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My teacher used to torture me (in private lessons) by making me slow down the first main Chen form (laojia yilu) which at normal practice pace takes about 15-17 minutes to complete down to 45 minutes. Boy is it hard! Also another form of torture -- "square taiji" practice, where instead of flowing from one move into the next you have to stop and hold every single position after every single move "long enough to take a picture." Once you're frozen like that, anything you're doing wrong will become apparent and fixable. At a faster pace you might never find out, never notice, just rush through the mistake or difficulty instead of "spell-checking" and correcting. This, by the way, is the reason the second main Chen form (laojia erlu aka Paochui aka Cannon Fist), which is indeed physically impossible to slow down in many places, is strongly discouraged by real masters from learning before you have the first one down pat. Otherwise it will be a fully external athletic performance, with whatever disadvantages come with any sports territory and without the advantages of actually doing taiji.

I have seen people say that this form isn't proper Chen style but a form made more just to look cool. Is that true or is it genuine Chen style? It sure looks good though. I want to learn it regardless. I just wanna move like that. But it would be interesting to know if it is a proper form or not.

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Generally, no, there's no such thing as too slow unless you fall asleep in mid-move. Aside from taoist-proper explanations, there's some "objective" evidence neuroscientists have found -- slower deliberate movements help establish and strengthen neural connections, you are actually building the "scaffolding" for them in your brain, connected to your body and its systems. In the slow mode, you either reinforce and improve on the structure of neural networks you already have, or even build a new "virtual organ" for yourself comprised of those connections -- that's what well-developed specialized parts of your neural networks are, "brain organs" you create yourself. Fast movement is not as efficient for this until the organ is there and operational. It's true for the new neuromuscular skills of all kinds -- be it learning longhand writing, playing the piano, or speaking a foreign language. You start slowly or you won't create that structure or else it will be haphazard and deficient. Once it's there, however, you're the king of that castle. If you can do it as impeccably in the fast mode as you do it slowly, you can apply the fast mode to whatever situation warrants it. And surprise! -- you may become faster, or much faster, than someone who didn't create that "organ" with a slow practice! Taiji as a fighting art is -- few people realize it these days when it's been so profaned --first and foremost the fastest of them all. Its primary advantage is the uncanny speed at which it can operate, after all those countless hours/years of being practiced slowly. (It was measured in some studies, with some advanced masters throwing punches while machines registered and calculated the speed, and it was something unbelievable -- I might try to re-find those documentaries.) So the practice phase that is slow, the slower the merrier, does not become obsolete even when you can do the same thing with impeccability fast, you still want to keep working on it in the slow mode, there's no limit to perfection. What's the purpose of the fast movement then? Well, in martial context, you can't kick anyone's ass in slo-mo. I might elaborate some more later to your impact on the body question in relation to fast movement. (I'm in favor of both, slow is mandatory, fast is a really useful add-on...)

@Taomeow I do a taichi-esque form Michael Winn calls Primordial Qigong. (Not sure if the movements are actually taichi proper but they look somewhat similar, at least to me.) I like doing it slower because it feels more meditative and a slower pace gives me time to feel more energetically. Question: is there such a thing as too slow? Advantages sometimes to doing the form quickly? How does the speed of the movement impact the effect it might be having on my body? Any insight you might have into this speed question is much appreciated.

Right, fast speed is not used too often except where you have to use it -- e.g. Chen has a varied pace where you do have explosive bursts here and there even at the slow pace, and Sun, in general, tends to be faster than other major styles due to its shorter compact steps, higher stances, and extra aggressiveness. In real life, most beginner students have a harder time with very slow pace, especially in lower stances (lacking either patience or leg stamina or both), while many advanced students "have tried it all" and have a frame of reference for what/how to work on at a given time. Push-hands practice with a non-cooperating partner can be lightning fast or excruciatingly slow -- sometimes to the point that to an outside observer it looks like two people are standing there doing nothing whatsoever, just listening (ting). Almost like this :

..... everything he ^ said . .

I am sorry. I am probably wrong in my assessment of the practice that leads to a wider understanding of the nature of our world. But, the practice is not to eliminate thought . Rather to disassociate the awareness from the thoughts. To stop from identifying with thoughts. That the four noble truths talks about the path to liberation from suffering. Not eliminating suffering. One isn't suppose to eliminate desire. Rather, it is to remove the attachment to desires and to not cling to the desire. This way, love and compassion remain viable. The Buddha, even after his enlightenment, chose to teach the path to liberation from suffering to others. And to not harm living beings due to his compassion. So, if one's practice is leading one away from love and compassion then wisdom is lost. Again sorry for my narrow point of view. Note: One shouldn't lose the appreciation for beauty.

Opening the third eye. Is overrated.

So it comes down to belief system. A Daoist will believe the received copy. Others may believe the Sinologists findings. Each to his own.

I hear this a lot, “My teacher knows what the DDJ says, because he is Chinese.” Really? The DDJ was written at least 2300 years ago. Can an English speaker read Beowulf? And that’s from ‘merely’ a 1000 ago. Languages evolve.

Sure, I am not expecting to get deep or good without a live teacher. But think I would enjoy it and benefit from it still. I will also be learning Yang style in a weekly in person class and expect that to help. lot.

Thanks. Very useful. I might want to learn that. Any ideas for online tutorials or courses for learning Chen style? I think there may only be Yang style available where I live. Will start a yang style class after the summer I think but want to experiment with Chen on my own.