Tai Chi at BSP

06/02/2019

My Tai Chi Journey

I started tai chi back in the early 2000s. Initially it was a way of improving my balance and coordination for kung fu, which I started in the summer of 2001, but somewhere in the ensuing years something changed. I went from training to achieve a goal in a different field to training tai chi for its own sake.

So, what changed?

I think one of the first things that changed for me is getting rid of my preconceived notions as to who tai chi was for.

When I started tai chi I was approximately 25 years old. My previous exposure to tai chi was entirely through tv or movies. I could be watching a travel program and to show they were in China the host would be talking to the camera and in the background there could be some elderly people doing tai chi in a park. Another example would be a commercial for some pharmaceutical company and there were would a group of older individuals in white silk uniforms doing tai chi in a meadow or some other bucolic setting. All that just fueled a notion that tai chi was for the elderly or those somehow limited in their mobility or with high blood pressure. It was a false notion, but that was the attitude I was starting with, “I’m 25, I’ve got at least 30 or 40 years before I need to start practicing tai chi!”

Those notions didn’t go away with my first, or even first several, classes. It took months or longer of classes and watching those significantly better at tai chi than myself to see that there was more to it than just a low impact exercise that could help improve your balance and mobility while you were in your twilight years. I would watch these more experienced students and could see in the different styles of tai chi a similar type of athleticism than I experienced in kung fu. They weren’t jumping six feet in the air but what they had in common was precision. All they had to do was ask their body to do something and it would deliver. There were similar demonstrations of flexibility, explosive power and physical awareness.

Once I moved past this stereotype I was able to let myself more freely explore what tai chi had to offer.

05/17/2019

While not tai chi specific, judging from past experience I believe that there will be a great deal of carry over.

05/17/2019

Over 93% of purchases are influenced by social media. ow.ly/REpl6

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05/15/2019

Learning about convergence as one of ‘Five Global Truths’... I think the truth about Symbiosis is getting a little frayed. With every conglomerate getting their own streaming channel competition in increasing. http://ow.ly/REpl6

Also, working on a new blog post on how I moved from wushu to tai chi. What are some of the things that attracted you all to tai chi?

Learn What is Social? from Northwestern University. The “What Is Social?" MOOC is for business owners, executives, and marketing professionals who want to significantly improve their abilities to grow their social strategy using effective, proven ...

05/14/2019

I’d like to learn about the Insights, Planning, Empowerment and Engagement phases in the Capstone Project. ow.ly/REpl6

Learn What is Social? from Northwestern University. The “What Is Social?" MOOC is for business owners, executives, and marketing professionals who want to significantly improve their abilities to grow their social strategy using effective, proven ...

05/14/2019

Now on Twitter.

03/22/2019

Is My Tai Chi Too Fast?

Short Answer: That depends.

Long Answer: For many forms, there is a suggested time frame for how long a form takes. For example, the 24 form is generally said to take between 4-6 minutes and the 108 form takes approximately 30 minutes. But how fast or slow your tai chi pacing should be is determined by your breathing. With some notable exceptions (I’m looking at you, Single Whip) and variations due to stylistic differences, each movement includes an inhale and exhale portion. Therefore, you should be moving only as fast or slow as you can comfortably breathe.

If, for something like Brush Knee Palm, you are taking two or three breaths to complete the movement, you are going too slow. Conversely, if your finish the movement before you complete your exhale, you are moving too quickly. Over time, you can learn to slow down or speed up your pacing to make the suggested times for whatever form you are practicing. Then you just need to adjust your breathing to match.

01/29/2019

Reverse Stepping

The two issues most people encounter in Reverse Stepping is either taking too large of a step or taking too narrow of a step.

Symptom A: Your front foot slides back towards your rear foot when finishing a step.

Diagnosis: You are taking too large of a step back. The way to fix this is start by taking smaller steps. You might have to experiment a bit to get the right distance for you. Erring with too small of a step back is preferable to taking too large of a step back.

Symptom B: You feel off balance when finishing your reverse step.

Diagnosis: Your steps are most likely too narrow. In Reverse Stepping it is very easy to take too narrow a step because when you finish the movement your rear heel turns in, and in some schools they will have you turning the front toes as well. In an ideal world the front toe will align with the rear heal. An easy way to visual this process is to imagine that your front foot is standing in the center of the front of a square. When you take your step back aim for the back corner of the square. If your left foot is stepping back aim for the back left corner. If your right foot is the one stepping back aim for the back right corner. This way when your rear foot turns in there will be enough space (width wise) between the feet to avoid being on the same line or crossing over.

11/19/2018

Pro-Tip #5

Tips for Self-Correcting your Forward Stepping

Here are a couple of quick things to look for, what they mean, and how to correct them.

1. When stepping your foot drops to the floor in the last couple of inches. This generally indicates that you are taking too large of a step forward and losing your balance forcing you to drop your foot instead of setting it down gently. To fix this shorten your step. You will have to experiment with the distance a bit to get this right. The ideal distance is when you have full control over your step from beginning to end. You’ll know you’ve hit the mark when you can stop at any point in the movement without losing your balance.
2. When your rear foot slides backwards after you step. This happens when you don’t open your front foot enough at the beginning of your step. To fix it remember to open your front foot approximately 45 degrees when you start your step. This way when you finish you won’t be putting a twisting pressure on your knee when you finish, which is what causes most people to readjust by sliding back on the rear foot.
3. You feel off balance when finishing your step. For most people this generally happens when the distance between your feet, when going from left to right, is too narrow. To fix this make sure your steps are slightly wider. If you are facing forward with your feet shoulder width apart imagine there is a line going from the front of the room straight through your middle and wall the way to the back of the room. When you finish any given step you want to make sure that your feet end their side of the line. Your left foot will finish on the left side of the line and your right foot on the right side. You will begin to feel unstable when both your feet are directly on that imaginary line. Or, when your feet are on the wrong side of the line you might feel completely off balance and struggle not to fall over.

11/12/2018

New pro-tip coming soon on self-correcting reverse and forward stepping. I know, the anticipation is excruciating.

We teach fitness oriented tai chi classes designed for all ages and skill levels.