Customer Reviews

T'ai Chi Fundamentals

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

"T'ai chi fundamentals" is a system developed in the 1990's in Madison, Wisconsin, by Tricia Yu. It breaks down the core movements that are used in the traditional t'ai chi form and teaches them in such a way that the beginner is able to concentrate on great technique from the outset. In other words, it is not the traditional form, but facilitates learning it. There are very specific ways to breathe, stand, bear weight, balance, etc, in t'ai chi, and these can be overwhelming to Westerners since they're so different from the way we usually tend to breathe, stand, etc. So I think the Fundamentals are a really good way to learn.

I am studying T'ai Chi Fundamentals with a colleague of Tricia Yu, so I'm getting the training right from the dragon's mouth, you might say. I'm using this video to practice on my own, and thus it's extremely helpful. I can see, however, that it might not be so helpful to one who is trying to learn on one's own, without a teacher. It moves pretty fast and doesn't spend a lot of time on details. The instruction almost seems to assume that you're practicing something already learned, rather than learning afresh.

I think this would work best as a reinforcement/practice tool for someone who is learning this system.

This DVD offers the beginner a way to understand the principles that are essential to Tai Chi practice whithout being overwhelmed. Simple practice sessions with this DVD allow the practitioner to make measurable progress in their own Tai Chi. The demonstrations with the mirrors make this by far the easiest DVD to follow that I have tried. The simple instructions in posture and breathing are enough to make this eries worth it. Consider the companion book as weill since it has some extra warm up exercises that are fun and challenging.

Here you learn this wonderful and powerful ancient exercise, Tricia makes it so easy to follow. The results are unlimitted, easy to follow step by step. I highly recommend this dvd to anyone who is interested in learning Tai-Chi. This is the best starter tool.

I purchased this DVD based on its reviews in the hope that my wife will find it inspiring. I could not have made a worse choice. The "tai chi" in DVD is based on a form derived from Yang's long form, but it is wrong in most fundamental aspects: body posture, foot work, breathing, etc.

The DVD has an introductory qigong section. These qigong exercises are too fast and superficial to be real qigong and too slow and without vigor to be good aerobic exercises. The instructor is significantly leaning her upper body when shifting the weight from a leg to another, which can cause back injury to people involved in this kind of "qigong". One characteristic of real qigong is that it is safe and beneficial to both strong and frail people and the "qigong" in this DVD does not posses this characteristic. One funny aspect is that the instructor states that movement in Tai chi is rooted in the legs. There is a lot of wobbling going on for a body rooted in stationary legs.

The Tai Chi section is even worse than the qigong one. The instructor's concept of relaxed upper body is weird. For her relaxed spine means purposefully arched spine, dropped arms are hanging arms and so on. She tries to assume a low stance, but her step stances are too short, which makes her incorrectly (and unsafely) lean when shifting the weight from a leg to the other. This is also the reason why consistently and incorrectly the projections on her knees fall outside the area covered by her soles. Most of the time she seems to have the weight about equally distributed on both feet which is also wrong.

In summary, the "Tai Chi" on this DVD is extremely poor. People can get a sample of it on youtube. Unfortunately, I made the wrong assumption that because youtube does not return anything featuring Tricia Yu when searched using keywords "Tai Chi", there is no Tricia Yu footage on youtube. A more thorough search would have saved me $17.99 plus shipping and handling costs.

Tai Chi Fundamentals with Tricia Yu seems a perfect dvd for me, at the age of 86. After only 2 sessions, my sense of balance is improved. Picking a correct lesson out of the menu is a bit challenging, but I am learning to master it!

A friend recommended I look into this excercise regieme, and I am glad a did. This DVD is easy to understand and has clear, precise instructions. Also, very satisfied with the condition DVD arrived in, and speediness of service/delivery.

As a newcomer to Tai Chi I found this video extremely helpful. Ticia Yu illustrates the movements both facing you, which some criticize but is important for being able to view the hand movements accurately, as well as with her back to you. It is simple to review with the guided practice section at the end even if one has only a small portion of time. The format of the DVD is sensible and easy to follow. My only criticism is that Ms. Yu is extremely flexible and one must not attempt to imitate her rather too large foot movements as a beginner. I would highly recommend this video.

Whether you are just starting out in Tai Chi or need a supplement to your first level Tai Chi class, this DVD is easy to use. Tricia Yu does an outstanding job of instruction with a couple different approaches, which facilitate quick learning. She talks through not only the movements but also, to some degree, the philosophy behind them. I strongly recommend this for beginning-to-early intermediate students of Tai Chi.