The World Taiji Boxing Association

With Eli Montaigue

Shortened Tai Chi Forms!

Why you should NOT do any shortened or modified forms of Taijiquan!

No, you should give up the shortened form immediately as it will eventually damage your body and mind! The masters of old were genius and they invented a set of movements which emulated the Qi flow in a 24 hour period. In fact during practice of an original form (not a shortened version), we cause the Qi flow to be activated three more times, hence it's great health giving nature. If we were to then leave out postures or change others to different places in the form, the Qi is being activated in all the wrong places and the flow is broken. And it is broken and changed Qi flows in the body that allows illness to slowly come in!

The Yang Chen-fu form however, was modified just enough to make it easer for the beginner, but with-out loosing the original essence of the Yang Lu-ch'an form, Chen-fu him self said, "to change the form any more than I have, will bring disaster!
But although the Chen-fu form has the Qi flowing in the right places, it still does not have the Fa-jing movements, it's all slow moving, so to balance it out you must train in one of the fighting forms such as the Pauchui, or small San-Sau.

However, most people are a bit to yang to start with any way due to stress, so as long as you don't go overboard training in the slow form, you'll be fine, especially if you're a older person not interested in the fighting side

The Fa-jing (explosive energy) movements of the Old Yang System provide outlets for Yang Qi that builds up during practice. This is very important as building up too much Yang Qi (by doing all slow movements) then goes in to its opposite of Yin, thus causing 'Yin Dullness' which is what many of the old Chinese masters who only ever did the all slow form died of! So we need those energy release points. However, having said that, if for instance an older person or someone who is ill learns the all slow moving form, this will only benefit him or her as their body is probably too stiff to begin with. The dangers only come when we are progressing with our form training and everything that is supposed to happen begins to happen. This is the time to then go into the Older Yang Style with its energy release points.