We are proud to offer these Tai Chi workshops, to interested groups across the United States and around the world.
Learn the secrets of Tai Chi directly from proven world-class experts, in the convenience of your own school or studio.
Our workshops are special in the Tai Chi world. We give clear, effective presentations with measurable results. No fairy tales, false histories, or confidence tricks.
Popular topics include…
Secrets of Grasp the Bird’s Tail
Grandmaster Yang Luchan was rumored to practice “Grasp the Bird’s Tail” more than 100 times each day. Such habits produced his legendary Tai Chi skills, and earned him the nickname “wu-di,” or “peerless.” Today, this short training sequence remains one of the signature methods of Tai Chi Chuan. Even casual practitioners repeat it often.
When done properly, a unique exercise will deliver a unique benefit. Grasp the Bird’s Tail is certainly unique; we don’t find anything quite like it, in other martial arts or movement disciplines. So… what is the benefit?
In this workshop you will learn to apply every piece of Grasp the Bird’s Tail; earn a practical understanding of this movement sequence; and learn to appreciate its profound relationship to classical Tai Chi theory.
Seven Essential Principles of Cloud Hands
There are dozens of rules and prohibitions, principles and guidelines, in the classical writings of Tai Chi. Applying them across the dozens of traditional Tai Chi postures can quickly become an overwhelming task.
By learning to apply these principles comprehensively within a single movement, we can take one firm step towards mastery. This will enhance the quality, and increase the benefits, of our practice.
During this workshop, we will breakdown, analyze, improve, and reconstruct the Cloud Hands movement—using written guidance from renowned masters like Wang Zongyue, Wu Yuxiang, and Yang Chengfu.
The insights from this exercise are relevant to every style, movement and posture.
Fundamentals of Tai Chi Push Hands
Tai Chi is far more than a slow form of solo calisthenics. It includes a rich set of partner drills and exercises, including a progressive drill called tuishou, or “push hands.” As earlier generations noted, “We need four hands to learn Tai Chi.”
Push Hands is far more than a circular exchange of pushing and yielding. Its varied patterns, strategy and tactics correspond directly with the movements of the solo form. Therefore, the study of push hands should be illuminating to one’s practice of the solo form, and vice-versa.
In this seminar we will train the classical choreography of Four Square Push Hands. We will safely and effectively apply the Four Square Energies of Tai Chi, with a semi-cooperative partner. We will enrich our understanding and performance of the relevant solo postures, such as Grasp the Bird’s Tail.
Magic Square Push Hands ‡
Hidden, forgotten and nearly lost during the Cultural Revolution. Magic Square Push Hands is a special method for intermediate to advanced Tai Chi students.
Few practitioners today have access to a complete training progression. One that enables them, with diligent work over time, to manifest the storied skills of past generations. To employ Tai Chi at speed and under pressure, against meaningful resistance. In other words, to meet the baseline requirements of any martial art. Magic Square is an important element in that progression.
During this workshop we will learn the choreography of this drill. We will observe how it is both similar to, and distinct from, common push hands exercises. We will improve the accuracy, precision and relevance of our partner training.
Magic Square is not suitable for raw beginners. Enrollees in this workshop should already possess basic competence in Four Square Push Hands, or some equivalent level of experience from other martial arts.
Booking Details
Most seminar curriculums can be tailored for engagements of one to four hours. No prior experience in Tai Chi is required (unless otherwise noted above).
Seminar topics listed above are only a sample. Other topics are available on request.
Please contact us with your questions, or to arrange a seminar for your group.
‡ Magic Square Push Hands is a service mark of Steelyard Tai Chi ℠. All rights reserved.