Taijiquan is a martial art. A martial art that just happens to increase your capacity to live and enjoy your life. Taijiquan applications are at the heart of the health practices. In learning to apply force correctly, you learn to align your body in a way that stresses your body the least.
To become a proficient Taijiquan fighter is beyond the desires of most practitioners of Taijiquan. Dedicated practice, focused repetitions with a variety of progressively offensive partners is needed. Hard work and lots of sweat. If you do not put in this kind of effort you will not be able to use Taijiquan in a fight. So why study Taijiquan applications at all?
Learning the basic Taijiquan applications will energize your sequence and form practice, providing you with the reason why your body should be positioned "just so", and why some other practitioners place their body in a slightly different alignment. Let the applications teach you how to do your form.
These classes are geared towards practitioners wanting to learn how to relax and maintain structural integrity as well as develop their appreciation and understanding of Taijiquan. You will learn of the Ti (Kicking), Da (Striking), Shuai (Throwing) and Na (Locking) applications inherent in every posture.
Each 8-week term will focus on the practice of a different Taijiquan posture. Every weekly class will encompass the following:
- Solo Practice of the Taijiquan Posture
- Partner Push Hands Review
- Ti (Kicking), Da (Striking), Shuai (Throwing), Na (Locking)
- Right-handed and Left-handed Practice
- Partner Application Practice
Each class will end with a review of the Artemis Taijiquan Mini Sequence.
A list of the postures is below:
Opening & Closing (Taiji Qi Shi & He Taiji)
Grasp Sparrows Tail 1 (Lan Que Wei Yi)
Grasp Sparrows Tail 2 (Lan Que Wei Er)
Peng (Ward Off)
Lu (Roll Back)
Ji (Squeeze or Press)
An (Press Down or Push Forward)
Single Whip (Dan Bian)
Cloud Hands (Yun Shou)
