Taiji Bum Posted May 23, 2009 Holy crap! I was alternating doing the empty hand and sword form and noticed that the sword form builds more qi than the empty hand form. Is this true or just a quirk of the past few days? Anyone know any good sites on taiji sword? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ryan T. Posted May 23, 2009 Holy crap! I was alternating doing the empty hand and sword form and noticed that the sword form builds more qi than the empty hand form. Is this true or just a quirk of the past few days? Anyone know any good sites on taiji sword? Â I don't know about more necessarily but I find it much more noticeable. I believe this is why sword is so important, it is a practice for allowing the energy to move beyond our fingertips. Â Which Taiji sword form do you practice? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjjbecker Posted May 23, 2009 (edited) http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=xW8SUyX...num=4#PPA283,M1 Â Bottom of page 283. Edited July 6, 2009 by mjjbecker Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Taiji Bum Posted May 23, 2009 Ryan, Huh.... I dont know the name of the form I am learning. My sister is teaching it to me and she learned it from a dude who learned it from a weekend seminar and he learned it from an official disciple of the Yang family but I have looked at every Youtube Yang sword form and every other sword form I could find for that matter and what I am doing looks nothing like them. I am thinking this is modification and I will need to go back to the Yang disciple herself to pick up the complete form and get more information on it. Â mjjbecker, Thanks for the link. I am definately getting more and more into the sword. I learned some basics years ago but I after being in the army and having a machine gun, learning a sword form just seemed odd to me. Now I am getting it. You'd think that after 21 years of taijiquan I would know better than to think I know it all but here I am again learning something new about taiji. Thats probably why I love it so much. Â Thanks guys, Darin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doc benway Posted May 23, 2009 Agreed Darin. Â Sword forms raise the bar a bit - - more challenging stances and postures - managing the weight of the sword (using a real sword is very valuable) without compromising basic principles - understanding the martial aspects of the movements and sword handling - bringing the awareness of the limbs and torso to the management of an inanimate object - and so on.... Â I'm no expert on history but there does seem to be an important place for the jian in the development of Tai Ji Quan, particular among the Daoists. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjjbecker Posted May 23, 2009 (edited) .. Edited July 6, 2009 by mjjbecker Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
joeblast Posted May 23, 2009 an area I've had some interest as of late, never studied it at all Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WhiteTiger Posted May 25, 2009 This reminds me when I was learning my sword form in Kung Fu... damn i love that long sword. Gracefully and effortlessly dangerous! Â I wanna learn a taiji sword form now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hagar Posted May 26, 2009 Darin  Sword is fun!  You are right. Compared to empty hand work, sword play is way more powerful. As your qi level rises past a certain level, you need some tool to work with your qi physically and energetically. The sword functions like an amplifier, or an antenna for your bodily qi, and also channels cosmic energy like an antenna. It also has a strong yoga effect. Doing the sword with others have a healing effect on both parties. It may also be used for digestion, for cutting the shadow, for purging emotions, for artistic and creative work, and for aligning with the cosmic qi.  The metal is really liquid, and if you meditate with the sword you can feel its pulse in your third eye.  My master teaches a sword qigong form.  Good luck with your form!  h Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Taiji Bum Posted May 26, 2009 Hagar, Thanks. I am starting to love the Sword so much I am looking at buying a really nice one. I found one with a Damascus blade for $900 but the handle is crap. It's the most beautiful blade with a cheap handle. It totally ruins the effect. Do Taiji Sword masters recommend any particular kind of sword? Darin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hagar Posted May 26, 2009 (edited) Hagar, Thanks. I am starting to love the Sword so much I am looking at buying a really nice one. I found one with a Damascus blade for $900 but the handle is crap. It's the most beautiful blade with a cheap handle. It totally ruins the effect. Do Taiji Sword masters recommend any particular kind of sword? Darin  The balance of a Damascus blade is somewhat different than a classical chinese longs sword practice metal swords (not sharp). I'd go for a regular longsword, as it also is way cheaper: http://www.tigerstrike.com/kufuandtaich.html) Anything that is atleast partially balanced with a fabric "whip" at the handle end. Forget about how sofisticated the handle is. Much more important that you can find the blade and handle is in balance. If you put your index finger under the piece btw handle and blade (forgot the name) it should be able to balance. Either with a whip or without. The thickness of the tip should not be too thin, (should not bend too much if placed vertically on ground) But definately softer than the base and middle.  Don't know any Tai Chi masters so this is only from my exp from sword retreat with my master.  h Edited May 26, 2009 by hagar Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doc benway Posted May 26, 2009 My master recommends a sword made of steel without excessive flexibility in the blade. The Wu Shu type blades are to be avoided - too flexible and light. Damascus, san mai, or mono-steel (stainless or carbon) are equally good for practice. Â The historically accurate blades tend to weigh between 0.5 and 1.2 kilos and balance somewhere around 10-15 cm from the guard. Â Huanuo makes a very sturdy, attractive, sharp, and relatively historically accurate jian with prices ranging from $500 - $1500 US. Their US distributor is Scott Rodell at Seven Star Trading in Virginia - http://www.sevenstarstrading.com/html/ I own one of the Huanuo Royal Peony jian that he sells and I'm very happy with it. Â Another good source for quality practice swords is John Lee - http://www.itg8.com/ He has carbon steel swords starting at ~ $80 and up to very high quality pieces over $1000. If you buy from him make sure you are very specific about where you want the sword to balance, some of his can be balanced too far forward. Â One final note, if you're just starting to work on the sword, you may want to use a wooden or light-weight metal sword in the beginning until you've learned the postures and then make the transition to a heavier weapon. Using a heavier sword in the beginning can cause a lot of muscle tension in the shoulder and arm and develop some bad habits if you're not careful. Once you start using a heavier sword, spend a lot of time doing basic drills like spiraling drills, wrist drills, and so on (with both hands!) to build strength and confience in the grip and wrist control. Â Good luck! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Taiji Bum Posted May 26, 2009 My video camera battery went dead so as soon as it recharges I am going to post a video of the sword form I am learning and maybe you guys can tell me what I am doing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
11:33 Posted May 26, 2009 My video camera battery went dead so as soon as it recharges I am going to post a video of the sword form I am learning and maybe you guys can tell me what I am doing. Â Hey Darin, Don't you just love the internet? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Taiji Bum Posted May 26, 2009 Hey Darin, Don't you just love the internet? Were at the beginning of a golden age of humanity! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
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