Practical Tai Chi Training: A 9-Stage Method for Mastery

By Jesse Tsao

Practical Tai Chi Training: A 9-Stage Method for Mastery leads the reader into the inner energy practice of tai chi and serves as a bridge to connect tai chi theory to practice. Jesse Tsao, PhD, and his longtime student Jason Weil provide clear training stages useful to both tai chi players and tai chi instructors. Teaching tips, sidebars, new translations of ancient texts, and over 200 illustrations make the technical topics easier to understand. Detailed descriptions explain methods for developing internal energy and strength. While no book can fully replace in-person training with a skilled teacher, dedicated practitioners of all levels will benefit greatly from the clear presentation of a wide range of theoretical concepts and practical applications, including many concepts that are not easily accessible without the ability to read and understand the original Chinese texts.Tai chi’s form practice is a vehicle to fulfill goals of better health or martial arts training through neigong (内功), internal energy cultivation, and neijin (内勁), internal strength development. Tai chi should not be an empty exercise, a performance art, nor even a competitive sport. Qi (氣) is the vital energy and core concept in tai chi practice. This book fills a gap in the literature as there are few materials published in English related to neigong, neijin, and the theoretical basis of tai chi.Tai chi forms (or routines) can be practiced with different approaches. During each stage of your tai chi journey, you will focus on different goals using the same form.Stage 1: Be Like a CopycatStage 2: The Posture and Form Correction StageStage 3: Muscle Memory and Enjoyment of the FlowStage 4: Tai Chi Classics and Qigong, Neigong, and Neijin (Jin)Stage 5: Tai Chi Neigong—Practice Form to Cultivate QiStage 6: Tai Chi Neijin—Practice for Your Internal PowerStage 7: Tai Chi Training with WeaponsStage 8: Tai Chi Practice to Display Your SpiritStage 9: Tai Chi Practice to Attain the Realm of EmptinessThis 9-stage method for tai chi mastery is a proven process developed from Master Tsao’s teaching experience over the past three decades, including valuable feedback from the annual Tai Chi Healthways summer camp. Some of the core topics are based on his doctoral research at Shanghai University of Sport on topics including tai chi practice methods according to seasons, interpreting Tai Chi Classics for practical neigong training, and neijin push hands training methods. These concepts apply to all tai chi styles.To support the reader’s learning, the authors posed for hundreds of sketches illustrating key points. The depth and richness of the material will both challenge and reward the motivated student and be an invaluable resource for tai chi teachers. Master Tsao is generous with his knowledge, openly sharing the “secrets” of the inner practice of tai chi. Even so, the secrets will only reveal themselves to the student who carefully reads, digests, and applies the teachings. Many hours of deep reflection and dedicated practice will be needed to penetrate the essence of the teaching.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jesse Tsao
• Release date: May 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9781736196113

Jesse Tsao

Born in Penglai in the Shandong Province of China 中国蓬莱, Dr. Jesse Tsao is an internationally known tai chi master, qigong therapist, alternative medicine and wellness consultant, and founder of Tai Chi Healthways. Penglai is known as the "Fairyland on Earth" where the legendary Eight Immortals are believed to have achieved immortality. Dr. Tsao was exposed to the rich Taoist culture in his hometown and chose to honor his heritage with the cover photo of Penglai.A tai chi practitioner and teacher for more than fifty years, Dr. Tsao moved to the United States and taught his first tai chi workshop in Tucson, Arizona, in 1987. He gave up his first career as an economist in 1995 to devote more time to tai chi research and teaching. He was the chief master of tai chi for Arizona State employee worksite wellness programs from 1996 to 2015. His creation, Tai Chi Bang: Eight-Immortal Flute, has been offered as a credit course by the Open College Network in the United Kingdom's Somerset Skills & Learning.He specializes in the areas of self-healing, preventive therapies, stress management, and mind-body wellness. Beginning his training at age seven at the Taoist temple in Penglai, his fifty years of practice include ten years of intensive study with Grandmaster Li Deyin in Beijing, China. Dr. Tsao was a gold medalist in the Beijing Collegiate Wushu Competition in 1980. He is the twelfth generation direct-line lineage holder of Chen family tai chi. He has presented tai chi on a variety of national television programs and has made annual, international teaching tours since 2005. Dr. Tsao was recognized as an Ambassador for Peace and won the Hellenic Wushu Federation Honor Award in Greece in 2018. After his twenty-one-year career as a tai chi master and health education consultant for Cigna Healthcare, Arizona, Dr. Tsao moved to San Diego to train tai chi teachers through his rigorous instructor certification program. He has produced over eighty tai chi and health-related instructional DVDs. His books have been translated into Spanish and Hungarian. His PhD is in Traditional Chinese Martial Arts Education from the Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China, 2013.Dr. Tsao's tai chi knowledge is a combination of traditional hardship training and formal academic education. His lineage shifu is Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei (陈正雷), one of the ten-best martial artists in all of China, who taught him the hereditary Chen family tai chi and all weapons training. He gained his practical skills directly from hosting countless seminars and workshops for other grandmasters including Chen Xiaowang (陈小旺), Zhu Tiancai (朱天才), Li Deyin (李德印), Su Zhifang (苏自芳), and Xiao Puquan (萧普泉). His doctoral advisor, Professor Yu Dinghai (虞定海), is the top-ranked, double-ninth Duan in both Chinese wushu and qigong. Dr. Tsao increased his understanding of traditional Chinese martial arts from interviewing and taking lessons from many experts including Abraham Liu, Dan Lee (李凯); Zang Hongxian (臧洪先); Liu Wancang (刘晚苍); Chen Yu (陈瑜); Chen Sitan (陈思坦); Xie Yelei (謝业雷), the head coach of Shanghai Sport University; Liu Jishun (刘積顺), the lineage of Hao style tai chi; Liu Peijun (刘培俊), the lineage of the northern Wu style; and Wu Bin (吴斌), Jet Li's coach of Beijing wushu team.To learn more, visit taichihealthways.com.

Book preview

ADVANCED PRAISE FOR

Practical Tai Chi Training

A 9-Stage Method for Mastery

Jesse Tsao’s decades of training, teaching and research converge in this excellent training manual for tai chi. Its comprehensive nature makes it a valuable resource for all interested in this art: from beginners to advanced students and for those seeking insights into the health, martial, and philosophical dimensions of tai chi.

—PETER M. WAYNE, PhD

author of Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi

Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Director, Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, Division of Preventive Medicine

Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School

"Dr. Tsao had the superior talent and good fortune to learn from so many of the highest-level Tai Chi masters and teachers from the past and present. He has now produced a comprehensive book containing the collective principles and wisdom he has gathered, which are invaluable to students and teachers of all levels. The book is like China’s Tianyan (天眼)radio telescope, the World’s largest, collecting and interpreting vital information from the distance stars that is inaccessible to ordinary astronomical instruments.

"Having served as Permanent Co-Chair of the World Congress of Qigong/Tai Chi and Traditional Medicine (2004-present), Visiting Professor of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chairman of Biophysics at Johns Hopkins University, and a member of the U.S. National Advisory Council of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, I am most impressed by how Dr. Tsao combined the ancient principles of Chinese medicine and martial arts with the modern science of human physiology and biomechanics in this book. In particular, the concepts and instructions described in Chapter 5 on Neigong and Qi are well supported by our 20 years of research using hi-tech approaches in my Laboratory for Mind-Body Signaling and Energy Research at the University of California, Irvine. We have previously demonstrated that an increase in the flow of blood measured by laser Doppler flowmetry during Tai Chi practice is accompanied by an elevation of the flow of bioelectricity deep in the tissue measured at acupuncture points. This type of coordinated relationship is consistent with the Chinese medical principles of Blood is the mother of Qi (血為氣之母) and Invigorate the blood, move the Qi (活血行氣). Our studies on Tai Chi, for example during Silk Reeling exercise described in Chapter 5, showed that deep/slow breathing, deep relaxation of mind and body, focused intention, and slow/smooth up-and-down movements of limbs and body are all key elements in enhancing blood flow with accompanying increase in the flow of bioelectricity. In related studies on cells grown in tissue culture, we showed in a D.C. electric field produced by electrical flow can change cellular functions such as accelerating cellular movement important to wound healing. All of these laboratory observations give scientific support to Dr. Tsao’s descriptions for Tai Chi Neigong exercises for increasing Qi.

In conclusion, as a research scientist in Integrative Medicine & Health and a Tai Chi practitioner and teacher, I have not read a better book than this one for Tai Chi enthusiasts from beginners to practitioners at the highest level.

—SHIN LIN (林欣) PhD

Professor of Biological Sciences

Director of the Laboratory for Mind-Body Signaling and Energy Research,

Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute, University of California, Irvine

"Practical Tai Chi Training is a comprehensive book that takes you through the levels of practice and training needed to become proficient in any of the t’ai chi styles. Master Tsao uses classical concepts and modern science to help the reader achieve and understand necessary steps for progress. I enjoyed how the book is organized in stages along with sidebars that help describe and illustrate his points. It is easy to read despite being technical in nature. This is a must-read book for every level practitioner, from novice to expert."

—STEVE RHODES

editor of Qigong Journal

"I highly recommend Dr. Jesse Tsao’s masterpiece Practical Tai Chi Training: 9-Stage Method for Mastery. This is an extraordinary textbook combining tai chi theory and doable traditional practice. It deftly summarizes key points and practical methods in each stage, including push hands and tai chi weapons in neijin internal energy training. He included some of his doctoral research on Nei-jing-tu, Yellow Emperor’s Internal Classic and Tai Chi Classics in the book. All the major theories are with the original Chinese words, a valuable reference for Chinese people going overseas to teach tai chi in English. This book is a magnificent contribution to the international spread of tai chi."

—PROFESSOR YU DINGHAI (虞定海教授)

former Dean of Wushu College in Sport University of Shanghai

9th Duan/belt in Chinese Wushu; 9th Duan/belt in Chinese Qigong

Chief creator of Chinese National Health Qigong Five Animal Frolics

曹凤山博士倾全力，十年磨一剑，撰写的《太极拳修炼九步功》是当今难得一见的理论与实践相结合的太极拳实用教材。从临摹拳势到体悟拳理，再升华到太极精气神的修炼，清楚地阐述各个阶段的学练要素与具体方法。本书另一特色，通过太极推手与器械训练，拓展和延伸了太极内劲的范畴，提升了太极拳内功与内劲的修炼层次。作者巧妙地把其博士学位论文的研究融入到有关章节中，对修炼要点、太极经典、内經图、黄帝内经等养生理论进行了阐述，并皆有中文注解。定海本书为国人去海外进行英文教学太极拳提供了范例，为太极拳国际传播作出了贡献。

原上海體育大學武術院院長

国家健身气功五禽戏主编

中国武术九段

中国健身气功九段

虞定海

Copyright © 2021 Tai Chi Healthways

Smashwords Edition

Practical Tai Chi Training: A 9-Stage Method for Mastery

Published by Tai Chi Healthways, San Diego, CA

ISBN: 978-1-7361961-0-6 (paperback)

ISBN: 978-1-7361961-1-3 (ebook)

LCCN: 2021905373

Production and Publication Services by eFrog Press

Cover and Book Design by Cathy Klein

Cover photo by Dr. Xu Taiyong 徐太勇 of Penglai, the birthplace of Jesse Tsao

Chinese calligraphies by Gan Xuejun 甘學軍 and Dr. Mei Xingbao 梅興保

All rights reserved, which includes the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever except as provided by the U.S. Copyright Law.

For permissions, contact [e-mail]

First edition

Disclaimer

Please consult your physician before engaging in Qigong or Tai Chi practice. The authors of this material are not responsible in any manner whatsoever for any injury, which may occur through following the instructions in this book. The activities described in this material may be too strenuous for some people. It is important that you exercise at your own level without strain.

Contents

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1: Be Like a Copycat

1.1: Tai Chi Warm-Ups

1.1.1 Open 9 Major Joints through Full Range of Motion

1.1.2 Improve Body Energy Circulation with Basic 9 Moves

1.2 Basic Torso Alignment 太极立身中正安舒

1.2.1 Head & Pelvis Pair—Vertical Up & Down Relationship

1.2.2 Chest & Back Pair—Front & Back Relationship

1.2.3 Ribs & Hip Pair—Left & Right Relationship.

1.3 Learn Tai Chi Steps & Stances 步法与步型

1.3.1 Characteristics of Basic Tai Chi Stepping 步法

1.3.2 Variations on Step Width

1.3.3 Tai Chi Stepping Practice Drill

1.3.4 Basic Tai Chi Stances (Bu-Xing) 步型

1.4 Basic Arm & Hand Movements

1.4.1 Common Arm & Hand Patterns

1.4.2 Silk Reeling Practice 手臂缠丝

1.5 Copycat

1.5.1 Copy the Body/Torso

1.5.2 Copy the Footwork

1.5.3 Copy the Arm & Hand Movements

1.5.4 Copy Routine with Whole-Body Movements

1.5.5 Integrate Mind & Breathing

1.6 Maintain a Sharper Mind

Chapter 2: The Posture and Form Correction Stage

2.1 Why Correction is Important

2.2 Corrections Based on The Ten Essentials

2.3 Fixed Stance Correction

2.4 Dynamic Tai Chi Corrections

Chapter 3: Muscle Memory and Enjoyment of the Flow

3.1 The Strategy for Tai Chi Muscle Memory

3.2 Tai Chi’s Relaxed Motion

3.3 Unbroken Energy Flow

3.4 The Flow of Yin-Yang Rhythm

3.5 Symbol Tracing Hands 阴阳图手

3.6 Meditative Breathing

3.7 Sensitivity & Awareness

Chapter 4: Tai Chi Classics and Qigong, Neigong, and Neijin (Jin)

4.1 Tai Chi Classics

4.1.1 The Theory of Tai Chi by Zhang Sanfeng

4.1.2 Tai Chi Quan Lun by Wang Zhongyue

4.1.3 The Song of Push-Hands by Wang Zhongyue

4.1.4 Chant of the Thirteen Kinetic Movements by Wang Zhongyue

4.1.5 An Internal Explanation of the Chant of the Thirteen Kinetic Movements by Wu Yuxiang

4.2 Qigong, Neigong, Neijin (Jin)

4.2.1 Qigong 氣功 for Improved Health

4.2.2 Neigong (内功) Cultivates Internal Qi

4.2.3 Neijin (Jin)内勁 Coordinates Internal Qi & Physical Body

4.3 Manifestations of Neijin (Jin) 内勁

4.3.1 Tai Chi Thirteen Fundamentals

4.3.2 Other Commonly Mentioned Tai Chi Neijin

Chapter 5: Tai Chi Neigong—Practice Form to Cultivate Qi

5.1 Tree-Trunk Stance—Zhan Zhuang 站桩: 清气上升, 浊气下降

5.2 Settle Down before Any Move—Yin Nurtures Yang 以阴滋阳

5.3 Figure Eight Energy Circulation

5.4 Three External Harmonies & Inner Three-Ring Neigong Cultivation

5.5 Bond Joints, Tendons, & Muscles with Inner Qi 内三合接骨接筋接皮

5.6 Dantian as Core of Silk Reeling & Mingmen as Energy Hub 丹田缠丝功, 腰勁为主宰

5.6.1 Silk Reeling Chan-Si-Gong for Energy Cultivation

5.6.2 Silk Reeling Chan-Si-Jin for Large Orbit Energy Flow

5.7 Drawing Up Perineum on Inhale, Relaxing on Exhale 下收谷道上提玉楼

5.8 The Five Major Organs’ Energy Enhancement 内壮五脏功法

5.9 Higher Stance with Flexible Steps

Chapter 6: Tai Chi Neijin—Practice for Your Internal Power

6.1 The Formatted Push Hands Patterns 格式化推手五种模式

6.1.1 Basic Push Hands Patterns

6.1.2 Double-Hand Core Pattern (Peng-Lu-Ji-An) 四正推手 － 打轮

6.1.3 Push Hands Pattern with Advancing & Retreating Steps 进一退一推手

6.1.4 Push Hands Pattern in Lower Stance (Da-Lu) 大捋推手

6.1.5 Push Hands in Flexible Steps Pattern (Luan-Cai-Hua) 乱踩花推手

6.2 The Practical Competitive Push Hands Methods 实战推手技法九步功

6.2.1 The Rooting Jin

6.2.2 The Long Jin 长勁

6.2.3 The Short Jin 短勁

6.2.4 The Na-Fa Jin: Joint Lock 拿法-拿不过膝

6.2.5 The Lever/Fulcrum Jin 杠杆勁 /支点

6.2.6 The Yin-Yang Change Jin (Yin-Yang Jue) 阴阳诀

6.2.7 The Spiral and Coiling Jin (Luan-Huan Jue) 乱环诀/缠法也

6.2.8 The Flexible-Step Lightness Jin (Huo-Bu-Tui-Shou) 轻灵活步勁推手

6.2.9 The Instinct Body Reaction Jin (Sui-Yi-Jin) 身法随意勁推手-无法胜有法

6.2.10 Chen Xin’s Push Hands Thirty-Six Illnesses

6.3 Using Tai Chi Form to Train Your Internal Jin

6.3.1 Convert Your Neigong Qi into Internal Jin

6.3.2 Training Your Internal Jin through Imaginary Resistance

6.3.3 Training Your Peng-Lu-Ji-An Internal Jin in Each Posture

6.3.4 Training Your Fa-jin in Each Posture

6.3.5 Tai Chi Postures Become Smaller

6.3.6 Training Your Internal Jin through Tai Chi Posture’s Self-Defense Application 太极拆拳阶段

6.4 Auxiliary Training Tools for Your Tai Chi Jin

6.4.1 Long Pole Shaking

6.4.2 Tai Chi Bang/Stick and Ruler

6.4.3 Tai Chi Ball

6.4.4 Moving Water Tank 挪水缸

6.4.5 Squat Walking 蹲行挪步

6.5 Tai Chi Neijin vs. MMA and Other Sport Fighting

6.5.1 Neijin Trained for Self-Defense in the Cold Weapon Time

6.5.2 Neijin in Push Hands Competition and Self-Healing Era

6.5.3 Tai Chi & Neijin Training Can Enhance Sport Fighters

6.5.4 How a Tai Chi Player Can Succeed in Sport Fighting

Chapter 7: Tai Chi Training with Weapons

7.1 Bare Hand Forms Rooted in Weapons

7.2 General Introduction to Tai Chi Weapons

7.3 Essentials of Tai Chi Sword Skills 剑法精要

7.4 Essentials of Tai Chi Spear Skills 枪法精要

7.5 Walking Cane as a Handy Self-Defense Tool

Chapter 8: Tai Chi Practice to Display Your Spirit

8.1 Refining Qi to Awaken Spirit 炼气化神

8.1.1 Confucianism Spirit: of Virtue 仁義禮智信

8.1.2 Taoist Spirit: Tranquility 道家: 回归自然, 仙风道骨

8.1.3 Martial Artist: Confidence 武者：止戈除暴安天下

8.2 Adapting Tai Chi Practice to the Seasons

8.2.1 Winter Tai Chi

8.2.2 Spring Tai Chi

8.2.3 Summer Tai Chi

8.2.4 Autumn Tai Chi

8.2.5 Unsuitable for Performance or Sport Competition

8.3 Adapting to Age

8.4 Adapting to Body Condition

Chapter 9: Tai Chi Practice to Attain the Realm of Emptiness 炼神还虚

9.1 Emptiness through Tai Chi vs. Religion

9.1.1 The Origin of Emptiness Meditation

9.1.2 Emptiness through Tai Chi Practice

9.2 Self-Realization in Emptiness through Tai Chi

9.3 Emptiness & Formlessness through Push Hands

9.4 Emptiness through Circling Up Cycles

9.5 Manifestations of the Divine Emptiness in Temperament

9.5.1 Emptiness Manifestation in Great Wisdom

9.5.2 Emptiness Manifestation in the Tao

About Jesse Tsao

About Jason Weil

Endnotes

References

Supplemental Resources

Foreword

On Saturday mornings in San Dieguito Park in North San Diego County, you will find a group of dedicated students practicing tai chi to the sound of water flowing from a fountain in a nearby pond, a light breeze moving through the leaves. Hikers and families with young children walk by, sometimes pausing a few minutes to watch. Occasionally, an especially curious passerby will stay to inquire about the class and ask to meet the teacher. For the most part, they are unaware that they are about to meet a true master of the art, known worldwide through his in-person seminars and his numerous teaching videos.

There are many excellent teachers who can teach the external aspects of tai chi. However, there are relatively few teachers who not only have a deep understanding of the principles of internal energy and strength but can also embody these principles and apply them effectively in a martial setting. Even rarer is the teacher who can clearly transmit the principles and applications to their students. Over several decades of teaching, Master Jesse Tsao has devoted himself to making the internal practice of tai chi accessible to serious practitioners of all levels and styles. He has developed and refined his teaching methods in countless classes, seminars, and workshops, often traveling great distances to share his knowledge. His dedication to teaching the art even led him to conduct doctoral research at the Shanghai University of Sport on approaches for training internal energy.

Having studied with Master Tsao for almost a decade, I can attest to his constant search for simple yet profound training methods that can help the serious student gain a deeper understanding of the internal aspects of tai chi. Drawing upon more than fifty years of experience, he is constantly seeking to distill the essence of the classic teachings into practical training methods for the modern practitioner. It is not uncommon for Master Tsao to integrate training methods from various traditional styles to create whole new forms specifically designed to help his students understand and develop a particular set of skills.

The classic teachings contain insights developed over many years of observation and experimentation regarding the optimal and integrated use of the mind, body, and spirit. Findings from modern science are starting to offer a detailed and complementary view into the anatomical and physiological foundations of the ancient concepts. For example, there is a growing understanding of the importance of the fascial network for integrated movement and transmission of force. Similarly, our knowledge of the effect of mind-body practices on brain function and anatomy is steadily advancing. As a tai chi practitioner and a scientist working at the forefront of brain imaging research, I have found that modern scientific concepts can strengthen one’s understanding of the classic training principles. Master Tsao and I have had numerous discussions on the connection between ancient and modern viewpoints, and his teachings reflect his enthusiasm for using modern concepts to more effectively communicate the principles underlying traditional practices.

In this book you will find detailed descriptions of the methods that Master Tsao has found to be particularly effective for developing internal energy and strength. While no book can fully replace in-person training with a skilled teacher, dedicated practitioners of all levels will benefit greatly from Master Tsao’s clear presentation of a wide range of theoretical concepts and practical applications, including a number of concepts that are not easily accessible without the ability to read and understand the original Chinese texts.

The depth and richness of the material will both challenge and reward the motivated student and be an invaluable resource for tai chi teachers. Master Tsao is generous with his knowledge, openly sharing the secrets of the inner practice of tai chi. Even so, the secrets will only reveal themselves to the student who carefully reads, digests, and applies the teachings. Many hours of deep reflection and dedicated practice will be needed to penetrate the essence of the teaching.

Master Tsao has given us the invaluable gift of a lifetime’s worth of hard-won knowledge. It is up to each of us to receive the gift with an open mind, a strong heart, and a determined spirit.

Thomas Liu, PhD

Professor of Radiology, Psychiatry, and Bioengineering

Director, Center for Functional MRI

University of California, San Diego

Preface

It has been a long time since my first book, Compact Tai Chi: Combined Forms for Practice in Limited Space, was published. The reasons are simple: English is my second language and it takes a great deal of time and effort for me to write a book. However, there is a calling from my deep heart that lingers. For the past twenty years I have traveled to teach seminars and workshops worldwide, and while I am thrilled to see how tai chi practice has grown in popularity, I am dissatisfied to see how some merely go through the choreography of their particular tai chi forms without putting any effort into the inner dynamics of the art. It is a pity for practitioners to only get the benefit of tai chi as a physical exercise without discovering its vast richness in internal practice. A hollow form alone, no matter how beautiful, will produce very limited reward to you (练拳不练功, 到老一场空). There is indeed a need to make tai chi’s inner practice methods available to the public.

Tai chi’s form practice is a vehicle to fulfill your goals of better health or martial arts training through neigong (内功), internal energy cultivation, and neijin (内勁), internal strength development. Tai chi should not be an empty exercise, nor should it be misdirected to a performance art nor even a competitive sport. But there are few written materials published in English related to neigong and neijin. Even if you found such material, you would find it difficult to understand the theoretical basis of tai chi. Qi (氣) is the vital energy and core concept in tai chi practice. Qigong, neigong, and neijin are closely related to qi. Some people use different terms to mean the same thing, other people use the same term to mean different things, and, worse yet, some people use terms without knowing exactly what they are talking about. Qigong (氣功), neigong (内功), and neijin (内勁) are among terms that can cause confusion in your tai chi journey. This book is designed to lead you into the inner energy practice of tai chi and to serve as a bridge to connect tai chi theory to practice.

Tai chi forms (or routines) can be practiced with a different mindset and from a different approach. During each stage of your tai chi journey, you will work on specific goals using the same form. Here is this book’s 9-stage training method for mastery:

Stages 1–3: A Period of Imitating Your Instructor’s External Moves 临拳

You are learning tai chi postures and form through a relaxed physical exercise approach. The goal of your form practice is to relax your body to construct the framework for inner energy circulation: establishing your tai chi fundamental moves, posture correction, and achieving finely honed energy flow.

Stages 4–7: A Period of Comprehending Tai Chi Movement Internally 悟拳

You begin to understand the principles from the Tai Chi Classics and integrate them into your movements as you develop the neigong and convert it into neijin. During these stages, your form practice cultivates inner energy and inner strength. The purpose of each movement is to lead your qi circulation into yin and yang harmony and increase its quantity, then store the energy into a deeper layer of your body. Relatively, neigong is tai chi’s yin element and neijin is tai chi’s yang element. In Stage 7 you learn that a weapon is an extension of your body. We introduce some classic tai chi weapons to train the extension of your body’s energy to send your internal power through the length of your weapon.

Stages 8–9: A Period of Displaying Your Own Understanding of Tai Chi 呈展拳

You practice the self-realization of your spirit and tranquility. Your posture movements manifest your inner being. Your form practice and internal strength are used for the goal of settling your mind into emptiness. A calm mind provides clarity for sharp and effective function, both mentally and physically.

This 9-stage method for tai chi mastery is a proven process developed from my teaching experience over the past three decades, including valuable feedback from the annual Tai Chi Healthways summer camp. This book provides guidelines for tai chi practitioners of different skill levels and offers tai chi instructors proven drills. We have verified the methods of each training stage with actual practice and live teaching experiences.

There are many practitioners who only recite the tai chi principles from the Tai Chi Classics. You need to embody your knowledge into understanding through postures. This book interprets the core of tai chi theory through nine practical methods in neigong cultivation. They are easy to learn but challenging to master. Some simple drills will help you understand these training methods, so you can use them in your tai chi form practice or share them with your tai chi students.

Neijin, internal strength training, is a hot topic among martial artists. Through push hands (tui-shou 推手) we address this subject to explain neijin; then explain how to use tai chi forms to convert neigong into neijin and other auxiliary training tools to strengthen neijin. Push hands introduces you to sensing your opponent and neutralizing his energy, then controlling and sending your opponent off balance. In tai chi terminology this is referred to as ting-hua-na-fa (听-化-拿-发). It means from contact with your opponent, use your sensitivity/listening jin (ting) to understand or identify his energy, then redirect his energy away from your center (hua), occupy a vantage position to control your opponent (na), followed by sending him off balance (fa).

Tai chi neijin was originally developed as a self-defense technique, not for sport fighting, and the aims are fundamentally different. Self-defense is fighting for life or death and cannot be exhibited on stage because the goal is to quickly injure the opponent, or even kill him. Sport fighting aims to defeat the opponent by disabling their ability to compete (knockout) or with a point-scoring method. People are amazed that a tai chi master can exhibit neijin in holding ground against the push of multiple opponents, but people are also shocked that many so-called tai chi masters have failed to prove that tai chi can win in the modern, sport-fighting ring. Self-defense and sport fighting are related, but the goal and training methods are different. This book shows how tai chi training can improve MMA fighters’ reaction speed, center of mass awareness, sensitivity/reading opponents, and swift recovery. As a tai chi practitioner, if you want to succeed in sport fighting, you will need much additional training.

The information presented in Practical Tai Chi Training was shaped ten years ago when I became the first American PhD candidate at Shanghai University of Sport on Traditional Chinese Martial Arts Education. Some of the core topics in this book are from my doctoral research projects, including tai chi practice methods according to seasons, interpreting Tai Chi Classics to practical neigong training in nine methods, and neijin push hands training in nine methods. These concepts apply to all tai chi styles. Tai chi is profound with many layers to discover. I hope this book leads you into the deeper aspects of this art.

Dr. Jesse Tsao 曹鳳山博士

Acknowledgments

This book has been in process on and off for four years. I almost gave up because I was not satisfied with the drafts and felt that words could not express what I wanted to share with the tai chi world. Jason Weil even suggested making it into a newsletter-type format published online.

Thanks go to Dr. Linda Scott for her driving force in making this book complete. One day during tai chi class she heard me mention that I had been working on a book for three years. After class she asked if she could be of help. I did not know she had a publishing services business. We met over tea, I outlined my project, and she delegated elements to her experienced team members. As a publisher herself and as a tai chi student, she saw the value of this book in bridging the gap between tai chi principles and practical training methods. Best of all, Linda holds a doctorate in education and is knowledgeable about teaching and learning as well as writing. Linda’s passion for tai chi and for clear communication renewed my enthusiasm for this project. Her patience in helping me express some very deep concepts and her extraordinary language skills make this book as clear as I could ever hope for it to be.

I sincerely appreciate the efforts of Professor Tom Liu from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, who spent much of his precious time editing the descriptions of the advanced concepts and methods presented in the last chapters. With his experience in scholarly writing and editing and his understanding of the tai chi principles and their application, Tom was able to understand my intentions and helped me to express them with greater clarity and precision.

Great appreciation goes to my tai chi lineage Shifu Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei (陳正雷), the nineteenth generation of Chen family and the eleventh generation of Chen family tai chi successor, who inspires me to carry forward the teaching of traditional tai chi methods. Special thanks to Professor Li Deyin (李德印), who is an icon in Chinese national tai chi coach’s training, from whom I have learned so much from 1978 to 1987 ar Renmin University of China in Beijing. It was a great honor to have Professor Yu Dinghai (虞定海) as my PhD advisor in Shanghai Sport University, who is one of the few distinctive experts of nine-duan in both tai chi and qigong fields. My appreciation also goes to Professor Wu Jingmei (吳京梅), a former faculty in the College of Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), who provided me the much-needed knowledge of qigong and neigong related to TCM. Without her, I might still be struggling to figure it out.

In addition to those mentioned above, this book is a combination of knowledge I gathered from many other experts and grandmasters, including Zhu Tiancai (朱天才), Chen Xiaowang (陳小旺), Chen Yu (陳瑜), Wu Bin (吳斌), Abraham Liu, Dan Lee, Zang Hongxian (臧洪先), Liu Jishun (劉積順), Liu Peijun (劉培俊), Su Zifang (蘇自芳), Chen Sitan (陳斯坦), Xie Yelei (謝業雷), and Kong Xiangdong (孔祥東). Any deviations from their teachings are solely my own error.

I would like to thank Karl Newmeyer who photographed draft pictures for the sketches. Thanks to Mei Xingbao (梅興保) and Gan Xuejun (甘學軍) who contributed the beautiful Chinese calligraphy. Thanks to Dr. Xu Taiyong (徐太勇) for providing the cover photo of Penglai Temple.

Introduction

Tai chi is an ancient Chinese art of relaxation, healing, and self-defense. Often portrayed in movies as an exercise for the stressed or aging, many new practitioners are attracted to the smooth, hypnotic movements. It looks deceptively simple, and some new students become discouraged and give up when they struggle to learn the postures. Others may be attracted by the athletic—almost gymnastic—movements highlighted in international competitions.

These external qualities are misleading. Tai chi is an ancient art and the original goal of training was to cultivate a whole-body, inner power to make full use of the entire body in every self-defense movement. The body is held in a state of dynamic relaxation, which allows the inner energy vessels and meridian channels to open without any blockage. The body’s power can flow through the hands and into the opponent without obstruction. This process is described in the Tai Chi Classics, written and passed down to us as inner power rooted in the feet, developed by the legs, directed by the waist transferred through the back and expressed in the hands. 張三豐《拳論 》 其根在腳，發於腿、主宰於腰、形於手指。.

Since the 1950s, the practice of tai chi has developed into a graceful exercise with soft, smooth movements like floating clouds and flowing streams. Many of the original explosive strength moves have disappeared, including the powerful foot stomping. Today, tai chi is widely practiced for stress reduction, energy enhancement, illness prevention, improving concentration, strengthening the mind and body, and slowing the effects of aging. Tai chi has been recognized by medical experts as a practical, effective alternative to expensive drugs and therapies to control some chronic diseases. Doctors and researchers both in China and in the Western world have documented many health benefits of tai chi practice including improvements in balance, flexibility, stamina, blood pressure, general heart health, mental health, and symptoms associated with stroke, fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Tai chi’s gentle and fluid motions are suitable for everyone, regardless of age or athletic ability. Tai chi is the fastest-growing exercise in the world today.

Tai chi practice emphasizes slow, carefully orchestrated postures with one movement flowing into the next almost like a choreographed dance routine. The combined movements are called a form or set. Each set contains a specific number of movements or postures. Even a very short tai chi routine incorporates unlocking hips and knees like a crouching tiger, stepping slowly and lightly, turning the torso from side to side, moving the arms forward and backward, outward and inward, or up over the head and down to the side of the hips.

Although simple, the deliberate movements confuse many people who have been attracted to tai chi, tried lessons, but have given up because of the level of difficulty in coordination and concentration. Based on research statistics from the Tai Chi Healthways Association instructor training program, the new student dropout rate is over 60% worldwide.

太极习练之入门当以易为主， 不可拔苗相助。如同初生之婴儿，乳汁喂养，进而稀饭干粮，坚果牛排；又如同小学生拼音单字之A，B，C，或简单算数之1+1+1=3，直至初中高中大学，博士毕业，逐级递进，不可因噎滞食。故太极起步, 当由放松随意模仿，先感受太极的行云流水之惬意，不拘流派门户，但求身心舒畅。此阶段照猫画虎，培养兴趣，不必拜师，如同尚未启蒙之顽童，可随意玩耍。如何完成太极启蒙，进而登门入室? 太极修炼是头脑意识指导下，身躯，腿脚，及手臂全方位协调的运动。我们可以把太极的三基本训练概括为身法，步法，手法。这是本章要给你的启蒙学习指导要点。

So, let’s begin your tai chi journey from the entry level and slowly progress into the deeper layer of practice to discover the wonder of this art. Practical Tai Chi Training: A 9-Stage Method to Mastery is a resource that you can refer back to over and over as your journey continues. If you are a tai chi instructor, this book can serve as a teacher tool in preparing your lessons.

The foundation of tai chi is the ancient Chinese classic writings passed down through the centuries. Some of these principles have been translated incorrectly by scholars who are linguists but not tai chi practitioners. Sections of the ancient texts are inserted throughout this book and newly translated with both tai chi philosophy and a deep understanding of tai chi itself in mind. As the translations are presented, you will also find practice drills to help you apply these concepts to your own practice.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory is also central to understanding how qi moves through the body. It is difficult to understand the power of the internal without some basic understanding of TCM, which we also introduce.

Most tai chi schools have a continuing group of students. Some students have many years of experience and some are relatively new to tai chi. Even if you start a new group, in just a few weeks some people will memorize postures and routines well and others will struggle and fall behind. This is a common situation that any tai chi teacher needs to handle. Our practical training method provides the flexibility of combining different skill-level students in the same routine practice and in the same class hour. We will cover how to avoid overwhelming beginners with too much information and at the same time challenge your advanced students.

The authors identify nine progressive stages of tai chi and share tested training drills for moving from one stage to the next. As you read through the book, you may want to identify and focus on your current stage and make the drills part of your daily practice as you prepare for the next. If you are a teacher, identify the stage for your current students, even those experiencing tai chi for the first time, and consider adding the carefully detailed drills to your class time.

Here are the stages we have identified and explored in the following chapters:

Chapter 1: Be Like a Copycat

During the initial stage, the learner just follows the leader. There is no need to memorize the sequence of postures yet. The focus is on relaxing students so they can simply follow along smoothly. The fundamental elements of tai chi practice are detailed so you will have a good foundation. Warm-ups, routines, and simple drills to increase your energy flow are presented.

Chapter 2: The Posture and Form Correction Stage

This chapter focuses on refining your tai chi postures and applying corrections mainly based on The Ten Essentials of Tai Chi. Proper posture is the precondition for you and your students’ progression to the muscle memory stage. This information is especially valuable for tai chi instructors. Specific ways to assist students with fixed stance and dynamic corrections are detailed. During this stage, students learn to move more fluidly in many postures to improve their tai chi practice.

Chapter 3: Muscle Memory and Enjoyment of the Flow

Regular practice is essential in this third stage, the high school level. As you memorize the sequence of the external movements, your mind is freed. Your body will recognize when your movements are incorrect, and you will be able to adjust accordingly. Muscle memory frees your mind so you can practice sensitivity and awareness. As you relax into postures and allow your inner energy to flow through your body, you will fully understand harmonizing yin and yang energy.

Chapter 4: Tai Chi Classics and Qigong, Neigong, and Neijin (Jin)

Level 4 is the college level. The principles from the ancient Tai Chi Classics are translated directly from the original text. You will also develop a basic understanding of qigong, neigong and neijin (or jin). In this stage you will learn tai chi theory and focus on tai chi’s internal work rather than physical movement. Understanding the Tai Chi Classics is important to improve inner energy circulation and cultivate more vital energy qi while learning how to unleash it.

Chapter 5: Tai Chi Neigong—Practice Form to Cultivate Qi

Stage 5 requires real commitment and discipline. Few tai chi practitioners complete this stage. The concepts and movements themselves are not challenging mentally or physically, but developing muscle memory and focusing on precise details are. At the end of Stage 5, you will be able to use tai chi postures to cultivate your qi—gather energy from nature and release internal stress, and, in turn, use inner energy flow to drive your external movements. Your focus will be on how to initiate the movement internally.

Chapter 6: Tai Chi Neijin—Practice for Your Internal Power

Internal martial artists believe that strength comes from not only the physical muscle contractions, but also from tendons, ligaments, fascia tightening and rebounding, as well as deeper inner organs’ strength. The most important ingredient is the qi. Neijin is the result of the body’s integration of accumulated internal energy, the qi, fusing with the outside body.

This stage is about learning how to combine the mental understanding and internal training with the physical body structure to produce actual results. Therefore, tai chi jin is a balance of external and internal aspects. The tools in this chapter include push hands, the form, and auxiliary training tools. Tai chi neijin vs. MMA and other sport fighting is discussed.

Chapter 7: Tai Chi Training with Weapons

This chapter begins with an overview of tai chi weapons and then focuses in detail on three: the straight sword, the spear, and the walking cane. A weapon is an extension of your arm. With a weapon in your hand, you can develop the ability to send your internal power onto the weapon. More importantly, you can also train your sensing/listening jin. Try at least one weapon in your tai chi practice. Just like using the bare hand form as a tool to train your inner qi and internal strength, practicing a weapon is a way to train your overall tai chi skills.

Chapter 8: Tai Chi Practice to Display Your Spirit

If we assume Chapter 4 and 5 are college-level-training courses and Chapter 6 and 7 are graduate-school courses, Chapter 8 will be your PhD level. You cannot simply imitate Chen Xiaowang’s power or Zhu Tiancai’s spiral jin. From the perspective of tai chi skills, even if you can replicate all the masters’ moves, you can’t be a master until you can express yourself. You need to display your own spirit based on your perception of tai chi. According to The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, human’s activity should comply with each season’s change. Tai chi practice should not be standardized in speed or manner. It should comply with the seasonal change as well as a person’s stage of life for the best wellness result.

Chapter 9: Tai Chi Practice to Attain the Realm of Emptiness

Few ever achieve Stage 9, but it is something to aspire to. Tai chi develops your ability to see the microcosm of your body as a reflection of the macrocosm of the universe. This deep connection with nature happens when the qi in your body starts to resonate with the qi of heaven and earth. You will have an experience of closeness to nature that is quite profound. How you approach life and how you practice tai chi become one and the same. Stage 9 explores mastery of the art of tai chi. Emptiness becomes part of you always.

Sketches and Instructional Videos

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, so we have included hundreds of sketches of the authors to illustrate key points and support readers who are visual learners. Perhaps a video is worth ten thousand words, so we also have compiled links to Master Tsao’s Instructional Videos into a Supplemental Resource at the back of the book sorted into the 9 stages.

This book is a guide to deepening your tai chi practice starting at the very beginning—the copycat stage. So, take your time, identify your current stage, and practice the drills we have designed for you or share them with your students. The knowledge in this book has been collected from decades of practice, deep study of ancient texts, guidance from tai chi masters, and our own exploration of the art of tai chi. We welcome you to enjoy the nine stages and continue your tai chi journey with our guidance.

Grandmaster Zhu Tiancai of Chen Village with Jesse Tsao, 2003

聚精会神的模仿

Imitate Like a Copycat

Chapter 1

BE LIKE A COPYCAT

Tai chi is an ancient Chinese practice that has proven to be one of the most powerful ways to improve both your physical and mental health. It is a form of mind-body exercise that is based on slow and flowing, choreographed movements. It’s often called meditation in motion. Tai chi differs from Western exercises in that it isn’t about building muscles or trying to pump up your heart rate through fast movements.

Scientific studies are showing more and more health benefits from this practice. Tai chi can help you function better in your everyday life. The key to tai chi’s scientifically backed health benefits is qi, your vital energy. When your qi freely flows, you are balanced and healthy. But, if your qi is weakened or blocked, you can experience physical, mental, and emotional problems. The focus of tai chi is on promoting the flow of your qi. Although tai chi sounds mysterious, research is proving it works. Tai chi has been found to lower blood pressure, reduce stress, relieve pain, and build strength and balance while fostering a calm and focused clarity of thought.

Tai chi is fun, invigorating, and appropriate for people of all ages and fitness levels. In your twenties and thirties, it can boost athletic skills by improving focus and coordination. In your forties and fifties, it can reduce stress caused by demanding work or hectic schedules. And in your sixties, seventies, eighties, and beyond, tai chi practice provides restorative energy that can help you age more gracefully and function at a higher level than those who don’t practice it.

Many people would like to try tai chi because of the numerous benefits but don’t know how to start. Just as a newborn needs milk before solid food, or a pupil needs to learn the alphabet before constructing a sentence, a tai chi beginner needs to start with basic elements and simple practice methods before learning tai chi forms.

What are the basic tai chi practice elements? The first is having a relaxed torso with good alignment to ensure your static and dynamic balance. Second, stepping and stances in good balance to support the torso and moving arms. Lastly, circular arm movement patterns for fluent, flowing motion.

Be like a copycat. Just follow a teacher or even a video that starts with tai chi’s basic elements one by one to avoid overwhelming yourself with too much information. Any of these basic elements can give you a taste of this mellow form of exercise. Tai chi is good for anybody, especially for people who cannot endure normal workouts. Even people who are out of shape can do tai chi, which can help them build strength and confidence. It is important to learn tai chi from the ground up without getting distracted by flashy movements or wondering which tai chi style is prettier or better. In this initial copycat stage, focus on how to use tai chi’s simple movements to feel relaxed mentally and physically and, at the same time, enhance the harmony of your body’s energy.

1.1 Tai Chi Warm-Ups

Nearly every activity you do relies on ease of motion. Proper warm-up before tai chi practice can help you in numerous ways. It can counteract too much sitting whether you’re working at a desk or watching a movie. Warm-ups will loosen your tight muscles and joints to relieve stiffness or pain. Warm-ups will activate your energy flow from your center to the extremities, prevent injuries, and improve your performance in your tai chi practice. As you age, warm-up exercise can help keep you active and flexible, making it easier to accomplish innumerable, everyday tasks involving walking, climbing stairs, or reaching. All sport activities have their own special warm-up routines. Tai chi warm-ups are created to be easy to do and are unique. Just by going through the warm-ups you will experience tai chi’s benefits.

One of the advantages of tai chi is that you do not need to buy special equipment, clothing, or shoes. No rackets, uniforms, or cleats required. Our best advice is to dress in comfortable, loose-fitting clothing and wear shoes that give some support but do not grip the floor. Tai chi may be practiced indoors or outdoors. Indoors, select a room where you have space to move without bumping into furniture. A wooden floor is ideal but carpet can work, too. If outdoors, find a space that is not too windy nor too hot nor cold.

1.1.1 Open 9 Major Joints through Full Range of Motion

These nine movements focus on restoring mobility to the major joints to prepare them for tai chi practice. By moving the joints through a full range of motion, short-range tension is removed and mobility is restored, allowing your body to move smoothly. The movement also warms up the tissues and increases blood circulation to the joints, so they are ready for increased energy load. You can do the exercises in any order as long as you go through all the major joints. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes facing forward. Try starting from the wrist to ankle and go through the nine main joints. Be careful not to turn more than is comfortable. Stay in your comfort zone throughout the warm-ups and after a few days of practice you may see an increase in your range of motion.

1. Wrist circles: Clasp your hands together, interlocking your fingers, and gently bend the wrists back and forth. Next, gently rotate your wrists in alternating directions. Be sure to relax your wrists