Chen style: April 2007 Archives

I managed to visit a few Taiji schools in the area and spend some time at each.  There are a lot of good schools and teachers here.  I finally decided to stay with Li's Tai Chi & Kung Fu Academy in Cupertino.  Master Shu Dong Li is very professional and very serious about Taiji, and focuses a lot on the internal energy and the foundations in addition to the forms.  The students are pretty advanced, and most of them are Chinese, which is another good sign.  I have been to the school for a second "trial" session and it's obvious to me that Taiji - specially the Chen style - is a very serious thing here, which is what I've been looking for.  The school itself is a large and professional facility.

Master Li has DVDs showing the forms along with step by step instructions, and I can tell you seeing different tapes/DVDs from different teachers they are of very good quality in terms of content.  I regularly use my Chen Style Old Form First Road as a learning aid.  Obviously tapes and DVDs are not to be used as the sole means of learning, but a helpful tool to complement the actual class.

Some other good schools/teachers in the area:

Hong Dao Wushu Academy
Academi of Tai Chi
Wu (Hao) Tai Chi Foundation
Taijiquan Tutelage of Palo Alto (Yang Cheng-Fu style)

Very nice Chen style demonstration by master  Chen Zheng Lei.  Sounds to me like a flavor of the old frame routine one.  I see a lot of common elements and sequences with the routine I know as the old frame routine one.  I have learned to accept that with old routines there is no "one" right form.  There are many verities, evolved and changed over time as each master taught his or her students...

  
Here is the direct link in case the video does not show up.