What is Tai Chi

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For some people Tai Chi is a martial art -- a slowed down, graceful way of practicing the art of self-protection. According to most legends, this was Tai Chi's beginnings--back in centuries past when Chinese villagers were not allowed to take up arms or show their ability to fight off the warlords or local gangs that threatened them. But for many of the early practitioners as well as most of us today, Tai Chi is an "internal" martial art. We want to fend off the stresses of modern life, maintain our agility, balance, and overall health, practice mindfulness, and enjoy the mood-lifting experience of practicing these engaging movement forms with others.

The three main styles of Tai Chi are Chen, Yang, and Sun. Other styles exist but are less well known and less widely practiced.

Various short forms of Tai Chi have been created in the 20th and 21st centuries, based on moves from the tradtional oldere styles. These includeYang 24 Forms, Tai Chi Chih, Sun style short form (Fall Prevention Tai Chi), Golden Ball Tai Chi, etc.

Chen combines slow and fast movements and is the most martial appearing of the three. It is also the oldest. Chen 36 and Chen 56 are two versions of this exciting form. Some practitioners like to do the movements of this form very low, but many of us practice a version we call "Elder Chen," which reduces the pressure on the knees and back.

Yang, the most popular form in the world, comes in a variety of formats. The one first introduced into the U.S. was the Long Form (sometimes called Yang 108), but other versions exist, such as Yang 40 Forms and Yang 24 Forms. This last was created at Beijing Sports University in the early 1950s and is very widely taught. Yang's movements are somewhat large, with a lovely flowing quality.

Sun, the youngest of our Tai Chi families, was created by Sun Lu Tang, a martial artist skilled in various forms of qigong and tai chi. He added "agile stepping" and gigong deep breathing to his form. Sun 73 and Sun 93 are the only forms of this style, but Sun 73 is much more widely practiced. It's upright stance and compact format make it very suitable for people of varying abilities.