When do you start to learn Tai chi, Kungfu? Why do you want to learn? (4)

Ric P. • When I was younger I was into southern kung fu, like fut gar and choi lay fut. In 1998 I taught English in China and there I was determined to continue my training. I was fortunate to have a young wushu teacher in the small town I lived in who had graduated from the Shaolin temple school. Anyway I took the opportunity to learn something new, some things I did not study back home. I started with the basics of wushu and also Chen style tai chi. I learned ‘lao jia‘ which means old house or old style. This is cool because as i understand things most Chen style practitioners use ‘xin jia’ or new style, which is shorter in forms to say the least. I was happy to study a presumably older and more traditional art.

I also had to report to him at his school before sunrise, so I’d get up at 5, drink a quick ginseng tea, maybe eat a few crackers or something light, and jog to the wushu school in the dark. My teacher said you need to do taiji when the sun is rising to maximize energy.

Anyway I enjoyed my taiji training and I was about 26 or 27 at that time. I increased my chi flow dramatically and found it very useful for health and concentration. Over the 2 years of living there I also took the opportunity to train in northern Mantis (tanglang chuan) and drunken boxing (zui chuan). Of how fun it was to be doing kung fu/wushu and tai chi in the country side of China while I was still young and healthy enough to put my body through hell! Those were the days…

I recommend anyone of any age to do any martial art, including tai chi. Hopefully find a good teacher before committing much time and money.

Jack O. • Are there still Martial Application in Yang style or is it only Chen that does it. What is Liu HE Ba FA?

Jeffrey S. • It depends on which Yang groups you are talking about. Some of the Yang practitioners are into Tai Chi for health and don’t do anything martial, some of the Yang groups (and most of the Yang family) are still practicing Taijiquan as a martial art. Liu He Ba Fa “Six Harmonies Eight Methods Boxing” is another internal art. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liuhebafa.

Vincent C. • Tai Chi is meant to play slow, but when it goes quick, it can be really offensive, trust me, I played a little KongFu myself, when I was teenager, but it benefits me for life.