Tai Chi Notebook

Tai Chi is a Chinese martial art that has evolved over the last couple of centuries  into a popular practice with multiple…[read more]

Origins of Tai Chi

From the sixteenth century onward, the history of Tai Chi is fairly well known and documented. However, legend has it…[read more]

Styles of Tai Chi

Chen WangTing (1580-1660), from Chen village in Henan Province, was the founder of Chen-style Tai Chi, the oldest documented style…[read more]

Tai Chi Sword

The FORMS section covers the seven sword forms I’ve studied, but see also:

• Vocabulary for sword
• Chinese Swordsmanship
• Sword Play

On the 1931 Wudang Sword Treatise:

• The Sword of Li Jinglin (1)
• The Sword of Li Jinglin (2)
• The Sword of Li Jinglin (3)

Style Comparisons

Yang Style is derived from Chen, and Wu style is derived from Yang. The traditional long forms share a common deep structure that emerges when the forms are seen side by side… [read more…]

Comparing Yang and Chen Styles

• Yang/Chen Side-by-Side (1)
• Yang/Chen Side-by-Side (2)
• Yang/Chen Side-by-Side (3)

Comparing Yang and Wu: in progress

Comparing Selected Postures: next