Tai Chi for Beginners

If the orient would not have come up with these amazing martial arts, I think the whole world would have been deprived of some great forms of exercise and workout for mind as well as body. But thanks to them, we have been introduced to martial arts like kung fu, karate and in keeping the legendary tradition, tai chi. This is a form of martial art combining both hard and soft martial arts techniques. However, even if it is a martial art, it is mostly practiced for having a fit body and calm mind.

Tai Chi Moves for Beginners

As a beginner, you need to first know its underlying philosophy, that is, if one uses hardness to obstruct or block violent force, injuries to some extent are inevitable. Thus, at the beginning, students are not taught directly how to fight an incoming force but to receive it with softness and relaxed posture, while following the motion, while remaining in contact with that force. This has to be done till the force of attack is exhausted or that is redirected. Now are you ready to get in to some action?

Kick start - Opening Move

To start off, stand with your feet shoulder apart. The knees should be slightly bent and back straight. Your eyes should be focused straight ahead and your chin should be tucked down just a bit. Then here are the steps you need to for one of the basic movements.

• Raise your hands from your waist length extending in front of you, at the level of your shoulders, upwards.
• Until you release your hands at the shoulder level, they should be perpendicular to the ground.
• At this juncture the palms will face forward as they push down towards your waist back.

Now you would shift to palm Tai chi movements.

The Next Step

• Lift your hands up slowly, in closer to your heart. Both the palms must face each other during this movement, resembling an action as if you are attempting to squeeze a ball of energy.
• Drop your knees slightly and after your hands cover the heart, stay in that position as long as you comfortably can.
• Once you start feeling tired, do a rewind of your arm movements and get back gradually to the original standing position.

The next step is to get to business and check out some elaborate moves. These are Ward Off, Roll Back and Single Whip.

Ward Off

• Start off, where you ended the palm move.
• Now raise you right leg till your knees and then step with the same foot in the same direction (right).
• Simultaneously extend your hands to the right. At this juncture your right palm should face your chest and the left should be pointing down and the fingers should be pointing to the right.

After you are done with these steps, you would need to be in the same position for the next move, that is Roll Back.

Roll Back and Single Whip

• You are in the last position of the earlier move.
• Now roll your right hand over, while pulling your weight back.
• Bring your hands together and press and push towards right.
• From this step, you move on to Single whip.
• For the single whip move your hands across the body, until your right hand does not come back on the right side.
• At the same time, make a crane head with the fingers, while you lift your left leg with it.

Classes have a very important aspect of concluding the exercises. Apparently, you have explored your energy channels and they have to be closed to keep a balanced mind and body. So what is done is hands are raised from your waist to the sides, above your head. Follow that by bringing the palms down and bending the knees, while pressing the air down.

These were the most fundamental moves when it comes to tai chi. There is a host of classes if you want to seriously pursue it. Or better still, you can get exercises on the internet, which could also prove to be helpful.

That was it! I end my martial arts session here! All the Best!