Taiji Class Structure

 Classes resume January 4th 2010   Day and evening classes available, see events calendar for times and location

New students can start at any time, as training is ongoing throughout the year.  Fees Currently £52.00 are paid in advance  every 8-weeks, as commitment to training on a regular basis is required to make progress.  Drop-in classes on a per-class fee basis are discretionary and limited.  Yang Style Taiji instruction adheres to Dr Wang Zhi Xiang's teaching programme, focusing on helping to improve individual student’s skill levels in a shared, group environment.   Classes are taught simultaneously to students grouped by ability.  There are 3 main groups reflecting Beginners (Level 1), Intermediate (Levels 2 & 3), and Advanced (Level 4) students.-

 The first half of the class will consist of:

• Warm up and focused stretching.
• Exercises, body requirements, & principles
• Taiji stances, basic movements etc
• Taiji push hands training
• Zhuan Zhuang training

 The second half of the class consists of:

• Form Training - Students will work training groups based on individual skill level, the content and difficulty of training is based on students' current ability.

 Class Content

Level 1:

Fundamentals:
      Studies of the fundamentals e.g. body awareness, posture, coordination of movements, the hips movement etc.  Practice of Taiji principles such as forwards/backwards, etc  Relationship of balance in Xu    Ling Ding Jing and Ci Zhen Dantian
Form:
      Study of the first section of the form and the positions/changes of movement
Tui Shou:
      One-hand Tui Shou
Neigong:
      Knowing basic energy points, e.g. lower, middle, upper dantian etc

Intermediate, and advanced levels follow a similar structure, but with a deepening of knowledge and understanding of Taiji principles of e.g Yi, Qi, Jing, Bamen Wu Bu,  point, line, area, volume etc., understanding the oroigin of energy, study of the applications existing in the form, 2-hand Tui Shou, San Shou, etc

 Notes:
For people who have any serious health issues, always consult with the instructor before participating in class.
Wear comfortable exercise clothes. Jeans/tight clothing are not recommended.
Wear comfortable, supportive exercise shoes.
Always follow the directions of the instructors as closely as possible.