Anatomy of Yang Family Tai Chi: A Guide for Teachers and Students

Tai chi people are a breed unto themselves. Mostly they are practitioners -- from Duffer to Master. But tai chi people are also spectators, kibitzers, critics, DVD makers, teachers and writers. There are writers in clumsy English who think in Chinese. *** Then there are writers like Steffan de Graffenried who probably think in Flemish but also do very well in English as a second languageto bring tai chi alive in the vivid language of Rudyard Kipling and Ernest Hemingway. *** Consider de Graffenried's 2007 paperback, ANATOMY OF YANG FAMILY TAI CHI. It begins with "Tai Chi Chuan Lineage," tracing the author's credentials back to Manchu Dynasty master Yang Lu-Chan. It ends with seven "Exercises to Improve Your Tai Chi." Each homey exercise is illustrated in grainy black and white and relates to the Yang Family Long Form of tai chi through such names as "Snake Creeps Down," "Square Horse" and "Cobbler's Stretch." *** And lest you think stretching unimportant, de Graffenried devotes a two-page meditation to the subject, "TIghtness and Weakness." *** "A proverb that is quoted quite often in Chinese martial arts is 'inch long, inch strong,' meaning that the ability to reach longer increases your power." ***Might not that motto be true for related non-martial arts as well, such as Feldenkrais, Pilates and Yoga? "Inch long, inch strong" can be rephrased as "strength through length." And what Feldenkrais teacher does not sing of the good things that flow from a relaxed but lengthened spine? ***ANATOMY OF YANG FAMILY TAI CHI is a good read. It is no substitute for a teacher, as the author -- himself a tai chi teacher of renown -- is first to admit. But it can help you understand better what you are doing in your weekly tai chi classes, give you a bit of a flavor for classical Chinese martial arts thinking and offer you tips as well for smarter yoga, feldenkrais, pilates, and more. -OOO-