Tai Chi Workout

[Franklin]

Hi -

just wanted to let everyone know that my DVD is now available on Amazon.com (see the links below)

I have been teaching for about 17 years now- and I find that most people are very happy with just learning Tai Chi exercises instead of committing to learn the long form- the exercises give them everything they are looking for and are simple to preform. I developed this "exercise" set so that it is not just beginner material (so that I could get some benefit and practice in while I lead the class though the exercises)-
it covers-
some very effective exercises for opening the body- including the kua, spine, and shoulders
standing meditation
Tai Chi Walking
and single posture practice (some done stationary like cloud hands and some done walking)

so far everyone has enjoyed these classes (including myself- I can still work on things that I need to develop after close to 20 years of practice while still "leading beginners")

I think this DVD would be a great introduction to Tai Chi practice
and I would hope people find it different from "popular" tai chi exercise videos that are available- (the ones that are more "fluff" then actual Tai Chi)

the details are below

Franklin






Tai Chi Workout DVD

The Tai Chi Workout is designed so that you can experience the benefits of practicing Tai Chi without having to learn a long and complicated form. The exercises are easy to learn and gentle on the body while building skills and attributes that are necessary to explore the depth of Tai Chi Practice.

Having taught Tai Chi and related disciples for over 15 years, it is my experience many beginners take up Tai Chi because of the health benefits, but can get overwhelmed or frustrated when confronted with having to learn a long and complicated Tai Chi Form. This workout is designed so that a new student on their first day will be able to follow along and practice all the exercises.

The workout includes exercises that loosen and relax the joints, a standing meditation (Zhan Zhuang) which builds energy and connection in the body, Tai Chi walking exercises, and Tai Chi movement exercises. This is a low impact workout that will help you relax and get rid of stress, become more aware and in control of your body, and benefit circulation. To go through this workout should take between 20 to 40 minutes.

This DVD includes an introduction to the workout, a section on the Tai Chi Principles that must be adhered to while practicing, detailed instruction in each of the 13 exercises that make up the workout, and a set of closing exercises to end your practice.

This workout builds and refines skills that are necessary for Tai Chi Practice. Your commitment to practice determines the depth of your training and development.

Format: NTSC
Region: All Regions
Studio: Shen Long Publishing
DVD Release Date: July 26, 2010
Run Time: 93 minutes

Tai Chi Workout DVD

[DeusTrismegistus]

Looks good man. Are you going to put up any short clips for promo purposes?

[bailewen]

Cool.

For what it's worth, I noticed a small typo in the copy, a malapropism really (love that word):

having taught Tai Chi and related disciples for over 15 years. . .

I think you meant "disciplines" right?

Other than that, very nice. I have definitely thought about ultimately designing a curriculum something like that for my future school.

[Franklin]

thanks for catching that omar-

yeah i meant disciplines and not disciples....

sometimes its hard to proofread things that you wrote- cause you see what you know it should say instead of what is actually on the page...

i would say that i think something like this is a good thing to have in your curriculum- not everyone is interested in training a long long form or putting in the time to memorize all the movements
it is a lot less stressful to just lead these people through a "workout" then trying to show them the same move every class for weeks or months...
and of course the more traditional stuff is there for the people that are interested and dedicated to it...



here is a short clip from the DVD



i will throw this up on the video section as well

the DVD is also available on my site as well as amazon:
http://www.shenlongpub.com/index.php?op ... 7&Itemid=1


franklin

[Daniel]

For what it's worth, I noticed a small typo in the copy, a malapropism really (love that word)

Well done, that man. *golf applause*

There is no risk of hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia among the locquacious gentility of RSF who are so blessed with garoulousness and a zest for synonyms, homonymns and antonyms in this herbaceous anecdotage of web forums.


D.

Sarcasm. Oh yeah, like that´ll work.

[Baguaplayer]

I like the 'short' clip that is over 8.5 minutes long!! I'd had to see a 'longer' clip!

Great job on putting something together and then posting it on this forum. Both are easy things to talk about but something most of us never do.

Another small typo in your disclamer: cusult should be consult I believe. Unless there is another spelling I'm not aware of. If it's not too late, you may want to see if you can get someone else to proofread it for you. It will make you look more professional and credible if you have at least the basic spelling and grammar down. Even though you may thing it's only going to your students and those close to you, those are the most important.


Peace,

BP

[Franklin]

BP

thanks for catching that and brining that to my attention.... (consult would be correct)-
i will change that on all future releases-



as for the clip being long- it is relatively short compared to the 93 minute running time of the DVD (which is basically all instruction)

the point of putting up the clip showing the instruction for the second of the thirteen exercises in the exercise set was two fold

1- to give people a taste of what to expect on the DVD- that is only 1 of 13 exercises- that progress from simple warm up to standing meditation to tai chi movement practice- by seeing this maybe they can make an informed decision about purchasing and practicing- and hopefully distance this DVD from other more "new age" "feel good" type exercise that gets passed off as tai chi training. (edit-not that these exercise do not feel good to practice because they do- I currently lead a class through this workout twice a week- and I usually feel good after practice)

2- to provide some free content- if that is all that people were going to watch form the DVD (ie- the free content) I would hope that they would find it helpful and maybe progress them further down their path of training- that is a good exercise-


Franklin

[johnwang]

Does your DVD include Taiji moves such as:

- diagonal fly
- hand play Pi-Ba
- lady works on shuttle
- left/right striking tiger
- left/right separate leg
- turn around hammer
- ...

How did you select your 13 exercises?

[Franklin]

Hi John

not all the exercises are from the taiji form and I did not try to fit in all the taiji postures

the set starts with 3 warm-up and loosening exercises (like exercise 2 that i posted in the video)
then a zhan zhuang posture
then taiji walking practice (2 types or different things to emphasize- the later walking postures should include the emphasis on these two aspects of stepping)
then three stationary exercises (one of them is cloud hands done from a horse stance)
then four walking postures (ward off or if preformed a little different slant flying/part the horse's main, brush knee, repulse monkey, kick with the sole)
then a closing sequence that includes some self massage

as for the selection
it was to get something that people could follow along on the first day of class and feel like they are doing taiji
plus something that while I lead the class I can get some training in as well

as for how i selected the postures
the three stationary postures are good for integrating the hands in with the movement of the torso and weight shift without having to deal with any stepping
the walking postures-
the forward walking postures wad off and brush knee have the hands working in almost opposite ways
the repulse monkey involves stepping backwards
and the kick is of course learning to use the leg
all of them helping to further develop the use of the body, weight shift and stepping to move the limbs
and give a nice even workout to the body


Franklin

[wayne hansen]

i would suggest that you include fair lady works the shuttle to cover walking to the corners.
your stuff has good basics and is better than a lot of what tai chi people offer.
one thing i notice is how people junk slanted flying and wild horse into the one basket,
the two postures could not be more different if you tried.

[Franklin]

i would suggest that you include fair lady works the shuttle to cover walking to the corners.
your stuff has good basics and is better than a lot of what tai chi people offer.
one thing i notice is how people junk slanted flying and wild horse into the one basket,
the two postures could not be more different if you tried.

Hi Wayne

thanks- i appreciate the advice and the compliment
i really had to work on excluding things- (it was a hard thing for me to do)
i did not put the fair lady to the corners- first because the move is a little complicated and also because i routinely have some older people people (in the 70's and upwards) with balance issues- and felt that kind of shifting might cause more problems then good for them ( I wanted the exercise set to be good for all ranges of people- tonight one of my students in her 70's bought a DVD of the workout to give to her grandson who is a judo/karate guy in his late teens...)

if people want to learn the more traditional stuff it is available for them... (as i get older- i am still very young- i feel less and less the need to project my expectations about their dedication and commitment to practice onto the students- if they want it it is there and if not its ok too... I find myself much happier and less disappointed with this type of mindset...)

i agree that slant flying and wild horse are different (and even more differences comparing the different style of yang - i learned about 3-4 variations)- want i meant is that while i lead the class I can change what i am doing and practice ward off, slant flying, or part horse's mane- In the dvd though i just show and teach the posture ward off...

franklin