TAI CHI CHUAN CLASS COURSE

Tai Chi Chuan is taught in three steps:

First, the movements are learned.

Second, the breathing pattern for each movement is learned.

Third, the flow of chi through the body is learned.

It will require six months to a year to learn all 64 movements of the form. It will require a lifetime of practice to master the form.

The first class is always spent teaching the proper alignment of the body. The knee and feet should always point in the same direction. The knee should never extend past the foot. Fists should be held loosly and not tightly squeezing the fingers. There will be a 5 to 10 minute warm up before begining the form at every class. These warm ups are for the shoulder, hips, knees and ankles. This will include some basic breathing techniques done with movements.

Next the students are taught the proper form for the stances and punches. Each student will be learning footwork drills that include bow stance, horse stance, and resting toe stance. It is important that the stances are done correctly to prevent injuries to knees, ankles and hips.

The Yang family form that I teach has 64 movements. The first class students learn proper form with the first three to five movements. Each class we practice these movements and add 2 to 5 more depending on the difficulty of the movements and student's abilities. At the end of class the last 10 minutes will include some light stretching for the shoulders, neck and legs.