Recently in Schools Category

Our school will be demonstrating Taiji during the Moon Festival in Cupertino.  The demo is a combination of two groups doing the 24 steps and the first section of the old Chen Style First Road.  Master Li has designed the demo with a certain music in a way that 24 starts first and Chen comes in a few steps later, but they both end at the same time so the closing looks really nice.

The demo will take place on Saturday and probably Sunday.  I will post pictures afterwards!

Master Jesse Tsao teaches Taiji in San Diego and and has studied for a long time with professor Li De Yin.  One of his great contributions to the education of Taiji is a comprehensive set of videos (available on DVD as well as VHS) on various related topics, from different forms of Qigong to various styles of Taiji.  Here is a sample of his 24-step video:



I have particularly enjoyed his silk reeling and a few other Qigong DVDs.  He is a really lovable instructor.  You can find the complete list of DVDs on his web site, TaiChiHealthways.com.

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)

It was a pleasant surprise for me upon moving to the Bay Area to find out there are many Taiji schools here.  There are a lot of Chinese people living in this area and therefore one sees more traditional Chinese things - everything - here: From authentic Chinese food to Real Taiji schools.

I'm planning to attend a session at a few of them to get a feel about the school, the teachers, and the level of students.  I'm very excited!

One should be able to find a Taiji school without difficulty in either San Francisco, San Mateo, or San Jose/Cupertino area.