Hi everyone. These pages contain reference information for my Taiji students.
I teach beginner and advanced classes in Yang 24-Form Taiji in Halifax, Nova Scotia and the surrounding area. I began learning this form in 1997, taking lessons for years in Nova Scotia and for several months in Beijing, China.
The Yang 24-Form Taiji is a standardized beginner form that is taught throughout the world and used in competition. Although every teacher will have their own particular style, I try to stick to international standards, using videos of world champions and texts written by established Chinese masters as my primary references.
The five traditional Taiji styles are Chen, Yang, Wu, Sun and Wu Hao. The name of a style is the family name of the originator of that style. Chen is said to be the original form, with the other four being developed from it. When comparing Yang and Chen styles, the Yang movements are slower, flow smoothly with no explosive sequences (known as fajing), the stance is higher, and the use of power is more subtle; think “elegant” like a ballroom waltz.
The 24-Form is part of the Yang family of forms. (Note that the locally popular Taoist Tai Chi is a modified version of the standard Yang Long Form, although practitioners of the Taoist form sometimes have difficulty admitting that.)
Also known as the Short Form, the Simplified Form or the Beijing Form, the 24-Form was developed in the 1950s by Taiji masters at the request of the Chinese government's State Physical Culture and Sports Commission. It was designed specifically so that it is easy to learn and easy on the body, particularly the knees.
Now, that word “easy” is relative—the 24 is easier than the standard Yang Long Form. The 24 is easier to learn because the first movements are less complicated than the later movements. The 24 is easier to remember because it is shorter; much of the repetition has been eliminated. The 24 is easier to practice because there are fewer turns on a weighted foot resulting in less stress on the knees.
Although the 24-Form is considered a beginner form, it retains the main techniques of the traditional form; all movements are soft and smooth, with straight and balanced postures.
Patience and practice are still required. Don’t expect to learn the entire form in a single series of eight or ten 90-minute classes. The most common descriptive words are easy and short, not quick!
Send me an email. I will do my best to answer your questions.