Martial Tai Chi™

Warm Up, Strengthen & Stretch

Overview

While it is important to move with your whole body as a connected unit when performing the martial actions of Tai Chi Chuan / Taijiquan, Baguazhang etc., it is also very important to isolate specific joints and muscles for individual attention when warming up, stretching, developing strength and improving functional flexibility. Otherwise, weaker and less flexible parts of your body can be compensated for invisibly by the stronger and more flexible parts. However much time a martial artist spends on contact training and refining solo movement, there is much additional work to be done, developing overall physicality, fitness and functional flexibility.

In our classes, we consider it important to teach the skills of self reliance and self discipline, so students are expected to be able to coherently warm themselves up, strengthen their bodies and perform a stretch down at home as part of their solo practice.

As usual for our DVDs, rather than worrying about any single lineage or tradition, we've simply compiled a comprehensive, systematic and practical guide. Here the subject matter is warming up, toning, strengthening and stretching the whole body. Old and new exercises have been combined, guided by modern anatomical knowledge.

DVD One is called “Warm Up, Stretch Down”. It contains a full warm up, based on isolating individual joints for flexion and extension, and rotation only where appropriate. A full stretch down routine is also shown, utilising both muscle-isolating and muscle-combining exercises. The emphasis is on developing functional flexibility - that is, flexibility you can use in your martial movements.

DVD Two is called “Strength Development” and contains a broad range of strengthening exercises for the whole body.

Students who are serious about developing their physicality are advised to warm-up, practice the strengthening exercises and then stretch down, several times a week.

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