What Taiji style(s) do you practice?

[Pepsiman]

Out of curiosity, if you guys study Taiji/Tai Chi, what styles do you train in? And do you focus on it's martial techniques, or strictly for meditation?

 

[greytowhite]

I stopped practicing taiji a while ago. The only thing I still use from it is the silk reeling exercises. I find that xingyi is better for striking, baguazhang for footwork, but the taiji body mechanics are GREAT for qinna. I caught a back hook kick one time and just ripped a guy's hip out of place - I was only studying Chen taiji at the time and had just given up wing chun and Shaolin.

 

[KabutoKouji]

I practice Yang Long Form under YMAA - I love it and I think it is stopping me getting injured from the other style I train in (Longfist/White Crane). It also improves leg strength in a way I never felt from anything I did before - that slow movement seems to really solidify the muscles, and in turn even the weirdest White Crane stance becomes that much easier. We do tend to focus on application/bunkai or pushing hands stuff a lot, which is good, as I need it, even though I'm dreadful at it - (in TKD we never learned any form of chin na or close quarter blocking etc really). There are classes where we don't actually do the form at all. Occasionally we do TaiJi ball and silke reeling practice.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

I train the Chang style Taiji. We use the same 108 moves long form from the Yang style except there are 8 moves have been changed.

Chang Taiji has:

1. straight punch - vital punch,
2. hammer fist - turn around hammer,
3. uppercut - snake extend tone,
4. hook punch - twin peaks to the ear, striking tiger,
5. downward punch - drop down hammer,
6. side punch - diagonal fly,
7. ...

All the punching tools exist in the Taiji system.

Because the slow movement of Taiji, you can concentrate on your "hand coordinate with foot" that you may not pay enough attention when you move fast in other MA systems.

 

[clfsean]

Used to do a bit of Chen. Now I just work the internal practices contained within Lama Pai. No reason to go outside to get the same details without having to learn a "new thing".

 

[Xue Sheng]

Traditional Yang Style - Tung Ying Chieh lineage
Wu competition form
Beijing 24 form
Dabble in Sun Style

Use to do
Chen 18
Chen Laojia Yilu

Currently considering dumping it all and focusing on my Xingyiquan

 

[Randy Strausbaugh]

Cheng Man Ch'ing's 37 form primarily. Have done William C.C.Chen's long and short forms, Chen style first form, Sun style short form, Beijing 8 and 24 forms. Chose to concentrate on the 37 form, sword form, and a Wudang cane form.

 

[Finlay]

Miss my taiji practice

But spent more time with bagua

I studied wudang taiji, and yang and Chen short forms