ChiDragon

Does Zhan Zhuang make the legs strong?

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Correct, it is how the art started to degenerate from the very moment it was taught to the aristocrats at the Imperial Court.

 

As a matter of fact, the creator of the art, Chen Wangting, a military officer:

 

"Based on Qigong and martial art techniques from thousands of years ago, Chen Wangting developed the Chen Style Tai Chi around 1670. It is characterised by contrasting and complimentary movements-slow and soft versus fast and hard. It contains explosive power and low stances."

 

I have also seen a photo years ago circulating online about the "snake creeps through grass" pasture showed by Yang Chengfu (low) and following generations showing the stance higher and higher each time. 
 

Basically you are removing internal ams heavy energetic aspects by softening the art too much and removing heavy leg work.

 

 

"The earth is very thick. Lowly , below all else, it bears

everything and nurtures all beings . It can bear even the weight

of the great mountains , and it can endure even the erosive

force of great waters . It tolerates being pierced by plants and

trees , and it submits to the tread of birds" (Awakening to the Tao, Liu I -Ming)


 

And so must be the internal practitioner's legs. STRONG.

 

Earth Force/spirit in TCM:

 

These are as follows:

 

1. Governs transportation and transformation 

3. Controls the muscles and four limbs

4. It houses thoughts

5. It is responsible for producing qi, blood, and fluids—vital substances for life.

 

A weak Spleen ---> you can kiss goodbye to internal development, health, vitality, longevity and a strong spirit/Mind.

 

 

 

 

 

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4 hours ago, EFreethought said:

 

How many Tai Chi forms are there? I thought there was just one that different styles do differently.

 

 

Chen Style has two forms: Yi Lu and Er Lu. 

Yang is derived from Yi Lu. 

Er Lu never got passed down. 

Whether Yang Luchan learned Er Lu remains a mystery. 

Yang Style has a few sequences that only exists in Chen's Er Lu but not in Yi Lu such as White Snake Spits Tongue and Flying Diagonal. 

Qi Jiguang (Chinese military general from 16th century)'s 32 postures does showcase names that exists in either Yi Lu or Er Lu which suggests that to some degree, both forms share one of the same roots. For instance, Qi Jiguang lists Phoenix Elbow which is the same name in Er Lu.

Er Lu is not simply Yi Lu done faster; it actually has new sequences.

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On 9/23/2025 at 5:23 PM, FluffyGuardian said:

Huh? I wasn't referring to "Pushing Hands" (Tuishou) per se. I am referring to the large data points as shown on demonstration videos on social media. That isn't a hasty conclusion; that's just raw data. 


Traditionally, Tuishou is not the sum-total of Taijiquan. Taijiquan originally had Sanshou as well. 

Tuishou is effectively a study of sustained physical contact. In contrast, Sanshou is the study of broken-contact (like Boxing/Kickboxing are essentially a Sanshou paradigm).

I apologize for my bad. Sorry, I had the wrong impression from your description about pushing hands. Tuishou(推手) was practiced by advance Taiji  practitioners. The purpose is to feel and sense the amount of force that was exerted from the partner.
 

Push hand is a different subject. Let's start with another thread.

Edited by ChiDragon

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On 9/24/2025 at 2:04 PM, EFreethought said:

 

How many Tai Chi forms are there? I thought there was just one that different styles do differently.

 

FYI There are many family styles of Taiji. Each family has different forms and practiced at different levels.

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