An Introduction to Chen Style Tai Chi
Chen Style Tai Chi is amazingly beautiful to do and to watch when performed well.
The movements are strongly circular, the stance is usually low and the pace alternates between periods of slower and quicker movement. There are also sudden releases of power called Fah Jing, the Chen explosive movements.
The martial applications are quite evident in Chen yet it is a complete internal martial art unlike Kung Fu.
Chen Tai Chi is divided up into the Old Frame (Lao Jia), the New Frame (Xin Jia) and Small Frame (Xiao Jia). There is also now Chen Style Xinyi Hunyuan from Feng Zhi Qiang which is a blend of Xin Jia and Xinyi.
Each Frame consists of the First Way (Yi Lu) and the Second Way (Er Lu).
For each of these there are also many hand and weapon Tai Chi forms.
Lao Jia Yi Lu is generally called the 'Mother' form and is where most practitioners will start off, or with one of the short training forms derived from it, such as Chen Xiao Wang's 19 or 38.
Lao Jia Er Lu (Cannon Form) is more demanding and explosive than Yi Lu which contains the power more, making it harder to learn well. It's appropriate to learn the basics of Fang Sung movement and relaxed Fah Jing competently before tackling such difficult Tai Chi.
This is also true for Martial Applications. Until a student achieves a high level of competence in the Tai Chi form itself, this knowledge is of no relevance. It's important to learn to relax first and be empty.
The New Frame of Chen (Xin Jia) created by Chen Fake is much more complicated to learn, with its additional small twists and turns. This is a very powerful form of Chen and usually contains more Fah Jing's by default then Lao Jia.
Feng Zhi Qiang's new style of Chen, Xinyi Hunyuan, is an interesting blend of Xinyi and Xin Jia. A natural evolution for him given he was a senior disciple of a famous Xinyi Master as well as Chen Fake. This style has an even stronger focus on external circular movements and a greater emphasis on the health aspects as oppose to the martial.
Chen Tai Chi has developed amazing techniques to build internal energy in the body using Nei Gong or Wuji Stance, Chan Si Jing and a variety of other techniques along with the form practice itself.
In the end though Tai Chi is about the balance and harmonious interchange of yin and yang within the body and not about achieving the ultimate level of power within.
It may be possible for a person with a very deep level of Fang Sung to channel huge amounts of Qi comfortably, and to be able to use it externally, but equally it may be possible to go too far and impair ones health ultimately rather than strengthen it.
The big question is how much power is enough? And perhaps this depends on your goals, martial prowess or long term health and spiritual growth. And this is for the individual to answer.
So like everything else in life, a little balance is required, but given this caution, Chen Style Tai Chi has to be one of the most beautiful movement arts forms in existance and one of the most precious treasures of human culture.
Chen Style Tai Chi Lineage
Tai Chi has a concept of lineage. The progressive line of master teachers, with each learning from the previous generation masters.
Chen Wang Ting (1600-1680), [9th Generation] founded Chen Tai Chi in the 1600's. Previous to this the Chen family practiced hard Kungfu. For many generations it was kept private within the Chen family. Even so over time the lineage has branched out and so there are many lines now.
Each student's Tai Chi is subtely different from the teachers and even students with the same teacher will make the Tai Chi their own and so over time it has developed.
One of the significant teachers after Chen Wang Ting was Chen Chang Xing. His students were Yang Lu Chan, Chen Hua Mei, Chen Hua Gui and Chen Gen Gun.
Yang Lu Chan went onto create the Yang Style.
Chen Hua Mei formed a line of Chen style which is now headed by Chen Zhao Sen.
Chen Gen Gun formed a line which included Chen Fake and is now headed by Chen Xiao Wang within the family. His younger brother Chen Xiao Xing teaches in Chen Jia Gou.
Chen Fake (1887-1957) [17th Generation], was another practioner who became famous in China and lived in Beijing where he taught many students inside and outside the Chen family.
Chen Fake's main students were Feng Zhi Qiang, Chen Zhao Xu, Chen Zhao Pei (1928-1981)[18th], Chen Zhao Kui and Hong Junsheng along with several others.
Chen Zhao Xu, Chen Zhao Pei and Chen Zhao Kui taught many good students including Chen Xiao Wang, Wang Xi An, Zhu Tian Cai and Chen Zheng Lei.
Chen Xiao Wang and his peers have worked hard spreading the Chen Tai Chi around the World and so its popularity has increased dramatically in recent years.