London Tai Chi Instructors.

25 year anniversary book

October 31, 2014
Recently the Grandmaster came over to the UK as part of the celebrations for Wu's Tai Chi Chuan Academy's 25 year anniversary, and he has written an introduction to the anniversary book.

The book is a real treasure trove of tai chi history, with many photographs and articles, a really interesting read! Not only that, but there are some real thought-provoking nuggets in there, which certainly got me thinking about various issues, to help me improve myself...

The book is available through http://www.wustyle-europe.com/shop.html 
Read and enjoy!

Posted by Fiona Anderson..

 

video of tai chi activities

October 31, 2014
When you're a beginner, you don't see the full curriculum of tai chi stuff in action, so I was really pleased to get hold of the 25 year anniversary video from Wu's Tai Chi Chuan Academy shop http://www.wustyle-europe.com/shop.html

This gem includes footage of all sorts of tai chi activities, including my own favourites of

  • Sifu getting people to jump from a height down onto his stomach, as he lay flat on the floor, then they bounce off and he gets up unhurt - simply amazing!
  • pushing hands of v...

Continue reading...

Posted by Fiona Anderson..

 

tai chi in the German parks

October 30, 2014
As regular readers know, I go to practise in the parks, because I like the trees and natural-ish surroundings... This blog takes extracts from an article that originally appeared in Slant Flying (the club magazine for Wu's Tai Chi Chuan Academy in Bethnal Green) about my park practising experiences abroad:

Using the Bad Homburg tourist office, I booked into an incredibly cheap dive near the main park, so that I could get some tai chi practise in the morning, before doing touristy stuff. Then t...
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Posted by Fiona Anderson..

 

"I'm not ready to grade yet"

October 30, 2014
I hear this a lot, as I do most of the Beginner gradings at the Academy, but really *no-one* ever feels they're ready to grade.  However, I've graded so many people, that if I say you're ready, you really are!

One of my friends put it very well, saying that once people have taken the plunge and done their grading, then they grow into their belts. I think that's such a nice way to express it!

Gradings are on my mind just now, as a whole bunch of people are coming up to be graded soon, due to the...
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Posted by Fiona Anderson..

 

Asking questions is good

October 30, 2014
I'm always pleased when people ask me questions. It shows they are thinking about what they are doing and it also means that other people who may be wondering the very same thing are helped too!

Recently I was asked "what speed should we do it at?"

This is a great question! When you're learning a sequence is the only time to do it at a fast speed. If you know the sequence then you should definitely do it slowly, so you can feel what you are doing.  With Wu style in particular, the slower you do...
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Posted by Fiona Anderson..

 

to form 30 - filming scheduled, forms listed here!

October 30, 2014
I am teaching my Chinese (and others - non-Chinese welcome too!) class up to form 30, so now filming it is scheduled for this weekend, after which that film will go up on this website, in 4 versions:
        Front view, back view, at normal speed
        Front view, back view, with each movement broken down for the details.

My own teacher is in the process of doing the definitive version for the whole 108 form, which I will advertise as soon as it's available - that version is really something!...
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Posted by Fiona Anderson..

 

training to perform as a team formation

October 29, 2014
This post is in response to a question from a student: "how can we train to be in a formation, when we can't see each other all the time?"

Well, the answer is you need to train on the very first warm-up exercise (swinging arms), that your instructor will show you. This exercise isn't just to loosen joints, but also trains your peripheral vision, which is essential to developing all round awareness.

There are other things that help with team formations:
  • everyone chooses a spot in the formation a...

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Posted by Fiona Anderson..

 

Grading season

October 29, 2014
'Tis the season to be grading, tra la la! (g)

Doing gradings is one of the true pleasures of teaching tai chi! Gradings are as different from school exams as it is possible to be:

  • When you have reached a certain standard in your learning, your instructor will tell you that you will be grading. It could take several months, it could take a lot longer, it doesn't matter how long it takes. The only thing that matters is that your instructor thinks you're ready.
  • You will be told what is in the gradi...

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Posted by Fiona Anderson..

 

visiting other tai chi groups

October 29, 2014
Though most of the time I just do what I do, occasionally I have the opportunity to visit other tai chi groups, doing their practises. This is always a great experience, as I get to meet new people and learn new stuff.

One very memorable visit took place a while ago, when I visited with a group doing Lam style chi kung. It was very different from the chi kung I'm used to, but that was all part of the attraction - since tai chi and chi kung have been developing for hundreds of years, there's l...
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Posted by Fiona Anderson..

 

Tai Chi Chuan magazine

October 29, 2014
I love it when the magazine (*) pops through my letterbox, as it's a really interesting read!

(*) Tai Chi Chuan magazine, which your instructor can easily get some recent issues for you, or which you can join the Tai Chi Union for Great Britain, to get your own copies as part of your membership.

This months issue no. 46 has an interview with Grandmaster Wu Kwong Yu, which is obviously of interest to all Wu style players. Also included are articles on meditation, qigong (chi kung), event reviews...
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Posted by Fiona Anderson..

 
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