ChiDragon

What I meant by practicing Taiji, even though the moves or gestures are different in styles, it has the same physical and biological effect on the human body. In other words, all the Taiji styles may move differently, but the function of the body behaves the same. It makes no difference.

The general term for martial arts in Chinese is 武術(Wu shu) which is a more eloquent. As opposed to Kung Fu, it is more like a coarse term so to speak.

Ha ha! Are you sure about that? However, I will not argue about that. Peace!

You know? Even though, the Yang style was originally learned from the Chen family, but they are completely different. Thus the Yang style Taiji does not resemble the Chan Style at all. I had learned the Yang style 108 form to begin with. I was doing the movements very slow with the arms and legs bend most of the time. Later, I had learned why the limbs were bent doing practice. It was because it make the legs stronger despite to the soreness and pain in the legs for the first three months. After that, it made it easier to stabilize the body. It also helps to make the limbs move back and forth, quicker, in returning back to the opposite direction. Besides, after years of diligent practice, it gives me the ability and flexibility to speed up Fajin(發勁) with greater force. BTW The amount of Jin is controllable at well. In other words, the practitioner can push the opponent to any distance as desired. Yes, I agree with the last paragraph and the rest. It was the yin/yang concept derived from Yijing!

So, you are saying that you were starting with Chen Yu Gongfu Jia. You are performing the practice at the speed as shown in the video to begin with? BTW If you had start practicing with that speed to begin with a cold body, then, I know why you have all kinds of pains all over your body! Notes: 1. A cold body is someone that has not been doing much exercise. 2. A Taiji body is someone had practiced Taiji diligently for many years and build up muscle tone.

Ok, I see what you meant. The video you had shown is called "fast Taiji" that can be performed at a higher level with any style of Taiji. Yes, I had seen a higher level student performed in my Yang style class when I was a beginner. BTW The practice was not from scratch. The ability of the performer has to be practiced for years to build up the body to do so. Any performer with this kind of ability, I would like to refer that the performer is being possessed a Taiji body.

In the notion of making the legs strong, yes, it just come with the package whether you like it or not. I know what Fa(法) is in "Shen Fa"; but I don't know what is shen. It couldn't be 神. Do you happen to know what the Chinese character for shen is here?

Form your words by context, it seems to me that you are practicing completely different from the Chen style Taiji. Due to the location of the Yongquan point of the foot(湧湶穴), I don't think it's possible put the body weight on it. However, due the physical structure of the human body, place the weight on the heels is more accurate to say. " For us, we have a notion of "Grab the root" which involves a connection between the glutes, hamstrings, heel, and the ground." This statement with the word "ground" in it will make it valid. "Ground" implies that the foot is sticking to the ground. The heel touching the ground is the pivot point that provides leverage and stability for body movements. It was known that an unstable body will not able to execute its strength to its full extend for body movement. BTW Based on your words like: "Many things we do are just very different than other Taiji methods," I cannot come up with any justification to agree with those words. Perhaps you might enlighten me with where or who did you learn your Taiji style from? Thanks!

I believe the location of the pain occurs depends where the tension was applied.

I am puzzling of you are are telling me. You said you are practice the Chen style Taiji, but then you said it was not. So, what it is really?

It is accurate only if you breathe slowly and deeply into the LTD. However, I wouldn't start at the position to begin with. Especially, if you have not been exercised for sometime before. If you start with angle of 90 degrees between the thigh and the lower leg, then, it would put too much stress on the muscle. It will cause pain like hell on the leg muscles. In addition, I wouldn't spread my legs too wide for the practice. To begin with this practice as a beginner, I would start stand with the feet apart at shoulder width. Then, bend the knees slightly until the leg muscles feel a little stress without too much pain. The body should be relaxed and breathe slowly and deeply only through the nostril. The only tension you should feel is on the legs muscles. Stand for awhile and quit if you cannot withstand the pain. However, don't give up because of the pain. The practice should be done periodically for few minutes at a time. The pain shall became less and less, then, the time of the stance may be increased. Thus the thighs can go down lower a little bit to increase a little more tension on the kegs. Furthermore, please don't forget the breathing part! One might ask what do I do with the hands? Some might tell you hold them up like you are embracing a tree. However, IMO, you may do anything with your hand as the way you like. BTW The practice described above was known as zhan zhuang(站樁).

Question: I know the Chen style Taiji is more stressful than the Yang style. Do you feel any pain on your upper thigh of one leg during the transition when you lift up the other leg?

I was reading randomly online investigating what people say about directing the breath and energy during meditation. From understanding, it is a fallacy to say that taken in the oxygen and energy or directing the breath and energy inside the body. Unfortunately, perhaps some people are took it for granted. I will quote some of the texts and point out the fallacy.

I didn't miss this part. I was saving it for last. Sorry to say, it would be an insult if I have to respond to this. In my opinion, if a teacher had practice Taiji for decades and cannot overcome the pain, it seems that the practitioner has not accomplished what Taiji has to offer.

I had practice the Yang style Taiji for about fifty years by now. This is yours truly. Doing Zhan Zhuang on a slanted 2x4

First of all, no one can stand the pain in the zhan zhuang position without practiced for sometime. Even just practiced Taiji in the first three months, the movements alone, the leg muscles are very painful. Eventually, the pain will go away after the muscle are used to the stress from contraction. In Taiji, moving the legs one at a time, the stress is only applied to one leg at a time. However, in zhan zhuang, constant stress was placed on both legs. The level of pain depends on the bending angle of the thighs. The lower the angle of the thighs, the more pain there is. The smaller the angle of the thighs with respect to the vertical, it will cause less pain. Hence, beginners should start with a small angle to have less pain to begin with.

OK, now, I know why you responded to the thread the way you did. What you are telling me was that no one had practiced Zhan Zhuang yet. I will continue after dinner.

The original idea of zhan zhuang was really standing on post. So, only some part of the foot is touching the post. It is much harder to keep in balance for a beginner. In order to stay in balance, the practitioner must shift the body weight to the center. That is where the rooting training comes into play. Nowadays, it is too easy for the practitioner to stay in balance by standing with two feet flat on the ground.

Believe it or not, rooting comes with the package of Taiji. You will know what I meant if you have practiced Taiji long enough. Besides, Taiji also makes the hands and arms stronger too. It was the muscle tone that generates the body energy. I think in the third video, one can see the body and leg strength of the Chen Taiji practitioner.

Yes, thank you! I grant you. General speaking, I was only differentiating the difference in the major philosophy of the two religions. However, there are no restriction of how they wanted to practice. Each individual could have a choice of how or what to practice.

Yes, zhan zhuang is standing on the posts. That is only the description of it. The purpose of standing on the posts with the legs bend and support the body weight. As result, it builds up the muscle tone of the legs. Zhan Zhuang is zhan zhuang, one can rest the hands to side or put them up in the air. It makes no difference, the legs are still bend at a different angle depends how long the practice has been done. To stand with the angle at 90 degree was the goal. Nowadays, not many people can come to that point. Unless one is a real master of kung fu. The "tree-hugging" Zhan Zhuang is the standard posture in martial arts. I still would like emphasize on zhan zhuang that makes the legs are strong again. It is the practice is mainly on the legs. The contract of the legs muscle will develop muscle tone that will make the legs powerful. As a matter of fact, in Taiji, has the effect of Zhan Zhuang. In most Taiji moves, it require to stand on one leg while lifting the other. One leg has to take the weight of the body as opposed to two legs in zhan zhuang. Hence the weight was doubled on one legs. In return, it puts more stress on one leg. The leg has to react with more contraction to resist the double weight.

Good question, I knew someone might challenge that! That is right, general speaking, boxers do not practice zhan zhuang. However, if they have practiced, then, they will have the advantage over the opponents in the ring. That is why you had made the last statement.

The leg work of a Chen style Taiji practitioner VS a taller regular boxer.

On this video, I would keep my eyes on the legs and balance on both. One can almost predict who is going to be the winner. One can tell who has a kung fu body and who is not.

This video shows the difference in legs strength between the two opponents. The one who kicks and spins the whole body around and fall down has poor leg work. Who bounces around too much will lose lots of energy. If one lose his balance most of the time, one will have weak punches. Thus it is so important to have good leg grounding for a good martial artist to handle the opponent.