With the increased popularity of Tai Chi internationally and the emergence of international competitions to promote Tai Chi and encourage cultural exchanges, the diversity of styles and lack of uniformity of competition routines presented some difficulties. To address this issue the International Wushu Federation established a group of leading international experts to develop an international standard competition form. The resulting 42 form is based on the traditional Chen, Yang, Sun and Wu styles and its content, structure, characteristics and degree of difficulty are suitable for both international competition and health promotion purposes. The 42 form retains the traditional characteristics and features of Tai Chi while providing a base for raising the standard of the sport internationally.
We have 42 Form Charts and Books available for purchase, please ask your instructor.
With the increased popularity of Tai Chi internationally and the emergence of international competitions to promote Tai Chi and encourage cultural exchanges, the diversity of styles and lack of uniformity of competition routines presented some difficulties. To address this issue the International Wushu Federation established a group of leading international experts to develop an international standard competition form. The resulting 42 Sword form is based on the traditional Chen, Yang, Sun and Wu styles and its content, structure, characteristics and degree of difficulty are suitable for both international competition and health promotion purposes. The 42 Sword form retains the traditional characteristics and features of Tai Chi while providing a base for raising the standard of the sport internationally.
We have 42 Sword Form Books, Swords and accessories available for purchase, please ask your instructor.
Also known as Tai Chi Fundamentals, the Beijing 12 was devised in 1984 by Professor Zhang Wen Guang in answer to the demand for a simplified form which could be practiced over a short time span, in a minimum space, and is suitable for sedentary workers and people of all ages.
Professor Zhang, former Vice Chairman of the Chinese Wushu and Tai Chi Association and head of the Wushu Department of the Beijing Sport University, drew on his experience of more than 70 years, and the assistance of other Tai Chi Masters to devise an innovative form based principally on the Yang but with elements of the Chen and Wu styles.
The form was immediately embraced by the Chinese people and became popular throughout China following its introduction as an instructional course on national television. It is now practiced in homes, offices and workplaces throughout the world.
The characteristics of the form are those of standard Tai Chi forms but without limitations of time and space and with the benefits of:
Tai Chi Fundamentals is a holistic body exercise due to the expansive movements of trunk and limbs combined with deep natural breathing, resulting in mental and physical relaxation associated with demonstrable physical benefits. The set is usually performed to traditional Chinese music which is designed to enhance the meditative and physiological benefits of Tai Chi.
We have Beijing 12 Charts, Videos and DVD's available for purchase, please ask your instructor.
In 1956 the China Sports Committee gathered several Tai Chi experts together to create a short version of Tai Chi (based on Yang Style). This short version was mainly designed for beginners, as it is easier to learn than the original, long version. As the new short form consisted of 24 representative moves from the Yang style, and was created in Beijing, it has become widely known as the Beijing 24 Form or the Condensed or Simplified 24 Form.
Although it has been simplified by reducing the repetition of movements and some of the more difficult kicks contained in the 108 Long Form, the important and traditional characteristics and features of the Yang Style as well as the essential principles of Tai Chi remain. This new short form was developed to progress logically and gradually from the easy to the difficult. Less physically demanding than longer forms and other styles, the Beijing 24 Form appeals to students of various ages in different physical conditions because it is easy to learn, practice and remember.
The Beijing 24 Form and takes between 4 and 7 minutes to complete depending on how fast or slow you like to practice the whole form.
The Beijing 24 Form enables beginners, old and young, to concentrate on, and appreciate, the essential principles of Tai Chi - the gentle movement, relaxation and awareness of the mind and body as one.
It provides a good introduction to the basic elements of the Yang Style Long Form and when done properly, the short form can exemplify grace, beauty, and many fundamentals of the art. For these reasons, Beijing 24 form is now the most popular tai chi form with millions of people throughout the world practicing it every day. No matter where you travel in the world, you will be able to find other Tai Chi practitioners familiar with the Beijing 24.
This condensed Sword Form was created based on the traditional Yang Style Tai Chi Sword Form. With the exception of the preparation position and conclusion, this form contains 32 movements divided into four sections. The complete exercise when learnt lasts about three minutes and can be practiced alone or in a group.
The 32 Sword form can expand your Tai Chi studies so that you will practice more and improve your health more. Being a Yang Style form it is not too vigorous so is suitable for seniors.
We have Beijing 32 Sword Charts, Books and Videos plus Swords and accessories available for purchase, please ask your instructor.
The Chen 19 Form was developed by the current Grand Master Chen Xiao Wang, the 19th direct descendant of the founder of Tai Chi. The form is a terrific introduction to Chen style as it teaches you the fundamentals of the style in a slow and even pace. The form concentrates on the basic Chen-style movements without resorting to the showier aspects so common in the longer forms. This form should take approximately 3 minutes and is suitable for people of average fitness.
Based on the traditional forms of Old Frame and New Frame, Grand Master Chen Xiaowang has created an intermediate condensed form, which contains 38 typical Chen style movements that retain the essence of both forms. The routine combines selected techniques of New Frame with the classic movements of Old Frame. Although some repeated movements have been deleted and a few difficult movements have been simplified the characteristics of traditional Chen Style have been preserved. Normally 4-5 minutes in duration, once mastered the 38 Form will provide the practitioner with enormous health benefits and open up the world of Chen Style Tai Chi for further exploration.
The Chen Broadsword was developed by the current Grand Master Chen Xiao Wang, the 19th direct descendant of the founder of Tai Chi.
This form is an ideal introduction to the use of the Broadsword in Chen style. The form comprises 24 movements in a dynamic, fast-paced form of approximately 3 minutes duration. The Chen Broadsword will definitely improve your cardio-vascular fitness but is not technically very complex. If you would like Broadsword to be your weapon of choice, then this is an ideal form to start with.
We have Broadswords available for purchase, please ask your instructor.
Dong Yue is the newest style of Tai Chi. It was developed by Professors Men and Kan from Beijing Sport University to celebrate the New Millennium.
This form is the first one they created and was demonstrated by Professor Men, on the top of Tai Mountain, as the sun rose over China in the year 2000. It is a combination of Yang, Sun, Wu, Chen and Wu Hai styles and consists of 15 movements. It takes 3 minutes to complete the whole form.
We have Dong Yue Barehand Form 1 books available for purchase, please ask your instructor.
Dong Yue is the newest style of Tai Chi. It was developed by Professors Men and Kan from Beijing Sport University to celebrate the New Millennium.
The Broadsword Form 1 is an introduction to the use of the Broadsword across the 5 recognised styles of Tai Chi. The form is not too long but does present enough challenges to keep practitioners focused at all times.
We have Broadswords available for purchase, please ask your instructor.
Dong Yue is the newest style of Tai Chi. It was developed by Professors Men and Kan from Beijing Sport University to celebrate the New Millennium.
This form is an introduction to the oldest weapon known to man - the stick, or more elegantly termed nowadays, the short staff. The form is based on the 8 basic short staff techniques combined in to a smooth and flowing form. While there are some high kicks, this form is easily modified to suit seniors or people with disabilities and is a great introduction to the use of Tai Chi weapons.
We have Dong Yue Short Staffs and Professor Men's new Tai Chi multi-weapon (collapsible combination of short staff, pole, spear and dagger), please ask your instructor.
Dong Yue is the newest style of Tai Chi. It was developed by Professors Men and Kan from Beijing Sport University to celebrate the New Millennium.
The Spear Form 1 is an introduction to the use of the Spear across the 5 recognised styles of Tai Chi. The form highlights both the elegance and at the same time, deadly nature of this weapon. This form also helps the practitioner to develop long weapon skills which will prove beneficial to any future forms practiced.
We have Professor Men's new Tai Chi multi-weapon (collapsible combination of short staff, pole, spear and dagger) available for purchase, please ask your instructor.
The martial aspects of Tai Chi experienced through Pushing Hands bring the saying Iron Wrapped in Cotton to life. This exercise is a slow and gentle ancient Chinese Health Treasure designed to be a building block for progress on the path to understanding the essence of Martial Arts applications.
The Qi Fan Form was created by the Macau Wushu Association for a special celebration in China in 1999. The form is extremely showy combining the Chen, Wu and Yang styles in a great display of double-fan technique. The Qi Fan is probably best tackled by someone who has had some fan experience although many students have excelled at this form with very little weaponry background.
We have a large range of double fans available for purchase, please ask your instructor.
The Qi Fan form was created by Master Han based on the Chen Style techniques he learnt at Beijing Sport University and while studying with Grand Master Chen Xiao Wang.
The fan is considered to be one of the most lethal weapons in a martial artist's arsenal as it can be easily concealed. While it is traditionally a man's weapon, both men and women enjoy this form. The form displays nearly all of the martial applications of the fan in a seamless sequence of 56 movements. The form should take approximately 5 minutes to perform and is fairly vigorous.
We have a large range of fans available for purchase, please ask your instructor.
The Shaolin Pole is an unique and traditional Chinese Martial Arts form. This form has its origins in the Shaolin Temple and has been practiced by monks at this temple for thousands of years.
We have Shaolin Poles available for purchase, please ask your instructor.
The Sun style was originally developed by Sun Lutang as a combination of Xingyi, Bagua Zhang and Wu Hai styles. The style features foot work that advances and retreats along with compact open and closed hand methods.
Using Sun Lutang's original Sun Style form, Professor Men Hui Feng adapted the form to create the internationally recognised Sun 73 Form. As the name implies, the Sun 73 is a combination of 73 movements and takes approximately 6 minutes to complete.
The Walking Stick form is a delightful form based on Chen Style Tai Chi. The form combines 56 movements into a streamlined, fairly simple set. The form is not too vigorous and would be a delightful addition to Senior's practice providing they have had a reasonable number of years Tai Chi experience.
We have Walking Sticks available for purchase, please ask your instructor.
The Wu 45 Form is based on the Wu Style developed by Quan You, a Manchurian member of the Imperial Guard in Beijing. The 45 form is compact and gentle with a medium reach. While the form is gentle, it certainly has its challenges both physically and mentally and must be practiced on a regular basis if it is going to be retained and enjoyed.
