There are primarily three open hand forms forms that we teach, these being;
- Tanigawa Sensei’s 18 step form (basically the first 18 movements of Chen Man Ching’s 37 step form) – 18 Step Yang Style Tai Chi Form. You can download a PDF list of the movements here.
- Chen Man Ching’s 37 step form – Chen Man Ching – 37 Step Yang Style Tai Chi
- Form
- Yang Style 108 step form
Some useful books on the subject are;
- Master Cheng’s New Method of Tai Chi Self-cultivation
- T’ai Chi Ch’uan: A Simplified Method of Calisthenics for Health & Self Defence
- Cheng Tzu’s Thirteen Treatises on T’ai Chi Ch’uan
As you perform the Tai Chi forms you should focus on moving from your centre and the pull of the hips, as well as flowing like water (Flow like water), your movement should be fluid and flow from one movement to the next in a graceful flow.
18 Step Form, below are a series of videos breaking down this form.
18 Step Form – Step by step walkthrough of the form with names of each posture.
18 Step Form – Breath, video covers aspects of the breath through the flow of the form.
18 Step Form – Brush Knee with Push, look at how we transition from “Brush Knee with Push” into “Parry and Punch”
18 Step Form – Parry and Punch, look at how we transition from “Parry and Punch” into “Sealing” and then to “Return to Mountain”