Tai Chi
太極
Lesson #1 with Vince McCullough for beginners is particularly helpful because he inserts a “pause” between forms making it perfect for individually practicing each position....
This instructional video is an excellent place to begin your Tai Chi journey. After practicing each individual movement, lace them together seamlessly, timelessly, not noticing where one movement ends and the next begins. Eliminate the pauses and you'll be practicing Tai Chi like
"cloud hands”, like a flowing river.
Tái chi ch'üan is practiced for it's health benefits, as a form of moving meditation, and for defense training. As an internal Chinese Martial Art, it is occupied with the spiritual, the mental, the qi. Qi translates as ”air”, life force or energy flow that underlies Chinese traditional medicine and martial arts. The practice of cultivating and balancing qi is called qigong.
Now you're ready for blending the beginner movements with a narration of the Short Yang form.
Lesson #2 For Beginners with Vince.
Tái chi ch'üan is practiced for it's health benefits, as a form of moving meditation, and for defense training. As an internal Chinese Martial Art, it is occupied with the spiritual, the mental, the qi. Qi translates as ”air”, life force or energy flow that underlies Chinese traditional medicine and martial arts. The practice of cultivating and balancing qi is called qigong.
#3 Yang Short Form on the beach (Vince’s favorite Tai Chi nexus)
Once you master the Emeritus Short Yang Form you can move to #4, the Yang Long Form. Vince McCullough, put together the Short Yang demonstration so that students would have a good introduction and forms that could be practiced repeatedly.
In 2020 my Tai Chi Master, Vince McCollough, turned 89 having practiced Tai Chi since his early college football coaching days. I first met him in front of a Tai Chi group on the beach in southern California. I learned Tai Chi from him that year and was encouraged to take his Emeritus Tai Chi course at Saddleback College where his large class (over 100 students) shifted into five or six breakout groups each with its own Tai Chi assistant: Wendy and Matthew Ma, Jim Smith, Bill Steel, Tatiana and Moustafa.
#4 Form 42 on Vince’s 85th birthday.
Tai Chi has many speeds, like a stream moving quietly but not running quickly, or like great river at high water. Sped up it becomes a martial art. Click HERE for an example. Normally Tai Chi movements flow smoothly but in the instructional video below Vince inserts distinct pauses between individual forms for students to visualize when one form ends and the next begins.
#5 Short Sun in Six Stages
# 6 Vince Form 42 on his 86th Birthday
#6 Ross Acosta’s Tribute to Vince.
I came across the video (below) just after I viewed Ross Acosta’s tribute to Vince. Thank you Ross.
There is an unexpected synergy when you view the two tributes together. Vince’s life is echoing in Robin’s voice. Take a look.
Interesting that it’s title is: “We see it too late” my brain, constantly playing with words hears: “We see it just in time.” We see these tributes together, just in time to live the rest of our lives inspired by the the humanity of the way they lived their lives.
Now back to Tai Chi
#7 Style 73 Next two teaching videos recommended by Bill Steele.
practice double kick @2:22
practice right swift @4:44
#8 Yang Long Form
Narrated in Chinese.
