Chen Taijiquan Forms

Chen Taijiquan is a complete system comprising of foundation exercises, open hand forms, weapons forms and two person training exercises each instilling different skills. It can be compared to learning to write, you start with mastering the basic formation of the individual letters of the alphabet, then develop those letters into short words which become longer more complex words. These progress into sentences, paragraphs and so on... all the way up to beautiful works of literature.

Like the art forms of classic literature and calligraphy, Taiji is considered a skill or gong fu to use the Chinese term, and like all worthwhile skills it takes time and effort to build the strong foundations that lead to the impressive demonstrations of Taiji seen performed by the Grandmasters of the Chen Tai Chi system. While we all have different aims with our Taiji practice, seeing it at it's highest level can inspire us to develop ourselves to our full potential and so gain the benefits that Taiji is renowned for.

With this in mind, and to aid you in your practice, here are a selection of demonstrations for the forms we teach in our Tai Chi classes along with PDF's with the names of the postures.

To make any of the videos bigger just click on the box in the bottow right corner or follow the link to youtube where you will be able to make it full screen.

Chen Loosening and Qigong

A guide to the basic loosening and Qigong exercises in Chen Taiji demonstrated by Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei.

Laojia Yilu First Section

The first 15 movements of the Chen Taiji 74 form, commonly called Laojia Yilu (Old Frame, First Form) demonstrated by our teacher Master Wang Haijun

Master Wangs DVD's for this and other forms are available in class. Please take a look at our shop or ask in class

Laojia Yilu (Old Frame First Form)

Of the Chen family syllabus, Laojia Yilu (Old Frame, First Form) is the oldest remaining form. It is an amalgamation of 5 routines developed by Chen Wangting and teaches the Taiji student the basic foundation skills. It trains the first four instrinsic energies of peng, lu, ji and an along with embedding the silk reeling principles into the body.

The posture names

Laojia Yilu - Tutorial

Step by step demonstration of the Laojia Yilu form by GM Chen Zhenglei

With each movement shown clearly and slowly to help with your practice between classes

Jian (Sword) Form

The sword or Jian is the oldest of the traditional weapons forms and is usually the first weapon taught. This form stretches and strengthens the bodies joints and makes postures open and expansive. Flexibility in wrists and hands, lightness of footwork and agility in the waist are the hallmarks of the sword form. When performed correctly it is said to resemble a dragon swimming through water.

The posture names

Laojia Erlu (Old Frame, Second Form)

This form is also known as Pao Chui or Cannon Fist and is more complex than Yilu, containing explosive fajin movements and the fighting techniques of Shan, Zhan, Teng and Nuo. It switches quickly from hard to soft and is more physically demanding requiring a good level of foundation skill to perform correctly. It places more emphasis on the second four jin skills of Cai, Lie, Zhou and Kao.

Ding Bu (fixed step) Push Hands

Pushing hands is a two person practice to develop sensitivity and listening skills which ultimately lead to effective martial arts ability. Using the 4 energies of peng, lu, ji,and an it complements the Taiji form along with highlighting any weaknesses.

Here, Ding Bu is demonstrated and broken down by Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei and Master Wang Haijun

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