I don't get tired watching Cheng Man-ch'ing. He must be in his 70's at the time, perhaps closer to 75 when he passed on in Taiwan. In the video, he is undeniably 'song' (relaxed). He wrote that it took him 48 years of practice to finally get the meaning of 'song.' He shows it here. I see that he is doing the round in a speedy manner. Speedy or not, he floats in a dreamy landscape. He is like a feather. I wonder what he is thinking in those seven minutes of a floating existence? I feel that he is not competing or comparing with anyone else, not even with himself. He is. What a scene! 他和大自然混成一体。太好了。这就是‘鬆’。James Chan 费城 陈华江
Did this for 20 some years in my Youth, seeking its Gifts. Now older and frail, the quality of my life has been extended beyond anything I'd ever imagined. The best thing about this Discipline, or any like Music- it gives your Mind that most Valuable break in the outside World, and purely Nurtures your Humanness. Like a Sheet of Rice Paper, layer upon one another- it appears insignificant until you have a Mountain that provides Protection from it all. I never expected it either.
One of the greatet among the great. However he was not a taoist but mainly a confucionist!
4 ปีที่แล้ว +1
I'm a student of Master Cheng. I have (most of) his books, the DVD of him performing the form, & the documentary. I only wish I was born a few years earlier to personally meet & actually study under him. I have various taijiquan videos, but I like his approach the best. I tried Chen Style. Too physically demanding as I suffer from being disabled from past automobile accidents. This form, I highly recommend.
You may also enjoy "mastering yang style taijiquan" by Fu Zhongwen. Don't be intimidated by the title, it's full of good tidbits and highly detailed. Happy birthday
Learned on the form at the Bowery studio a few years after the Professor had passed away. Thank you, over the years the form drifts away into my own thing, nice to have this to refer to.
An unusual choice of music to accompany this, but somehow it does the job of effortlessly helping me see the ever more subtle aspects to the truly exceptional art of ' The Professor .'
@ Hi Stan, you can still find good CMC style teachers around the world, if you are lucky you might still find a 3rd generation teacher or an experienced 4th generation teacher to help you. Books and DVD can only do so much, your own daily practice with or without a teacher is also important. There are some good instructional videos on TH-cam too, but by far the best option is a good teacher and class to join and practise with others.
Ambelique Malebranche Actually, I do have around 20 years taijiquan experience. Questions are not always asked because the answer is not known - sometimes questions are asked simply just to hear about others' personal experience.
@@joshpickles9022 hi Josh, the CMC style is not obscure or hard to find. It depends on where you live of course. What has happened in the last 30 years or so, is that there has been a wider choice of styles and Taiji schools available, then with the advent of the internet and then TH-cam videos have seen a proliferation of different forms and promotions of particular styles. To some extent these took over from more traditional styles, including the CMC version of Yang style. Although in some countries, particularly Taiwan and Malaysia, there is a strong tradition of the CMC style of Taiji. Taiji is always evolving, but not always in the same direction. Some schools or teaching styles focus more on choreography and competition style, others more on combat/self-defense applications, others are more about health and relaxation, while others more traditional and require a significant investment of your time over many years (your whole life). It's not so much about how many years you practise, it's about how many hours you practise daily, how you practise and what guidance you are given from more experienced and knowledgeable teachers. Yang Chengfu himself changed to some extent the Taiji he was taught, it doesn't make it less valid. You will always find some Taiji players who have strong allegiances to a particular school or style or lineage, which is to be expected. Some extremely dedicated Taiji practitioners reach a point where they start developing their own way of doing Taiji, which is essentially what Cheng Man Ch'ing did. It lead to him being criticised by the traditionalists and in particular the Yang family. But if it wasn't for him, and people like him, Taiji may not have spread so widely in the West at that time in the 60s. The world of Taiji can often seem full of politics and claims and counter claims by students and teachers alike. My best advise is to not take notice of all the noise and go and find out for yourself. There are just three simple steps: find a good Taiji teacher (whichever style and teaching method suits you best), then start Taiji and continue doing Taiji to transform yourself and benefit others around you.
Thank you for uploading this video. The "other" video, which included Yo-yo Ma's Silk Road music, has just been removed. I don't know why. In any case, this is a better one because it only features the Professor's T'ai Chi demonstration. James Chan, Philadelphia
Why so many ignorant comments from people who have not earned the right to have an opinion? Please, research and study before commenting. Chen Man-Ch'ing was one of the few true masters in the world.
4 ปีที่แล้ว
They're nothing but keyboard warriors. I always loved Chinese culture, & originally heard about Tai Chi Quan many moons ago. Hardly anyone in my area taught it, so I ignored it. I tried other martial arts, but never stayed the coarse. A few years later came the internet. It took me a while to regain my interest in Tai Chi Quan. I got the ball rolling taking Chen Style, but I soon found out the physical demands and quit due to being disabled, & stopped. I initially walked away, but discovered the Yang Style. Then I heard about Master Cheng's Style. I fell in love with it. The rest is history.
Yes, it shows how deep was his state of 'song' relaxation. Having a strong root, sinking all the weight to the ground, enables him to just use minimum force to maintain upper body movements. This makes the movements light, soft and incredibly sensitive. If he ever needed to issue power, it would come straight from the ground and be at his palms in an instant and you wouldn't know anything about it until it hit you
4 ปีที่แล้ว +2
You have to be totally loose to perform this style. People think you have to be like Bruce Lee to kick ass. But that's not where it's at. Go with the flow like water in a stream. The results are mind boggling. My Tai Chi teacher is much older than I am. As hard as I try pushing him, I actually feel like I'm pushing a wall because he is so well grounded.
Who is the demonstrator? Could it actually be Mr. Cheng? It would be good to know if the video actually represents the original speed and body dynamic.
yes, this is professor Cheng. For studying the form, the older (black & white) videos of him are much better as this was a few years before he died and most what he did was internal. The older videos show how the movements were meant.
Hi Toni, I was taught this form in the late 80s by an excellent Tai Chi teacher John Kells in London. The speed seems quite natural to me, although it might be a bit faster than the true speed at the time. It's common to find speed errors in these old video recordings due to differences in FPS of filming. In this video here, see link below, he takes just over 8 mins to perform the complete form. Note: the repulse monkey sequence has 5 movements (many practitioners do just 3 in the short form, and do 5 in the CMC version of the 108 step Yang style long form) th-cam.com/video/iL8SFY7Li_8/w-d-xo.html In general, most teachers and experienced students of this particular form would probably take around 9 minutes to perform this 37 form. I usually do mine in around 8 to 9 minutes, but if I want to practise more slowly and work harder on some aspects, then it could take me 11 or 12 minutes to complete. Ocassionaly, I like to practise faster and would take around 4 or 5 minutes to complete it. Sometimes it's good to experiment with different pace, as long as the principles of Tai Chi are still followed during the movements and transitions. There are also slight variations to the form, depending on which school or lineage teacher you study with, so this will also affect the time it takes to complete the form.
Tai Chi is not necessarily slow but one has to practice slow to begin with. Once you've mastered it, you can play it fast like Cheng. The real application is in a split of second.
When my teachers changed from the Yang 108 movement form to this one their explanation was that Cheng created this form because it was his observation that the modern industrial work world did not always provide sufficient time to practice a long form.
@David Mack the 108 form is the same form as the rest of the Yang family teaches. The sequence of movements is the same but the postures taught by yang cheng Fu are larger and simplified to make it easier to learn. The sequence of movements is important as it literally denotes tai ji Quan - the 8 Gates and 5 steps. This sequence follows the natural order of the body's energetic mechanics and also that of the universe we live in. It is based in the I-Ching. So you see there is good reason not to change it. Also it is untrue that modern life does not allow time to practice. The 108 can be completed in its entirity within 20 minutes or the first section in 5 minutes if need be. I would speculate cmc wanted to make a name and a legacy for himself hence he didn't teach his master's tai chi to the west thereby doing him and the Yang family who invested a great deal in him a massive disservice.
@@CribNotes There are and were already shortened forms as per yang cheng Fu. CMC also changed the structure of the postures. I think he was seeking fame personally.
This is unquestionalbly the WORST attempt to perform Tai Chi I've eveer seen. No follow - through.... no separation of yin and yang... no qi. Dead. Dead.
Sorry Joseph, but you have really disqualified yourself with your comment. Maybe one day you meet a real master and you can experience for yourself that at the highest level the qi can be almost invisible in the movement, but extremely effective upon touch. Until that time please, don't judge what you don't understand.
Cheng is truly a legendary master. His playing looks non-eye-ball-catching but he is extremely powerful internally. His form is the purist among all forms. So many "masters" can play form beautifully but how many of them can fight in real world situation? Find out the story of Cheng and you will be amazed not only by him but different perspective on Taijiquan. Yes, Taijiquan can fight. Tao Lu competition forms can NOT.
I don't get tired watching Cheng Man-ch'ing. He must be in his 70's at the time, perhaps closer to 75 when he passed on in Taiwan. In the video, he is undeniably 'song' (relaxed). He wrote that it took him 48 years of practice to finally get the meaning of 'song.' He shows it here. I see that he is doing the round in a speedy manner. Speedy or not, he floats in a dreamy landscape. He is like a feather. I wonder what he is thinking in those seven minutes of a floating existence? I feel that he is not competing or comparing with anyone else, not even with himself. He is. What a scene! 他和大自然混成一体。太好了。这就是‘鬆’。James Chan 费城 陈华江
9q
Did this for 20 some years in my Youth, seeking its Gifts. Now older and frail, the quality of my life has been extended beyond anything I'd ever imagined.
The best thing about this Discipline, or any like Music- it gives your Mind that most Valuable break in the outside World, and purely Nurtures your Humanness.
Like a Sheet of Rice Paper, layer upon one another- it appears insignificant until you have a Mountain that provides Protection from it all.
I never expected it either.
Perhaps one of the best Taoist and Tai Chi Chuan practitioner of the 21 century.
He died in 1975, so he is one of the best of the 20th Century...but, yes, a MASTER!
One of the greatet among the great. However he was not a taoist but mainly a confucionist!
I'm a student of Master Cheng. I have (most of) his books, the DVD of him performing the form, & the documentary. I only wish I was born a few years earlier to personally meet & actually study under him. I have various taijiquan videos, but I like his approach the best. I tried Chen Style. Too physically demanding as I suffer from being disabled from past automobile accidents. This form, I highly recommend.
You may also enjoy "mastering yang style taijiquan" by Fu Zhongwen. Don't be intimidated by the title, it's full of good tidbits and highly detailed. Happy birthday
Learned on the form at the Bowery studio a few years after the Professor had passed away. Thank you, over the years the form drifts away into my own thing, nice to have this to refer to.
Thank you for this. This is the style I have learned and it's good to see a direct student to work on fine tuning the movements.
An unusual choice of music to accompany this, but somehow it does the job of effortlessly helping me see the ever more subtle aspects to the truly exceptional art of ' The Professor .'
@ Hi Stan, you can still find good CMC style teachers around the world, if you are lucky you might still find a 3rd generation teacher or an experienced 4th generation teacher to help you. Books and DVD can only do so much, your own daily practice with or without a teacher is also important.
There are some good instructional videos on TH-cam too, but by far the best option is a good teacher and class to join and practise with others.
Was taught some of the form in Vermont. I'm about 4-5 generations down, if I remember correctly.
So happy this was kept on film, thanks
I learned this form in Brooklyn New York from one of his students. 25 years later I learned the value.
Ambelique Malebranche
and what was the value you learned?
@@buttonpetrelli If you have to ask you would not understand. You need 20 plus years martial training.
Ambelique Malebranche
Actually, I do have around 20 years taijiquan experience.
Questions are not always asked because the answer is not known - sometimes questions are asked simply just to hear about others' personal experience.
been doing his form for over 40 years its all there if you know where to look
If you have been doing it for 40 years, have you developed the qi power this master has in 30+ years that he practiced?
why wouldn't it be there...
Then why make it obscure and hard to find? Why not leave the form as yang cheng Fu made it - easily accessible to all?
@@joshpickles9022 there's no secrets in tai chi, only students who dont listen.
@@joshpickles9022 hi Josh, the CMC style is not obscure or hard to find. It depends on where you live of course. What has happened in the last 30 years or so, is that there has been a wider choice of styles and Taiji schools available, then with the advent of the internet and then TH-cam videos have seen a proliferation of different forms and promotions of particular styles. To some extent these took over from more traditional styles, including the CMC version of Yang style. Although in some countries, particularly Taiwan and Malaysia, there is a strong tradition of the CMC style of Taiji.
Taiji is always evolving, but not always in the same direction. Some schools or teaching styles focus more on choreography and competition style, others more on combat/self-defense applications, others are more about health and relaxation, while others more traditional and require a significant investment of your time over many years (your whole life). It's not so much about how many years you practise, it's about how many hours you practise daily, how you practise and what guidance you are given from more experienced and knowledgeable teachers.
Yang Chengfu himself changed to some extent the Taiji he was taught, it doesn't make it less valid. You will always find some Taiji players who have strong allegiances to a particular school or style or lineage, which is to be expected.
Some extremely dedicated Taiji practitioners reach a point where they start developing their own way of doing Taiji, which is essentially what Cheng Man Ch'ing did. It lead to him being criticised by the traditionalists and in particular the Yang family. But if it wasn't for him, and people like him, Taiji may not have spread so widely in the West at that time in the 60s. The world of Taiji can often seem full of politics and claims and counter claims by students and teachers alike. My best advise is to not take notice of all the noise and go and find out for yourself. There are just three simple steps: find a good Taiji teacher (whichever style and teaching method suits you best), then start Taiji and continue doing Taiji to transform yourself and benefit others around you.
it would also be nice to see this in fighting speed or kata speed.
Thank you for uploading this video. The "other" video, which included Yo-yo Ma's Silk Road music, has just been removed. I don't know why. In any case, this is a better one because it only features the Professor's T'ai Chi demonstration. James Chan, Philadelphia
Why so many ignorant comments from people who have not earned the right to have an opinion? Please, research and study before commenting. Chen Man-Ch'ing was one of the few true masters in the world.
They're nothing but keyboard warriors. I always loved Chinese culture, & originally heard about Tai Chi Quan many moons ago. Hardly anyone in my area taught it, so I ignored it. I tried other martial arts, but never stayed the coarse. A few years later came the internet. It took me a while to regain my interest in Tai Chi Quan. I got the ball rolling taking Chen Style, but I soon found out the physical demands and quit due to being disabled, & stopped. I initially walked away, but discovered the Yang Style. Then I heard about Master Cheng's Style. I fell in love with it. The rest is history.
I like how relaxed his arms are. It's like they're just kind of there.
Yes, it shows how deep was his state of 'song' relaxation. Having a strong root, sinking all the weight to the ground, enables him to just use minimum force to maintain upper body movements. This makes the movements light, soft and incredibly sensitive. If he ever needed to issue power, it would come straight from the ground and be at his palms in an instant and you wouldn't know anything about it until it hit you
You have to be totally loose to perform this style. People think you have to be like Bruce Lee to kick ass. But that's not where it's at. Go with the flow like water in a stream. The results are mind boggling. My Tai Chi teacher is much older than I am. As hard as I try pushing him, I actually feel like I'm pushing a wall because he is so well grounded.
@Gus Lulu you talk the way I think
Totally agree. China should get rid of those Tao Lu competition forms and recent "8 methods 5 steps" nonsense.
@@JL-bo4bh why is that?
Creo que el anterior era en blanco y negro. Pero desde luego es fenomenal. Mª Paz
Cheng Man Ching Yang Short Form 37
中國太极拳應以郑子太极拳37为教科書感恩鄭曼青大師的教学方式🙏
200% agree. Get rid of those Tao Lu competition forms and recent 8 methods 5 steps nonsense.
I've been told my teacher William c c Chen had been a student of his
William CC Chen is Cheng Man Chung’s adopted son
second generation from him .met him once
cheng tze
Same here. The friend who introduced me to Tai Chi spent countless hours in Cheng Man Chung’s NYC studio in the 1970s. ♥️
Thanks for sharing this 12:57 pm
I like the music, what is it?
Who is the demonstrator? Could it actually be Mr. Cheng? It would be good to know if the video actually represents the original speed and body dynamic.
yes, this is professor Cheng. For studying the form, the older (black & white) videos of him are much better as this was a few years before he died and most what he did was internal. The older videos show how the movements were meant.
Did you read the description under the video?
Spaneen Oomlong
I noticed it after posting the question but couldn’t quite believe it. Thanks for your reply.
Is he doing it in slow motion here or is this his natural rhythm. It's so beautiful and I am just learning and have so much more to learn.
This is actually one of the faster tai chi forms I've seen.
Hi Toni, I was taught this form in the late 80s by an excellent Tai Chi teacher John Kells in London. The speed seems quite natural to me, although it might be a bit faster than the true speed at the time. It's common to find speed errors in these old video recordings due to differences in FPS of filming.
In this video here, see link below, he takes just over 8 mins to perform the complete form. Note: the repulse monkey sequence has 5 movements (many practitioners do just 3 in the short form, and do 5 in the CMC version of the 108 step Yang style long form)
th-cam.com/video/iL8SFY7Li_8/w-d-xo.html
In general, most teachers and experienced students of this particular form would probably take around 9 minutes to perform this 37 form. I usually do mine in around 8 to 9 minutes, but if I want to practise more slowly and work harder on some aspects, then it could take me 11 or 12 minutes to complete. Ocassionaly, I like to practise faster and would take around 4 or 5 minutes to complete it. Sometimes it's good to experiment with different pace, as long as the principles of Tai Chi are still followed during the movements and transitions.
There are also slight variations to the form, depending on which school or lineage teacher you study with, so this will also affect the time it takes to complete the form.
Tai Chi is not necessarily slow but one has to practice slow to begin with. Once you've mastered it, you can play it fast like Cheng. The real application is in a split of second.
This is quite speedy actually.
Fascinante!!!
🌟
Terrance Dunn teaches it the same way.
Who is he, ...
www.amazon.com/Tai-Chi-Supreme-Ultimate-Exercise-Self-Defense/dp/0804805601/ref=pd_sim_sbs_14_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1QNP9WSMV8PHQNRFXGZP
What does the description say?
What is the logic behond shortening the form? Did he really know better than his teacher? Master Yang Cheng Fu?
Chen Man Ching wanted more people to start practicing tai chi....thus the shortened form.
When my teachers changed from the Yang 108 movement form to this one their explanation was that Cheng created this form because it was his observation that the modern industrial work world did not always provide sufficient time to practice a long form.
@David Mack the 108 form is the same form as the rest of the Yang family teaches. The sequence of movements is the same but the postures taught by yang cheng Fu are larger and simplified to make it easier to learn. The sequence of movements is important as it literally denotes tai ji Quan - the 8 Gates and 5 steps. This sequence follows the natural order of the body's energetic mechanics and also that of the universe we live in. It is based in the I-Ching. So you see there is good reason not to change it. Also it is untrue that modern life does not allow time to practice. The 108 can be completed in its entirity within 20 minutes or the first section in 5 minutes if need be. I would speculate cmc wanted to make a name and a legacy for himself hence he didn't teach his master's tai chi to the west thereby doing him and the Yang family who invested a great deal in him a massive disservice.
@@dwightrussell3468 which is nonsense really as you can complete the entire 108 in 20 minutes.
@@CribNotes There are and were already shortened forms as per yang cheng Fu. CMC also changed the structure of the postures. I think he was seeking fame personally.
spricht hier jemand ggf, german ????
ja.... AnLa
I don't know .... this form looks rather non dynamic to my eyes..... I am sure he has the stuff though....
He did MMA and died in professional wrestling.
Rubbish, he died of pneumonia and would never of gone anywhere near MMA
This is unquestionalbly the WORST attempt to perform Tai Chi I've eveer seen. No follow - through.... no separation of yin and yang... no qi. Dead. Dead.
Sorry Joseph, but you have really disqualified yourself with your comment. Maybe one day you meet a real master and you can experience for yourself that at the highest level the qi can be almost invisible in the movement, but extremely effective upon touch. Until that time please, don't judge what you don't understand.
Nah he was really good. You dont know what your looking at I'm afraid. I don't like his form but the internal principles are all there.
Cheng is truly a legendary master. His playing looks non-eye-ball-catching but he is extremely powerful internally. His form is the purist among all forms. So many "masters" can play form beautifully but how many of them can fight in real world situation? Find out the story of Cheng and you will be amazed not only by him but different perspective on Taijiquan. Yes, Taijiquan can fight. Tao Lu competition forms can NOT.