I studied for 8 years with Abraham Liu, who learned from CMC in the Chinese version of West Point during WW2. After a couple of failed back surgeries I was told that I'd need a walker or cane at best for life. Net net, the cane was thrown away after 7 months and while one of my legs is still numb and atrophied, I can walk for miles at a good speed and do nearly the entire series. This isn't a martial art when compared to BJJ, but it builds awareness so you can sense and avoid the unpleasant. And it can heal you.
I am so thrilled to see this. I studied Tai Chi in the 70's with one of Chen Man Cheng's students, and this will help me remember details of the sequence. Tai Chi is one of the great resources for health and sanity. It creates a stability that helps one focus in all kinds of ways.
Outstanding! It's wonderful to watch the revered teacher demonstrating his hsing/chuan his form. Thirtyfive years ago or so. I had the good fortune attending a Saturday morning class with two of CMC students. Soemwhere, I think, in SilverSprings, Maryland. As I remember it the postures were done excruciatingly low and slow. I busted a sweat in five minutes. In twenty minutes my legs were toast. The memory of that intensity has never left me. It is encouraging to know that this fine gentlemans legacy will endure. Thanks for sharing with us. All the best. Laoshr #60 Ching Yi Kung Fu Association
Fantastic! This’s the most clear video details of CMC TaiChi Chuan from Yuan master in last century. It’s absolutely helpful for CMC style practice with reference to his book.Thanks indeed. 👍🙏
Thank you for uploading this video. This is highly instructional because it shows the movements in more teachable ways for us beginners than the video of him, at an older age, which shows him more relaxed, ethereal, and other-worldly. James Chan, Philadelphia.
I lived a short walk from the professor's studio the 70's. I had a great teacher in Master Chen but I'll always regret not going to Prof. Cheng. Didn't understand who he was. Somebody commiserate.
It does not look soft but his playing is martial art oriented. If you have good eyes you can see how he applies Jin in movements. His modified foot work is much superior to original Yang style.
I margie Sanchez learned the form from my tai chi teacher and cousin Robert morning star in 1985 he a good teacher but a hard taskmaster I would love to see him on the taichi with other masters but l can not find him margie
In 1980 I had a heart attack, looking around for an exercise, found Patrick Watson (Senior Teachers) School of Tai Chi. we would have a special night to gather and watch Professor's films nice to see them released on youtube, they were always special to us.PS, the form he is performing is the beginners level there is another level to his form
You have me intrigued. What was the other level to CMC's form, beyond the one displayed on my RU-vid site? Can you give me details? Is there a video of CMC performing the other level? Thank you!
I was also at Patrick Watson's School in the mid 80s. It was amazing how he could just sense your imbalance (no matter how solid you felt) and tip you over with a fingertip at just the right point. Even today some of my fondest memories were of the summer sessions they would teach up in bennington college. I would sign up for 7-8 hours of classes a day, and after a rough few days my body just would give up all the tension and I felt like a Buddha, amazing calm and relaxation.
There should be a group still practicing in the Washington DC area. And possibly in NYC as well. We do the long Yang 108 step form. But the thing to do is just find a teacher you respect, and stay with him. Learn as much as you can. And then make the form your own. A teacher only teaches form, power, and application. But it is up to you to develop your kung fu. All we can do is give you Hsing. It is your own efforts that breath life into it. I find practicing three or four moves a day, every day, satisfies my needs. But then again I've been training almost fifty years. And I only teach most people up to the first apparent closure. Get any part of it right, which could take a decade or more, and every other part should, in time, be right as well. It's not the quantity of the form that is important, but the quality of your own efforts. When the students ready the teacher appears. Good luck. Laoshr #60 Ching Yi Kung Fu Association
