Taijiquan, Classical Yang Style DVD (YMAA Tai Chi) Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming

Description

This Special Edition DVD is over four hours long, with hours of additional content not available on VHS.

Discover Authentic Taijiquan.
This comprehensive video is not only an instructional DVD, but a living document designed to preserve a cultural tradition from the original Yang Style lineage. Practice of this living, vital form will bring you a healthy and relaxed body, a clear mind, and a strong sense of martial intent. This Tai Chi Chuan program will offer you enough content to build a solid foundation for a lifetime of practice.

• Fundamental Stances • Instruction of the Thirteen Postures • Taiji Qigong Primary Set • Moving Qigong • The Complete Yang Style Taijiquan Long Form • Instructions on Breathing

This Enhanced DVD edition contains the following extra content:
• Taijiquan Theory Lecture by Dr. Yang • Taiji Qigong & Fa Jin (Emitting Power) sections • Detailed Instruction & Analysis of Each Movement in the Form • Slideshow of the 113 Postures

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES: Hundreds of Scene Selections • Interactive Feature: Click the Yin/Yang Symbol to open up In-Depth Instruction of the Form • Over 2 hours of additional content • Language: English, French and Chinese • Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese • All Regions Encoding • Previews of all video titles • Interactive YMAA Product Catalog • "About YMAA" section, and more.

240 minutes-color/ DVD9-NTSC

Customer Reviews:

Understanding Yang Style Tai Ji .......2007-03-09

This DVD will give you an very good understanding of the Yang Style of Tai Ji and includes many Tai Ji Chi Kung exercises to deveolp chi power to use in daily life and in fighting applications.

Another pearl from Dr. Yang, Jwing Ming and David Silver.......2006-09-02

Having owned the videotape of this offering from Dr. Yang, I was a little apprehensive about spending money to buy the DVD. I was very satisfied with the information offered on the VHS tape, but having already owned the material, it didn't make sense to purchase a DVD unless there was something added to the material.

Generally, when a company releases a DVD of a previously released VHS tape, there is very little added to the DVD release. Fortunately, in line with the high quality of YMAA publications, this DVD has approximately two hours of material that was not on the original VHS.

Combine this with the ease of access that a DVD offers and the Taijiquan, Classical Yang Style DVD becomes even more of a bargain.

The video offers material and instruction for the following:

The Taijiquan Thirteen Postures

The Fundamental 8 Stances

Taiji Qigong, with stretching and three sets taught

The Yang Style Taijiquan sequence (The long form)

The video also has an extensive lecture on Taijiquan Theory by Dr. Yang as well as a demonstration of Fa Jing and a list of all the movements of the long form.

The lecture is vital to anyone who wants to learn Taijiquan. Merely imitating the postures and movements, which sadly is how many people practice Taijiquan, without an understanding of the philosophy from which Taijiquan developed, would severely limit one's experience.

Dr. Yang discusses how Taiji is between Wuji (nothingness) and yin and yang. This concept is extremely important and vital to the performance and practice of Taijiquan. When you begin the form, you should stand in a beginning posture which represents Wuji, or nothingness/emptiness, during which you settle the body, relax the breath and bring all the parts of your body and mind into this Wuji state.

Then the thought/intention is born in the mind and the Taiji (which came from the Wuji) splits into the yin and yang. The dead hands and body, maximum yin, become alive and slowly inflate and expand to a balance between maximum yin and maximum yang, along with the whole body. Now the form begins.

I see many practitioners walk up, stand still for one second and leap into the form without any understanding of where yin and yang spring from. The transition from Wuji to Taiji to the interplay of yin and yang is one of the more fulfilling and engaging aspects of Taijiquan.

Dr. Yang points out that Taiji, the theory of which is explained so well in this video, has been around for approximately four thousand years, whereas Taijiquan has been around for perhaps a thousand years. The use of this theory in Daoism is also explained by Dr. Yang. The link between Taijiquan and Daoism through their mutual use of the philosophy of Taiji was one of the initial reasons for my interest in learning Taijiquan.

Dr. Yang goes on to illustrate through the use of scientific formulas the relationship of Taijiquan and the laws of physics. This lecture is just the preparation to begin to use the other parts of the video. Too many times tapes are presented by martial artists with little thought for tying it all together and explaining the meaning of what is offered. This video is extremely well thought out and presents the viewer with a strategic approach that will enable them to go far in their quest to learn Taijiquan.

Throughout the video there are visual clues as to when to inhale and when to exhale while doing the form or the Taijiquan Qigong. The demonstration of the long form offers detailed instructions when you click on the yin-yang symbol.

I would have to write a ten page review to give justice to all the material presented on this DVD. A wonderful addition to Dr. Yang's presentations and a worthwhile purchase even if you already own the VHS version of this video.

Good theory, mediocre instruction.......2006-04-14

The video starts with some interesting theory and a good demo of the warm ups but the main instruction seems to lack the level of detail that I find in Terry Dunn's videos. Also, at some places, they just have subtitles on the screen with no audio commentary and that makes it difficult to follow the video as you are split between trying to read the subtitles and following the movement of the demonstrator. Would not recommend this if your main interest is in getting instruction on the actual doing of tai chi. Agree with a review that says that this may not be right for beginners.

You will not find anything better.......2006-03-21

This is by far the best instructional dvd I have ever bought or seen, best value for my money, I'm not saying it's cheap, but it has enough information to fill 4 dvd's (which is regretfully what every one else in this industry is doing). It deals with the complete Yang style taijiquan form and chigong, thoroughly (novice to advanced), but then it is so much more. It is great on its own but it is even better with the book by same title (see my review). You can start by watching Dr Yang's lecture which in itself is a great bonus, but essentially the dvd takes you from stretching and qigong excercizes to a detailed breakdown of the complete Yang style taijiquan form. Additionally you'll be able to observe master Yang perform the form at various speeds (there's even an introduction to Fa Jing). There's even more but I don't want to spoil it all for you. Like I said before, this is no substitute to real lessons but instead is the best tool you can find to help you improve faster and with solid reliable background(basic to essential) information.

This is the real deal.......2006-03-03

This is a great video if you are really interested and are currently looking to expand your already intermediate knowledge of taichi...not really for beginner,s although there are many, many points that would be helpful to a beginner. Good production, not a cheesy house wife version of tai chi...

DVD:

DVD

DVD