Teaching short forms before long forms?

Discussion in 'Tai chi' started by EmptyHandGuy, Aug 26, 2014.

  1. cloudz

    cloudz Valued Member

    Yes, of course it does. techniques and 2 person drills, randori etc are all done at the speeds other martial arts are practiced at.

    The form is learnt and practiced slowly early on, however it is supposed to also be practiced with speed and variations thereof once this can be done maintaining the things that matter... Some teachers and systems perhaps lose that faster forms practice, but in my experience the people that have a martial practice do also practice their form at various speeds.

    The difference as I see it is that most tai chi chuan does and should continue to maintain the slow practice method. It is a specialised practice like standing is (Zhan Zhuang), it is a moving version of Zhan Zhuang if you will.

    Very good and important in developing what tai chi seeks to impart to the practitioner.
     
    Last edited: Oct 3, 2014
  2. YouKnowWho

    YouKnowWho Valued Member

    Not all MA systems apply slow speed training during the beginner stage.

    The following clip is the normal training speed in my system. That training speed won't slow down for any beginners.

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRZA6amKbf0&feature=youtu.be"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRZA6amKbf0&feature=youtu.be[/ame]
     
  3. El Medico

    El Medico Valued Member

    You're not going to learn fighting by either of those methods.Push hands doesn't teach the fighting skillset,just some of the skills which can be applied in your fighting,mainly issuing,neutralizing,and tactile sensitivity.

    I've known and know of people who have VERY good push hands skills. But that's all they've got.Not individuals I would choose to have with me when the you know what hits the fan.
    Not necessarily.Ever hear of Kyudo or some forms of Iaido? Not about fighting.

    That depends. Learning basic footwork,basic striking,etc can be done at the "normal" speeds in learning as any other system. However,to go beyond this into the other mechanics employed by TC systems one is just not going to be able to do them from the get go.

    I can teach raw TC beginners the rudiments of punching on the first day & they'll be able to do it at some level just like any beginner. If on that first day I tried to get them to punch while executing some of the other body methods which can be employed they simply won't be able to do them yet. At all. Nobody is able to execute some of the body methods at any speed without a lot of slow practice to develop those abilities first.
     

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