B. Milani, Cecil Community Centre, Toronto
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This page offers resources for tai chi players, especially those at Toronto’s Cecil Community Centre, but also for anyone else interested in tai chi, other internal martial arts, and similar mind-body disciplines. See general information on our free Cecil Monday morning class here; and more info on instructor Brian Milani here. |
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Mr. Mai,
circa 1988 |
At Cecil CC, we practice a conventional Yang style form, as taught by Master F. Y. Mai in Toronto from the late 80s to mid-2000s. Here is Mr. Mai doing the Long Form at the Centre in 2009. Students can refer to this video at home to refresh their memory of the form or see how various movements are done. At classes, we also do a short warmup qigong set: “The 26” adapted from “The 24” set taught by late great Sifu Tchoung Ta-Tchen in Vancouver, mid-seventies to 2000. Brian does The 26. |
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Students at Cecil St. are urged to memorize the Long Form, but also to learn the principles of tai chi movement to be able to apply them to a wide variety of everyday situations and activities. Learning the principles can be aided by watching not just Yang style tai chi, but also other styles of tai chi chuan (meaning Great Ultimate Fist) and related internal arts like bagua zhang (8 Trigrams Palm) and yiquan (Mind Fist). While it is useful see the differences between styles, even more useful is understanding—and feeling—the common principles that underlay them all. And while it is important to go deeply into one or two styles (and not divide one’s focus too much), sometimes doing a movement or style a little differently than normal can aid one’s road to mastery. ‘The
26’ Qigong Here is the current version of Grandmaster Tchoung’s original 24, performed by Phoebe Chow of Kam To Tai Chi Chuan Assn. led by Sifu Laurens Kam To Lee of Vancouver. (Our ‘26’ is virtually the same form, but with a couple movements restored that Sifu Tchoung had replaced in the early 80s). And here is a derivative version of The 24 performed by Sifu Gene Burnett, learned from his teacher Seattle Sifu Andrew Dale, who was another long-time student of Grandmaster Tchoung. The Five Main Styles of Tai Chi There are countless other derivative and family styles of tai chi, but these five are considered the main styles of tai chi chuan, sufficient here for conveying the scope of the art, and featuring prominent figures in each discipline: |
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Yang style: still the most widely done in North America, characterized by round, slow and even movement. Yang Cheng-fu Classic form (known as the ‘85’ or ‘108’) Cheng Man-Ching (Zheng Manqing) Short form Tchoung
Ta-Tchen’s Doubled-sided form (section 1 of 6) Chen
style: the original tai chi style, most associated with
self-defence & martial applications:
Feng
Zhiqiang Empty
Mind Films: Chen
Village CGTN: The Sacred Home of Tai Chi
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Grandmaster
Gu Liu-Xin with Sifu Tong Yau-Sun, mid-1980s Wu Style:
Wang
Peisheng:
37-Posture Wu form Sun Style: Sun Jiayun (daughter of founder Sun Lutang) Wu/Hao Style: Li Weiming: Wu/Hao 96 |
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Even before Sun Lutang popularized the contemporary concept of Neijia as “Internal Arts” about 100 years ago, teachers of Tai Chi, Bagua and Xingyi often enriched their respective disciplines with practices from the other two systems. Many benefits can emerge from this cross-fertilization, and not just for martial skill. For tai chi players who emphasize the contemplative side, bagua’s core practice of walking the circle offers much. It provides a bridge between the radical stillness of Zhan Zhuang standing, and the Long Form’s moving meditation. As with Zhan Zhuang, fixed upper-body positions are held, but the player walks slowly in a circle with primary attention on the centre of the circle. Besides cultivating moving balance in stillness, attunement to the circle does some strange and wonderful things to the mind. Self-Defense Guides, Origins
of the Circle Walk Practice in Ba Gua Zhang Circle-Walking as Meditative Practice
John Hall, Altered States of Baquazhang Master John Bracy, The Martial Dimension of Bagua: Why Circle? Dr. Yancy Orchard, Jiulong Bagua circle-walking
palm changes The Gompa, Two Dragons at Play: Jiulong Bagua push hands |
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Transformative Visualization Tai Chi is about becoming sensitive to organic patterns of energy and movement that we’re not normally tuned into. Often these are subtle but real energy patterns; sometimes the visualization is used as a mental trick to help us to attain some element of balance, flow or whole-body power. Robert Chuckrow: Cultivating the Correct Internal State in T’ai-Chi Movement
R.C.: Swimming on Land Dan Pasek, Differentiating Yin from Yang in Taijiquan Mike Ferruggia, Three Internal Bows of Tai Chi Pathways Dojo, The Sphere in Tai Chi Chuan Sifu Jesse Tsao, Tai Chi Ball Neigong Sifu Jesse Tsao, Silk-reeling Tai Chi Center Life Balance, Silk-Reeling Fundamentals for Beginners Ted Mancuso, Tai Chi Training Secrets:
Peng, Intent, Continuity & Repetition
Dr. Paul Lam, What is the Spiral Force? Scott Meredith, Tai Chi Power: One Thing
to RULE THEM ALL Robert Chuckrow, The Benefits of Expansive Strength and How
to Cultivate It |
Partner
Work: Posture-testing, Push Hands &
Self-Defence
Tai Chi Pearls
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Tai Chi and Qigong in a
Chinese Park Empty Mind
Films, Yang Tai Chi Chuan The
Forgotten History of Two Trailblazing Tai Chi Women Video China
TV: Wonder of China: Wudang Tai Chi Shifu
Donna Oliver performs the rare Wudang Taijiquan form Tai Chi in a Wuhan
hospital, Feb. 2020 Dr. Paul Lam: Tai Chi for
Arthritis Helen
Liang: Overcoming Cancer with Qigong Master Helen
Liang: Tai Chi at Banyen Books Master Shou-Yu
Liang (Helen’s dad) UNSW, Tai Chi for Diabetes
Sufferers Lou Reed: The Voice and
the Practice Dan Kleiman, Ten
Things Modern Athletes Can Learn from the Tai Chi Classics Fat Chi: Wave Hands like
Clowns David-Dorian Ross: Meet my Master,
Chung-liang Al Huang Ang
Lee’s Pushing Hands movie Tai
Chi Zero: movie about the founder of Yang style, Yang Lu-chan [this really happened!] And this
is a true story, I swear! And who can forget this Clash of Tai Chi Masters
? coming soon: Video of young Tai Chi student pummelling muscle-bound MMA fighter ;-) |
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There are many more titles we could list here, but all of the following are fascinating and relevant books that can increase your understanding and enjoyment of tai chi: Robert Chuckrow, Tai Chi Concepts and Experiments: Hidden Strength, Natural Movement and Timing (2021) Tai Chi Dynamics: Principles of Natural Movement, Health & Self-Development (2008) Jan Diepersloot, Masters of Perception: Sensory-Motor Integration in the Internal Martial Arts Bruce Frantzis, The
Power of Internal Martial Arts and Chi Jess
O’Brien (ed.), Nei Jia Quan: Internal Martial Arts: Teachers of Taiji Quan, Xingyi
Quan, and BaGua Zhang Andrew Townsend, Principles and Practices of Taijiquan, vol. 1, the solo form Principles and Practices of Taijiquan, vol. 4, martial applications Martin Mellish, A Tai
Chi Imagery Workbook: Spirit, Intent and Motion Dr.
Peter Anthony Griffyn, Mindful Exercise: Metarobics, Healing, and the Power of Tai Chi Paul Cavel, The Tai Chi
Space: How to Move in Tai Chi and Qigong John Loupos, Tai Chi Connections: Advancing your tai chi experience Colin and Gaynel Hamilton, Tai Chi Mastery: 7 Practical Steps to Improve Your Tai Chi Forms and Access Your Internal Power W. B. Burt, Tai Chi: Moving at the Speed of
Truth Waysun Liao (trans. & commentary), The Tai Chi Classics Fu Zhongwen (Louis Swaim trans.), Mastering Yang Style Taijiquan Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming, Advanced
Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan, vol. 1 Tai Chi Theory
& Tai Chi Jing
Advanced Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan, vol 2 Martial
Applications Wolfe Lowenthal, There Are No Secrets: Professor Cheng Man-ch’ing & his Tai Chi Chuan Scott Meredith, Juice: Radical Taiji
Energetics Tchoung, Ta-Tchen, The
Annotated Theoretical and Practical Tai Chi Chuan Chungliang Al Huang, Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain: The essence of taiji Andy
James, The Spiritual Legacy of Shaolin Temple: Buddhism, Daoism & the
Energetic Arts Ling Seto, Yiquan 360: Internal Factors and Training Concepts for All Internal Art Enthusiasts Dr. John Painter, Combat Baguazhang:
Nine Dragon System, vol. 1 Forms & Principles Combat
Baguazhang: Nine Dragon System, vol. 2 Warrior
Training & Applications Mark Cohen, Inside Zhan Zhuang Lam Kam-Chuen, The Way of Energy: Mastering the Chinese Art of Internal Strength with Chi Kung Exercise Peter Ralston, Cheng Hsin: The Principles of Effortless Power Herman Kauz, The Martial Spirit: an introduction to the origin, philosophy and psychology of the martial arts Robert W. Smith, Martial Musings: A portrayal of martial
arts in the 20th century
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