This is for my Lowton class - it will help with your homework. Those of you in my Liverpool classes may find it helpful too, especially if you want to go on to do the course after half-term.
Earlier in the year, I made several blog posts on stances. Rather than repost them, here are some links to them.
This should be all you need for your homework, but if you look back through the blog there are other posts about stances that you may find interesting.
A big hello and a warm welcome to all of my new students for the Autumn term. And for those of you who have stuck around and keep coming back - thank you, you're the reason I keep coming back too.
For my new students at Lowton, here is the video of Master Tary Yip doing the 16-step form:
And for all my Liverpool students at Broadgreen, Rotunda and Newsham, here is Tary again, doing the 8-step form, slowly and calling out the moves in Chinese:
And for my advanced Lowton class, here is Master Faye Li Yip and students doing the taiji kungfu fan form:
Enjoy!
This week is enrolment week for beginners' classes in both Lowton and Liverpool. If you or anyone you know would like to sign up, then go to one of the enrolment sessions listed. Times are as follows:
Class times are same day same time but following week for the Liverpool classes. The Lowton class will start Monday 26th September and will be from 6.30pm to 8pm each week.
The 5 week courses in Liverpool will all be followed by another 5 week course for those who wish to continue. There are also other tai chi beginners' classes starting in Liverpool, so do call Newsham ALC and ask if you can't make one of those times.
The Lowton class will also be followed by another 10 week course after Christmas if there is enough interest.
And for those who prefer the flexibility and lack of paperwork in a private class beginners are also welcome to my private class at Lowton High School Mondays 8pm to 9.30pm starting any time.
I've mentioned this demonstration a couple of times and I thought it was time I looked it up. I knew something like this would have to be on YouTube somewhere! It was apparently to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the China Wushu Association.
In just under three weeks is the annual Bold Street Festival in Liverpool, with a samba band, Chinese dragons, a vintage fair and the world's smallest nightclub. What does this have to do with tai chi, you may ask? Well, there will also be a tai chi demonstration on the Sunday (25th September), organised by my friend and colleague, Angela Howarth. Now that you can all do the 24-step form, it would be great if we could get together as a class and go along and demonstrate it. What do you think?
I've been trying to find a copyright free picture of this stance and haven't been able to, so here is a video instead. The video is of the 24-step form and if you stop it at 17 seconds, you will see the T stance just before going into Part the Wild Horse's Mane.
T stance is a lot like empty stance - your weight is on one leg and the other leg is empty. The leg with the weight in it (in this case the right leg) has the foot flat on the ground. The left foot is drawn in with the ball of the foot on the ground near the inside of the right foot. It is different from empty stance in that the feet are closer together. Also, in empty stance the toes on the foot of the empty leg are pointing forwards - in T stance they are not.
It is called T stance because the feet are at right angles to each other, forming a T shape. However, the angle of the empty foot is not so important as its position relative to the substantial foot, and the stance is often done with the feet at a smaller angle, especially when the body is turned away from the empty foot.
T stance is an in-between position, used when you are turning from one direction to another, as when you go from Begin the Form to Part the Wild Horse's Mane in the 24-step form.
