# Humble question about Taijiquan



## thepilgrim (Jun 7, 2009)

Hello to all, a bright day to anyone,

I joined this forum for I am hardly looking for an info help, I need strongly to make a change.

I have a very serious matter to ask:

Briefly...I am 37 yrs, I have 134kg. My height is 176cm. A couple health problems, treatment.

I feel in my being I need a change. I want to do daily Taiji. I did Taiji for a few months in my early 20s and I felt good. I saw in my life that I am not able to do intense physical exercises, but I feel very good when I walk or do Taiji. Time passed, now I am older and unfortunately I have more lbs over.

I have a friend who practices seriously martial arts. He is very traditional and he recommended to practice *Lungmen* (Longmen) Taiji Quan. He showed me more styles of Taiji, no idea what names, but most of them are very slow.

However, I saw online a person named Li Fajun doing Longmen Taiji. I liked. This style is fine in your view? Could you share an online resource, text about it? What about this dragon gate taiji quan?

However, I am open totally to *any* sugestion. Other style, etc. Taiji. I must say that unfortunately in my city or area there is no taiji club etc. It is empty. I am determined to start. I need info, what hours are good for taiji, what style, phylosophy, etc., how to warm before taiji practice etc.

Perhaps a benevolent soul will answer to me with patience.

Thank you very much!

humbly, just a pilgrim


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## JadecloudAlchemist (Jun 7, 2009)

> He is very traditional and he recommended to practice *Lungmen* (Longmen) Taiji Quan.


 Welcome to the forums.

I wonder why he recommended the Dragon gate sect Taiji.

The Lungmen sect is not known for their Taiji they are known as Taoist who perform rituals,magic and alchemy.



> However, I saw online a person named Li Fajun doing Longmen Taiji. I liked. This style is fine in your view?


 I always found the style a sharp contrast to Chen style but everyone is different. I really think Taiji was introduced by other means to the Lungmen and on Wudang than by Zhang Sengfeng in fact we do not even know if he existed. Most evidence points to it starting with Chen and as Chen Xiaowang says Chen has Paochui which I think may have come from Shaolin. It is not to say that Shaolin did not visit Wudang or a membe of the sect did not pick up Taiji and modify it over 400 years and I am sure if you ask the Wudang or Lungmen Taiji players they will say it comes from Sengfeng. We really don't know after Chen Wangting because it goes into legends.
Concerning the Lungmen sect which is a very popular Taoist sect you can try here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Gate_Taoism

http://eng.taoism.org.hk/general-daoism/major-daoist-sects/pg1-3-22b.htm

http://eng.taoism.org.hk/general-daoism/major-daoist-sects/pg1-3-22a.htm
http://eng.taoism.org.hk/general-daoism/major-daoist-sects/pg1-3-25.htm
http://www.damo-qigong.net/qigong/taoism.htm

Again we do not see any mention of Taiji Quan within the sects.



> However, I am open totally to *any* sugestion. Other style, etc. Taiji. I must say that unfortunately in my city or area there is no taiji club etc. It is empty. I am determined to start. I need info, what hours are good for taiji, what style, phylosophy, etc., how to warm before taiji practice etc.


 Where is your location. Everything else I wil leave up to other more experience Taiji players.


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## Xue Sheng (Jun 7, 2009)

The 6 main families Chen, Zhaobao, Yang, Wu, Wu/Hao, Sun

Also if you just want to start a taiji you could always look for someone teaching Yang (Beijing) 24 form. Maybe you could find it at a local Y or a gym.

Where are you located?


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## thepilgrim (Jun 8, 2009)

Hello,

I live in Romania, in a city port at the Danube river. From my knowledge there is no club of taiji where I could go and practice regularly. There are only two or three clubs of martial arts, here I mean kyokushin, shotokan.

I saw that guy Li Fajun on youtube, dragon gate. That is taiji or what is about after all? I am a bit confused.

Thank you for patience.


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## Jack Meower (Jun 8, 2009)

A lot of people in North America would be jealous that you have a kyokushin school nearby.  There is one here in Columbus, but it seems they are hard to find many places.  

Have you checked with local churches?  Sometimes churches have tai chi, qigong, and yoga classes in the evenings.


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## JadecloudAlchemist (Jun 8, 2009)

Maybe this will help:


http://chinesehealth.com/wtcqd/wtcqd_search.asp?Country=Romania&wtcqd_search.asp=Go

They are mostly Qigong however they may be able to assist you in your needs of Taiji.



> I saw that guy Li Fajun on youtube, dragon gate. That is taiji or what is about after all? I am a bit confused.


 The Lungmen sect is not know for its Taijiquan. I have not found any sources speaking about them practicing Taijiquan. There may have been someone from the Lungmen sect who learned it and what Taiji that is practice may be a modified version I don't know.
If you want Taijiquan best to look at the families. If you want reliigion then by all means seek the Lungmen sect.
If you asked the Wudang sect or Lungmen sect about their Taiji they will most likely say it comes from Zhang Sanfeng but there really is no proof of his existance. So what we have is a form from unknown origins,with an unknown date From with Sanfeng Song dynasty(960-1279) to Chen Wangting in the Ming dynasty(1368-1644) Chen lived about the middle of that 1620 or so. If we are to place Sanfeng's teacher is suppose to have lived in the Tang dynasty(618-907) Lets say he lived in 900 A.D. Sanfeng earliest is late Song so we are looking at 1200's A.D. but if they are immortals I suppose that explains it. 
If we put Sanfeng's orgins say at 1403-1424 sets up the tradition and if we look at this: 





> In 1669, Huang Zongxi was the first to describe Chinese martial arts in terms of a Wudang or "internal" school versus a Shaolin or "external" school


 Then it may be reasonable that Taiji was existing around this time through Chen Wangting and Wudang but who taught who I don't know.
1.Please look at this for a placement of Sanfeng's orgins that places him at 1403-1424: http://eng.taoism.org.hk/general-daoism/major-daoist-sects/pg1-3-25.htm
2. Wudangquan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wudangquan#cite_note-0
3. Sanfeng's supposed teacher: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xu_Xuanping
4.Chen Wangting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_Wangting


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## Taijiman (Jun 30, 2009)

Most wudang taiji styles are combinations of the more common family systems (often Yang and Chen) and other martial arts or qigong, and are actually pretty modern in creation.  His defenitely has Chen and Yang techniques in parts, though heavily stylized (uses longer stances and more dynamic movement... lots of rising and dropping).  Wudang has many hybrid systems combining stuff from all over.  Can't say anything about how good of a martial art it is without meeting him, but you can tell he's obviously stronger and healthier than most people his age, so it might be a good training system for you.


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## Taijiman (Jun 30, 2009)

There are similar arts to taiji quan though that retroactively were renamed by some as taiji quan because they are very similar in idea.  That type of training is not unique to taiji quan, and there has been some cross polination between taiji and other arts over the years.


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## Xue Sheng (Jun 30, 2009)

There are those that will tell you that some of the Taoist Taiji you see today exists due to the efforts of Chen Zhenglei... or at least that is who they learned it from


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## East Winds (Jul 1, 2009)

Not the Toaist Tai Chi as promulgated by the Taoist Tai Chi Society of course!!!! Which is something ENTIRELY different.

Very best wishes


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## Xue Sheng (Jul 1, 2009)

East Winds said:


> Not the Toaist Tai Chi as promulgated by the Taoist Tai Chi Society of course!!!! Which is something ENTIRELY different.
> 
> Very best wishes


 
of course, they are a derivative of Yang...or at least they claim to be 

The ones that are said to be from Chen Zhenglei are actual real live Taoists living in China, living at or associated with legitimate Taoist temples in China


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## ben (Jul 3, 2009)

Instead of looking for a particular style of Tai Chi I would recommend looking for a good teacher. Find someone who's knowledgeable and has a personality and teaching style that you like. Finding someone you enjoy learning from is a lot more important than what style they do.

Here's an article on what to look for in a Tai Chi instructor...
http://www.clearstaichi.com/archives/how-to-find-a-tai-chi-instructor


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