meeting Chen XiaoWang
In 1995, I met Chen XiaoWang, the 19th generation representative of the Chen family of Chenjiagou, Henan, China. He was in London to teach LaoJia, the "Old Frame" created by his ancestors, which is the matrix form of the many styles and forms of TaijiQuan that we see today.His performance of TaijiQuan was astounding, but what flummoxed me was the precision with which he altered my posture. It made me look at my 19 years of practice in a new light. Thus began my training in Chen Style TaijiQuan under his guidance : my companion and I spent that winter studying with him in Sydney, Australia, as we did each subsequent winter till 2002.
Chen XiaoWang's system is clear and profound : from ZhanZhuang, from dantian, you move into the "Twining Silk" exercises. His Chansigong isolates the core transitions between Yin and Yang : it is a delicate precision that transforms untrained movement into power. You see it clearly in Chen XiaoWang's TaijiQuan : there is a surging, eddying, a breaking of banks.......
The forms - long, short, soft, explosive, sabre, sword, spear, etc - they may all be usefully practised with a sound foundation.