This site has a little information about Tai Chi, the classes in Hove that I teach and an occasional blog. I see no point in reproducing what you can find elsewhere on the web so I have just included a page of links to relevant sites.
Advanced Workshop & Nei-gong Refresher in Horsham
I’m looking forward to the usual monthly Advanced Workshop in Horsham this Saturday, 4th November.
Usual format:
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- 2-3pm, Hand Forms
- 3-4pm, Pushing Hands and applications
- 4-5pm, Weapons forms and applications
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Cost:
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- £7 per hour but just £20 for the whole afternoon
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Location:
In case you don’t know, there is a Nei-gong session beforehand for Menren, ‘inside the door students’ of PTCC.
The Nei-gong exercises require a degree of effort not everyone can commit to and are not taught in open class. There are 12 Yin and 12 Yang exercises some quite demanding, and some more meditative. Each set can be done in under an hour, at the basic level, but should be done daily initially. If you would like to find out more speak to me or Peter.
July Advanced Workshop, Nei-gong on Zoom & Qi-gong in the park
After another great workshop with Peter in Horsham at the start of June we are back in Hove on Saturday 1st July. It was particularly good to see a few people I haven’t seen for ages.
I know I don’t have Peter’s depth of knowledge, and it is a bit further for many of you to travel, but I do hope more of you can make it south of the Downs this time as it is so good to train with experienced players and exchange ideas – we all learned some things slightly differently from Dan.
Usual time, venue, format and cost see Peter’s Site for details. Unlike Peter, I can’t include a Nei-gong session beforehand but all ‘men-ren’ are welcome to join the Wish Wudang twice weekly Zoom sessions from 7.45-8.25am . Yin set every Tuesday and and Yang every Friday (Alternating between sets 1&2 and 2&3 because all 12 take longer than a free Zoom!). Just DM me for login details.
Qi-gong/tai-ji in the park is not proving that popular this year – a few ‘newbies’ have tried it but none have stuck as yet. So, if you have just stumbled on this site, and are looking to try Tai Chi or Qi-gong this summer, feel free to come along and give it a go. We meet in the middle of Wish Park/Aldrington Recreation Ground at 6.45pm on Tuesday evenings up until September.
Advanced Workshop May 13th
The next advanced workshop will be at Hove Park School, Neville Campus BN3 7BN, on Saturday 13th May. (Moved from the usual first Saturday of the month as it clashed with a certain event in town!).
Usual format & cost, £10 per hour but only £20 for the three:
2-3pm Hand Forms – ‘Not Tiger Stretching’ to warm up followed by Short, Advanced Short, Long plus mirror forms if we have time,
3-4pm Push Hands and Applications – let’s concentrate, this time, on the 9(?) within Grasping Birds Tail after Parry and Punch and before Single Whip,
4-5pm Weapons forms and Applications – prompted by Mattias Nyrell’s Facebook post on Sword Form 88 and the discussion that followed I would like to go over the apps that appear later in the form starting with Support the Beam to Replace the Column. WOODEN WEAPONS ONLY for applications.
Looking forward to it. Hope to see you there.
P.S. Anyone fancy coming to Rencontre Jasnieres this year? Godfrey, Saar and Albert are leading sessions so would be good to support Dan’s Wudang Style.
Qigong & T’ai Chi in the Park 2023
I was looking forward to continuing the outdoor sessions in the park this evening but have decided it is just too grim out there, even with a hat!
Looking forward to next week!
By the way I am also trying to change the date of the next Advanced Workshop in Hove. The first Saturday of May is the 6th which I’m told clashes with a certain national event so I am negotiating with the School to move to the following Saturday, 13th May. I will confirm here and on WhatsApp in due course.
Advanced Taijiquan Workshop in Hove
I’m looking forward to hosting the next, monthly, workshop on Saturday 4th March.
Usual venue – Hove Park School Sports Hall on the Neville Campus.
Usual time and format:- 2-3pm Hand Forms, 3-4pm Push Hands and Applications, 4-5pm Weapons including Applications (Wooden/plastic de rigueur for apps)
Contact me for details or visit:
https://www.horshamtcc.co.uk/where-to-learn/advanced-workshops
See you Saturday
More Evidence for Benefits of Tai Chi
I know Richard posted this on the WhatsApp group but anyone who practices or is thinking of practising Tai Chi should have a listen to this episode of Just One Thing by Dr. Michael Mosely. It looks briefly at the growing evidence for the health benefits of the martial art of Tai Chi admittedly without any actual reference to the martial side!
There is a “taster” video on the BBC Make Your Move webpages. It is simplified but gives an indication of one element of Tai Chi, the hand form, though it is not a style I recognise and shows no martial intent. Michael also mentions a video on the NHS website but I cannot find it. Please let me know if you can.
If you want to see what our hand form looks like I suggest you visit Peter Ballam’s website or come to the King Alfred Leisure Centre any Thursday evening from 8-9pm and see it for real.
The health benefits are also real and it is a practical and effective martial art but you don’t have to do any actual fighting unless you really want to. ; )
Happy Chinese New Year of the Rabbit
Jade Rabbit pounding the Elixir of Life for the Moon Goddess Chang Er.
To celebrate the new year we will have a meal out on Friday 3rd February. Details on WhatsApp Group.
2023 has started well with very good attendance on Thursdays at the King Alfred. However, disappointingly, only one new player so far this year, despite 3 indications of interest in a new beginners class. Never mind, we have a good little group learning the Short Form some of whom are close to the end of ‘Square Style’. I’m looking forward to rounding off their form in the coming months.
The monthly workshops for experienced practitioners re-started on Saturday 7th January and all, I think, found it really useful. I certainly did, in particular discovering I had changed an angle in the sword form! I am now struggling to correct this but it has inspired me to train harder. Next workshop is in Horsham on 4th February hosted by Peter Ballam – put it in your diary now! Lift available from Hove as usual.
Christmas 2022 & a Look Forward to 2023
Club training has finished for this year. Hopefully your personal training has not – keep up the great work! I have seen improvements in everyone and look forward to helping you progress along your Taijiquan pathway next year.
King Alfred classes re-start on Twelfth Night, Thursday 5th January 2023 AND there will be a Workshop for the more advanced students at Hove Park School from 2-5pm two days later on Saturday 7th. Usual format: 1st hour – Hand Forms, 2nd hour – Pushing Hands & Applications, 3rd hour – Weapons Forms & Applications. Cost now £10 per hour but still just £20 for the whole workshop.
I have advertised a Beginners Course starting on the 5th January and have had some interest so hopefully we shall have a few new members joining our ranks. If you are new to Taichi and have just found that this course is on please contact me to secure a place. Cost will be £10 per week.
Happy Christmas one and all and thanks for your support,
Tim
New Venue for October Workshop
After another great workshop in Horsham on the first Saturday in September we are back south of the downs for October. The first Saturday is actually the first day of the month, so not long! Usual time 2-5pm. Sorry, I can’t fit in Nei-gong beforehand but you are welcome to join us on Zoom at 7.45am Tuesdays (Yang) and Fridays (Yin) – pm me for details.
In the hope that, with holidays over, there will be a few more attendees I have booked a bigger venue – The Sports Hall, Neville Campus, Hove Park School, Neville Road, Hove BN3 7BN. Plenty of parking if you go through the entrance gate, turn right and then left to get right round the back – see image below.
Usual format but in the middle hour I particularly want to work on Da Lu and see if anyone knows, or if we can work out together, a change that reverses the direction of turn rather than just swapping the two roles. Oh, and to do a lot more Jasnieres style free pushing hands with frequent changes of partner.
Hope to see you there.
Dates for your Diary
- Saturday 20th August: BBQ at mine – details on the WhatsApp group.
- Saturday 3rd September: Advanced Workshop – details on Peter’s Horsham Tai Chi website.
- Thursday 22nd September: Introduction to Tai Chi – start of 6 week beginners course at the King Alfred Leisure Centre, Hove, comprising a brief introduction to the 5 elements of the Wudang Taijiquan System and a bit of theory and history. Email, txt or phone me for more information or to book one of the 6 places. Cost £12pw or £60 in advance.