Comments on: Taiji With Jing

By: bstanley

bstanley — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 20:29:19 +0000

Very few tai chi instructors teach the martial aspects of tai chi along with how to produce ging correctly. Because of this, many people feel that tai chi is merely just exercise. Sifu Smith learned his tai chi from Master Fisher who is one of Grandmaster Doc Fai Wong’s top and long time students. Sifu Smith has also worked with Grandmaster Wong on numerous occasions, which helps to strengthen the connection to authentic tai chi training.

By: Janet Kaemmerling

Janet Kaemmerling — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 02:56:30 +0000

I don’t know where Mr. Smith learned HIS taiji, or if he is an instructor of Choy li fut; but the curriculum of the White Dragon Martial Arts Schools seems to be on track in teaching the slow relaxation, which is the foundation of ANY of the family styles of taiji chuan, even, yes, the Chen-family style, which emphasizes slow relaxation and sudden fa-jing. Unfortunately for us taiji players, but in practical defense of martial arts instructors, many instructors have more kung fu students than they do taiji, and therefore concentrate their teaching energies into teaching and transmitting those kung fu forms and techniques. And let’s face it, nowadays, the younger students, yes, even those in their 30s, especially women, prefer learning the kung fu for self-defense purposes. We, as women, know that a slow-motion tai chi version of a wong-sau-choy (forgive the misspell!) or slow-motion smash to the ribs will not deter our attacker! Hence, instructors focus on teaching the kung fu, which is why they perhaps “never make it past” TEACHING a certain level of tai chi to students. However, I have yet to hear any martial arts instructor, including my daughter’s Shorin Ryu karate instructor, “selling” tai chi as a “pathetic, slow-motion form”. Perhaps it’s because intrinsically they know something about taiji that we students don’t know? . . . . . . .

By: Steven Smith

Steven Smith — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 06:14:30 +0000

Great article. I agree we must teach slow relaxation as a foundation. Unfortunately, many instructors never made it past that level, and they sell Tai Chi as a pathetic, slow motion form. There’s more. And your article highlights it.

Thanks for reprinting it.