FAQ
- What is Taiji (Taichi) Quan?
- Is Taiji Quan the same as Taichi Chuan?
- Are there different styles of Taiji Quan?
- Chen style (陈氏) (founded by Chen, Wangting, 1580–1660)
- Yang style (杨氏) (founded by Yang, Lu-chan, 1799-1872)
- Wu or Wu/Hao style (武氏) of Wu, Yu-hsiang (Wu Yuxiang)
- Wu style (吴氏) of Wu, Chuan-yü (Wu, Quanyuo) and his son Wu, Chien-chuan (Wu, Jianquan)
- Sun style (孙氏) (founded by Sun, Lu-tang, 1861–1932)
- What clothing should I wear for Taiji (Taichi)?
- Where should we practice Taiji Quan?
- Why should we face south when we learn Taiji Quan?
- How do I get started with Taiji (Taichi)?
- Why the tiger time is the best time for us to practice Taiji Quan?
- Any related matter which needs to be indicated before we practice Taiji Quan?
- Any related matter which needs to be indicated after we practice Taiji Quan?
- How to master the speed of practicing Taiji Quan?
- How to master the Quan Jia of Taiji Quan?
- Should we spend a long time in learning the Taiji Quan every day?
Taiji Quan is one of Chinese martial arts. The term "Taiji" derives from Taoism which is an important religion in China, and the term "Quan" means kungfu. The reason that people call this martial art as Taiji Quan is that all the movements of this express the essential of Taoism. Taiji Quan is characterized by slow and expansive movements, the reason why is categorized as an internal marital art.
Yes. "Taiji Quan" is the Romanized Chinese spelling, while "Taichi Chuan" the common English spelling.
There are five major styles of Taiji (TaiChi) Quan, each named after the Chinese family from which it originated:
Comfortable and loose-fitting clothing that won't restrict your movements are best. Sweatpants, tights, or leotards, and a T-shirt will do. Although it doesn't look like lots of work because the movements are so slow, you may work up a sweat, and so I don't recommend overdressing.
The place which has fresh air, broad-minded space, and beautiful surroundings is the perfect choice. It's healthy to spend time in the fresh air. There are so many good place which will enable people to do sports happily, such as the edge of the water, forest, park court hall, and other places. It should be known that the sun isolation is harmful for our health, particularly we need to avoid the wind and wet when we learn Taiji Quan.
According to ancient Chinese theory, the South is the best direction for our health no matter mental or physical, because the South can contribute to positive improvement for our Mental Status. So, from this point of view, facing south when we learn Taiji Quan is appropriate. According to modern qigong theory, the South and the Earth's magnetic field lines are in the same direction, which will help us in our daily life. Of course, in specific circumstances, you should make yourself comfortable. May be near the wall, near the water Department is appropriate.
Taiji is becoming more popular in the United States as Americans look for new and different ways to exercise. Video tapes are one way to get started with Taij and you can find many videos in different styles of Taiji Quan in our website. Although video tapes is strongly recommended, you may be better served learningTaiji hands on with an instructor. The movements should be done properly, and a watchful instructor might be better at helping you than a video tape if you have difficulty with movement.
As we know, the tiger time attracts plenty of attention by people who are care about their health, whether male or female. We are obliged to notice that the tiger time is not only the beginning of every day but also the end of day. What’s more, when things start moving, the body also starts moving. And therefore, the fresh air from the environment will benefit our body, so practice of Taiji Quan in the tiger time will undoubtedly contribute to the best results.
It is known to all that hunger or fullness is not suitable for our practice of Taiji Quan. What’s more, drinking should not permit before we learn Taiji Quan. To get up early and do some sports is good for our health. And you must notice that the saying that the people should hold and control the breath when we practice the Taiji Quan in order to facilitate gas is wrong, since it is not conducive to relaxation. We must keep in mind that the clothing should be comfortable, and the wide, warm clothing is proper. However, if we are still wear long-sleeved pants in hot days, we can not be bare our long time sports, so we could not wear leather shoes during the practice of Taiji Quan.
We never fail to notice that, after the practice of theTaiji Quan, we should not be immediately sitting comfortably or lying still. Also, we should not eat immediately. Of course, we have to walk for a moment, in order to reconcile the breath and blood. When we learn Taiji Quan in the cooler days, it is timely to put on clothes in order to avoid the cool wind. May be a warm bath will calm you so that you can relax yourself.
Traditional routines of Yang Taiji Quan were 85 types, and the time of practice Taiji Quan once we spend is about 20 minutes. We must keep in mind that the slow movement, like walking on water is appropriate. Too fast is not easy to do at home, and it is also not easy for beginners. On the other hand, if the action of people is too slow, we must take into account hysterics.
There are high, medium and low conditons of Quan Jia. According to the boxing books, each body should choose a suitable condition of Quan Jia which will contribute to physical flexibility. And practice of their Taiji Quan sometimes leads to negative effect on our body in terms of excessive muscle tension and lack of relaxation effects caused by too low Quan Jia. As we know, with the skill of the growth, the Quan Jia is gradually lowered, and the first part of general practice is slightly higher, and the second part is the right lower.
The boxing book of Yang Taiji Quan insists on the principle: " The more time you spend in learning Taiji Quan, the larger progress you will make.” But we also need a specific analysis, because each time and physical conditions are different. There must be effective if we insisted that we do sports every day. From this point of view, we have the idea that enough time of learning Taiji Quan is the guarantee that the people will improve the skills of Taiji Quan.