# My first Tai Chi experience



## bowser666 (Jul 9, 2008)

Well I got to attend my first Tai Chi class today. My Sifu I believe teaches Sun family style Tai Chi.  It is normally a class that is held once per week, and I usually cant attend because of my weekly wednesday morning meeting. Today i got a opening to go so I went. What a unbelievable class!  I went in with sore muscles, and what not , I left class feelings almost weightless and no soreness whatsoever. My only regret is that I can't go to thsi class everyweek.    I only attend the Northern Longfist classes  but hopefully someday this meeting will go away.


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## Phoenix44 (Jul 10, 2008)

Congrats on your new experience, and I hope you find a way to continue.


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## SamT (Jul 21, 2008)

I felt the same way after doing the first few steps of a basic Sun form and some Qi Gong breathing. It's simply amazing.


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## East Winds (Jul 21, 2008)

Congratulations. Try to continue practising what you can remember. Sun style is a very powerful form. Even practising the first few movements of the form will produce strong energy into the hands.

Very best wishes


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## stickarts (Jul 21, 2008)

bowser666 said:


> Well I got to attend my first Tai Chi class today. My Sifu I believe teaches Sun family style Tai Chi. It is normally a class that is held once per week, and I usually cant attend because of my weekly wednesday morning meeting. Today i got a opening to go so I went. What a unbelievable class! I went in with sore muscles, and what not , I left class feelings almost weightless and no soreness whatsoever. My only regret is that I can't go to thsi class everyweek. I only attend the Northern Longfist classes  but hopefully someday this meeting will go away.


 
Congrats on a great experience! I have worked a bit of that style and I liked it.


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## chris arena (Sep 29, 2008)

Good God Frank!

Us old stick bangers do get around! I have been a closet Tai' Chi practitioner on and off for some time. The more I study our FMA arts, the more I find tai' chi the ruler to all the forms.

As of late, I have been working with Michael Gilman up here in WA State, as well as my practice with Datu Worden and the typical work to develop what we have learned from Prof. Presas. I have been working on the Yang Long Form for the past 2 years with Michael Gilman, when I can and using his tapes. I can just about stumble though it without falling down even once!

Check out the Michael Gilman two man cane set on u-tube and tell me if it isn't a good basic Arnis set! I have been playing with it and it is a great set for pyoung, and palis-palis as well as other very familiar Filipino stick play that is common knowledge to us. The Gilman set u-tube course works to put the energy on the tip of the cane, no live hand, but is a great anyo soft form trainer. I feel that Tai' chi is a great way to enhance Modern Arnis flow and to internalize our art. It really makes DeCadena de Mano work like a madman!

Good Luck!

Chris Arena


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## Ninebird8 (Oct 4, 2008)

Great comment Chris...in fact, it took me 20 years of kung fu before I found the magic of true tai ji 12 years ago. I have found it to be the connective tissue, as it were, of my external arts and found out the difference between elongating the ligaments and muscles (external) and compressing them (ouch) can be quite painful at first. Madame Wong Ju Rong once told us here in Houston that if you did alot of external arts, and take up the internal later, it would be very difficult! She was so right...took me 2 years to get use to being in the present....LOL!!!

Congrats Bowser on  your Sun exploration. I have found tai ji to be baffling the last 12 years, kung fu more easily defined for me, but it is amazing what happens when you complete the yin/yang circle!! I look forward to spending the rest of my life trying to figure it out!!!


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## chris arena (Oct 5, 2008)

Very true indeed. 

In a sense I came into Arnis after a few prior years of Tai' Chi. I studied Choy Li Fut under E.Y. Lee in San Francisco back in the early 80's and then Tai' Chi in the Seattle WA. Area prior to discovering Arnis. So in effect, I was alway trying to stay within the Tai' Chi Boxing principles.

I had become frustrated with Tai' Chi when it came to martial art application. I attended a William CC Chen seminar in the early 1990's and discussed my troubles in the martial applications. His reply was simple.  He sai: "Go Hit The Bag! Keep the mechanics of our art in your soul and they will eventually work themselves out".  In short, if you want to learn to fight, then practice fighting!  Arnis was simply my path to that discovery.

Now, Tai' chi is begining to make sense......20 years later.

Note: I study the classic Yang long form. A lot of people whine about the repititions. Have they ever considered that maybe there are multiple applications for Single Whip, Ward off, Seperate Wild horses mane, White Crane Spreads it's Wings, etc. etc. If they don't understand the reasons for these repititions, then maybe they should explore the martial applications of the art. Then there will never be reason for even considering the so-called boredom of repitition.

Chris A

As the late G.M. Master Remy Presas once said:  "Oh my God! I did not Know I knew dat! I must be getting belly good!"


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## stickarts (Oct 5, 2008)

chris arena said:


> Good God Frank!
> 
> Us old stick bangers do get around! I have been a closet Tai' Chi practitioner on and off for some time. The more I study our FMA arts, the more I find tai' chi the ruler to all the forms.
> 
> ...


 
I have met many Tai Chi students that were also learning arnis and the two seemed to meld well. In fact, I think thats one of the great things about arnis is that it melds well with so many different arts. 
I started Tai Chi just to have some of my own play time and to try something very different. I also enjoyed getting some different interpretations of my forms from someone who never did arnis or Kenpo (like I do). It was enlightening getting such a different perspective.
Push hands was my favorite in Tai Chi. :0)


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## chris arena (Oct 10, 2008)

Frank:

I have been planning to put a Modern Arnis ANYO 1 empty hand up on U-tube that show Basic Tai' Chi form . To me it is a mind blower! I know, that Tai' Chi was not on Prof. Presas's mind when he created the forms and that is what amazes me. For instance, in Anyo 1 there is exact Tai' Chi form starting with: Parting Wild Horses Mane (left and right), Pull back Lu energy, Strike with shoulder, White Crane spreads it's wings -turn 180degrees- and Carry Tiger back to the mountain/grasp birds tail (3 reps).-turn 180 degrees- Carry tiger back to mountain and grasp birds tail. - end. In that order from start to finish.

Kinda blew me away when I discovered how easy it is to referance Modern Arnis Form to Tai' Chi. Especially when it was first taught to Shotokan karate types. Soften it up and this is what you get!

Note: I apologize to those Tai'Chi players in regards to my Modern Arnis play. In no way am I attempting to push my art on those with other interests. Just taking a minute to talk to Frank.

Chris A


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## stickarts (Oct 10, 2008)

chris arena said:


> Frank:
> 
> I have been planning to put a Modern Arnis ANYO 1 empty hand up on U-tube that show Basic Tai' Chi form . To me it is a mind blower! I know, that Tai' Chi was not on Prof. Presas's mind when he created the forms and that is what amazes me. For instance, in Anyo 1 there is exact Tai' Chi form starting with: Parting Wild Horses Mane (left and right), Pull back Lu energy, Strike with shoulder, White Crane spreads it's wings -turn 180degrees- and Carry Tiger back to the mountain/grasp birds tail (3 reps).-turn 180 degrees- Carry tiger back to mountain and grasp birds tail. - end. In that order from start to finish.
> 
> ...


 
Like the man often said "It is all the same"


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