes. Professor Cheng created a Yang style 37 movement short form that became popular in the U.S..
Compact Tai Chi for Healing in Simplified Form 24. Instruction by Master Jesse Tsao, San Diego, Tai Chi Healthways. Instruction DVD, 60 minutes. $34.95. VHS version is also available. "Compact Tai Chi for Healing in Simplified Form 24 is an easy-to-follow and slow-moving, yet powerful, workout. Detailed instruction of each posture in front view and 3 repetitions in back view are given. The self-healing aspects of each posture will surely enhance your health and release your stress. At the end of the video, Master Tsao also performs the standard routine of Simplified Tai Chi Form 24. Teaching is in English. (Difficulty: Beginner Level).
The Complete Book of Tai Chi Chuan: A Comprehensive Guide to the Principles and Practice. By Wong, Kiew Kit. Shaftesbury, Dorset, Element, 1996. Index, bibliography, 316 pages. ISBN: 1852307927. The 24 movement short form is described and illustrated on pages 70 - 86. VSCL.
"Condensed Tai Chi Ch'uan." Edited by Ching, Ku-Lui. Athletic Magazine, Shanghai, Shanghai Educational Publications, 1954.
Cultivating the Civil and Mastering the Martial: The Yin and Yang of Taijiquan. By Andrew Townsend. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, no publisher listed on titlepages, 2016. No index, brief bibliography, 424 pages. Small typefont. This volume is a huge compendia of information, comprehensive in scope, with good explanations, observations, insights, and summaries, etc.. This thick book includes some precise and detailed movement descriptions, sound Taijiquan teaching on many topics, and more than five hundred photographs and illustrations. A heavy reference volume for your desktop; ebook versions for your tablet or phone or Kindle. ISBN: 978-1523258536. VSCL. "Andrew Townsend has been practicing martial arts for more than forty years and began practicing taijiquan in 1990. Mr. Townsend is a certified taijiquan instructor and a senior student of Grandmaster Jesse Tsao. He is a retired college professor and has been actively teaching taijiquan for the past ten years. He lives and teaches in Ormond Beach, Florida."
The Dao of Taijiquan: Way to Rejuvenation. By Tsung Hwa Jou. Charles E. Tuttle, 1980, 1998. 3rd Edition. 233 pages. ISBN: 0804813574. An outstanding textbook on Tai Chi Chuan. The Chen, Yang, and Wu styles are introduced and explained. A very informative introduction to the philosophy and practices of Tai Chi. The first textbook in English about Taijiquan. VSCL.
The Essence and Applications of Taijiquan. By Yang, Cheng-Fu (1883-1936). Translated by Louis Swaim. The original publication date was in 1934. The original book was edited by Professor Cheng Man-Chi'ng. Berkeley, California, North Atlantic Books, 2005. Introduction, appendices, bibliography, 124 pages. ISBN: 1556435452. In this book, the entire sequence of the specialized and named martial movements/postures/sections/forms is numbered from Section 1 up to Section 94; thus, the popular long taijiquan from, the Yang 94 Form. The Taijiquan Master Cheng Man-Ch'ing popularized a 37 Cheng Yang Form. VSCL.
Flexibility, Muscle-Tendon Changing, Dynamic and Static Stretching
Garofalo, Michael P., M.S. Instructor at Valley Spirit Taijiquan. Mike has been publishing on the Internet with Green Way Research since 1991. Mike began his practice of Taijiquan and Qigong in 1986. He has taught Taijiquan and Qigong since 2000; and Yoga since 2004. He teaches at the Valley Spirit Taijiquan Center and at the Tehama Family Fitness Center, both in Red Bluff, California. He teaches Yang Style Taijiquan, various styles of Qigong and Yoga, and cane. His many web publications (e.g., The Spirit of Gardening, Cloud Hands, Months, etc.) are widely cited and rank high in search engines, and he serves up over 2,000,000 webpages (excluding graphics) each year. He is an avid and knowledgeable gardener, and lives in a rural area in Northern California. He is a semi-retired library administrator, grant writer, webmaster, and technology manager. You can contact Mike by email or by cell phone at 530-200-3546.
Grasping the Sparrow's Tail. The Four Gates: Ward Off, Roll Back, Press, and Push. Fighting Off Stress: A 6th Grade Class Lesson. Grasping the Sparrow's Tail is done from both the right side and the left side in the Taijiquan Beijing Short Form and many times from the right side in the traditional Yang Family Long Form. By Michael P. Garofalo. 45K.
Handbook of T'ai Chi Ch'uan Exercises. By Zhang, Fuxing. York Beach, Maine, Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1996. Index, 198 pages. ISBN: 0877288917. Includes detailed description and line drawings of the Simplified 24 Movement Yang style short form, and the standard traditional 88 movement Yang style long form. Information on major characteristics of Yang style, key points of practice, and push hands. VSCL.
The Healing Promise of Qi: Creating Extraordinary Wellness Through Qigong and Tai Chi. By Roger Jahnke, O.M.D.. Chicago, Contemporary Books, 2002. Index, notes, extensive recommended reading list, 316 pages. ISBN: 0809295288.
How to Best Learn the 24 Simplified Tai Chi Chuan. By Zhang Qi Hua and Lu Ping. Beijing, China, People's Physical Education Publishing House, 2000. ISBN: 7500917031.
Hsing Yi (Xing I): Bibliography, Links, Resources, Quotations, Notes. I use forward moving drills, a modified Hsing Yi style, with movements from the Yang Style Taijiquan such as Parting the Wild Horse's Mane, Brush Knee, Fair Lady Works the Shuttles, etc.
Illustrations of Tai Chi Chuan Simplified. By Y. W. Chong. In English and Chinese. Hong Kong, Wan Li Book Co., Ltd., 1981. 96 pages, black and white illustrations.
Illustrations of the 24 Yang Short Form, Line Drawings. Prepared by the Jun Nan Shin Martial Arts Academy.
The Intrinsic Energies of T'ai Chi Ch'uan. Compiled and translated by Stuart Alve Olson. Chen Kung Series, Volume Two. Saint Paul, Minnesota, Dragon Door Publications, 1994. Index, 194 pages. ISBN: 093804513X. VSCL.
KU Kung Fu and Tai Chi Club. The University of Kansas. Instructions for Yang Style Short Form Tai Chi. Detailed description by David Hann of 24 Form in a HTML file and a Word.doc file. Dr. Po-lung Yu and Taichi [video] (49Mb). Dr. Yu's description of the meaning of Taichi [video] (45Mb). "Enjoy Taichi!" (Dr. Yu, Mr. Chang, and Mr. Hann) [video] (12Mb).
Tai Chi Chuan Martial Power: Advanced Yang Style. By Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming. Foreword by Tung-Tsai Liang. Boston, MA, YMAA Publications, Third Edition, September, 2016. Index, glossary, 352 pages, ISBN: 978-1594392993.
T'ai Chi Ch'uan: 24 And 48 Postures With Martial Applications. By Master Liang, Shou-Yu and Wu, Wen-Ching; and, edited by Denise Brieter. Boston, MA, YMAA Publications. 2nd Edition, 1993, 1996. ISBN: 1886969337. Index, bibliography, glossary, 153 pages. VSCL.
Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan and Its Applications. By Yang, Jwing-Ming. VHS videotape. Boston, YMAA Publications, 1995. ASIN: 0940871181. Applications for postures in the 24, 48 and 108 forms.
Yang Tai Chi 24 Form Self Defense By Sifu Ken Gullette. Internal Fighting Arts, 2013. 199 pages. E-book Kindle Format. "This book contains 259 photos and 108 self-defense techniques for the most popular Tai Chi form in the world.
Mastering Yang Style Taijiquan. Bu Fu Zhongwen (1903-1994). Translated by Louis Swaim. Berkeley, California, North Atlantic Books, 1999. Glossary, bibliography, 226 pages. ISBN: 1556433182. Translations of many Tai Chi classics are included. A list of the 85 movement long form and detailed notes and descriptions of each movement are provided. 251 movement analysis illustrations. Over 76 of the illustrations are traced and drawn from photographs of Yang Cheng-Fu. Detailed descriptions of the long form, pp. 26-162. Push hands information. Yang Tai Chi essentials. I have found this to be an excellent book! This book was first published in 1963 in China as "Yang Shi Taijiquan". An informative introduction and good translation by Louis Swaim. VSCL.
Orthodox Chinese Taiji Quan. An 88 minute videotape that teaches the standard Yang style, Beijing version, short form of Tai Chi Chuan. Includes footage of people doing other styles and push hands.
Simplified Tai Chi Form 24. A 60 minute instructional DVD by Master Jesse Tsao. "This is the most popular routine practiced in the world today. It is created mostly from the traditional Yang Style for beginners. This DVD video teaches the standard 24 movements posture-by-posture with repetition and explanation by Master Tsao in English. The entire routine is demonstrated in both front and back views. It is a good reference for home study, or a resource for instructor's teaching preparation. Suggest 25 class hours. (Difficulty: Beginner Level). DVD, (60 minutes).
Simplified 24 Form: Bibliography, links, quotes, notes, list of movements.
Standard Simplified Taijiquan 24 Form. Research by Michael P. Garofalo, M.S. Yang Style of Tai Chi Chuan, 24 movements. This webpage includes a detailed bibliography of books, media, links, online videos, articles, and resources. It provides a list of the 24 movement names in English, Chinese, French, German and Spanish, with citations for sources of the movement names. It provides detailed descriptions of each movement with black and white line illustrations and photographs. It includes relevant quotations, notes, performance times, section breakdowns, basic Tai Chi principles, and strategies for learning the form. The Peking (Bejing) Chinese National orthodox standard simplified 24 movement Tai Chi form, created in 1956, is the most popular form practiced all around the world. Published by Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Taijiquan, Red Bluff, California: Webpage URL: http://www.egreenway.com/taichichuan/short.htm.
Sun Style of T'ai Chi Ch'uan: Standard Competition 73 Movements Form. Research by Michael P. Garofalo, M.S.. Webpage: 450Kb, June 2008. This webpage includes an introduction, information on the history of the Sun Taijiquan forms, a detailed bibliography, extensive links, references to video resources, a large collections of quotations about Sun Taijiquan, recommendations on the best media resources on the topic, and suggestions for learning the 73 competition Sun Taijiquan form. A detailed comparative list of the names of each of the 73 movements is provided, with source references, and the movement names are given in English, Chinese, Chinese characters, French, German, and Spanish. This webpage includes detailed descriptions of each of the 73 movements with black and white illustrations for each movement sequence along with commentary and comparisons. Many additional nomenclature lists and section study charts in the PDF format, photographs and graphics are also provided - over 1.3 MB of information. This webpage is the most detailed and complete document on the subject of the Sun Taijiquan Competition 73 Form available on the Internet. This document was published by Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Taijiquan, Red Bluff, California, 2008. URL: http://www.egreenway.com/taichichuan/sun73.htm.
The Tai Chi Book: Beginning and Enjoying a Lifetime of Practice. By Robert Chuckrow, Ph.D.. Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, YMAA Publication Center, 1998. 209 pages. ISBN: 1886969647. An excellent general introduction to Taiji from the Yang style perspective. Includes description, with photographs, of the Cheng Man-Chi'ng short form. VSCL.
Tai Chi Chuan By Marshall Ho'o. Burbank, California, Ohara Publications, Inc., 1986. 111 pages. Black Belt Magazine Publication. ISBN: 0897501098. The Taijiquan explained and illustrated (with mediocre and grainy black and white photographs) is the Standard 24 Form of Taijiquan in the Yang Style. VSCL. Master Ho'o taught this form on KCET public television in Los Angeles starting in 1973 and provided me with my first exposure to T'ai Chi Ch'uan.
Tai Chi Chuan: The 27 forms by Marshall Ho'o. Instructional DVD, released in 2005, featuring the late Marshall Ho'o. Black Belt Videos, 90 minutes. Includes the Nine Temple Qigong. Filmed in the 1980's.
This book (1986) by Master Marshall Ho'o is the first English language publication about the Standard 24 Taijiquan Form.
"Dr. Ho'o was instrumental in the certification of acupuncture in the State of California. He was the first Tai Chi Master to have been elected to the Black Belt Hall of Fame. He was Dean of the Aspen Academy of Martial & Healing Arts, on the faculty of California Institute of the Arts, and taught Tai Chi and Acupressure at many educational institutions. In 1973, he created a series for KCET public television, in Los Angeles, teaching Tai Chi. He was a consultant to Prevention Magazine's The Doctor's Book of Home Remedies. A Chinese American, Dr. Ho'o was America's first T'ai Chi Ch'uan Grandmaster. His influence is far-reaching in both the fields of healing and martial arts."
T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong: Techniques and Training. By Wolfgang Metzger, Peifang Zhou, and Manfred Grosser. New York, Sterling Publishing Company, 1996. Index, 144 pages. ISBN: 0806959576. Includes a detailed description of the Beijing 24 movement form, pp. 86 -141. Excellent list and movement chart.
Tai Chi Chuan Classical Yang Style: The Complete Form and Qigong. By Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming. Boston, MA, 2010. 396 pages. ISBN: 978-1594392009. "Awards: Gold Winner, 2011 IP's Living Now Awards; Gold Winner, 2011 eLit Award, Finalist - 2011 Eric Hoffer Award, Finalist - 2011 USA Best Book Award. Taijiquan is a slow and relaxed moving meditation. It is also a sophisticated martial arts system. Through practicing Taijiquan, you are able to calm down the mind, locate your spiritual center, and consequently find your entire being. From the relaxed moving exercise, you can bring your physical body into an ultimate level of relaxation and natural ease, resulting in smooth Qi (inner energy) and blood circulation. This is a key to maintaining health and recovering from sickness. This book is an in-depth guide for beginners to learn Taijiquan properly. It offers a general plan for practicing Taijiquan, and then goes into great depth to present enough content for proper learning. Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming is a world authority on Tai Chi Chuan and Chinese martial arts. He maintains 55 schools in 18 countries. He is the author of over 35 books and 80 instructional videos, nominated as a person 'who has made the greatest impact on martial arts in the past 100 years' — Inside Kung Fu Magazine (1999). Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming resides and teaches at his retreat center in Miranda, California." VSCL.
Tai Chi Chuan in 24 Forms. By Donald McPherson and Phyboon Cheng. Presented in English and Chinese. Lulu.com, 2006. 160 pages. ISBN: 1411677242.
Tai Chi Chuan: The Chinese Way. By Foen Tjoeng Lie. New York, Sterling Publishing Co., 1988. 126 pages, black and white illustrations, index. ISBN: 0806968265. Excellent photos of Mr. Lie doing the form, informative descriptions, and a good introduction. VSCL.
T'ai Chi Ch'uan: 24 And 48 Postures With Martial Applications. By Master Liang, Shou-Yu and Wu, Wen-Ching; and, edited by Denise Brieter. Boston, YMAA Publications. 2nd Edition, 1993, 1996. ISBN: 1886969337. Index, bibliography, glossary, 153 pages. In my opinion, this is the best book to purchase when learning the Beijing 24 Short Form. Detailed instructions, excellent photographs, and extensive martial applications make this a first choice for students. "An extraordinary guide to Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan), the "Grand Ultimate" way of health and martial arts. Written by one of China’s top-ranked coaches (Liang), the 24 and 48 postures, often referred to as the Short Form, are presented in an easy to understand, step-by-step fashion. Also included are guidelines for breathing, directing the mind, aligning the body and developing Qi (Chi). Learn how the practice of Taijiquan can improve health. Discover martial applications for each posture that will make your learning more authentic and alive. Gain deeper insight with the explanations and illustrations of the philosophy of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements Theory. A practical learning tool for beginners, and an excellent reference guide for more advanced students." VSCL.
Tai Chi Connections: Advancing Your Tai Chi Experience. By John Loupos. Boston, MA, YMAA Publication Center, 2005. Index, 194 pages. ISBN: 1594390320. VSCL. All three books by John Loupos are very useful.
Tai Chi for Beginners and the 24 Forms. By Dr. Paul Lam and Nancy Kaye. Balmain, NSW, Limelight Press, 2006. Index, references, 207 pages. ISBN: 0977536114. "Beautifully illustrated with 330 professional photos to enhance the easy to follow Tai Chi instruction from world renowned Tai Chi Master and Family Physician, Dr. Paul Lam.. Beginning with Six Easy Steps and progressing to Yang 24 Forms ( the world's most popular tai chi form ), Dr Lam teaches authentic Tai Chi for health, wellness and longevity. He explains how tai chi improves health in general as well as specific conditions. Encouraging the reader to approach Tai Chi in a spirit of enjoyment and adventure, Dr. Lam helps the reader build a solid foundation for easy transition to a high level of tai chi. This book is for beginners as well as for those who are already learning and enjoying the ancient art which is clinically proven to be a powerfully effective tool in improving health, fitness and relaxation. Within this book, Dr. Lam provides an easy step-by-step guide to an enjoyable form of exercise that will last a life time." VSCL.
Tai Chi: The 24 Forms. By Dr. Paul Lam. Instructional DVD, 240 Minutes, 2009. ASIN: 0987105108. NTSC Format. VSCL.
Tai Chi for Body, Mind and Spirit: A Step-by-Step Guide to Achieving Physical and Mental Balance. By Eric Chaline. New York, Sterling Publishing Co., 1998. $14.95. Index, 127 pages. ISBN: 0806963212. Detailed Instructions and color photographs for the 24 movement standard short form. Includes some qigong exercises. VSCL.
Tai Chi for Health: The 24 Simplified Forms. By Cheng Zhao and Dan Zhao. Indiana, Agilceed Books, 2006. 163 pages. ISBN: 0976118319. There is also an instructional DVD to accompany this book by Cheng Zhao and Don Zhao. Overview of 4 Form, detailed descriptions of each movement, general principles, questions and answers, flow charts. Hundreds of black and white photographs, illustrations, artwork, and graphics. This is a much better book than the 32 Sword Form book by the same authors. Dr. Cheng Zhao is a full professor at Indiana State University. VSCL.
Tai Chi for Life: Yang Style Tai Chi. By Guangzhi Xing. 24 Form Simplified Tai Chi, Tai Chi Sword 32 Form. Instructional DVD, 90 minutes, Color. Turtle Press, 2002. Instruction in English.
Tai Chi for Small Space. By Jiang Jian-ye. Based on the 24-form simplified T'ai Chi from in the Yang style. 120 minute videotape. Jiang's Tai Chi Videos.
Tai Chi: Health for Life. How and Why It Works for Health, Stress Relief, and Longevity. By Bruce Frantzis. Berkeley, California, Blue Snake Books, Energy Arts Inc., c 2006. Index, 320 pages. ISBN: 1583941444. VSCL.
Tai Chi Productions Newsletter Edited by Master Paul Lam, M.D. He has produced an excellent instructional videotape/DVD on the 24 Form.
Tai Chi Qi Gong. By Jiang Jian-ye. 117 minute videotape. 24 movement form is taught along with some qi gong applications. Jiang's Tai Chi Videos.
Tai Chi Secrets of the Yang Style. Translated with commentary by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming. Translations and commentary on Chinese Classics. Boston, MA, YMAA Publications, 2001. Index, glossary, 192 pages. ISBN: 1886969094. A translation of 49 documents by Yang, Ban-Hou (1837-1892) and by a few other Yang family members. VSCL.
Tai Chi: 6 Forms, 6 Easy Lessons. By Dr. Paul Lam. VHS and DVD. Wellspring Media, 1995, 1998. ASIN: 1885538715. An earlier version of Tai Chi: The 24 Forms.
Tai Chi: The 24 Forms. By Dr. Paul Lam. A 120 minute videotape that teaches the Simplified 24 Form, Beijing 1956 version, Yang style T'ai Chi Ch'uan. This excellent instructional videotape/DVD includes warm up exercises, 6 qigong exercises, 7 movement drills, and extensive and clear step by step instructions and numerous multi-angle demonstrations of the 24 postures in this popular short form. Dr. Lam, a family physician in Australia, has won gold medals in international Taiji competitions, and has published many good books, newsletters, articles, and produced many fine Taiji instructional videotapes. VHS videotape (ISBN:1583500197) and DVD version (ISBN: 1583501088). $30.00. Produced by WellSpring Media, 1999.
Tai Chi Secrets of the Yang Style. Translated with commentary by Yang Jwing-ming. Translations and commentary on Chinese Classics. Boston, MA, YMAA Publications, 2001. Index, glossary, 192 pages. ISBN: 1886969094. A translation of 49 documents by Yang, Ban-Hou (1837-1892) and by a
few other Yang family members. VSCL.
Tai Chi Theory and Martial Power: Advanced Yang Style Tai Chi. By Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming. Jamaica Plain, Mass., YMAA Publication Center, 1996. Second Edition. Glossary, index, 268 pages. ISBN: 1886969434. VSCL.
Tai Chi: Yang Family Basic 24 Forms. By Li Huilin. Beijing, China, Da Lian Audio and Visual Publishing House, 2005. ISRC CN-D03-05-0061-0/V-J7. Book and DVD.
Taijiquan, Classical Yang Style: The Complete Form and Qigong. By Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming. Boston, MA, YMAA Publications Center, 1999. Index, glossary, 333 pages, 562 illustrations. ISBN:188696968X. There is also an instructional videotape and DVD to supplement this book. The DVD contains the complete form, gigong, details instructions for each movement, and 13 postures. Performed by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming and Robert Was. 240 Minutes, DVD9-NTSC, 2003. DVD ISBN: 0940871645. VSCL. See Also: Tai Chi Chuan Classical Yang Style: The Complete Form and Qigong 2010.
The Taijiquan Classics: An Annotated Translation. By Barbara Davis. Includes a commentary by Chen Wei-ming. San Franscisco, North Atlantic Books, 2004. Index, bibliography, notes, 200 pages. ISBN: 1556434316. VSCL.
Taiji Quan in 24 Forms. Series of Chinese Wu Shu Shows: 24 Forms In Situ Taiji Quan -Teaching Choice. Presentation and performance by Master Hu Qixian. Production by Sports Audio-visual Publication, Beijing. 1 NTSC videotape in Chinese.
Taiji 24 Form: Part 1 of 8. Instructions by Kelly MacLean. Movements 1, 2 and 3 explained with color photographs.
Taiji 24 Form Detailed instructions and scores of photographs. One of the best on-line instructional resources for the 24 Form. the 24 Form is divided into 8 sections/webpages for instructional purposes. Kelly Maclean is a full time instructor, and has taught Taiji and Wushu with Shou-Yu Liang Wushu Taiji Qigong Institute for many years. Produced by the WushuTaiji Qigong Intstitute.
24 Forms Tai Chi Chuan. Demonstration and instruction by Wu A. Ming. 2 instructional DVDs and booklet.
24 Forms Tai Chi Chuan Simplified. Instruction and demonstration by Master Jiang Jian-ye. Instructional DVD or VHS videotape, 120 minutes. "This video teaches the standardized 24-movement form based on the Yang style that has been popularized in China. Jiang demonstrates the form and then teaches it step by step. Each form is taught with multiple views and repetitions. There are reviews of segments and the form is demonstrated multiple times at the end, front and rear." Available from Wayfarer Publications Catalog.
24 Posture Tai Chi (Erishisishi Tajiquan) List of postures in English and Chinese. Includes black and white illustrations of the postures arranged in an S shaped flowing layout.
The 24 Simplified Forms of Tai Chi Chuan. By Li Deyin. Beijing, China, The Audio and Video Publishing House of Beijing TV Art Center, 2005. ISRC CN-C07-02-318-00/V.G4.
Twenty Four Forms Tai Chi Simplified-Enhanced. By Jiang Jian-ye. A 90 minute videotape that teaches the standard Yang style, Beijing version, short form of Tai Chi Chuan. Jiang's Tai Chi Videos.
The Way of Harmony By Howard Reid. A guide to self-knowledge through the Arts of Tai Chi Chuan, Hsing I, Pa Kua, and Chi Kung. London, Gaia Books Limited, 1988. Index, 191 pages. ISBN: 0671666320. Instructions and illustrations of the Short 24 Form can be found on pages 90 - 139. VSCL.
The Way of Qigong: The Art and Science of Chinese Energy Healing. By Kenneth S. Cohen. Foreword by Larry Dossey. New York Ballantine Books, 1997. Index, notes, appendices, 427 pages. ISBN: 0345421094. One of my favorite books: comprehensive, informative, practical, and scientific. VSCL.
Way of the Short Staff. By Michael P. Garofalo, M.S. A comprehensive guide to the practice of the short staff, cane, jo, walking stick, gun, zhang, whip staff, 13 Hands Staff, and related wood short staff weapons. A detailed and annotated guide, bibliography, lists of links, resources, instructional media, online videos, and lessons. Includes use of the short staff and cane in martial arts, self-defense, walking and hiking. Separate sections on Aikido Jo, Cane, Taijiquan cane and staff, Jodo, exercises with a short staff, selected quotations, techniques, selecting and purchasing a short staff, tips and suggestions, and a long section on the lore, legends, and magick of the short staff. Includes "Shifu Miao Zhang Points the Way." Published by Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Taijiquan, Red Bluff, California. Updated on a regular basis since October, 2008. Filesize: 275 Kb. Related to Mike's popular webpage on the Staff.
Yang Family Style Tai Chi Chuan Traditional Long Form, 108 Movements. By Michael P. Garofalo. 100 Kb+ Provides a list of the movements divided into five sections for teaching (.html and .doc versions available). Includes a bibliography, links, notes, and quotations. Provides a list comparing the Yang Long Form 108 to 85 postures sequence.
Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan and Its Applications. By Yang, Jwing-Ming. VHS videotape. Boston, YMAA Publications, 1995. ASIN: 0940871181. Applications for postures in the 24, 48 and 108 forms.
Yang Tai Chi 24 Form Self Defense By Sifu Ken Gullette. Internal Fighting Arts, 2013. 199 pages. E-book Kindle Format. "This book contains 259 photos and 108 self-defense techniques for the most popular Tai Chi form in the world -- the Simplified Yang Tai Chi 24 Form. It is practiced by millions of people each day. Most of these people know the meditative aspects of Tai Chi as taught for health and mental balance. This ebook will take you deeper into the art by showing you how each movement is performed for self-defense. Sifu Ken Gullette won a National Championship with the Yang 24 Form at the 1990 AAU Kung Fu National Championships. He practiced and taught the form for many years and was not only fascinated by the physical and mental benefits of Tai Chi, but he was also fascinated at the way self-defense techniques were hidden in the movements. Tai Chi was designed to be a powerful martial art. The founder of Yang Tai Chi, Yang Luchan, learned the art from the Chen family in the Chen Village, Henan Province, China. He left to go to Beijing, where he developed his style of Tai Chi -- Yang style -- and became teacher to the Imperial family. Ken has also learned from members of the Chen family and their American students. Over time, especially as Tai Chi became more popular with the elderly, and as it was introduced to America, the self-defense aspects were virtually lost. In this book, Ken shows you that there are no transitions in Tai Chi. Every movement, no matter where your hands are, is a self-defense move. You'll learn deflections, blocks, hand strikes, kicks, joint locks (qinna), sweeps and takedowns, all inside the movements of the Yang 24 form. Tai Chi is performed slowly for health, and to develop the body mechanics needed for relaxed power. For self-defense, you develop the ability to perform the movements with bursts of power that make it a fantastic art for self-defense. This book will unlock the meaning behind the movements." VSCL.
Standard Simplified National T'ai Chi Ch'uan 24 Form, Yang Style
I prepared this list many years ago, and some of the links might no longer be active. UTube has expanded greatly over the past few years. There may now, in 2015, be many more good examples of performances or instructions about the 24 Taijiquan Form online on UTube and elsewhere.
I welcome your suggestions on how to improve these translations into other languages for the names of the movements. Have others produced lists of the 24 Taijiquan Form movements in other languages? Send your contributions and suggestions to my email box. Thanks to Stephane Gervais from France, who on 6/8/09 sent me the improved translations into French.
[Zhang Fuxing 1996] Handbook of T'ai Chi Ch'uan Exercises. By Zhang, Fuxing. York Beach, Maine, Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1996. Index, 198 pages. ISBN: 0877288917.
[Foen Tjoeng Lie 1988] Tai Chi Chuan: The Chinese Way. By Foen Tjoeng Lie. New York, Sterling Publishing Co., 1988. 126 pages, black and white illustrations, index. ISBN: 0806968265.
[Metzger & Zhou 1996] T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong: Techniques and Training. By Wolfgang Metzger, Peifang Zhou, and Manfred Grosser. New York, Sterling Publishing Company, 1996. Index, 144 pages. ISBN: 0806959576.
[Chong 1981] Illustrations of Tai Chi Chuan Simplified. By Y. W. Chong. In English and Chinese. Hong Kong, Wan Li Book Co., Ltd., 1981. 96 pages, black and white illustrations.
[Garofalo 2008] Standard Simplified Taijiquan 24 Form. By Michael P. Garofalo. April, 2008. Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Taijiquan, Red Bluff, California.
I welcome your comments and suggestions for improving the descriptions and instructions for each of the 24 Form movements. In particular, I would like to have more color photographs of women and children doing the movements. Send your suggestions and contributions to my email box.
Sections of the Standard Simplified 24 Form Yang Taijiquan
First Section of Standard Simplified 24 Form Tai Chi (Yang Style)
Movements 1 - 5
Before you begin your Taijiquan form practice, be sure to do some walking and/or progressive warm up exercises. There are many sets of exercises that can be used to warm up that have been developed in Qigong practices. Yang style Taijiquan players use many different Qigong sets for warming up the body before they begin Taijiquan form practice. I often use an exercise set like the Eight Section Brocade, Five Animal Frolics, Wild Goose, Nine Temple, Bagua Walking, gentle Hsing Yi drills, Sun Salutations, or a brisk walk as part of my warm up exercises. Be creative and playful in selecting your warm up practices.
Variations of names for this movement include: WuJi, Standing Quietly, Reconnecting with Oneness and Emptiness, Quiet Standing Mediation
Beginning, Commencement, Starting Posture, Commencing (Qishi), Taijiquan Opening Movement, and 预 备 : Yu Bei : Preparation Form.
Face N 12 (1a) . For an explanation of the directional scheme used in Cloud Hands webpages, please see below.
Stand at attention for awhile in 1a. Bring more awareness to the feet and legs, sink, ground yourself, melt with gravity. In Taiji and Qigong, standing quietly in a meditative posture like 1a for awhile is an important phase. Take your time, don't rush. Loosen up and relax (Sung). Shoulders are down, hands relaxed and gently touching the side of leg, and head is erect. This is the phase of WuJi(empty state), or standing like a tree (Zhan Zhuang), or post standing, in central equilibrium, reconnecting with oneness and emptiness. Breathe easily and comfortably. Meditate as is in 1a. [Your Tai Chi practice could also end here, and you do only Wuji Qigong for an hour ... not my favorite.]
Sink weight into right leg, and then step out to the left to shoulder width (1b).
Gently raise both arms up (1c), palms facing down, to about shoulder height (1d).
Lower both arms, palms down, to Dan Tien height, while bending at the hips and lowering the knees (1e).
The lower Dan Tien is a sphere of energy located a few inches behind and below the level of the navel or belly button; the middle Dan Tien is located in the heart area, and the upper Dan Tien is located behind the eyes in the brain. The most important for Taijiquan is the lower Dan Tien. Practitioners of Kundalini Yoga might consider correspondences of the 3rd Chakra (Manipurna) [Power, Will] with the Lower Dan Tien, the 4th Chakra (Anahata) [Compassion, Love] with the Middle Dan Tien, and the 6th Chakra (Aina) [Intuition, Vision, 6th Sense] with the Upper Dan Tien. The Chinese energetic system is quite different from the Indian energetic system, so correspondences are weak in this case. [Chris Akley wrote on 4/3/2012 that "Though I wouldn't say that this is wrong, I think there is a more accurate way to describe it. You could also say that the Dan Tien is in the second charka Swadhisthana which is where kundalini resides once it is awakened. But more accurately, I would say it is between the second and third chakra as this Qigong healer says, in between the energies of fire and water.] Despite my being sometimes confused by esoteric ancient anatomy and physiology, I do include some of it anyway for reference purposes. Chinese meridian anatomy is impressive.
This is movement often called "Raising Hands and Lowering Hands."
Breathe normally as you stand, relax, and center in position 1a. Breathe in through nose, and out through the nose. Slow the respiration rate to inhaling for 4-5 seconds, holding the full in-breath for 1-2 seconds, exhaling slowly for 4 to 5 seconds, pausing 1-2 seconds before beginning the yin/yang cycle of breathing again. Breathe in at 1a, breathe out as you step to 1b.
Breathe in as arms float up 1b-1c, and breathe out as arms float down (1d-1e).
1d. Opening Posture of Taijiquan, Raise Hands and Lower Hands
Here is a description of the beginning of the Opening Posture of Taijiquan (#1, 1b) from the book Traditional Chen Style Taijiquan by Fan Chun-Lei and A. Frank Shiery, p.37:
"1. Preliminary Stance: Stand naturally upright with the feet placed shoulder-width apart, toes pointed slightly inward, and arms hanging naturally at the side. The body should be kept upright with the shoulders relaxed, eyes slightly closed and breathing naturally. The body should face north. The mind should remain empty, calm and clear. This is the state of WuJi, (Negative Terminus in Taoist Teaching).
2. Commencing Form: The body should exhibit being relaxed externally while solid within. The head is held naturally erect as if pulled upward by an invisible string. Close the lips slightly with the tongue touching the upper palate. The toes firmly grasp the ground with Yongquan point pulled upward. The eyes are looking straight ahead with the chin drawn slightly inward. The hip is turned up and the coccyx turned back and upward with the waist directed downwards. The whole body should remain relaxed. A mind state of intent is maintained while the vital energy flows upward from the Dantian to the Baihui point, while the turbid energy flows downward from the Dantian to the Yongquan point. During this time, the body exhibits no external movement. Yin/Yang, for example, closing/opening, supple-firm and fast-slow are manifested internally, portraying the image of the Taiji, (Grand Terminus) (1b).
Key Points to Remember: For the beginner, the primary concern should be to cleanse the mind and spirit of tension and anxiety, removing all negative thoughts. This develops even-temperedness and an alert mind for quick movement and response. Once this technique has been mastered, the practitioner can begin to understand and practice Taijiquan more effectively."
I enjoy doing raising and lowering hands, being coordinated, keeping yin and yang in balance, rising up and lowering down, floating up and sinking down, breathing in on up and breathing out on down. Energized leg, controlling waist, rotating, energy up the back out the shoulders and out to the hands. Simple and symbolic.
Some people do a Tai Chi salute: 1a, step forward, right fist covered by left palm, bow, return to 1a, 1b ... A Tai Chi mudra. I think the Tai Chi Salute is very cool, but I never do it while practicing alone. Most Taijiquan practice is done while you are alone.
Relaxation (Sung, Song, Fan Song) is essential to the successful, beneficial, and full body-mind experience of openness, effortlessness, and beauty of any style of Taijiquan.
Standing Meditation: Lessons, Bibliography, Quotations, Resources. Research by Mike Garofalo.
"Up and Down Hands": The Alpha and Omega of Taijiquan Practice. By Gerald A. Sharp. Qi: The Journal of Traditional Eastern Health and Fitness, Volume 25, No. 1, Spring, 2015, pp. 18-24.
Variations of names for this movement include: Parting the Wild Horse's Mane, Wild Horse Waves His Mane, and 野马分鬃 : Ye Ma Fen Zong : Parting the Wild Horse's Mane.
The general direction of movement is in a straight line from E3 towards W9 in Movement #2. Part the Wild Mustang's Mane Three Times: 1. To the left side (2e), 2. To the right side (2j), and 3. To the left side (2o). Please study the recommended online videos to see how the series of postures in this particular movement are performed.
When performing the short form, players should: move slowly, move continuously, keep the movements rounded, move without great effort, relax, keep the head up, let the mind direct the movements, don't bounce, and maintain an upright posture. Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth, breathe deeply and regularly, breathe in when pulling back or reaching up, and breathe out when going forward or reaching down. All the basic principles found in the T'ai Chi Ch'uan Classics should be followed when doing the Beijing simplified Taijiquan form.
"Yin is passive, yielding, earthy and supportive; whereas Yang is expansive, active, upward, and outward. When your weight is all on one leg, that leg is Yin (supportive, earthy, inactive, yielding), and the stepping leg is Yang (active, upward, outward, expansive)."
- Robert Chuckrow, Tai Chi Dynamics, p.40
Gently rise up to normal height (2a). Circle right arm counter-clockwise up to chest height, with the palm facing down. Draw left arm to waist, with the palm facing up (2a). Imagine holding a ball between the two hands. Turn the waist to NE1 (2b). Draw the left foot to the side of the right foot (2b). Hold Tai Chi "energy ball" with right hand, palm down, at chest height; and left hand below, palm up, at Dan Tien height (2b). Relax and gently inhale.
"Part Wild Horse's Mane to the Left" by stepping diagonally with the left leg (2d), bring left hand out, palm up, to about chest height (2e). Exhale as the left arm extends. Left elbow is slightly bent. Right hand moves down to right hip (2e), with the right palm down. End with chest facing W9, left hand to SW7. Left bow stance with 60% of weight in forward left leg (2e), left knee bent; and, 40% of weight in rear right leg, with leg bend. Head upright. Shoulders down.
"Part Wild Horse's Mane to the Right" by first drawing the weight back into the right leg, pivot on left heel (2f), drawing the left hand back as the torso turns to face SW7 (2g). Step forward with the right foot to side of left foot (2g). Step out the right leg to the diagonal (2i). Exhale as the right arm extends (2i). Right elbow is slightly bent. Left hand moves down to left hip (2j), with the left palm down. End with chest facing W9, left hand to NW11. Right bow stance with 60% of weight in forward right leg (2j), right knee bent; and, 40% of weight in rear left leg, with leg bend. Head upright. Shoulders down.
"Part Wild Horse's Mane to the Left" by first drawing the weight back into the left leg, pivot on left heel (2k), drawing the right hand back as the torso turns to face SW7 (2k). Step forward with the left foot to side of right foot (2l). Step out the left leg to the diagonal (2m). Exhale as the left arm extends (2n). Left elbow is slightly bent. Right hand moves down to right hip (2o), with the right palm down. End with chest facing W9, right hand to SW7(2o). Left bow stance with 60% of weight in forward left leg (2o), left knee bent; and, 40% of weight in rear right leg, with right leg bend (2o). Head upright. Shoulders down. Look towards W9.
Variations of names for this movement include: White Stork Spreading Its Wings, White Crane Lifts Its Wings, White Stork Cools Its Wings;
白鵝亮翅 : Bai E Liang Chi.
The general direction of movement is in a straight line from E3 towards W9 in Movement #3.
2o = 3a. From 3a draw the right foot forward a half step (3b). The right hand moves upward (3b) as the left hand moves downward (3b). Draw the left foot backward (3c) as the right hand moves up and left hand moves down (3c). Finish (3d) with the right hand above the head and palm forward, in a left toe stance with 90% of the body weight in the back right leg, and the left hand rests along left leg with palm down. End with chest facing W9. Face to W9. Relax and exhale as the weight settles down in the back right leg.
Notice how the body turns at the waist slightly to left SW7 (3b) and then to the right NW11 (3c) before it settles to face W9. This represents the subtle internal rotation of the Dan Tien, a "silk reeling" movement, more pronounced in the Chen Style of Taijiquan than in Yang Style Taijiquan, but still present in all styles of Taijiquan. Many movements in the 24 Form include this turning of the waist from side to side, and rotation of the Dan Tien.
Variations of names for this movement include: Twist Step, Brush Knee, Palm Strike; Brushing Your Knees and Stepping; Brush Knee and Twist Step; and 左搂膝拗步 : Lou Xi Ao Bu : Brush Knee and Twist Step.
The general direction of movement is in a straight line from E3 towards W9 in Movement #4. Please study the recommended online videos to see how the series of postures in this particular movement are performed.
3d = 4a. Brush left knee and right palm strike (4a-4h). Left Knee and palm Twist Step (4b), turn body clockwise (4c-43), Brush Left Knee (4f), Right Palm Forward Strike (4h). End with chest and face facing W9, look to W9 (4h). 4h = 4i.
Brush right knee and left palm strike (4i-4o). Twist Step (4j), turn body counter-clockwise (4k-4l), Brush Right Knee (4m), Left Palm Forward Strike(4o). End with chest and face facing W9, look to W9 (4o). 4o = 4p.
Twist Step, Brush Left Knee, Right Palm Forward Strike. End with chest facing W9.
Relaxation (Sung, Song, Fan Song) is essential to the successful, beneficial, and full body-mind experience of openness, effortlessness, and beauty of any style of Taijiquan.
Variations of names for this movement include: Play the Guitar, Strumming the Lute, Hand-hold the Lute, Playing the Pipa, and 手挥琵琶 : Shou Hui Pi Pa : Hand Strums the Lute.
The general direction of movement is in a straight line from E3 towards W9 in Movement #5.
4u = 5a. End with chest facing W9, and look to W9.
Here is a description of Playing the Lute "Hand-hold the Lute" (#5, 5a-5d) from the book 'Tai Chi for Health: The 24 Simplified Forms" by Cheng Zhao and Don Zhao, p.88:
"Form 5 resembles a person playing a lute, a common music instrument in old China's time. It is more accurate to describe it as hands holding the lute, which is also a literal translation from its counterpart in Chinese.
1. Shift the body weight onto the left leg (5a). Life the right foot and move it a half step forward, placing it behind the left foot (5b).
2. Lightly shift the body center back to sit on the right leg (5c). Extend the left heel a little forward touching the floor in an empty stance (5c-5d). At the same time, rotate the waist slightly to the right (5b-5c), lift the left arm and hand upward to the nose level (5b-5c), lower the right hand to guard the inside of the left elbow (5d)."
- Dr. Cheng Zhao
5d. Playing the Lute
Second Section of Standard Simplified 24 Form Taijiquan (Yang Style)
Variations of names for this movement include: Fending Off the Monkey; Step Back to Drive the Monkey Away; Repulse Monkey and Step Back;
Step Back and Swirl Your Arms; Reverse Reeling Forearm (Daojuan Gong), Step Back and Drive Monkey Away, Repulse Monkey, 倒撵猴 : Dao Nian Hou.
The Direction of Movement is reversed. Move backward in a straight line from W9 in the direction of E3. Please study the recommended online videos to see how the series of postures in this particular movement are performed.
6a = 5d. Right leg and right twisting (reverse reeling forearm) arm back, left arm forward, step back with left leg (6d), exchange arms and move right palm forward (6d-6e).
Left leg and leg twisting arm back, right arm forward, step back with right leg (6g), exchange arms and move left palm forward (6g-6h). 6h = 6i.
Right leg and right twisting arm back, left arm forward, step back with left leg (6k), exchange arms and move right palm forward (6k-6l).
Left leg and leg twisting arm back, right arm forward, step back with right leg (6n), exchange arms and move left palm forward (6n-6o).
Here is a detailed description of how to perform Repulse Monkey (#6, 6a-60) taken from the very useful narrative document by David Hann:
"Repulse Monkey (1): Turn your right hand palm up and let it drop so that your arm moves in an arc (6a-6b). Continue bringing your right arm back until your hand is level with your right shoulder (6c). Turn your left hand palm up and flat, parallel with the earth (6c). Notice that your torso is facing (6c) to the side (N12) (the same direction as you face when you first begin, Raising the Chi (1a). Step back with the left foot (6d-6e), taking care to maintain your stance about a two fist width from your right foot, or about shoulder width. Now turn your torso to the left, bringing your right arm forward in a palm strike and your left arm backward as if grabbing an opponent's arm and pulling (6d-63). Your right palm will now be the most advanced hand (6e).
Repulse Monkey (2): Turn your left hand palm up and let it drop so that your arm moves in an arc (6e-6f). Continue bringing your left arm back until your hand is level with your left shoulder (6g). Turn your right hand palm up and flat, parallel with the earth (6f). Notice that your torso is facing to the opposite side (S6). Step back with the right foot, taking care to maintain your stance about a two fist width from your left foot, or about shoulder width (6g-6h). Now turn your torso to the right, bringing your left arm forward in a palm strike and your right arm backward as if grabbing an opponent's arm and pulling (6h). Your left palm will now be the most advanced hand (6h).
Repulse Monkey (3): Turn your right hand palm up and let it drop so that your arm moves in an arc (6i). Continue bringing your right arm back until your hand is level with your right shoulder (6j). Turn your left hand palm up and flat, parallel with the earth (6j). Notice that your torso is facing (N12) to the side (the same direction as you face when you first begin, Raising the Chi. Step back with the left foot, taking care to maintain your stance about a two fist width from your right foot, or about shoulder width (6k-6l). Now turn your torso to the left, bringing your right arm forward in a palm strike and your left arm backward as if grabbing an opponent's arm and pulling (6l). Your right palm will now be the most advanced hand (6l).
Repulse Monkey (4): Turn your left hand palm up and let it drop so that your arm moves in an arc (6l-6m). Continue bringing your left arm back until your hand is level with your left shoulder (6m). Turn your right hand palm up and flat, parallel with the earth(6m). Notice that your torso is facing to the opposite side (S6). Step back with the left foot, taking care to maintain your stance about a two fist width from your right foot, or about shoulder width (6n-6o). Now turn your torso to the right, bringing your left arm forward in a palm strike and your right arm backward as if grabbing an opponent's arm and pulling (6n-6o). Your left palm will now be the most advanced hand (6o)."
Variations of names for this movement include: Grasp the Sparrow's Tail, Grasping the Peacock's Tail, Grasp the Bird's Tail, Four Gates, Grasp the Sparrow's Tail to the Left Side, Hold the Peacock's Tail, 拦雀尾左 : Lan Que Wei Zou : Grasp the Bird's Tail Left.
"Grasping the Bird's Tail" is the most frequently occurring movement in the Yang Style Long 108 Form. This movement consists of four parts: Ward Off, Roll Back, Press and Push.
The general direction of movement is in a straight line from E3 towards W9 in Movement #7. Please study the recommended online videos to see how the series of postures in this particular movement are performed.
7a = 6o. Generally, one is moving in the direction of W9, to your left side, in Movement 7.
Here is a detailed description of how to perform Grasping the Bird's Tail, Left Mode (#7, 7a-7m) taken from the book "Illustrations of Tai Chi Chuan Simplified" by Y. W. Chong, pp. 27-31:
"1. Raise the left hand arch-wise to the right (7a-7b) and stop it before the right side of the waist (7c). At the same time bend the right hand horizontally before the chest as if grasping a ball with both hands (7c). Concurrently draw the left foot back and put it close to the right one (7b-7c), with the left toes touching the ground (7c).
2. Lift the left hand outward in a bent manner to the left as if to ward off a blow (7c-7e) and bow it horizontally at the level of the shoulders (7e). At the same time swing the right hand downward to the right (7d-7e) and put it beside the right thigh (7e). At the same time stretch the left foot out and bow it forward (7d-7e). The eyes are looking at the left forearm (7e). [Ward Off Left (Peng Zuo) I]
3. Stretch the left hand forward, turning its palm downward (7f). Concurrently turn the right palm upward and stretch it forward until it comes below the left wrist (7f). Then pull the two hands downward past the abdomen and swing them up backward to the right until the right hand comes to the height of the shoulders with its palm upward (7f-7g) and the left hand comes before the chest with its palm facing inward and the elbow bend horizontally (7g). At the same time shift the centre of gravity to the right foot (7g). The eyes are looking at the right hand (7g). [Roll Back (Lu) II]
4. Draw the right hand back and put it at the inside of the left wrist (7g). Push both hands forward with the left palm inward and the right one outward (7h-7i). At the same time bow the left leg forward (7h-7i). The eyes are looking at the left wrist (7i). [Press (Ji) III]
5. Separate both hands at the distance of the breadth across the shoulders with both palms facing downward (7j-7k). Then lower the upper body slightly backwards (7k), shifting the centre of gravity to the right foot (7k). At the same time draw both hands back to the two sides of the waist with both palms facing forward slightly to the ground (7k-7l). The eyes are looking forward horizontally (7l).
6. Push both hands forward and upward (7l-7m). At the same time bow the left leg forward (7m). The eyes are looking forward. [Push (An) IV]"
- Y. W. Chong
I. Ward Off Left (Peng Zuo) (7b-7e) Inhale 7b-7c, and exhale 7d-7e. Turn torso to the left towards W9 (7e).
II. Roll Back (Lu) (7f-7g) Inhale 7e-7g. Turn torso to right towards N12 (7g). The hand movements for Roll Back are not shown clearly in the the above illustrations (7f-7g). Look at right hand in the direction of NE2.
III. Press (Ji) (7h-7i) Inhale 7g-7h, and exhale 7h-7i. Torso facing W9 (7i). Turn torso to the left towards W9 (7i). The right palm presses against the left forearm. The left palm faces the body.
IV. Push (An) (7j-7m) Face W9. Push both hands, palms forward, towards W9 (7m). Inhale 7j-7l, and exhale 7l-7m. Torso faces W9 (7m).
7e. Ward Off, Peng, Peng Jin, in Grasping the Sparrow's Tail, Left Side
7i. Press, Ji,Ji Jin, in Grasping the Sparrow's Tail, Left Side
7m. Push, An, An Jin, in Grasping the Sparrow's Tail, Left Side
Variations of names for this movement include: Grasp the Sparrow's Tail, Grasp the Bird's Tail, Four Gates, Grasp the Sparrow's Tail to the Right Side, Hold the Peacock's Tail, 拦雀尾右: Lan Que Wei You : Grasp the Bird's Tail Right.
The general direction of movement is in a straight line from W9 towards E3 in Movement #8. Please study the recommended online videos to see how the series of postures in this particular movement are performed.
"Grasping the Bird's Tail" is the most frequently occurring movement in the Yang Style Long 108 Form. This movement consists of four parts: Ward Off, Roll Back, Press and Push.
8a = 7m. Generally, one is moving in the direction of E3, to your right side, in Movement 8.
Here is a detailed description of how to perform Grasping the Sparrow's Tail - Right (#8, 8a-8o) taken from the book "Tai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong: Techniques and Training" by Wolfgang Metzger and Peifang Zhou, pp. 106-109:
"Assume starting position (8a = 7m): Arch steps to the left. Left foot load about 70 percent; right foot about 30 percent (8a). Shift weight to the right foot; left foot rotates on the heel by 90° to 120° to the inside (8b). At the same time - with gently held, slightly rounded arms - the hands move with the upper body to the right (8b). Slowly bend arms, with right hand moving in an upward arc (8b-8c), and assume the ball-holding position in front of the right side of the body (8c-8d). While in the ball-holding position, the right foot is pulled towards the left without the toes touching the ground (8d).
1. Peng Movement: With an arched step to the right, pull the left hand as in Form 2 ("Parting Horse's Mane") in an arc down to hip level (8e-8f), while the right forearm - different from Form 2 - moves at a left angle in an arc forward and up (8e-8f) until level with the chest (8f), harmoniously coordinating it with the rotation of the body (8d-8f) and the shifting of the weight (8e-8f). Position (8f) is the starting point for the second part of this form. [Ward Off Right (Peng You) I]
2. Lu Movement: This starts with a slight rotation of the body to the right SE4 (8g), not shown in the illustration. While the body rotates to the right, hands are rotating to face each other, the right hand moving towards the right. Both hands - while shifting the weight to the left leg (8f-8g) and rotating the body to NW11 - move in an arc down to the right hip level (8g). [Roll Back (Lu) II]
3. Ji Movement: Preceded by a small reaching back movement (8h), move the left hand towards the left; both hands cross at the wrists and are pushed forward and out (8i-8k). When pushing forward, shift the weight again to the right leg (8k). [Press (Ji) III]
4. An Movement: at the conclusion of the Ji movement (8k), turn the hands so that they are crossed (8l) with the palms facing down, right hand below the left (8l). As the weight is shifted to the back left leg (8m-8n) - the toes of the right foot raised slightly off the ground (8n) - the crossed hands separate again and are pulled towards the body by the elbows (8m-8n). They are then - with a slight shift of of the body's weight (8n-8o) - pushed forward (8n-8o). Do not straighten your arms out in the end position (8o). [Push (An) IV]."
- Wolfgang Metzger and Peifang Zhou
I. Ward Off Right (Peng You) (8a-8f) Inhale 8c-8d, and exhale 8e-8f. Turn torso to the right towards E3 (8c-8e).
II. Roll Back (Lu) (8f-8h) Inhale 8g-8h. Turn torso to right towards N12 (8h). The hand movements for Roll Back are not shown clearly in the the above illustrations (8f-8h). Look at right hand in the direction of NW10.
III. Press (Ji) (8j-8k) Inhale 8h-8i, and exhale 8j-8k. Torso facing E3 (8k). Turn torso to the right towards E3 (8i-8k). The left wrist presses against the inside of the right forearm. The right palm faces the body.
IV. Push (An) (8l-8o) Push both hands, palms forward, towards E3 (8n-8o). Inhale 8m-8n, and exhale 8n-8o. Torso faces E3 (8o). Both palms face away from the body.
Relaxation (Sung, Song, Fan Song) is essential to the successful, beneficial, and full body-mind experience of openness, effortlessness, and beauty of any style of Taijiquan.
8f. Ward Off, Peng, Peng Jin, in Grasping the Sparrow's Tail, Right Side
8k. Press, Ji,Ji Jin, in Grasping the Sparrow's Tail, Right Side
8o. Push, An, An Jin, in Grasping the Sparrow's Tail, Right Side
Variations of names for this movement include: Simple Whip, Whip, Holding the Whip in One Hand, Holding a Single Whip, 单鞭 : Dan Bian.
The general direction of movement is in a straight line from E3 towards W9 in Movement #9.
From the Push phase (9a) at the end of the Grasping the Sparrow's Tail movement (9a = 8o), begin to rotate the arms from the left side to the right side. The arms draw across the body at about chest height (9a-9c). After the arms reach the left side (9c), then they rotate back to the right side (9c-9d). The waist faces N12 (9c). As the right arm gets to the right side (9d) then the hand extends in the direction of NE1 (9e) and the hand is shaped into a beak style (thumb touches the other fingers and all fingers point down) (9e). The left arm is drawn up to the face level, with the palm facing the face (9e). As the right hand forms into beak, the left leg steps to the right, bringing the left foot fairly close to the right foot (9d-9e), and the left toe touching the ground (9e). As the left leg lifts and is placed to face W9, the left hand opens out towards W9 (9e-9f). As the body settles into a left bow stance (9g), the left hand pushes forward, palm facing out. We end in Single Whip (9g) with the waist facing NW11, in a left bow stance, pushing with the left palm in the direction of W9, with the right arm lifted and pointing towards NE1, beaked right hand, and looking towards W9 (9g). Inhale 9d-9e, and exhale 9f-9g.
Variations of names for this movement include: Moving Hands Like Clouds, Waving Hands Like Clouds, Cloud Built Hands, Wave Hands in Clouds, Cloud Hands 云手 : Yun Shou.
The whole Cloud Hands (Yun Shou) movement flow is from the left to the right, from E3 towards W9.
Cloud Hands is a gentle flowing movement that is rather complicated to describe. Please study the recommended online videos to see how the series of postures in this particular movement are performed.
From the Single Whip position (10a = 9g) begin to turn the torso to the right side (10a-10e) until the front of the body is facing N12 (10c). At the same time as the torso turns toward the right side, the right hand remains outstretched (10b-10c). The left hand moves downward and then upwards toward the right side (10b-10c) until it reaches the level of the head (10d). The weight moves into the bent right leg (10c). The head turns and looks towards the right side E3 (10d).
The left hand, palm facing the body, remaining at about face level, moves across the body towards the left side (10d-10f). The right hand, at about waist level, palm facing the body, moves across the body towards the left side at the same time as the left hand moves (10e-10f). The waist turns to move the arms more than the shoulders move the arms (10e-10f). Turn the waist and move the arms until you reach the left side and are looking towards W9 (10f).
Step with the right leg and move it closer to the left leg as the arms move to the far left position W9 (10e-10f). Switch the position of the arms by moving the right arm to about face level (10e-10f), and the left arm down towards the waist level (10f). This completes the first part of the Cloud Hands movement by moving from the far left (10a) to the far right (10c) and then from the far right (10c) to the far left (10f) in a gentle flowing manner (10b-10f), moving the hands like floating clouds.
From the far left position (10f) with the right hand high (10f) and the left hand low at waist level (10g), with both palms facing the body, move both arms to the right across the body (10g-10h). The waist turns to move the arms more than the shoulders move the arms (10f-10h). Turn the waist and move the arms until you reach the far right side and are looking towards E3 (10h). When you reach the far right, exchange the arms by bringing the left arm up to about face level (10i) and the right arm down to about waist level (10i-10j), and at the same time step the left leg to the left W9 (10h-10i). Now begin to move the left arm across the body to the left side at about face height, palm facing the body (10i-10k), at the same time as the right arm drops down to about waist level (10i-10j) and moves across the body, palm facing inward, to the far left side (10j-10k). When the left hand reaches the far left side (10j), lift and step with the right leg towards the left leg (10j-10k). This completes the second part of the Cloud Hands movement by moving from the far left (10f) to the far right (10i) and then back to the far left (10k) in a gentle flowing manner, moving hands like floating clouds.
From the far left position (10k) with the right hand high (10k) and the left hand low at waist level (10l), with both palms facing the body, move both arms to the right across the body (10k-10n). The waist turns to move the arms more than the shoulders move the arms (10k-10n). Turn the waist and move the arms until you reach the far right side and are looking towards E3 (10m). When you reach the far right, exchange the arms by bringing the left arm up to about face level (10n) and the right arm down to about waist level (10m-10n), and at the same time step the left leg to the left W9 (10m-10n). Now begin to move the left arm across the body to the left at about face height, palm facing the body (10n-10p), at the same time as the right arm drops down to about waist level (10m-10n) and moves across the body, palm facing inward, to the far left side (10n-10p). When the left hand reaches the far left side (10p), lift and step with the right leg towards the left leg (10o-10p). This completes the third part of the Cloud Hands movement by moving from the far left (10k) to the far right (10m) and then back to the far left (10p) in a gentle flowing manner, moving hands like floating clouds.
Variations of names for this movement include: Simple Whip, Whip, Single Whip, Holding the Whip in One Hand, 单鞭 : Dan Bian.
From the last posture of Cloud Hands (10p = 11a), step forward with the right foot a small step (11b). Begin to rotate the arms from the left side to the right side. The arms draw across the body at about chest height (11a-11c). After the arms reach the left side (9c), then they rotate back to the right side (11c-11e). The waist faces N12 (11c). As the right arm gets to the right side (11d) then the hand extends in the direction of NE1 (11d) and the hand is shaped into a beak style (thumb touches the other fingers and all fingers point down) (11e). The left arm is drawn up to the face level, with the palm facing the face (11d). As the right hand forms into beak, the left leg steps to the right, bringing the left foot fairly close to the right foot (11c-11d), and the left toe touching the ground (11d). As the left leg lifts and is placed to face W9, the left hand opens out towards W9 (11d-11e). As the body settles into a left bow stance (11f), the left hand pushes forward, palm facing out (11e-11f). We end in Single Whip (11f) with the waist facing NW11, in a left bow stance, pushing with the left palm in the direction of W9, with the right arm lifted and pointing towards NE1, beaked right hand, and looking towards W9 (11f). Inhale from 11b-11d and exhale from 11e-11f.
Variations of names for this movement include: High Pat on Horse, Patting the Horse's Neck While Riding, Stroke the Horse From Above, Asking for Directions While Riding a Horse, Pat the Horse's Back, Pat the Horse on the Back, 高探马 : Gao Tan Ma : High Pat on Horse.
From Single Whip (12a), draw the right foot forward a half-step (12b). The right hand changes from a beaked hand into an open hand (12b). The right arm moves forward at about face level from right to left in the direction of W9 (12b-12c), and ends with palm facing out in front of the body at face level. The torso turns to the left and ends facing W9 (12c-12d). The right hand stops at face level, with the palm facing out and away (12d). The left hand moves in a downward arc (12c-12d) to the Dan Tien level, and ends with the left palm facing up (12d). The left leg is in an empty toe stance (12d) The body is facing in the direction of W9 (12d). The final position is called High Pat on Horse (12d). Inhale at 12c and exhale at 12d.
Variations of names for this movement include: Right Heel Kick, Kicking Straight Right Mode, Kicking with the Right Heel, 右蹬脚 : You Deng Jiao: Right Heel Kick.
The general direction of movement is in a straight line from E3 towards W9 in Movement #13. Please study the recommended online videos to see how the series of postures in this particular movement are performed.
Lift left leg and step forward (13a-13b). Circle both hands outward in a circle and down (13b-13c). Step with right leg forward to bring the right foot next to the left foot (13c-13d). At the same time, circle both hands upwards and bring the right hand in front of the left hand, crossing the hands in front of the face (13d-13d). Left the right leg as both hands move away from each other towards the sides (13e), palms facing out and fingers up (13f). Turn the body slightly to the left so that instead of your waist facing W9 it faces SW7. Kick with the left heel in the direction of NW10 (13f). Inhale 13c-13d, and exhale 13e-13f.
Some persons may not be able to kick high with a straight right leg and right toe drawn back - a right heel kick (13f). Instead, substitute a toe kick, while kicking lower if necessary, or bending the knee if necessary. Don't let the inability of executing a movement perfectly, according to a standard, prevent you from practicing Taijiquan. Adapt accordingly to accommodate for injuries, balance problems, inflexibility, or weakness. Be practical and smart; and, make reasonable adjustments. Keep practicing, and you will probably see steady improvements, increased strength, and greater flexibility.
Variations of names for this movement include: Box Ears, Box Opponent's Ears with Both Fists, Strike to Ears with Both Fists, Strike to Temple with Both Fists, 双峰灌耳 : Shuang Feng Quan Er : Twin Fists Strike Opponents Ears.
The general direction of movement is in a straight line from E3 towards NW10 in Movement #14.
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From the Right Heel Kick position (14a = 13f), draw the right knee back into the body to waist level (14a-14b). Draw both hands down and bring the elbows to the sides of the body, closing the open hands into fists and holding the hands level with the knee (14b-14c). Step forward with the right leg (14c-14d) in the direction of NW11. Circle the arms outward from the body (14d), and then draw both fists towards the head level of an imaginary opponent to strike the opponent's temples with both fists (14d-14e). Settle into a right bow stance (14e). The imaginary opponent is in the direction of NW10 or NW11 (14e). Look intensely at the imaginary opponent. Inhale 14b-14d, and exhale 14d-14e.
14e. Hitting Your Opponent's Ears with Both Fists
Variations of names for this movement include: Turn Around, and Kick with Left Heel; Left Heel Kick, Turn Around and Kick with Left Heel, 左蹬脚 : Zuo Deng Jiao : Left Heel Kick.
The Direction of Movement is reversed. Move backward in a straight line from NW10 (15a) in the direction of E3 (15b-15g). Please study the recommended online videos to see how the series of postures in this particular movement are performed.
Turn 270 degrees clockwise, face to NE2. Cross and separate hands at face, heel kick with left foot. Left arm in front and right arm in back at shoulder height. Inhale 15c-15e, exhale 15f-15g.
Fourth Section of Standard 24 Form Taijiquan (Yang Style)
Movements 16 - 19
16. Snake Creeps Down Left Leg, Golden Rooster Stands on Left Leg
Variations of names for this movement include: Squat Down on Right Leg, Snake Creeps Down Left Leg: Crooked Whip to Right Side: Squat on Right, Climb Down Left; Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg, Left Down One-leg Stand, 下势 : Xia Shi : Snake Creeps Down, 左金鸡独立 : Zuo Jin Ji Du Li : Golden Rooster Stands on Left Leg.
The Direction of Movement is reversed. Move backward from in a straight line from W9 in the direction of E3 (16a-16h). Please study the recommended online videos to see how the series of postures in this particular movement are performed.
16a = 15g. Squat down and balance on right leg (16d-16e). Right arm draws back in single whip (16c), and right hand makes a beaked fist (16c). Extend left leg low to E3 (16e). Draw the left arm down along inside of left leg towards left ankle ... the snake creeps down (16d-16e). Stand up on left leg (16f-16h). Draw right leg up until level with hip (16h). Right elbow is over right knee, right had pointing up (16h). This final posture, facing E3, is called "Golden Rooster Stands on Left Leg, Golden Bird Standing Alone" (16h).
16e Snake Creeps Down Left Leg
16e Snake Creeps Down Left Leg
Golden Rooster Stands on Left Leg
16h. Golden Rooster Stands on Left Leg
17. Snake Creeps Down Right Leg, Golden Rooster Stands on Right Leg
Variations of names for this movement include: Squat Down on Left Leg, Snake Creeps Down Right Leg; Crooked Whip to the Left Side: Squat on Left, Climb Down Right; Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg, Right Down One-leg Stand, 势 : Xia Shi : Snake Creeps Down, 右金鸡独立 : You Jin Ji Du Li : Golden Rooster Stands on Right Leg.
The general direction of movement is in a straight line from W9 towards E3 (17a-17h). Please study the recommended online videos to see how the series of postures in this particular movement are performed.
17a = 16h. Squat down and balance on left leg (17d-17e). Left arm draws back in single whip, and left hand makes a beaked fist (17c). Extend right leg low to E3 (17d-17e). Draw the right arm down along inside of right leg towards ankle ... the snake creeps down (17d-17e). Stand up on right leg (17g-17h). Draw left leg up until level with hip (17g-17h). Left elbow is over left knee, left had pointing up (17h). This final posture, facing E3, is called "Golden Rooster Stands on Right Leg, Golden Bird Standing Alone" (17h).
Variations of names for this movement include: Throwing the Loom to the Left Side and Right Side, Shuttle Back and Forth, Two Corners, Work at Shuttles on Both Sides, Jade Maiden Works the Shuttles, 玉女穿梭 : Yu Nu Chuan Suo : Fair Lady Works at Shuttles.
The general direction of movement is in a straight line from W9 towards E3 (18a-18m). Please study the recommended online videos to see how the series of postures in this particular movement are performed.
18a = 17h. From "Golden Rooster on Right Leg (18a) step left foot forward and diagonally (18b-18c), draw right foot to left foot (18e), step out with right foot diagonally to right (18f-18g). Raise right arm to block out above head (18g-18h), palm facing out. Left palm strike (18h). Right leg bow stance (18h).
Bring left leg up by right leg (18h-18j), and bring arms to chest (18i). Step diagonally to the left side with left foot (18k-18l). Raise left arm to block out above head, palm facing out (18k-18m). Right palm strike (18m). Left leg bow stance (18m).
Here is a description of how to perform Fair Lady Works the Shuttles ("Works at Shuttles") (#18, 18a-18m) from the book 'Tai Chi for Health: The 24 Simplified Forms" by Cheng Zhao and Don Zhao, p.126:
"Form 18. Fair Lady Works at Shuttles (Left and Right Sides.).
(1) Step forward on your left foot; shift your body weight onto the left leg (18b-18c). Draw you right foot forward in such that the toes touch the ground beside your left foot (18c-18d). At the same time, your arms hold a large ball in front of your chest with the left hand above the right (18e). Face NE2 (18e).
(2) Rotate your waist to the right and place your right foot forward with the right heel touching the ground first (18e-18f). Then shift 70% of your body weight onto the right leg and from a right bow stance (18h). At the same time, rotate the right arm up so the hand is level with your forehead and the palm faces out (18h). Face SE4 (18h). [Inhale 18e-18f, exhale 18g-18h.]
(3) Shift your body weight back to the left leg, and rotate your waist slightly to the right (18i-18j). Shift your body weight back to the right leg, drawing your left foot up to rest beside your right foot with the toes touching the ground (18j-18k). At the same time, both arms hold a large ball in front of your chest with the right hand above the left (18k). Face SE4 (18k).
(4) Rotate your waist to the left and place your left foot forward with the left heel touching the ground first (18l-18m). Then shift 70% of the body weight onto the front leg forming a left bow stance (18m). At the same time, rotate the left arm up so the hand is level with your forehead and the palm faces out (18l-18m). Face NE2 (18m)." [Inhale 18j-18k, and exhale 18l-18m.]
- Dr. Cheng Zhao
18h Fair Lady Works the Shuttles to the Right Side
Variations of names for this movement include: Pick Up Needle from Bottom of the Sea, Needle at Bottom of the Sea, Find the Needle at the Sea Bottom, Reach for the Moon in the Lake, 海底针 : Hai Di Zhen : Needle at Sea Bottom.
The general direction of movement is in a straight line from W9 towards E3 in Movement #19.
From the last posture of "Fair Lady Works the Shuttles" (18m = 19a), begin by stepping forward a half step with the right leg (19a). The right hand moves back and up to the right (19a) until it is drawn up to around face level on the right side (19b). The left hand moves down in an arc until it comes to stop at about waist height over the left leg (19a-19b). Lift up the left leg and step forward a half step into a left toe stance (19b-19c). Settle the body weight into the right leg (19c). Reach down with the right hand, fingers pointing downward, until the right hand is below the waist. Face the body in the direction of E3 (19c). Inhale 19a-19b, exhale 19c.
19c Pick Up the Needle From the Bottom of the Sea
Fifth Section of Standard Simplified 24 Form Tai Chi (Yang Style)
Variations of names for this movement include: Flashing the Arms, Fend Off and Push Away with Arms, Unfolding Arms Like a Fan, Fan Through the Back, Flashing the Arms, Shunting with Both Hands Fanned, 扇通背 : Shan Tong Bei : Fan Through the Back.
The general direction of movement is in a straight line from E3 towards W9 in Movement #20.
From the final posture of "Pick Up the Needle from the Bottom of the Sea" (19c = 20a), begin by lifting the left leg up and then stepping forward onto the left heel (20b-20c). Lift the left hand and move it forward towards E3, fingers upward, palm facing S6 (20b-20c). The right hand moves up and back to the left, finishing above head level, palm facing S6, fingers pointing upward (20c-20d). Sink the body weight into the left leg, and take a left bow stance (20c-20d). Inhale 20a-20c, and exhale 20c-20d.
Variations of names for this movement include: Turing Around, Warding Off, Punching; Turn, Intercept and Punch; Turn Body, Shoulder Strike, Back Fist, Deflect, Parry, and Punch, Turn to Deflect Block and Strike, 进步搬拦捶 : Jin Bu Ban Lan Chui : Step Forward, Parry Block and Punch.
The general direction of movement is in a straight line from E3 towards W9 (21a-21h). Exhale on the punch (21g-21h). Please study the recommended online videos to see how the series of postures in this particular movement are performed.
21a = 20d.
Here is a detailed description of how to perform Deflect, Parry and Punch (#21, 21a-21h) taken from the very useful narrative document by David Hann:
"Turn, Intercept, and Punch: Turn to the right on your left heel so that you are facing to your rear, looking over your right shoulder (21b). Your left hand is held, palm facing out, at least a hand's width from your head. Your right hand is formed into a fist, held about chest level, with the elbow below the fist (21c). Step out with your right foot and strike out and downward with the back of your fist (21d). Step up to your right foot with your left foot, toe down, heel up (21e). Bring your right fist back to your right waist (21f). Bring your left arm across your body as if blocking an opponent's punch and bring your left hand, palm open, facing and in front of your right fist (21f). Step forward with the left foot (21g) and punch with your right fist (21g-21h), moving it over your left hand, which is now turned flat, palm up (21h)."
21e Parry, Left Leg Steps Forward (21e, 21f, 21g), Punch with Right Fist
21e, 21f, 21g Could be a time for Fa Jin power punch, like Cover Hands and Strike with Fist or Double Cannon Fists in the Chen Style Taijiquan. However, Yang Style of Taijiquan is much more reserved in its expression of speed or power.
Variations of names for this movement include: Clearing Cross Block and Pushing, As if Blocking and Closing, Appears Closed, Withdraw and Push, Closing a Door, 如封似闭 : Ru Feng Si Bi : Apparent Close Up.
The general direction of movement is in a straight line from E3 towards W9 (22a-22g).
From the end of Deflect, Parry and Punch (21h = 22a), begin by drawing the left hand under the right hand from the forearm towards the right hand (22a-22b). Both hands come together in front of the body facing W9 (22c). Draw both arms backwards towards the body (22d-22e) as the weight shifts backwards into the right leg (22d). As both hands reach the waist (22e) the weight is in the back right leg (22e) and the left toe rises (22e). Begin to move forward again in the direction of W9, drawing the weight into the left leg and taking a left bow stance (22f-22g). Both arms Push (An) forward, palms out, elbows bent, pushing in the direction of W9. The waist faces W9 (22g) and the eyes gaze towards an imaginary opponent in front of you (22g). Inhale 22c-22e, and exhale 22f-22g.
22e, 22f, and 22g could be a time for Fa Jin power Push, An Jin with a lot of muscular li power, like Cover Hands and Strike with Fist or Double Cannon Fists in the Chen Style Taijiquan. However, Yang Style Taijiquan is more reserved in the expression of speed or power. Slower, rising up from the lowered Earth 22e, pushing up and outward 22f and 22g. Power of back and front legs combined to empower and accelerate An Jin application (Push, An).
Variations of names for this movement include: Crossing Your Hands in Front of Chest, Close the Door, Cross Hands, Cross Your Hands,十字手 : Shi Zi Shou : Cross Hands.
Begin from the Push (An) position (23a = 22g. Gradually turn the front of the body to the right so as to face N12 (23a-23b). Draw the right hand in an arc out and across to the left (23b). Draw the weight into the right leg (23c). Open the arms wide to both sides (23c), palms facing forward, arms about shoulder height. Step the right foot back to shoulder width stance (23d). Draw both arms down in an arc (23d) then up to cross the hands in front of the chest, holding the right hand in front of left hand (23e). Face in the direction of N12 (23e). Inhale at 23b-23c, and exhale at 23e. At 23e reemphasize rooting into the earth, yin enery downward, strong central equilibrium (zhong ding), power poised, protecting the heart.
Variations of names for this movement include: Conclusion, Concluding Posture, Taiji Ending, Ending Posture, Closing Posture of Taijiquan, 收式 : Shou Shi : Closing.
From the final posture of the "Cross Hands" movement (23e = 24a), begin by moving both arms down and outward (24a) until they reach the waist level (23a-24b). The arms continue downward until they are fully extended downward, hands resting against the sides of the thighs (24c). Step to the right with the left leg (24c) until the left foot is immediate beside the right foot (24d). The final position is identical to posture 1a. Keep in mind all the principles discussed for the posture 1a. You have now finished a full performance of the Tai Chi 24 Form. Inhale at 24a, exhale at 24c. Inhale at 24c, exhale at 24d. The body is facing in the direction of N12, as it was in posture 1a.
Standing Meditation: Lessons, Bibliography, Quotations, Resources. Research by Mike Garofalo.
Taijiquan: Standard Simplified National 24 Taijiquan FormStandard Simplified Version, 24 Movements, 1956, Yang Style Taijiquan
"While making a stride, it is as quietly as a cat walks, and while putting forth strength the exertion is so mild that it looks like reeling off raw silk from a cocoon. The movements, like clouds floating in the sky, are spry and light, but well-balanced and steady. Motion is even and fluid, the muscles neither stiff nor rigid. Breathing should be deep and even ... the mind is tranquil but alert, with consciousness commanding the body. In practicing T'ai Chi Ch'uan it is essential that movements be guided by consciousness and that there be stillness in movement - a unity of stillness and motion."
- Official Chinese instruction manual for the 24 movement short form, quoted by Howard Reid in his book "The Way of Harmony," p. 90.
"The China National Forms developed by China's State Physical Culture and Sports Commission was a result of Chairman Mao's call for the nation to use sport to increase physical well-being. In 1956 a research team extracted 24 steps from the Yang style Taijiquan and rearranged these into the 24 Steps Simplified Taijiquan. The process took six years."
- Davidine Sim and David Gaffney, Chen Style Taijiquan, 2002, p. 27.
Thousands of People Doing the Tai Chi 24 Form
"In order to popularize Taijiquan, the Chinese National Sports Committee authorized the country's four most renowned Taijiquan teachers to compose the 24 Forms Taijiquan. It is based mainly on the Yang style, eliminating many repetitions and retaining most of the essential principles of Taijiquan. The 24 Forms is easier to learn and shorter to practice. The whole set takes around 5 minutes. A busy person in this modern age can do three rounds in 20 minutes (including warm up exercises). This will be quite adequate to improve and maintain good health. Most clinical studies of the benefits of Taijiquan are based on people practicing this set of forms. The 24 Forms very quickly became the most popular form in the world."
- Paul Lam, An Evaluation of the Combined 42 Forms, Tai Chi, Vol 18, No. 5, October, 1994, pp.26-28.
Li Tian-Ji (1914-1996) "At the request of Chou En-Lai, China's Prime Minister, Li Tian-Ji formed the committees of which he was chairman, to create the 24 Step Simpified Taijiquan, 32 Sword Routine, 66 Combined Routine, 48 Combined Routine and the 88 Yang Style Routine." Li Tian-Ji is the uncle of Professor Professor Li Deyin, one of the creators of the 42 Form Taijiquan competition routine.
“Recognition of somatic training as an essential means towards philosophical enlightenment and virtue lies at the heart of the Asian practices of hatha yoga, Zen meditation, and T’ai Chi Ch’uan. As Japanese philosopher Yuasa Yasuo insists, the concept of “personal cultivation,” or shugyō (an obvious analogue of “care of the self’), is presupposed in Eastern thought as “the philosophical foundation” because “true knowledge” cannot be obtained simply by means of theoretical thinking, but only through ‘bodily recognition or realization’ (tainin or taitoku). From its very beginnings, East-Asian philosophy has insisted on the bodily dimension of self-knowledge and self-cultivation. When the Confucian Analects advocate daily examining one’s person in the quest for self-improvement, the word translated as “person” is actually the Chinese word for body (shen 身). Arguing that care of the body is the basic task and responsibility without which we cannot successfully perform all our other tasks and duties, Mencius claims, “The functions of the body are the endowment of Heaven. But it is only a Sage who can properly manipulate them.” The classic Daoist thinkers Laozi and Zhuangzi similarly urge the special importance of somatic care: “He who loves his body more than dominion over the empire can be given the custody of the empire [Laozi, C17].” “You have only to take care and guard your own body .. and other things will of themselves grow sturdy;” the Sage is concerned with the means by which to keep the body whole and to care for life”; “being complete in body, he is complete in spirit; and to be complete in spirit is the Way of the Sage (Zhuangzi).”
- Richard Schusterman, Body Consciousness, 2008, p.18
"The 24 posture Simplified Form of Tai Chi Chuan, sometimes called the "Beijing form" for its place of origin, is the result of an effort by the Chinese Sports Committee which, in 1956, brought together four tai chi teachers to create a simplified form of tai chi as exercise for the masses. The creators truncated the Yang style hand form to 24 postures; taking between four and eight minutes to perform and to give the beginner an introduction to the essential elements of tai chi chuan, yet retain the traditional flavor of Yang style's longer hand forms (generally 88-108 postures).[1] Henceforth this form was avidly promoted by the People's Republic of China for general exercise, and was also taught to internees in Communist "re-education" camps. Due to this official promotion, the twenty-four form is most likely the tai chi form with the most practitioners in China and the world over (though no surveys have been performed)."
"At this period of wushu, the Nanking Central Kuoshu Institute in 1956 tasked the choreography of a Taijiquan routine what would be more suitable for popular dissemination among the masses, in keeping with the government's egalitarian agenda. The traditional forms were just too long and time consuming to practice, and the traditional methods too arcane and demanding for mass propagation. The challenge was to reduce the one hundred-odd movements of the traditional Yang Style Taijiquan, prevalent then, to its core, by removing the many repetitive movements as well as the less essential ones. Thus, the 24-Form Taijiquan set was created. Instrumental in this simplification effort was Li Tianji (1913-1996) who had been appointed a wushu research fellow at the Institute. Under official auspices, the 24-Form Taijiquan quickly became the standard form, taught throughout China as part of physical education curriculum in schools and colleges. It is perhaps the best know Taijiquan form in the world today. As widespread as it is, the 24-Form is at best an abridged version of the traditional Yang form, a synopsis of the art."
"Li Yulin tuvo dos hijos, Li Tianchi y Li Tianji. El primero optó por la carrera de la medicina tradicional, mezclando sabiamente los conceptos clave de la medicina, el Tuina (terapia manual) y las bases de las artes marciales y el Qigong. El segundo ha llegado a ser conocido como "el Padre del Taijiquan moderno", por su incansable labor en pro de la difusión del Taiji y por haber participado en la confección de algunas formas famosas en todo el mundo, como el Taijiquan simplificado en 24 movimientos (Jianhua Taijiquan).
Li Tianji (1914-1996) nació en el condado Anxin, provincia de Hebei, y comenzó su aprendizaje de Wushu bajo la tutela de su padre, Li Yulin, a la edad de siete años. Luego pasó a ser discípulo de Sun Lutang (1861-1933), y de Li Jinglin, con quien estudió Wudang Jian. Graduado como profesor de Wushu de la Academia Central a los diecisiete años, Li estaba convencido de la utilidad del Taijiquan como herramienta para el mantenimiento de la salud y la forma física. Fue así como llegó a ser el primer profesor que fomentó la práctica del Taiji entre la gente mayor y enfermos, logrando resultados altamente satisfactorios. Cuando el Taijiquan fue rehabilitado en la década de los cincuenta, el gobierno chino estableció una Comisión Estatal de Cultura Física y Deportes, y Li Tianji fue escogido como su director. Fue así como a mediados de los cincuenta aparecieron los textos de la forma simplificada en 24 movimientos de Taijiquan, la forma de 66 movimientos, la forma de espada simplificada en 32 movimientos y la forma de 88 movimientos, todas ellas dictadas por el grupo de maestros tradicionales dirigidos por el Maestro Li. También publicó, en 1980, un texto comprehensivo sobre la espada de Wudang. Más adelante, el Wushu siguió evolucionando, y Li Tianji siguió trabajando incansablemente en el desarrollo de las artes marciales, llegando a ser considerado "Pionero de las Wushu en la nueva China" y "Padre del Taijiquan contemporáneo", y se premió toda su vida de esfuerzo otorgándole el título de "uno de los diez mejores Grandes Maestros del Wushu". Hasta el día de su muerte, el Maestro Li Tianji formó parte del cuadro de profesores del Instituto de Educación Física y Deportes de Beijing.
Puesto que su trabajo ha consistido en enseñar Wushu durante toda su vida, Li Tianji ha tenido grandes seguidores y alumnos. Entre los que continúan la
tradición de la esgrima Wudang, cabe mencionar a su hija, Li Defang, y su sobrino, Li Deyin (1938-), quien estudió Taijiquan y Wudang Jian con su tío,
y posteriormente pasó a ser alumno de Li Jingwu (estilo Chen), Xu Zhiyi (estilo Wu), Sun Jianyun (estilo Sun) y Hao Jiajun (estilo Yang). Viajó a Shaolin y Wudang Shan para profundizar en sus estudios. Actualmente, el Maestro Li Deyin es vicepresidente de la Asociación China de Wushu y actúa en las comisiones de investigación y desarrollo de nuevos materiales de Wushu y Taijiquan, como formas de competición, arbitraje y edición de textos."
"To have something to promote and maintain the general health for the large population, the Chinese government in Beijing designed in 1956 a "simplified Taijiquan." They selected 24 postures from the Yang's series without the essential characteristics of Taijiquan. In their written and TV instructions, only the external forms are taught. This permits large scale teaching. The result is that many persons do it either to rigidly or too meekly. This was severely criticized by the prominent Taijiquan expert Li Yaxin of Szechuan Province who trained with Yang Chengfu for 18 years. While the government accomplished its original objective, the popular appeal of this series did hinder the healthy development of the real art of Taijiquan. This is one of the series Mr. Mozell called the "watered down version." It is no more than a new set of continuous callisthenic movements imitating certain external forms of Taijiquan."
- Master Wu, Ta-yeh, "Suppleness and Strength in Taijiquan," Internal Arts, Vol. 3, No. 6, November, 1988, p. 8
"Li Tianji studied wushu from his father, Li Yulin, as well as from his father's masters, Sun Lutang and Li Jinglin. He graduated from the Shandong Wushu Institute, became a college professor, the executive of the Harbin Wushu Federation, and the first chief coach of the China Wushu Team. Li Tianji has been memorialized as one of the "Ten Best Wushu Masters of China (Zhongguo Shi Da Wushu Mingshi). In 1956 Li Tianji created the first standardized simplified taijiquan in Chinese history: 24-Form Simplified Taijiquan and 32-Form Simplified Taiji
Sword. Both forms opened the door of taiji to novices and non-athletes, and both are now extremely popular all over the world. For this, he earned the title "Father of Contemporary Taijiquan."
"No school of Chinese martial arts is as well known and popular as Taijiquan. It is suitable for both the young and the old, not only because Taijiquan possesses special features of stretching, flexing the joints, softly twining, exercising both the inside and the outside, dispelling diseases and prolonging life, but it is also the martial art that best reflects Chinese traditional philosophy. More and more people from other countries, especially those interested in Chinese culture, are beginning to practice Taijiquan. Taijiquan is becoming popular all over the world. Because of this, Taijiquan has no national boundary and is beyond the category of culture, and belongs to people everywhere."
"1. Awareness - including mindfulness and focused attention. Perhaps the most fundamental ingredient underlying Tai Chi, the slow, deliberate movements and attention to breathing, body positions, and sensations, fosters acute self-awareness, a prerequisite to all other ingredients. The emphasis on moment-to-moment awareness results in mindfulness and improved focus.
2. Intention - including belief and expectations. Additional active ingredients of imagery, visualization, and related cognitive tools alter intention, belief, and expectation, and contribute significantly to the therapeutic and physiological effects of Tai Chi.
3. Structural Integration - including dynamic form and function. Enhanced integration within and between multiple structural and physiological systems is another key active ingredient that underlies Tai Chi's therapeutic effect. Biomechanically efficient shapes and patterns of movement have functional consequences across many systems.
4. Active Relaxation - Tai Chi's circular, flowing motion helps shift the body and mind into deeper levels of relaxation, and is a form of meditation in motion.
5. Strengthening and Flexibility - Tai Chi provides moderate aerobic training equal to levels obtained by walking at a moderate pace. The integrated movements result in less strain, greater power with less effort, and better balance. The slowness of the Tai Chi movements, in combination with the slightly flexed stances and placing weight on one leg at a time for sustained periods, leads to significant lower extremity strength training and increased loading on the skeleton, which promotes strong bones. In addition, slow, continuous, relaxed, and repetitive movement also results in dynamic stretching, which enhances overall flexibility.
6. Natural Freer Breathing. More efficient breathing improves gas exchange, massages body tissues, including internal organs, helps regulate the nervous system, improves mood, and balances and moves Qi within the body and between the body and the environment.
7. Social Support - including interaction and community. Being part of a group has proven therapeutic value for various medical conditions, including cancer, heart disease, depression and anxiety. In ongoing Tai Chi classes, students develop a strong sense of community, and with rich interactions and support from teachers and peers, often undergo and profound journey of self-discovery.
8. Embodied Spirituality - including philosophy and ritual. Tai Chi creates a practical framework for practicing living with a more holistic, Eastern philosophy that integrates body, mind and spirit. It can also be a powerful vehicle to add a spiritual dimension to your life. Also, the ritualistic practice of Tai Chi may help amplify and sustain its therapeutic benefits."
Playing Taijiquan with Others can accelerate your progress towards fitness, vitality, strength of body and mind, and skillfully using your energies.
The general approach I would recommend is similar to that which I recommended for learning the 32 Sword Form.
1. You must have a desire to learn, a drive to learn, and a passion for learning and playing Taijiquan. You must have a motivation for learning and a reason for learning, otherwise no tactics for learning will be of help to you.
2. You might want to save this webpage to a folder on your hard drive. Print out this webpage. Place the printout of this webpage in a three ring binder. Keep your study notes while learning the 24 Taiji Form in your three ring binder.
3. Purchase some instructional media (DVD or VHS format) to use to learn the 24 Taiji Form. Here are my recommendations for some useful instructional media to purchase:
Tai Chi: The 24 Forms. By Dr. Paul Lam. A 120 minute videotape or DVD that teaches the Simplified 24 Form, Beijing 1956 version, Yang style T'ai Chi Ch'uan. This excellent instructional videotape/DVD includes warm up exercises, 6 qigong exercises, 7 movement drills, and extensive and clear step by step instructions and numerous multi-angle demonstrations of the 24 postures in this popular short form. Dr. Lam, a family physician in Australia, has won gold medals in international Taiji competitions, and has published many good books, newsletters, articles, and produced many fine Taiji instructional videotapes. VHS videotape (ISBN:1583500197) and DVD version (ISBN: 1583501088). $30.00. Produced by WellSpring Media, 1999. Reviews VSCL.
Compact Tai Chi for Healing in Simplified Form 24. Instruction by Master Jesse Tsao, San Diego, Tai Chi Healthways. Instructional DVD, 60 minutes. $34.95. VHS version is also available. "Compact Tai Chi for Healing in Simplified Form 24 is an easy-to-follow and slow-moving, yet powerful, workout. Detailed instruction of each posture in front view and 3 repetitions in back view are given. The self-healing aspects of each posture will surely enhance your health and release your stress. At the end of the video, Master Tsao also performs the standard routine of Simplified Tai Chi Form 24. Teaching is in English. (Difficulty: Beginner Level)."
24 Forms Tai Chi Chuan Simplified. Instruction and demonstration by Master Jiang Jian-ye. Instructional DVD or VHS videotape, 120 minutes. "This video teaches the standardized 24-movement form based on the Yang style that has been popularized in China. Jiang demonstrates the form and then teaches it step by step. Each form is taught with multiple views and repetitions. There are reviews of segments and the form is demonstrated multiple times at the end, front and rear." Available from Wayfarer Publications Catalog.
4. I recommend you purchase a couple of good books to use when beginning to study and learn the Tai Chi 24 Form. Most good beginning texts provide little or no information on the martial arts (Quan) aspects of Taijiquan. Here are my recommendations for some good books on the subject of the Tai Chi 24 Form:
Tai Chi for Beginners and the 24 Forms. By Dr. Paul Lam and Nancy Kaye. Balmain, NSW, Limelight Press, 2006. Index, references, 207 pages. ISBN: 0977536114. VSCL. 00
Tai Chi for Health: The 24 Simplified Forms. By Cheng Zhao and Dan Zhao. Indiana, Agilceed Books, 2006. 163 pages. ISBN: 0976118319. There is also an instructional DVD to accompany this book by Cheng Zhao and Don Zhao. Overview of 4 Form, detailed descriptions of each movement, general principles, questions and answers, flow charts. Hundreds of black and white photographs, illustrations, artwork, and graphics. This is a much better book than the 32 Sword Form book by the same authors. Dr. Cheng Zhao is a full professor at Indiana State University. VSLC.
Tai Chi Chuan: The Chinese Way. By Foen Tjoeng Lie. New York, Sterling Publishing Co., 1988. 126 pages, black and white illustrations, index. ISBN: 0806968265. Excellent photos of Mr. Lie doing the form, informative descriptions, and a good introduction. VSLC.
Tai Chi for Body, Mind and Spirit: A Step-by-Step Guide to Achieving Physical and Mental Balance. By Eric Chaline. New York, Sterling Publishing Co., 1998. $14.95. Index, 127 pages. ISBN: 0806963212. Detailed Instructions and lovely color photographs for the 24 movement standard short form. Includes some qigong exercises. VSLC.
5. View some of the online videos of persons doing the 24 Taiji Form.
8. Gain a better overall understanding of the art of Taijiquan by reading some general introductions to the subject. I have listed a number of these general introductions in the above bibliography. I recommend the general introductions to Taijiquan by Paul B. Gallagher, Bruce Frantzis, Wong Kiew Kit, Yang Jwing Ming, and Jou Tsung Hwa. Read widely, keep an open mind, and discover, through your daily practice, what works best for you. Avoid any Taiji dogmatist; they will very likely end up treating you like a disobedient dog.
9. Gain a better overall understanding of the art of Qigong by reading some general introductions to the subject. I have listed a number of these general introductions in my Qigong bibliography. I recommend the general introductions to Qigong by Kenneth Cohen, Roger Jahnke, Yang Jwing Ming, and Daniel Reid.
10. Break the form into Sections for learning. Learn one Movement at at time. Be patient! Little by little, day by day ... you get the idea.
11. Carefully study the instructional DVD or VHS that you have chosen and purchased. This will be your main method for learning the Taijiquan 24 form. My students have told me that the instructional DVDs by Master Lam, Master Tsao, and Master Jiang are the best instructional tools for learning the Taijiquan 24 Form.
"Whereas a form-instruction video is no substitute for a qualified teacher, those who live far from any teacher are still better off learning from a video than if they had no instruction at all. For those who have a teacher, a video can augment and accelerate the learning process. Finally, those who have had prior instruction in internal arts should be able to attain a substantial benefit from a video.
One method of learning a form from a video is to repeatedly do the entire form or blocks of the form along with the video. However, this method is not efficient because there is insufficient opportunity to reinforce each movement. A better way is to refrain from doing movement while watching the video. Rather, it is good to choose a small block of material, watch it a few times. Then, without any major physical action, visualize the sequence of movements as clearly as possible. Next, go back to the beginning of that block of material, and view and visualize it again a few times. Only after clear and complete visualization is achieved should the movements be attempted physically.
At first it will seem extremely difficult to work this way. With persistence, however, it is possible to achieve a level of visualization so intense that the imagined movements are almost as vivid as those seen on a TV screen. The dividends of the process of visualization are twofold: (1) By subduing the physical aspects of movement (e.g., balance, coordination, kinetic sense, timing), you can completely focus the mind on the details of the movement. (2) By cultivating the ability to visualize and mentally encompass complex details, you become increasingly able to observe and learn new movements quickly, especially in situations where it is not feasible to move while observing (e.g., dreams, teacher showing movements while the class watches). Referring to the dimension of self-defense, the more you can observe and mentally encompass the movements of the opponent, the greater the advantage achieved."
- Robert Chuckrow, The Tai Chi Book, YMAA Publication Center, Boston, MA, 1998, pp. 119–120
12. When performing the short form, players should: move slowly, move continuously, keep the movements rounded, move without great effort, relax, keep the head up, let the mind direct the movements, don't bounce, and maintain an upright posture. Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth, breathe deeply and regularly. All the basic principles found in the T'ai Chi Ch'uan Classics should be followed when doing the Beijing Simplified Taijiquan 24 Form. Special attention needs to be given to the understanding and practice of "relaxation (Sung)" during Taijiquan movements.
13. Pay attention to proper breathing during the practice of Taijiquan. Generally exhale when the arms move out and away from the body, and inhale when the arms come closer to the torso. Breathe in when pulling back or reaching up, and breathe out when going forward or reaching down. Exhale on kicks. Exhale on punches and elbow strikes (e.g., Ward Off). Generally, inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. The mouth is kept slightly open with a soft smile, teeth slightly separated, and with the tip of the tongue touching the roof of the mouth behind the teeth. Use natural, relaxed diaphragmatic breathing, wherein the abdomen relaxes and opens on inhaling, and the abdomen draws in slightly when exhaling. Breathing should be deep, full, slow, gentle, relaxed, and effortless. The concept of Chi (Qi) is very much connected with breathing and the storing, circulating, and use of "energy (Qi)" in Taijiquan and Qigong. In hatha yoga, Prana is associated with breath and energy, and breathing exercises are called Pranayama.
14. After you are familiar with the Tai Chi 24 Form, and can do the 24 movements on your own and with some degree of confidence and comfort, you should begin your study of the martial arts (Quan) aspects of Taijiquan. The following books will be very useful to you:
T'ai Chi Ch'uan: 24 And 48 Postures With Martial Applications. By Master Liang, Shou-Yu and Wu, Wen-Ching; and, edited by Denise Brieter. Grandmaster Yang Jwing-Ming was involved with creating this excellent book. Boston, YMAA Publications. 2nd Edition, 1993, 1996. ISBN: 1886969337. Index, bibliography, glossary, 153 pages. In my opinion, this is the best book to purchase when engaged in 2nd level learning of the Taijiquan 24 Form. Detailed instructions, excellent photographs, and extensive martial applications make this a first choice for students. There is an accompanying instructional DVD for this textbook: Simplified Tai Chi Chuan. VSCL.
15. You must study and practice on a daily basis. One saying is that "thick ice is not formed by one freeze." You must be diligent in your practice. You must practice to learn.
Again, my very best wishes to you in your study and practice of the popular and delightful Standard Taijiquan 24 Form.
Some might find other diagrams for the four cardinal directions more useful for their Taijiquan workout environment and situation, and these can be found on my webpage which describes the alternatives for this nomenclature more completely. There are directional keys for all four cardinal directions on that webpage. Some adjustments in the directions for facing and moving must, of course, be modified depending upon the space available in your practice area.
When the center of your chest and navel face the 12 o'clock position or north, your right or east side faces 3 o'clock, your back or south side faces 6 o'clock, and your left or west side faces 9 o'clock. .
This method can be used to describe a posture like Single Whip (Chest W 9, R Arm N 12, L Arm and Palm W 9, Face and Eyes W 9). Or, Diagonal Slant Flying (Chest NW 10, Right Arm NE 1, Left Arm SW 7, Face and Eyes NE 1). Remember that "NE 2 is a key, or abbreviation for facing roughly to the northeast (NE) to the 2:00 clock position; or "SW 7" is the abbreviation or key for facing roughly to the southwest towards the 7:00 clock position.
In the description above, the direction key gives the bearing of the center of the chest and the navel at the end of that particular numbered phase of that particular movement. Use the numbering found under each line drawing of the phases of a movement, e.g. 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d.
