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Chen Taijiquan (Tai Chi) in London

Dear students, due to the Covid-19 breakout,
Master Tse’s Qigong, Wing Chun, Chun Yuen and Taijiquan Classes have moved online.

Study authentic traditional Chen family Taijiquan with Master Michael Tse. Master Tse is one of the most well-known teachers of Qigong, Chinese Martial Arts and Chinese Culture in the west. Through the loyalty to his teachers and hard work and dedication, he has built up a strong following of students all around the world.

Master Tse has studied Chen family Taijiquan with Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang who is the 19th generation inheritor of the Chen Family Taijiquan skill. He has brought many students to reach a very high level of skill and good health. He is a very approachable teacher and has an unique ability to break down complicated concepts and make them easy to understand. He has students of all levels from new students just starting out on their Taijiquan journey to those who have been studying with him for over 25 years. He has a strong passion for Taijiquan, Qigong, Kung Fu and Chinese Philosophy, and he loves to teach and wants to pass on the traditional Chen Family Taijiquan. In addition to having regular Taijiquan classes in London he loves writing books and articles, and making DVDs to promote the traditional Chinese Qigong and Martial Arts. Master Tse teaches weekly classes in Central London –  Notting Hill.

  • The original style of taijiquan

  • Building stamina and fitness

  • Internal training and martial art

  • Learn to defend against strong attacks using less energy

Chen Taijiquan Classes Online

Click for more information

Chen Taijiquan Class in London

Online Lessons

Upcoming Seminars

Grandmaster Tse’s Taiji Fist

Master Tse shares his thoughts and observations about the art of Chen Taijiquan

Grandmaster Tse’s Tàijí Fist 148

Chén Wáng Tíng’s Poem 陳王廷太極拳經總歌  - Part 3 Chén Wáng Tíng’s Poem 陳王廷太極拳經總歌says, “Hooking, pushing, squeezing and holding skills – everybody knows these 鉤掤逼攬人人曉. Flashing,…

Grandmaster Tse’s Tàijí Fist 147

Chén Wáng Tíng’s Poem 陳王廷太極拳經總歌 Pt2 Grandmaster Tse using spiralling and circling skills in Tuī Shǒu 推手 Chén Wáng Tíng’s 陳王廷太極拳經總歌 Poem say, “Contacting, touching, spiralling and circling…
Statue of Chen Wang Ting

Grandmaster Tse’s Tàijí Fist 146

Chén Wáng Tíng’s Poem 拳經總歌 陳王廷著(明末清初時人，陳氏太極拳的創始人)        Statue of Chen Wang Ting 縱放屈伸人莫知，諸靠纏繞我皆依。劈打推壓得進步，搬擱橫采也難敵。鉤掤逼攬人人曉，閃驚取巧有誰知，佯輸詐走誰雲敗，引誘回沖致勝歸。滾拴搭掃靈微妙，橫直劈砍奇更奇，截進遮攔穿心肘，迎風接步紅炮捶。二換掃壓掛麵腳，左右邊簪莊跟腿，截前壓後無縫鎖，聲東擊西要熟識。上籠下提君須記，進攻退閃莫遲遲，藏頭蓋面天下有，慣心剁脅世間稀。教師不識此中理，難將武藝論高低。 Opening,…
Master Tse performing the Chen Taijiquan straight sword form

Grandmaster Tse’s Tàijí Fist 145

Wáng Zōng Yuè’s Tàijíquán Poem王宗岳太極拳論 Part 8 Grandmaster Tse performing the Chen Taijiquan straight sword form Wáng Zōng Yuè’s Tàijíquán Poem 王宗岳太極拳論 goes on to say, “人不知我，我獨知人，英雄所向無敵，蓋皆由此而及也。Other…

Grandmaster Tse’s Tàijí Fist 143

Wáng Zōng Yuè’s Tàijíquán Poem王宗岳太極拳論 Part 6 Wáng Zōng Yuè’s Tàijíquán Poem 王宗岳太極拳論 says, “ 進之則愈長，退之則愈促 When we move forward - we can go further away. When we move backward,…

Grandmaster Tse’s Tàijí Fist 142

Wáng Zōng Yuè’s Tàijíquán Poem王宗岳太極拳論 Part 5 In Wáng Zōng Yuè’s Tàijíquán Poem 王宗岳太極拳論 he says, “仰之則彌高，俯之則彌深We move upward, we are in the higher position, when we move…

Grandmaster Tse’s Tàijí Fist 141

Wáng Zōng Yuè’s Tàijíquán Poem王宗岳太極拳論 Part 4 In Wáng Zōng Yuè’s Tàijíquán Poem 王宗岳太極拳論 he says, “左重則左虛，右重則右杳。When our weight is on the left, we should not totally…

Grandmaster Tse’s Tàijí Fist 140

Wáng Zōng Yuè’s Tàijíquán Poem王宗岳太極拳論 Part 3 Grandmaster Tse's doing Zhàn Zhuāng 站樁 In Wáng Zōng Yuè’s Tàijíquán Poem 王宗岳太極拳論 he says, “不偏不倚，忽隱忽現 No leaning to either…

Grandmaster Tse’s Tàijí Fist 139

Wáng Zōng Yuè’s Tàijíquán Poem 王宗岳太極拳論 Part 2 In Wáng Zōng Yuè’s Tàijíquán Poem 王宗岳太極拳論 he says, “虚領頂勁，氣沉丹田 For posture we need to relax the head and shoulders, with the…

Grandmaster Tse’s Tàijí Fist 138

Wáng Zōng Yuè’s Tàijíquán Poem 王宗岳太極拳論 Part 1 Wáng Zōng Yuè was from Shānxī Rén 山西, a person from Shānxī 山西人. No one really knows when he was born and when he died, but his poem of Tàijíquán…

Grandmaster Tse’s Tàijí Fist 137

Dì Gōng 地功 Part 3 Whenever I practise Tuī Shǒu 推手 - Pushing Hands with my students I can hold the position, like my Sīfu 師父, Chén Xiǎo Wàng 陳小旺, one leg in front of the other (particularly in stationary Tuī Shǒu).…

Grandmaster Tse’s Tàijí Fist 135

Dì Gōng 地功 Part 1 As human beings, we live between Heaven and Earth, We say Heaven gives us our minds, our thinking, feelings and sensations, Earth gives us support, stability and health. In Tàijíquán 太極拳 we follow the principle…

Grandmaster Tse Tàijí Fist 134

Five Bows 五弓 - Part 6 Now we understand, in Tàijíquán 太極拳, whenever we strike, we need to use the Five Bows 五弓 so that we can Fa Jìn 發勁. This means Fa Jìn is the Five Bows striking. When we think about kicking we can…

Master Tse’s Tàijí Fist 133

Five Bows 五弓 - Part 5 By now we should understand that in Tàijíquán 太極拳, whenever we strike using Fa Jìn 發勁, we must connect all the Five Bows 五弓 together. Both arms, both legs and the body must connect so that we use…

Master Tse’s Tàijí Fist 132

Five Bows 五弓 - Part 4 In Tàijíquán 太極拳 we can use the fist, palm, or elbow to strike. Whenever we strike, we must use the Five Bows 五弓 – two arms, two legs and the body. If we are striking with the elbow, as before, we also…

Master Tse’s Tàijí Fist 131

Five Bows 五弓 - Part 3 The body has Five Bows —身備五弓. Two arms, two legs and one body. When we relax the whole body, all of the Five Bows, the two arms, two legs and body will relax so that we can Fa Jìn 發勁. As we talked about…

Master Tse’s Tàijí Fist 130

Five Bows 五弓 - Part 2 Last time we discovered that the body has Five Bows —身備五弓. Two arms, two legs and one body and that all these parts can Fa Jìn 發勁 – Release Power! To begin with, both arms are relaxed. We can then…

Master Tse’s Tàijí Fist 129

Five Bows 五弓 - Part 1 In Tàijíquán 太極拳, we say “A body has five bows —身備五弓. This means that the body has five parts which are like bows and can shoot arrows. Shooting arrows means that it can hurt someone, and this…

Master Tse’s Tàijí Fist 128

Shùn and Nì Chán Sī Jìn 順與逆纏絲勁 – Part 19 前後 Front and Back - 順逆 One Shùn, One Nì , 前後 Front and Back - 逆順 One Nì One Shùn Stand in a medium horse stance, with the feet two shoulder widths apart, back…

Master Tse’s Tàijí Fist 127

Shùn and Nì Chán Sī Jìn 順與逆纏絲勁 – Part 18 前後 Front and Back  - 順—前—後 Shùn One After Another 前後 Front and Back  逆—前—後 Nì One After Another Stand in a medium horse stance, with the feet two…

Master Tse’s Tàijí Fist 126

Shùn and Nì Chán Sī Jìn 順與逆纏絲勁 – Part 17 Turn Waist 轉腰 - Nì and Shùn Chán Sī Jìn Opening and Closing 逆順開合 Stand in a medium horse stance, with the feet two shoulder widths apart, back straight, hands resting…

Master Tse’s Tàijí Fist 125

Shùn and Nì Chán Sī Jìn 順與逆纏絲勁 – Part 16 Turn Waist 轉腰Shùn and Nì Chán Sī Jìn Opening and Closing順逆開合 Stand in a medium horse stance, with the feet two shoulder widths apart, back straight, hands resting…

Master Tse’s Tàijí Fist 124

Shùn and Nì Chán Sī Jìn 順與逆纏絲勁 – Part 15 Both Sides - Nì and Shùn Chán Sī Jìn Opening and Closing 二側逆順纏絲勁開合 Stand in a medium horse stance, with the feet two shoulder widths apart, back straight,…

Master Tse’s Tàijí Fist 123

Shùn and Nì Chán Sī Jìn 順與逆纏絲勁 – Part 14 Both Sides - Shùn and Nì Chán Sī Jìn Opening and Closing二側順逆纏絲開合 Stand in a medium horse stance, with the feet two shoulder widths apart, back straight, hands…

Master Tse’s Tàijí Fist 122

Shùn and Nì Chán Sī Jìn 順與逆纏絲勁 – Part 13 Turn Waist轉腰 - One Nì, One Shùn 逆順 Stand in a medium horse stance, with the feet two shoulder widths apart, back straight, hands resting in front of the Dāntián 丹田…

Master Tse’s Tàijí Fist 121

Shùn and Nì Chán Sī Jìn 順與逆纏絲勁 – Part 12 Turn Waist轉腰 - One Shùn, One Nì 順逆 Stand in a medium horse stance, with the feet two shoulder widths apart, back straight, hands resting in front of the Dāntian 丹田 and…

Master Tse’s Tàijí Fist 120

Shùn and Nì Chán Sī Jìn 順與逆纏絲勁 – Part 11 Turn Waist轉腰 - 逆—前—後Nì One After Another Stand in a medium horse stance, with the feet two shoulder widths apart, back straight and the hands resting in front of…

Master Tse’s Tàijí Fist 119

Shùn and Nì Chán Sī Jìn 順與逆纏絲勁 – Part 10 Turn Waist 轉腰 -順—前—後 Shun One After Another Coming back to Turn Waist Shùn and Nì Chán Sī Jìn 順與逆纏絲勁, we now have Turn Waist轉腰 - 順—前—後Shùn…

Master Tse’s Tàijí Fist 118

Shùn and Nì Chán Sī Jìn 順與逆纏絲勁 – Part 9 –Side 兩側 - One Shun, One Ni 順逆 and One Ni and One Shun 逆順 Stand in a medium horse stance, with the feet two shoulder widths apart, back straight and the hands resting…
,

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 117

Shùn and Nì Chán Sī Jìn 順與逆纏絲勁 – Part 8 Stand in a medium horse stance, with the feet two shoulder widths apart, back straight and the hands resting in front of the Dāntián 丹田. Lift up the hands up, the palms should…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 116

Shùn and Nì Chán Sī Jìn 順與逆纏絲勁 – Part 7 After we have done the Shùn Chán Sī Jìn 順纏絲勁 sideways, we now need to do the Nì Chán Sī Jìn 逆纏絲勁 sideways. The stance is exactly the same as the Shùn Chán…

Master Tse’s Tàijí Fist 115

Shùn and Nì Chán Sī Jìn 順與逆纏絲勁 – Part 6 The fifth Shùn and Nì Chán Sī Jìn 順與逆纏絲勁 exercise is sideways. First make the wide, middle horse stance position as in the other exercises and keep the back straight.…

Master Tse’s Tàijí Fist 114

Shùn and Nì Chán Sī Jìn 順與逆纏絲勁 – Part 5 The third exercise in the Shùn and Nì Chán Sī Jìn 順與逆纏絲勁 is a Shùn Chán Sī Jìn順纏絲勁. Again make a wide, medium horse stance and rest the hands rest at…

Master Tse’s Tàijí Fist 113

Shùn and Nì Chán Sī Jìn 順與逆纏絲勁 Part 4 We can also practise Nì Chán Sī Jìn 逆纏絲勁 individually. Stand in the same wide middle, horse stance as before with both palms in front of the Dāntián丹田 and facing down.…

Master Tse’s Tàijí Fist 112

Shùn and Nì Chán Sī Jìn 順與逆纏絲勁 Part 3 When we want to develop the Shùn and Nì Nì Chán Sī Jìn 順與逆纏絲勁 we can practise our forms, like Laojia and Xinjia, but we can also practise individually. To begin with,…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 111

Shùn and Nì Chán Sī Jìng 順與逆纏絲勁 Part 2 Chán Sī Jìng 纏絲勁 has Shùn Chán Sī Jìng 順纏絲勁– outward circle and Nì Chán Sī Jìng 逆纏絲勁– inward circle. If we have good Nèi Gōng 內功 (Internal…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 110

Shùn and Nì Chán Sī Jìng 順與逆纏絲勁 Part 1 When we practise Chén Style Tàijíquán we have two kinds of Chán Sī Jìng 纏絲勁. “Chán 纏” means “Spiral” or “Reeling”, “Sī 絲” means “Silk” and “Jing…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 109

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 part 46 Xiong Rou Hu 熊若虎 laughed and said, “I am sorry he has left to return your buffalo. He is our close brother and also has good Kung Fu skill. He is the one who arranged all the tests you faced. You have…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 108

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 part 45 Xiong Rou Hu 熊若虎 continued to say, “I learnt a lot of Kung Fu from a Buddhist monk. I watched the Qing army 清兵 invade our country and kill so many of our Han people. So I gathered many people together…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 107

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 part 44 The old man got up quickly and jumped up to kick Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷. Chen Wang Ting knew the old man’s kick was very strong and stepped back to avoid it. Having missed the old man wanted to try another…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 106

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 part 43 The punch was so fast! But Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 was a high level Kung Fu master and had been expecting the attack. He stepped back to avoid it, but a second punch was already travelling quickly towards him,…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 105

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 part 42 The room was in complete darkness! No one said anything or made the slightest noise in case it alerted an enemy and made them a target for attack. After a while, the door to the room opened and the old man entered…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 104

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 part 41 As the 20 men moved in to attack, Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 heard the door being locked and knew that they could not escape and they had to fight! Chen Wang Ting drew his sword, he had left his Da Dao outside.…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 103

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 part 40 Jiang Fa’s 蔣發 Kung Fu was very good and he was very fast! While he was sitting on the beam, watching the others eating dinner, he saw the knife with a piece of meat shooting towards him. Just before it…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 102

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 part 39 The old man glared at the group armed with weapons, “Everyone back up and behave yourselves! They are our friends.” He said pointing to Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 and Jiang Fa蔣發. Chen Wang…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 101

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 part 38 Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 and Jiang Fa 蔣發 had now passed three tests. The leader of Mu Men Zhai 木門塞, the old man, continued as of nothing had happened and everything was normal and Chen Wang Ting…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 100

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 Part 37 Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 and Jiang Fa 蔣發 left the corridor. They had now passed two tests. The first had been jumping the front gate and the second had been the arrows shooting down the corridor. They came…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 99

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 Part 36 Chen Wang Ting’s 陳王廷 Kung Fu was very high level. Seeing the arrow shooting at him he immediately moved to the side and using his hand plucked the arrow out of the air! He knew the arrow head would also…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 98

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷Part 35 Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 and Jiang Fa 蔣發 landed inside the Mu Men Zhai 木門塞, to the surprise of the people inside. Even the leader was surprised but he hid it behind his smile. He came down from the…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 97

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 Part 34 Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 held hands together and respectfully greeted the old man. Although the old man, who was obviously the leader, had welcomed him, the gate was not open. The old man and his group stood…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 96

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 part 36 Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 and Jiang Fa 蔣發continued to Mu Men Zhai 木門塞 in the direction the merchant had pointed. After a few hours a big compound came in to view.  It was very large, almost like a…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 95

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 part 35 The waiter came over and served them some very delicious dishes. All these dishes had been ordered ahead of time. Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 signalled Jiang Fa 蔣發 with a knowing look to tell him to be careful.…

Master  Tse’s Taiji Fist 94

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 Part 34 The next day Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 and Jiang Fa 蔣發 set out for Shandong Mu Men Zhai 山東木門塞. Chen Wang Ting rode his favourite red horse whilst Jiang Fa walked. Jiang Fa preferred walking as…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 93

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 - Part 30 Jiang Fa 蔣發 saw Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷jump up and disappear through the skylight in the barn roof. He went outside and was surprised to see Chen Wang Ting already outside the door! He was impressed by…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 92

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷- Part 29 Being a farmer, Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 owned a really strong buffalo which was very good for working in the fields. Whenever the buffalo wasn't being used he was kept in a locked barn in order to keep…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 91

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 - Part 28 Although Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 seemed to be unprepared, he had not expected that Jiang Fa蔣發 would attack him. When someone has a very high level of Kung Fu their sixth sense is very alert. It is always…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 90

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 - Part 27 Jiang Fa 蔣發 thought his running and jumping  Qing Gong (Light Gong) 輕功 skill was very good, but since staying the Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷, he now saw that Chen Wang Ting was even better and thought…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 89

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 - Part 26 From then on Jiang Fa 蔣發 stayed with Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷. Whenever they met anyone, Chen Wang Ting told them that Jiang Fa worked for him and so people called him Jiang Ba Shi 蔣把式, Ba Shi 把式…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 88

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷- Part 25 Jiang Fa 蔣發 explained that he was shot by an arrow and that is how they caught him he said, “You know I am very fast, but there were so many of them. The caught me and put a wooden stock around my neck…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 87

Chen WangTing 陳王廷 - Part 24 Having recognised Jiang Fa 蔣發, Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 took him home, gave him new clothes to wear and food to eat and let him settle. Once Jiang Fa had rested awhile and recovered he started to explain…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 86

Chen Wang Ting - Part 23 Chen Wang Ting and Jiang Fa 蔣發 immediately recognised each other. Jiang Fa said, “Brother Wang Ting (they treated each other as brothers having followed rebel leader Li Ji Yu 李際遇 ), it has been hard to…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 85

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 - Part 22 During the day Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 worked in the fields, however at night he would teach members of Chen Jia Gou陳家溝(Chen Village) and the young people about Kung Fu. One day whilst Chen Wang Ting…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 84

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 - Part 21 The more Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 read the Huang Ting Jing 黄庭經 the more enjoyed it and the more fascinated he became by it. He was a Kung Fu man and he began to think about how he could combine his…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 83

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷  - Part 20 Huang Ting Jing 黄庭經 was written around the time 22-589, during the Wei Jun Southern Northern  Dynasty魏南北朝. Huang 黄  means yellow.  in the Five Elements  yellow is the Earth element and…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 82

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 - Part 19 Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 even wrote a poem when he was older which went, “Thinking of the past, wearing my armour and my weapons, fighting against the enemy, many times in danger. Heaven blessed me but…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 81

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷  - Part 18 The rulers of China had changed and now it was led by a Qing 清 Emperor. The Qing Dynasty 清朝 were Manchurian 滿 from the North West and so now China was made up of Manchurians, Han 漢， Mongolian…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 80

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 Part 17 Whilst Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 was lying in his sick bed, the Ming Government suffered a big change. The rebels of Chuang Wang 闖王 (The King of Breaking Thought) Li Zi Cheng 李自成 broke into the Forbidden…

Master Tse’ Taiji Fist 79

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷- Part 16 Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 could not believe it! how could Li Ji Yu 李際遇  have been killed?  He was such a good leader! He knew him and trusted him! What should he do now? Chen Wang Ting continued to ask…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 78

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 - Part 15 Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 went back home. On returning to his Village, you went to visit many people, family, relatives, neighbours and friends. They all knew that the Ming Government 明朝 would soon fall…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 77

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷  Part 14 Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 stayed at Yu Dai Shan where he got along with everybody.  He got on very well with Jiang Fa 蔣發in particular. They both had a very good level of Kung Fu and whenever they had some…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #76

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷  Pt 13 This man was the leader of the bandits. He was rebelling against the Ming Government whom were always sending armies against them. Yu Dai Shan was a very dangerous place, where it was easy to hide and was ready…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #75

Chen Wang Ting  Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷  PT 12 Seeing the arrows flying towards him, Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 had no time to think. He swung his Guan Dao, spinning it in front of him, as fast as he could, covering himself and his horse!…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #74

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷  pt11 Each time a bandit got close and attacked, Chen Wang Ting disarmed him, knocking his weapon flying to the ground! This surprised everyone and Jiang Fa 蔣發 realised that this person had very high level Kung…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #73

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷  pt10 Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 was sitting on his big horse and carrying his Guan Dao (this weapons made famous by General Guan Yu關羽, during the Three Kingdoms Period三國時代. It has a big blade at one end…

Master Tse’s Taiji fist #72

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 pt9 On hearing the loud voice Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 looked to the top of the mountain in the direction where it came from. Chen Wang Ting’s eyesight was very good and he could make out a person standing on the…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #71

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 pt8 Chen Wang Ting approached the Wood Cutter and politely asked, " I am looking for somebody who lives in Yu Da Shan 玉帶山(Jade Belt Mountain). I wonder whether you know where he lives?" The Woodcutter looked…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #70

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷  pt7 Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 followed the voice singing the song until he came to a Wood Cutter, carrying a big bundle of wood tied to a stick across his shoulders. He was surprised when the man simply glanced…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #69

Chen Wang Ting  陳王廷 pt 6 Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 had initially wanted to help the Ming government fight against the Qing Army清 who wanted to overthrow the Ming Dynasty明. This was the reason he had entered the Imperial Examinations…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #68

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 pt5 When Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 retired he returned to his village and a friend came back with him. They have been fighting in the war together and had become good friends. His name was Jiang Fa 蔣發. Having…
Statue of Chen Wang Ting

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #67

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 Pt4 Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 became a fugitive, but fortunately for him, the Ming Dynasty明朝 at the time was very chaotic and all over the country people were rebelling against the government. A case like Chen…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #66

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 Pt3 Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 was born at the end of the Ming Dynasty and at that time the government had become very corrupt. On one occasion, Chen Wang Ting took part in the imperial examination for martial arts. …

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #65

Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 Pt2 Chen Wang Ting's 陳王廷 ancestor, and the first generation of the Chen family, was Chen Bu 陳卜. Chen Bu originally came from Shanxi Province 山西省 before moving to Chang Yang Village常陽常 in Henan…
Statue of Chen Wang Ting

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #64

 Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 Pt1 Chen Wang Ting 陳王廷 (1600-1680) was also known as Zou Ting 奏庭. In Traditional Chinese Old Culture, when a boy reached the age of twenty he would go out to socialise in society. In these social circumstances,…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #63

Laojia 老架 and Xinjia 新架 In Chen Style Taijiquan 陳家太極拳 we also have Xinjia 新架 (New Frame) and Laojia 老架 (Old Frame). Chen style Taijiquan has been passed down for over 400 hundreds of years, beginning with founder…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #62

Yi Lu —路，Er Lu 二路 Chen Style Taijiquan 陳家太極拳  has only two forms, one is slow and gentle and the other is fast and powerful. they are called Yi Lu  —路 and Er Lu 二路. Yi — means one and Lu 路 means road, but…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #61

Level V Taijiquan 唯有五陰並五陽 pt 3 During Tui Shou 推手 we need to be relaxed and grounded, then we can feel our opponent's energy and respond in the right way.  If they push us, we take or receive it and then we divert…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #60

Level V Taijiquan 唯有五陰並五陽 pt2 From one Yin and nine Yang, to 5 Yin and 5 Yang. Can we reach this level?  I will not say that no one can do this, but it is very rare.  To be able to use gentle energy against someone who is…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #59

Level V Taijiquan 四陰六陽類好手 pt1 “All Yin, and no Yang is a Soft Hand. All Yang and no Yin is a Hard Hand.  1 Yin and 9 Yang is like a stick. 2 Yin and 8 Yang is an Ordinary Hand. 3 Yin and 7 Yang is still too hard. 4 Yin and…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #58

Level IV Taijiquan 四陰六陽類好手 pt4 When we are at Level IV, we also need to think about the application of the movements. Therefore we need to practise our forms following the correct principles, to feel good and make us healthy,…

Msater Tse’s Taiji Fist #57

Level IV Taijiquan 四陰六陽類好手 pt3 If we are at Level IV we are doing very well. The forms we practice is flow, though we still find some movements slightly uncomfortable and some difficult movements do not flow as we would like.…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #56

Level IV Taijiquan 四陰六陽類好手 pt2 The second principle of Taijiquan is about keeping a good posture, however we need to remember that in our forms not every posture has the head upright and the body in a vertical line.  For example…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #55

Level IV Taijiquan 四陰六陽類好手 pt1 From Level “10% Yin, 90% Yang like a stick —陰九陽根頭棍”, to Level II “20% Yin, 80% Yang is low level 二陰八陽是散手” and then to Level III “30% Yin, 70%Yang is still hard…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #54

Level III Taijiquan 太極拳 pt2 The higher the level of Taijiquan 太極拳 we want to reach the longer it takes. It is always easy in the beginning. When we do not know anything, to do something which looks something like what we see is…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #53

Level III Taijiquan 太極拳 pt1 Without reaching Level I we cannot reach Level II, from 10% Yin and 90% Yang  we improve and become 20% Yin and 80% Yang.  This is a natural process, in the beginning we are stiff, tense and make mistakes.…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #52

 Level II of Tajiquan pt 2 A good teacher will guide, show and answer all your questions. It is a nice feeling when you have the correct answers and the right direction, then every step we make we improve ourselves. A good teacher is like…

Master Tse’s Taiji first #51

Level II of Tajiquan pt 1 After practising for six to nine months we should get better and reach Level II. This is “Two Yin and eight Yang, normal level 二陰八陽是散手”. If we really practise then our bodies will become a bit softer…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #50

Level I Taijiquan 太極拳 We all enjoy practising Taijiquan 太極拳. When I teach, I have never come across anyone who after three lessons which is 3 hours over 3 days, who does not enjoy it. A good teacher will lead you to a feeling and…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #49

Kau Jing 靠勁 The last Jing is Kau Jing靠勁. Kau 靠 means shoulder. Many people do not think about using the shoulders to attack an opponent, but it is actually a very powerful way of attacking if we use it properly. Using Kau Jing means…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #48

Zhou Jing 肘勁 The third Jing is Zhou Jing肘勁. Zhou 肘 means elbow. Zhou Jing means elbow power but in the situation it means elbow attack. An elbow attack is very powerful and very damaging. If you hit any part of the opponent’s body…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #47

Lie Jing 裂勁 The second Jing, after Cai Jing 採勁, is Li Jing. Lie 裂means break. In Chen Taijiquan 陳家太極拳 it is common to use Cai Jing to control our opponent and then we can break them with the other hand using either the palm…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #46

Cai Jing 採勁 After Peng掤, Liu履, Ji擠, An按 the first four Jing we can now look at the second Jing. The second four Jing are more direct, physical and Yang, whereas the first four are gentler, controlling and Yin. The second four…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #44

 Ji Jing 擠勁 Ji Jing 擠勁 this is the third energy. Ji means squeeze together, like people in a bus or in the Tube during rush hour, when it is too crowded people squeeze in together. So Ji Jing is squeezing your opponent, to make them…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #43

Liu Jing 履勁 The second most important Jing is Liu Jing 履勁. In Taijiquan Liu means "Pulling Back". In general the Chinese character Liu means "Conduct in a Job", "Duty with Care" or "Sincere Attitude".  So in Taijiquan the pulling…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #42

Peng Jing 掤勁 Of the Eight Jing 八勁, Peng Jing is number 1 and so it is the most important. If we can use it well then our Taijiquan has a good standard. Peng means expanding and Jing means power. The Eight Jing, ; Peng掤, Liu履,…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #41

Peng掤, Liu履, Ji擠, An按 Need to be Practised Seriously The poem Taijiquan by Wang Zong Yue王宗岳  talks about Peng掤, Liu履, Ji擠 and An按. It says, “Peng, Liu, Ji and An need to be practised seriously, using them to follow…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #40

 Peng掤, Liu履, Ji擠, An按 When we practise Taijiquan, whether it is Chen陳, Yang楊, Sun孫 or one the Wu 武,Wu吳 styles, we will see that they all follow the same principles. They follow the principles of the circle and the principles…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #39

How to Practice Taijiquan 太極拳 If we practice a lot of Zhan Zhuang站椿  we will develop a very grounded skill and it feels like the legs are going into the ground. This however is not simply the legs getting stronger. This is…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist 38

Thousand Gin Sinking 千斤墜 Pt2 I have been practising Dayan Qigong大雁氣功 for over 35 years. My teacher, Grandmaster Yang Mei  Jun楊梅君, was a small lady, less than 5 feet tall and not over 90 pounds in weight. When she was in…
Master Tse doing Tui Shou with his Sifu, Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang

Master Tse’s  Taiji Fist #37

Thousand Gin Sinking千斤墜 Jing勁 is based on Nei Gong內功– internal power. This power is based on the legs and then spreads to the whole body making it internally strong. When someone has a deep strong Nei Gong, then it means they…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #36

Jing and Standing The more we practise Chen Style Taijiquan the more Chan Si纏絲 movements we will practise. Each movement whether it is in a long form or short form, Laojia老架, Xinjia新架, Pao Chui砲捶, 19 Movements十九勢etc. are…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #35

Nei Gong內功 for Chan Si Jing 纏絲勁 Master Fung would also ask us to lock him in many ways. Once I locked his neck and shoulders by hooking both his arms from behind and interlocking my fingers behind his neck. He asked me, “Are you…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #34

Chan Si Jing 纏絲勁 Counter Skill Chan Si Jing is very powerful. The spiral movement can tie up an opponent at any part of their body. This is a high level of Chan Si Jing. I was completely sucked in. Master Fung also showed me how to use…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #33

Chan Si Gong 纏絲勁 Breaks Bones and Tendons Mr Fung spoke about Chan Si Gong and said, “When we practice Taijiquan, all our movements must come from our waist, and this also meant the Dantian. Each movement spirals from the Dantian to…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #32

Staying in One Position a Long Time The more time I spent with Mr Fung the more heard and learnt about Chen Taijiquan. He talked about its founder Chen Wangting陳王庭，陳發科 and his disciple Jiangfa蔣發, to Chen Xin陳鑫 and Chen…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #31

The Story of the 25 Movements 二十五勢 pt 2 The driver’s surname was Fung. He told me that his teacher had learnt from the 17 Generation master of the Chen Family, Chen Fake陳發科. He told me many stories about Chen Fake. One day…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #30

The Story of the 25 Movements  二十五勢 - Part 1   After we have learnt the 19 Movements 十九勢 of Chen Style Taijiquan 陳家太極拳, in our classes, we will then learn the 25 Movements 二十五勢. There is a story…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #29

19 Movements 十九勢 When people start to learn Chen Taijiquan陳家太極拳 in my class they begin with the 19 Movements十九勢 as this is the easiest and simplest form, but it also covers a lot of basic movements. It is good for beginners…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #28

Warm Up for Taijiquan Taijiquan太極拳 is Kung Fu功夫, so this means it is a fighting skill, even though most people practise it for health. Whenever my Sifu, Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang陳小旺, demonstrates Taijiquan there is so much…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #27

Cultivate the Original Qi, Practise Regularly培養本元，勤學苦練   Chen Xin陳鑫 said in his book, "Cultivate the Original Qi, practise regularly." When you study Chinese Medicine and Qi, you will know that the Original…

Master Tse Taiji Fist #26

Hard & Soft Are All Gone, Everything Comes From Your Heart剛柔俱泯，—片神行   Chen Xin陳鑫 wrote, "Hard and soft are all gone, everything comes from your heart." When we practise our Taijiquan, in the beginning we pay…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #25

Jumping, Leaping Over, Sometimes Up, Sometimes Down窜奔跳躍，忽上忽下 Chen Xin陳鑫 said in his book, "Jumping, leaping over, sometimes up, sometimes down." This is quite right. The more we practise Taiji, our movements develop and…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #24

Slow in the Beginning, Fast Later, then Fast Returns to Slow先慢後快，快而復慢.   Chen Xin陳鑫 said, "Slow in the beginning, fast later, then fast returns to slow." This is about how we practise Taijiquan. We should…

Master Tse’s Taijifist #23

Turn Softness to be Strength and make Softness and Strength work together運柔成剛，剛柔相濟 On the Centre’s 2016 polo shirt I wrote, “Make soft and hard work together剛柔相濟.” This comes from Taijiquan, but is originally…

Master Tse’s Taijifist #22

Loose Chest, Straight Back, Shoulders and Elbows Sunk含胸拔背，沉肩墜肘 In his book, Chen Xin陳鑫 says, “Loose chest, straight back, sink the shoulders and elbows” this is correct for any posture, not just in Taijiquan. However…

Master Tse’s Taijifist #21

One Movement After Another Movement, One Position Connects with Another Position上下相隨，內外相合 Chen Xin陳鑫 says in his book, “One Movement after another Movement, one position connects with another position.” This means…

Master Tse’s Taijifist #20

Up and Down Movements are Continuous, Internal and External Movements are Related上下相隨，內外相合 Chen Xin陳鑫 continues to describe Taijiquan, “Up and down movements are continuous. Internal and external movements are related.”…

Master Tse’s Taijifist #19

Spiralling Movement Help Smooth the Channels纒繞運動，舒暢經絡 Chen Xin陳鑫 said, “Spiralling movements help smooth the channels.” We all know that Taijiquan is good for our health, one reason, particularly in Chen Style Taijiquan,…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #18

Light Body, Turn Easily, Qi Flows Through the Whole body and Reaches the Feet輕靈圓轉，中氣貫足 Chen Xin陳鑫 also said, “Light body, turn easily, Qi flows through the whole body and reaches the feet.” This phrase is hard to…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #17

Calm down, stand straight and mind focused on the movements心靜身正，以意運動 Chen Xin陳鑫 says in his book, “Calm down, stand straight and mind focused on the movements.” This is very clear instruction for anybody practising…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #16

Opening and Closing, Firm and Light. Breathe Naturally開合虚實，呼吸自然 Last time we talked about Chen Xin’s 陳鑫book. In it he also says, “Opening and closing, Firm and Light. Breathe Naturally.” This is a principle of Taijiquan.…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #15

Body Light and External Firm虚領頂勁，氣沉丹田 In the history of Chen Style Taijiquan, the 8th generation had a master named Chen Xin陳鑫 (1849 – 1929) who was famous for his writing and his Taijiquan as well. If we study Chen…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #14

Wu Yu Xiang’s Taiji Poem武禹襄拳經 “Energy of movement is like Chou Si. Preparing the energy in like pulling a bow. Releasing the energy is like shooting the arrow運勁如抽絲，蓄勁如張弓，發勁如放箭.” Wu Yu Xiang’s…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #13

Chou Si Jing抽絲勁 We should now understand that Chen Style Taijiquan movements consist of spiralling and circling movements that come from the Dantian. These kinds of movements are called Chan Si Jing纏絲勁. However, did you know…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #12

Chan Si纏絲 When we practise Chen Style Taijiquan, we must know that the movements should spiral. We call this spiralling Chan Si纏絲. “Chan纏” means “Spiralling” and “Si 絲“means “Silk”. Some people call it “Silk Reeling”,…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #11

Chen Fa Ke 陳發科 part 3 After 3 years Chen Fa Ke 陳發科 could practise his forms 30 times every day! Then one day he asked his cousin to Tui Shou with him. His cousin was very good, and was known in the village of pushing many people…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #10

Chen Fa Ke 陳發科 Part 2 Chen Fa Ke 陳發科 went home to get the tools they need and then went to catch up with his cousin. As promised his cousin was waiting for him be walking slowly and so he quickly caught him back up and then they…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #9

Chen Fa Ke 陳發科 Part 1 My Tai Sigong, Grandmaster Chen Fa Ke 陳發科 reached a very high level of skill. However, when he was a 14 year old, he was ill and weak and felt lump inside his body. Since he was so weak, he needed someone…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #8

Taiji Addiction During Taijiquan 太極拳 practice we should only focus on our movements and think of nothing else. We do not even need to worry about our breathing. We just have to sink our Qi to our Dantian, let everything moves internally…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #7

Beautiful Performance When you watch somebody performing Taijiquan well it looks very beautiful, but it takes a long time and a lot of practice to get to this level. Although the purpose of Taijiquan is not for performance, if you do it well…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #6

Benefits of Taijiquan – 2: Philosophy The second benefit of practicing Taijiquan is you will start to understand philosophy. The more we practice the more we start to see things differently. For example we will understand that we do not need…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #5

Benefits of Taijiquan What benefits will we get when we practice Taijiquan? Although there are five major styles but they all share the same principles, no matter which one we are practicing we can say we are practicing the same Taijiquan and…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #4

Quan 拳 Taijiquan is a martial art, but it is also good for our health as well. Most people practise Tajiquan for their health, but “Quan 拳” means “Fist”. Most Chinese Kung Fu styles have Fist in their name, for example Shaolin…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #3

Two opposite energies Two opposing energies together create a problem and this is a fact in everything we come across. Like day and night, fire and water, winter and summer, man and woman, etc. So if we can balance them then we can have a perfect…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #2

Taiji太and Ji極 So what is Taijiquan 太極拳? To understand Taijiquan as a martial art we need to know what Taiji is and what Quan is. “Tai 太” means “Big”. However in Chinese when we write big the character is 大. They look…

Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #1

Spelling and Pronunciation of Taiji Taiji 太極 , most people will spell it Tai Chi and also pronounce it like this. Today, we should spell it Taiji because this is the correct way to say it. Even so, most people will still say Tai Chi because…

Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang’s 70th Birthday