T'ai Chi Ch'uan

T'AI CHI CHUAN
T'ai Chi Ch'uan emphasizes subtle movements, increased flexibility, relaxation and meditation, T'ai Chi Ch'uan uses the opponents energy against them with counter moves that require the least amount of effort. It is usually softer and slower than  other martial arts. T'ai Chi Ch'uan is excellent for all ages but particularly for older people or those recovering from injury.

MODERN T'AI CHI CHUAN
T'ai Chi Ch'uan has continued to evolve and there are  newer forms that have been created to accommodate time and space when playing T'ai Chi Ch'uan. The original forms are long and can take between 30 minutes to an hour to perform. Newer and shorter forms have been created to retain the movements but eliminate repetition of movements and conserve time. We teach those forms as the introduction to the traditional longer forms.

YANG & CHEN T'AI CHI CHUAN
There are four main styles of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, all of which are represented at the Chinese Kung-Fu Association to some extent. The Yang and Chen style are primarily taught with an emphasis on application and teaching as a true martial art. The Yang 12, 24 simplified and Yang

PUSH HANDS
Push hands is a quiet and gentle cooperative exercise involving two people. Their arms and hands alternately carry out pushing and yielding action with the aim of increasing their capacity to relax under pressure. This can be summarized by saying push hands involves the interplay of opposites: positive and negative, relaxation and force, yin and yang.

Why is it important to practice push hands?

The three pillars of T'ai Chi Ch'uan are the practice of forms, meditation and push hands. The T'ai Chi Ch'uan master of the past invented the game of push hands as a method or sparring. It is especially good for developing the sensitivity to listen to your opponent's actions. If you are correctly following the T'ai Chi Ch'uan principals of Relaxation, Natural Continuous Motion, Circular Motion, Sinking and Rooting you will see this in your pushing hands practice. Besides being the test of your T'ai Chi Ch'uan principals in action, it is also a wonderful way to share energy between two people, and it's fun.

Push Hand Essentials

1. When your opponent strikes you with strength, instead of opposing him (force against force), you simply withdraw your body, neutralizing his weight. Thus his weight will be emptied and will not come to your body.
2. When attacking your opponent you should not attack him immediately. Your hands must first lightly touch his body, and as soon as you interpret that he is going to resist you, you yield (withdraw) slightly and then immediately attack.
3. When interpreting your opponent's energy, you should not put too much weight against him during the time of interpretation. If you have too much weight against him and he moves you may too easily come off balance. To improve your Push Hands and ultimately your T'ai Chi Ch'uan you must "invest in loss"

The Purpose of Push Hands

1. Push hand teaches one to fully realize what sensitivity of the entire body means. Externally the practitioner develops an acute sense of touch transmitted through the skin. Sensitivity and awareness is also developed internally.
2. The practitioner learns how to empty the body of all force. When one rids the body of force, one can experience what it is like to be a twinkling star; the body is there and yet it is not there.
3. Through understanding the principals of push hands, one can learn to balance Yin and Yang in daily experience. Thus the quality of life as a whole is enhanced.

T'AI CHI CHUAN WEAPONS
Both Chen and Yang T'ai Chi Ch'uan have several weapons forms. The four most commonly seen are the straight sword, the broadsword or knife, the staff and the spear. The forms are done at the same slow speed as the empty hand forms.
Yang Sword and Spear form are taught at the Chinese Kung Fu Association  as part of the regular T'ai Chi Ch'uan instruction sequence.
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