Self Defence


 

Barry was telling us a story about the woman who always cut the end of the ham and somebody asked her why she did it. She said, "Well I don't know, my mother always did it that way." And they asked her mother and she said, "I don't know, my mother always did it." And they asked grandma, and she said, "Well, I did it because otherwise it wouldn't fit into my biggest pot."

(Chungliang Al Huang)

Curriculum

We have studied a number of forms/styles/systems across the decades. It is useful to see how different schools approach tai chi.
Unfortunately, the more forms and drills you have to practice, the less time you have to explore them.
It is necessary to be selective.

In order to create a coherent syllabus, we have whittled the volume of material down considerably.
Our students focus upon learning the Yang Cheng Fu approach.

The lists below do not represent what we teach in class. They simply reflect the training we have undertaken since the mid 1970's.


Forms

We have studied different tai chi forms:

  1. Chen style laojia/old frame form

  2. Cheng Man Ching form

  3. Pauchui/large san sau (against a grappler) form

  4. Sun style form

  5. Yang Cheng Fu form

  6. Yang Lu Chan/Old Yang style form

  7. Wu (Hao) style form


Weapons forms

We have studied some tai chi weapons forms:

  1. 3" staff (2 person set) form

  2. 4" staff form

  3. Yang Cheng Fu broadsword form

  4. Yang Lu Chan broadsword form


2 person forms

We have studied a couple of 2 person forms/sets:

  1. Large san sau

  2. Pauchui/large san sau - 2nd version


Internal forms

We have studied these non-tai chi forms:

  1. Bagwa - back-facing palm change

  2. Bagwa - body-scraping palm change

  3. Bagwa - double palm change

  4. Bagwa - reversing palm change

  5. Bagwa - single palm change

  6. Bagwa - straight palm change

  7. Bagwa - thrice-penetrating palm change

  8. Bagwa - turn the body around palm change

  9. Hsing i - crossing form

  10. Hsing i - crushing form

  11. Hsing i - drilling form

  12. Hsing i - pounding form

  13. Hsing i - splitting form

  14. Wudang Shan penetration form

  15. Wudang Shan leaping form

  16. Wudang Shan 8 directions form

  17. Wudang Shan spiral form

  18. Wudang Shan waving-hands form

  19. Wudang Shan closing up form

  20. Wudang Shan water form

  21. Wudang Shan earth form

  22. Wudang Shan emptiness form

  23. Wudang Shan stillness form

  24. Wudang Shan pre-natal form

  25. Wudang Shan finishing form


Drills

We have studied a variety of drills (solo & partnered), including:

  1. 12 dim-mak methods

  2. 12 Wudang hand weapons

  3. 4" staff drills

  4. 6" staff drills

  5. Being hit

  6. Central equilibrium exercises

  7. Chin na applications

  8. Countering a knife

  9. Da lu

  10. Double pushing hands

  11. Escapes

  12. Floorwork

  13. Knife drills

  14. Long har chuan

  15. Loose striking

  16. Monkey paws

  17. Penetrating defences

  18. Peng-hinge method

  19. The post exercise

  20. The post exercise (bagwa version)

  21. Pre-emptive methods

  22. Pushing hands

  23. Pushing legs

  24. Pushing peng

  25. Reeling silk exercises

  26. Reflex drills

  27. Silk arms

  28. Small san sau

  29. Speed striking

  30. Wudang stick methods


Qigong

We have studied different qigong, including:

  1. 3 arm swings

  2. 3 circle qigong

  3. 4-directions

  4. Ba duan jin

  5. Back extension

  6. Bone marrow washing

  7. Full circle qigong

  8. Massage

  9. Moving qigong

  10. Opening & closing


Other martial arts

These are some of the styles/systems we have explored:

  1. Aikido

  2. Bagwa

  3. Hsing i

  4. Hwa rang do

  5. I chuan/da cheng chuan

  6. Iaido

  7. Judo

  8. Ju jitsu

  9. Karate

  10. Pencat silat

  11. Wing chun

We started training in the mid 1970's, both in class and daily at home.

During the 1980's and 1990's we attended up to five different lessons a week, sometimes travelling over 40 miles for tuition.
We also attended a considerable number of workshops around the UK.


Alternate health

We started studying alternate approaches in 1982.
These are the systems we still practice:

  1. Alexander technique

  2. Iyengar style yoga

  3. Massage

  4. Pilates




Home • Classes • Contact Details • Curriculum • Ethical Living • FAQ's • Feedback • Health • Meditation • Overview • Resources • Self Defence • Tai Chi • Tao • Zen • A-Z

Experience • Fit to Teach • Student & Teacher • The Teacher • Trainee Teachers

Tai Chi Experience • Thank you

Page created 5 January 2005