Black Tiger Tai Chi

Thank you for your interest in our school. Tai Chi classes. Practicing Cheng Man Ch'ing 37-form and sword form, 6-form and 8-form. We have a great atmosphere for people who want to enjoy training in TaiChi

We are at 2 locations
Monday Mornings 10.00am until 11.00am at St Anthony's Centre. Portway, Wythenshawe, Manchester M22 0FJ
And
Tuesday nights 6.30pm until 7.30pm at
New Dawn Dojo Lawton Moor Church, Button Lane, Manchester M23 0ND

First class is free

Wear comfortable clothing and bring water

See you soon

😳 That look on your face when someone says, "Tai Chi is only for old people."

If only they knew...

Tai Chi is for anyone who wants better balance, coordination, flexibility, focus, relaxation, and overall health.

Young or old, beginner or advanced, the benefits are available to anyone willing to practice.

And if they've ever seen Chen Style Tai Chi, Push Hands, or the martial applications, they might think twice before saying it's only for old people. 😄

✨ Tai Chi isn't about age. It's about growth.

💬 What's the biggest misconception you've heard about Tai Chi? Share in the comments!

One of the great books on Tai Chi written by Cheng Man Ching.

See more here: http://amzn.to/2fCQQFy

Why actual grappling matters...and always will

Some comments transcend the comment section and this is one of them. Shared for all to appreciate:
I showed your post to my Chen mentor who was a alternate on US judo team in the 80’s. He said this: “Yes. That about sums up how I feel too. Skilled grapplers/wrestlers typically do not transition to taijiquan because it has no apparent usefulness. I’m an anomaly.

Let’s be clear. Judo is a combat ‘sport’. The older versions of it taught with more emphasis on ‘combat’ contained within a ‘thin’ ruleset. Judo since the USJF, USJA, etc. has a ‘thicker’ ruleset and scores points more leniently.

Combat oriented Judo is about ‘enter and finish’, just like on a battlefield. Now, the tactics, are more like ‘seek my favorite hold, throw and fall on him’. In the older way, you literally enter, take whatever hold is available, throw him, and remain on your feet because his friend is nearby to immediately attack.

One only needs to become skilled at 5 throws:
1 - hip toss: - holding his right arm with 1 or both hands: in Judo this is called Seionage - holding his right lapel and using his right arm: Morote Seionage - holding his right arm and encircling his neck
2 - hip toss with trip: - same holds, place your right foot outside his right foot to block it
3 - hip toss with reap: - same as hip with trip except you are lifting your right foot - you can do this also between his legs: Uchi Mata
4 - foot sweep variations - you can cause him to turn and sweep his ankle/shin - you can sweep when he advance his foot towards you
5 - sacrifice throw - the best one is my mind is Yoko Otoshi - once he either holds you or you him - step to SW with your left leg and sit on your left glute - use your left leg to block his right foot step These are high percentage.

A person can receive the basics in a few lessons. What is harder to learn is understanding the proper positional relationship between you and him. You need to learn the difference between good foot placement and bad. You need to learn how to ‘go’ without thinking about it. He touches you, you touch him. It’s all the same. Find whatever minimum hold you need along the way.

This is what ‘randori’ about. Randori (sparring) amongst classmates is ok, but you haven’t tested yourself against the unknown. So, that is what Shiai (tournaments) are about. You get the chance to test yourself against awareness against people you don’t train with. Get 10+ tournaments and it all makes sense.

Then, when someone touches you in real life, your body knows what to do. To retain the skills you need to literally drill each one 10,000 times. You also need to be thrown in each 10,000 times. You mitigate the fear of falling. Still a Greco Roman wrestler can Suplesse you in a high arc over head. So, respect other grappling arts.

Judo develops awareness against resistance, but not the fine grained beads (salt) that taijiquan develops. Taijiquan does not understand grappling in a realistic sense, considering footwork, body positioning, etc. When, I see Taiji people launching non-wrestlers 10 feet away upon touch, I think that won’t happen against a skilled grappler. You might cause him to step back, but when he re-engages, he already understands your game. He will take his hold on you. Better understand ‘kao’, etc.

I think that a person can’t truly understand the gems hidden in taiji and other kungfu methods without understanding grappling, and having tested yourself."

Borrowed from another page 📄📃📄

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Wishing you all a great new year from all of us

These four are considered foundational “energies”.
Float (浮)
A rising, expanding energy.
Often compared to a wave lifting a boat upward.
Used to uproot an opponent or create buoyant light and agile structure. Raising Qi up.

Sink (沉)
A dropping, grounding energy.
Settling weight into the legs and Dantian.
Used to stabilize, absorb force, or press downward. Bringing Qi down.
Swallow (吞)
Drawing inward, absorbing, yielding to take in force.
Used to neutralize attacks or pull an opponent off balance.
Bringing qi inward” Like drawing an arrow back in a bow.
Spit (吐)
Releasing outward, Fajin issuing power, striking, or projecting force.
Expelling qi outward like an arrow leaving the bow.
In Taijiquan there four are referred to as the square energies of Peng, Lu, Ji, An.
****************************************
Open and Close (开合)
Open and close are often taught alongside these four Jin in Qigong and internal martial arts.
Open: expanding, rising, inhaling, "separating"
Close: contracting, sinking, exhaling, "gathering"
They pair naturally with the four energies:
Open float, spit (energy out)
Close sink, swallow (energy in)
This creates a full internal cycle. .

Borrowed this from another page

How to practice Qi Gong while standing?

Standing Qi Gong practice involves practicing in a standing posture, including both dynamic and static standing qigong. Static standing qigong, also known as standing posture qigong, is effective in treating certain illnesses and maintaining health. There are many types of standing dynamic qigong: routine and non-routine. Non-routine qigong includes free-hand exercises and inducing qigong (also known as spontaneous qigong or induced qigong). This article focuses on some aspects of standing posture qigong.

Zhan Zhuang Gong is a practice that organically integrates and interacts "form, intention, qi, and strength." It not only offers a variety of postures to suit various needs, but also has specific requirements. For example, it requires the "three internal harmonies" and "three external harmonies." The "three internal harmonies" are the harmony of mind and intention, intention and qi, and qi and strength; the "three external harmonies" are the harmony of shoulders and hips, elbows and knees, and hands and feet. This achieves a state where form, intention, qi, and strength are fully unified and blended into one.

There are many different postures in Zhan Zhuang practice, each with its own distinct requirements and benefits. For example, the posture can be high or low, with the lower the position, the greater the intensity of the exercise. Young people seeking fitness can choose a low position, while those with general health conditions can adopt a high position, gradually lowering the position as their strength improves. The arms can be held open or closed, high or low, in embrace, support, pressing, or holding. However, different postures require different intentions. For example, the "pressing the ball" posture involves imagining each hand pressing a ball floating in water; the "holding the water" posture involves holding a bowl of water, and the effects are also different. The movements in Zhan Zhuang can be asymmetrical, such as one hand lifting up and the other pressing down, or symmetrical, with both hands pointing up or down simultaneously. In short, there are many different postures in Zhan Zhuang, and practitioners should choose the appropriate posture based on their specific needs. The posture should be complete and balanced, upright and comfortable, relaxed but not slack, tight but not rigid, with the upper body empty and the lower body solid, like a tree taking root.

The following introduces one of the most commonly used standing postures. Practitioners can change different postures according to the above principles.

Vertical Support Stance: Stand with your feet parallel and shoulder-width apart. Keep your head straight and looking straight ahead, your back straight, arms like a bow, shoulders relaxed, elbows hanging down, armpits empty, fingers stretched out, chest tucked in, hips drawn together, buttocks in a sitting position, knees slightly bent and inward, feet evenly touching the ground. Maintaining this posture, relax all muscles as much as possible. Breathe naturally, imagining your feet taking root like a tree, your body standing tall and straight like a pine tree, unwavering and unshaken.

Practice Zhan Zhuang two or three times daily, starting with about 10 minutes and gradually increasing to half an hour or even an hour. Initially, you may experience soreness and fatigue in your legs. This is normal and will gradually become accustomed to after some practice. When changing postures, some advocate keeping your hands no higher than your eyebrows, no lower than your navel, no farther than a foot, and no closer than your body. Within this range, naturally change postures according to your purpose and intention. Observe the changes in physical sensations associated with a particular intention in a particular posture, aligning posture with intention. Regardless of the posture adopted, achieve emotional tranquility, natural relaxation, and a sense of comfort and ease. Generally, after adopting natural breathing and relaxing into a state of tranquility, your breathing will naturally become slow, even, and long. With intention and posture in harmony, allow distracting thoughts to flow naturally, without artificially seeking tranquility.

* I have been practicing Zhàn Zhuàng since 2000, but at that time my teacher taught this method by calling it Qi Gong practice, he said for beginners just do it correctly for 5 or 10 minutes, as time went by and the length of the practice was increased. He never mentioned Zhan Zhuang then until I found out the name Zhan Zhuang on the internet *

Six Principles of Correct Qi Gong Practice: Essentials of Qi Gong Practice.

From a general summary, we can see that the key points of practicing Daoyin Gongfa include the following:

1. Open your eyes naturally

Relaxation means that one should not be tense mentally and physically relaxed during the practice. Stillness means keeping calm and free of distracting thoughts during the practice.

Relaxation and tranquility mutually promote and influence each other. If relaxation is mastered, tranquility becomes easier, and once tranquility is achieved, relaxation becomes easier. Relaxation and tranquility are the fundamental requirements for relaxation exercises, the basic skills for beginners, and the foundation for successful practice of various exercises.

2. Combining movement and stillness

Daoyin exercises are divided into two categories: dynamic exercises and static exercises. Generally speaking, dynamic exercises utilize body movements to guide the flow of internal energy, while static exercises rely more on the power of intention to gather energy in the Dantian. Therefore, when arranging exercises, static exercises and dynamic exercises should be closely coordinated.

3. Practice and nourishment together

Practice and nourishment are two distinct states of mind during the practice of qigong. Practice involves consciously adjusting the body, maintaining posture, concentrating attention, and eliminating distracting thoughts. Nourishment refers to the state of rest achieved after conscious practice, characterized by a relaxed and comfortable body, gentle and uninterrupted breathing, and a tranquil mind. Practice and nourishment complement each other, promoting the harmonious balance of qi and blood in the body.

4. Be of the same mind

"Yi" refers to the practitioner's intentional activity; "Qi" refers to the breath and the internal energy sensations experienced during practice. "Yi Qi Xiang Su" means that the practitioner can use their intention to influence and train their breathing and internal energy, integrating their intentional activity with the movement of their breath. This is also known as "Yi Qi He Yi."

5. Accurate and gentle

You must pay attention to maintaining the correct posture and making sure the movements are in accordance with the regulations. The height, weight, position, technique, and breathing should all be done according to the regulations. The movements should be flexible, gentle, and just right.

6. Take it step by step

It takes a while for the guiding health-preserving exercises to be effective and it is impossible for them to be effective in a short period of time. Therefore, we must follow a certain procedure when practicing. Only in this way can we achieve success naturally.

🔥 Tai Chi – A New Secret in Modern Sports Training
In professional sports, even 1% of performance can decide between victory and defeat. The gap between a gold medal and fourth place may come down to just a fraction of a second or one stronger move. That’s why today’s coaches look beyond technical skills, seeking complementary methods to boost performance – increase endurance – reduce injuries – and peak at the right time.

👉 One method gaining attention is Tai Chi. More than a traditional martial art and health practice, Tai Chi embodies principles of biomechanics, physiology, and sports psychology that are highly valuable for elite athletes.

⚡ The Principle of Whole-Body Power in Tai Chi
Whole-body force: Every movement engages the body in unison—legs, waist, spine, shoulders, arms—instead of isolating one muscle group.
Key drills:
• Ground force transmission – feel the energy travel from the feet to the hands
• Waist rotation with strikes – generate powerful spiral force
• Soft push-hands – train continuous adjustment and control of force

🎯 Applications in Modern Sports
Soccer: Stronger kicks, less stress on the knees
Tennis: More spin and speed through spiral waist power
Swimming: Full-body coordination, maximizing every stroke and kick

💡 Practicing Tai Chi is not just about health—it’s a key to boosting performance and extending athletic careers.

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