For students, the guidance of a good teacher and discussions of the skills and techniques with friends are necessary, but the most important thing is persistent and untiring practice. Indeed, there is nothing like practice, and students of taijiquan, men and women, young and old, will get the best possible results if they keep at it all year round.
There are five main schools of Taijiquan that are recognised in China today:
Chen: This is the oldest known form of Taijiquan and the closest form to martial arts.
Yang: This is the most popular form of Taijiquan. Driven by the Communist Government in China in the 1950s as a health exercise, during which the Chinese National 24 Form was developed in 1956. In 1998 Taijiquan top Masters developed the new international Taijiquan Training Syllabus, which is taught by Shifu Peter Warr.
Wu, Wu/Hao, Sun: These forms of Taijiquan mainly practiced in China, where they remain very popular.
All forms of Taijiquan are beneficial to their student’s health if practiced on a regular basis. Taijiquan regulates blood circulation, whilst refreshing and stimulating the body without causing exhaustion. It also helps to relieve symptoms of stress, tension, bad circulation high blood pressure, migraine, stiffness of the joints and back pain. With regular practice of Taijiquan also helping to strengthen the immune system.
Typically elements of a Yang style Taijiquan class will include; Dao Yin: These are gentle stretches to warm-up the body, remove toxins from joints and ligaments and to open acupressure points. Qigong: To correct diaphragm breathing and posture alignment to enhance the body’s performance, and assist the internal organs to function properly. Taijiquan: Following the International Taijiquan Training Syllabus to help students achieve a steady progression through the levels of Yang Style Taijiquan.