Can Taiji be of general appeal to youths?\u00a0 Taiji is widely accepted as an excellent exercise that is good for health.\u00a0 It is practiced by millions of people all over the world, including in the U.S.\u00a0 Because of its low impact on the body and one doesn’t necessarily have to be in good physical health to practice it, Taiji is especially welcomed by senior citizens.\u00a0 But can it appeal to youths?\u00a0 We present arguments that the answer is affirmative if we position and teach Taiji in suitable ways.<\/p>\n
Even though good health should also be of great interest to youths, we know that in general health is not a topic high on the priority of youths.\u00a0 Rightly or wrongly, youths take their health for granted.\u00a0 They just assume that they will have good health and they will live a long life.\u00a0 However, youths (both boys and girls) are interested in self-defense.\u00a0 Self-defense has practical value, and it is something fun and exciting to do.\u00a0 Taiji was invented as a martial art.\u00a0 That is why Taiji is often referred to as Taijiquan, or the Fist of Taiji.\u00a0 For several hundred years, it was practiced in China to protect one’s family and village against thieves,\u00a0 robbers, and outside invaders.\u00a0 It was part of the skills learned by many professional bodyguards who provided physical protection for both travelers and goods in transit during the days when people traveled by foot and goods were carried on one’s back, horses, or horse-drawn carriages.\u00a0 Therefore, traditionally Taiji was taught as both a martial art and a good exercise for health.\u00a0 It was only during the last 50 years or so,\u00a0 especially after the opening of China with all the media coverage associated with the Nixon visit to China, that Taiji has become synonymous with a health exercise, especially for older people.<\/p>\n
Whenever we teach Taiji to youths, we should always illustrate the martial applications of each of the forms that we are teaching.\u00a0 There are two reasons for doing this.\u00a0 One is that the students will have a better understanding of the origin of the forms and the reasons for doing that form.\u00a0 The second reason is that seeing the martial applications of the form allows the students to understand better the correct way to do a particular form.\u00a0 They will have a better understanding of the underlying techniques and philosophy of Taiji.\u00a0 For example, why waist rotation is important, why we take “cat steps” where we step down on the heels first, why relaxation is so critical in Taiji, how four ounces can deflect a thousand pounds. \u00a0 This is not to say that in an introductory Taiji class, the emphasis should be on martial applications. What we are saying is that even in an introductory Taiji class the instructor should illustrate to the students how the various forms can be used in self-defense.\u00a0 To actually learn and practice the self-defense techniques should be left for a follow-on Taiji course.\u00a0 I can speak from personal experience that no matter the age of my students, ranging from teenagers, college students, to senior citizens, including people in the 80s, illustrating the martial applications of the Taiji forms can help to generate more interest in the course and help the students to do the forms more correctly.\u00a0 And if the Taiji course is for youths, then illustrating the martial applications of the Taiji forms will be even more critically important. For an illustrated discussion of the martial applications of Taiji, see the article “Martial Applications of Taijiquan” in an earlier issue of this website: http:\/\/www.dontow.com\/2008\/12\/martial-applications-of-taijiquan\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n The above conclusion is independent of the Taiji style that we teach.\u00a0 Whether it is the Chen, Yang, Sun, Wu, or some other style, we should always illustrate the martial applications of the\u00a0 forms that we teach.\u00a0 Speaking of different Taiji styles, I do have a preference for a style to teach to youths in a first course on Taiji.\u00a0 I prefer the Chen style.\u00a0 The Chen style combines a mixture of slow and fast movements, and a mixture of soft and hard movements.\u00a0 Comparing this with the most practiced style in the world, the Yang style, whose movements are essentially all slow and soft, I think the Chen style will be more appealing as a first Taiji course to youths.\u00a0 However, in subsequent courses, the Yang and other styles can be just as appealing to youths.\u00a0 I want to add that relatively speaking, it is more important to incorporate in the course the illustration of the martial applications of the forms than which particular style is chosen to be taught in the first Taiji course.<\/p>\n What about the form set to choose for a first course on Taiji?\u00a0 Independent of the Taiji style, I think it is important to choose a reasonably short form set that can be learned in a matter of a few months even if the class meets only once per week for one hour. [1]\u00a0 For example, for the Chen style, I would choose the Hunyuan 24 Form [2], which I call the Simplified Chen Style 24 Form.\u00a0 I think choosing the traditional Chen Style First Form with 83 forms would be too long and complicated to teach in a first course.\u00a0 Even the Chen Style Competition Form with 56 forms would be too long and complicated for a first course.\u00a0 Similarly, for the Yang style, the Simplified Yang Style 24 Form would be a suitable candidate for a first course.\u00a0 Teaching the traditional Yang Style long form of 108 forms is way too long and complicated for a first course.\u00a0 Even the Cheng Man Ching 37 Form that is based on the Yang Style is too long and complicated for a first course.\u00a0 The mixed style 42 Form is also too long and complicated for a first course, although it can be an ideal candidate for one of the subsequent courses.<\/p>\n During the first Taiji course, the instructor should also mention other aspects of the art of Taijiquan.\u00a0 Besides illustrating the martial applications, the instructor should also mention:<\/p>\n Each one of these techniques can help to generate among the youths additional interest and excitement on Taiji.\u00a0 They see that the art of Taiji is more than just a set of slow and soft movements for senior citizens to do, but a sophisticated art that challenges the body and mind, and is good for self defense and health.\u00a0 At the same time, it is also something that is fun, interesting, exciting, and challenging to learn and to practice.\u00a0 The introductory course is just the first of a set of courses on Taiji.<\/p>\n Summary:<\/strong> Taiji is generally known as a good health exercise for senior citizens.\u00a0 Its focus in recent times, especially in the West, has been mostly on older adults.\u00a0 In this article, we remind people that as in the origin of Taiji, it is also a good self-defense art.\u00a0 If the introductory course can illustrate the martial applications of Taiji, as well as touching upon other related subjects such as Push Hands, Qin Na, and Qigong, then Taiji can have general appeal to youths.\u00a0 In addition, if we choose properly the Taiji style and the specific form set to be taught in an introductory Taiji course, then even youths will find Taiji to be fun and exciting to learn and to practice.\u00a0 One of the reasons that some of the instructors of Taiji courses, especially those taught in the U.S., do not illustrate the martial applications of Taiji, is because they themselves had never learned Taiji as a martial art.<\/p>\n\n