Master Chen Huixian on Chen Zhenglei Taichi 18 Form

Master Chen teaches Oblique Walk 

Most Taichi instructors share the common frustration of student retention.  Taichi, a seemingly simple martial art actually is very difficult to learn.  Many people try but give it up simply because the challenge of remembering the techniques, skills, movements, and sequences.  There are so many details to remember, for example how the hand shape should be, when to turn the hand, and where to put the hand in relationship to one’s arm, shoulder and body.  To promote Taichi, Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei distilled the most important part of the Chen Style Taichi and created the 18 Form which has 18 movements (see below for the list of the movements). 

Chinese government wanted to encourage college students and general population to practice Taichi to promote fitness.  The asked the lineage holder of five major Taichi Styles (Chen, Yang, Wu-Hao, Sun and Wu) to create a 16-movement form to represent its style. Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei combined four movements of his 18 Form into two and made the form as 16 movements.

Hip Adjustment

Master Chen Huixian stated that the 18 Form is generally similar to Chen Style Old Frame Routine One. The 18 Form is extended and open. In most parts, the movements are even and smooth and with a couple of low impact jumping and kicking movements, e.g. Fair Lady Works the Shuttle. Practitioners need to keep their head suspended and the back upright and lifted. It is very important to tuck the chest, relax the shoulders and sink the elbows. The 18 Form utilizes all Taichi Ba Fa techniques (Peng, Lu, Ji, An, Cai, Lie, Zhou, and Kao) as well as Silk Reeling. Master Chen emphasized the importance of solid/empty feet and body weight shifting.
 

Group practice Brush Knee

To complete the training, Master Chen also taught the students how to nourish their body by doing the Wu Ji Zhuang. Wu Ji Zhuang is one kind of Standing Post which is a meditation form and helps Chi (qi, vital life energy) to sink to the feet. This is essential in doing any Taichi forms including 18 Form. One of the students asked how to sink Chi, Master Chen’s answer is simple, “Don’t think how to do it. Just breathe correctly and slowly. Relax the body. Keep the proper body alignment. Not to have any other thoughts. Gradually Chi will sink to the feet by itself.”