Monash Tai Chi Club has a new 'bloggy' home!

Hi everyone,

This site finishes here...... :o(

HOWEVER.....we have a new home! The new look, highly funky Tai Chi Chuan Club website is now HERE!
Take a look and see what new features are there...

Some things you can do to keep track of the updates on the new site:

1. Bookmark it! Lots of info and news events will be available on the new site!
2. Subscribe to the site feed (if you use Bloglines, or Feedster, or something like that!)...
3. Subscribe using your email address (just type in your address and hit subscribe) to receive notifications of new info on the site....!

...I'll keep this old site up for a longer bit longer...for posterity. CIAO!

New look Tai Chi web log!

Hi everyone,

I've just updated the look and functions of our Tai Chi blog here...how do you like it? It's quite easy to change (a Blogger template!), so feel free to leave a comment about how you like the look! There is now a comments feature (in-built from Blogger) for each post. You can leave comments anytime!

I've also set up a Flickr account where photos can be stored (this is my account, but do we want a separate Tai Chi account?)...the demo photo comes from the Flickr site and you can blog directly from Flickr into this Tai Chi blog! Cool huh?!

You'll note the polling feature on the sidebar...this will change periodically. If you have any ideas for polls that are fun, easy, and also help members out a bit too (info and the like), please let us know!

There is also a subscription feature (powered by Bloglet) which you can sign up to, to receive updates of this blog at your email address - very convenient if you want to stay in touch with news and information about the Club!
Sign up NOW!! :o)

Tai Chi Demo 2005 (1)

Tai Chi Demo 2005 (1)
Originally uploaded by margoc.

Our outdoor training sessions-come-demonstrations were a great success! Thanks to members who were able to make the two days around lunchtime - your involvement is much appreciated, thank you!

We were able to capture some of the demo with photographs and short movies too. We will publish some of these to this site, once we have permission from members and Sifu to do so...so, stay tuned!!

Here's one for starters anyhow...

We hope to have another demo before semester 2 as part of our semester 2 memebrship drive! Hope to see as many members as can make it once again!

Cheers!

A successful AGM! ...thank you everyone!

Thank you to all members who made it for the AGM.

We voted in our new office bearers for 2005.

Brendan was re-elected as Club President - congrats Brendan!
Our new treasurer is Alvin,
Our secretary is Marg and Sven - a joint role this year, and
Public Officer is Anthony!

Congratulations to our new officebearers and thanks to the members for making your vote count!

Please feel free to approach the officebearers about your thoughts, ideas or comments about the Club. Remember it's your club and we want to run it in the best way that suits club members.

You can also post comments to this blog too, if you have suggestions, etc.

We look forward to hearing from you and talking with you at training.

Cheers!

2005 AGM this Thursday, May 12th, 5pm!

We hope as many members as possible can come along this Thursday to be present for our 2005 Club Annual General Meeting (AGM). This meeting will see a changeover of Club Officer Bearers to replace those (or be renewed) from 2004.

You can nominate yourself or someone else for either:

• Club President
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Public Officer

Voting for these positions will take place during the meeting.

An agenda has been emailed to all Club members who have rpovided an active email address. If you have not received an agenda by email, there will be copies available at the meeting on Thursday.

We hope you can attend...see you there!

Cross Training Day - Tai Chi and Arnis

Please come along on Saturday 14th May starting at 9am, to a cross training day for both Tai Chi and Arnis Clubs. We will meet at the Common Room (near basketball court), Sports and Rec Centre. This all day seminar will be a great opportunity to:

• meet other club members including Arnis Club members,
• involve yourself in in-depth training of Tai Chi
• try out other forms of 'open hand' techniques (tai chi is, and arnis has, an open hand style),
• see where you might like to extend your tai chi training in the future, and
• get to know and enjoy the company of your fellow club members for the day!

There will be a small fee on the day of $20 (plus $5 if staying for dinner!) to cover room hire and coaching fees.

Please also BYO lunch.

We will end the day with an early dinner (pizza or something) and perhaps some videos/DVDs (we might be able to convince Sifu to show one or two of his tai chi videos)!

If interested, please contact Brendan or Marg via email or at training, by Thursday May 5th.
We will need final numbers in order to maintain our booking.

Hope to see you there!

Weaving a silky cocoon - the Tai Chi way

At a recent session, Sifu John talked about maintaining a rocking motion in the easy tai chi form, calling it Chan Su Chin or Chan Xu Jing, depending on your Chinese - please correct me if this is incorrect! It's kind of like weaving a silky cocoon - not sure of the exact translation...anyone want to have a try? Leave your translation in the comments area at the end of this post!

Larvae spin silken cocoons and pupate inside. (Photo by Lacy L. Hyche)

Sifu was referring to the softness and smoothness of the movements of each posture and the connecting movements between postures in the easy tai chi form. Sifu considers this one of the fundamentals of Yang style T'ai Chi Chu'an. It reminds me too of the saying: smooth as silk and also light as a feather! You may notice this too when you are doing pushing hands.

The following link shows a slideshow of Master Chen Wei Ming doing the Tai Chi form. Chen Wei Ming was the senoir student of Yang Chen Fu, the great master of what is now our Yang style T'ai chi today!

Doing Tai Chi demonstrations

Image source: BIOM.net

Those of you who are interested in doing a tai chi demo and can be available on Tuesday May 17 at 1-2pm and/or Thursday May 19 12-1pm, please contact either Brendan or Marg via email or at training.

It would be great to have 10-15 people (or more!!) from the club join in the demos so we can also show the strength of the club as well as the great progress everyone has made in the form!

We would like to demonstrate:
1. easy tai chi format
2. maybe push hands
3. some of the sword form (you can see what you can train up to!)

Please let us know by Thursday May 5th (next week). May thanks!! :oD