I used to study with Master Tung. He is phenomenal. I was pregnant at the time and when I gave birth to my son the doctor was amazed at how easy my labor was and how thick the placenta was and how long the umbilical cord was. I'm 70 now and am going back to studying Tai Chi. Blessings on Master Tung and his family.
I'm also now 70 and studied with Master Tung in the 70's. He is a phenomenal teacher. No words. Just follow. Took up Tai Chi again two weeks ago and it takes me back in time.
I remember when Master did this video in San Francisco. Emilio and I were teaching Qigong at that time at the International Center where this was shot.
Thank you for the captions. It was very kind of Master Tung to record a clean performance of his foundational set both for his students, who now live in so many places, and for posterity. Re-connecting with Tung family version of Yang slow set has made me want to study tai chi again - a good motive given the huge gap between 1976 or so when I dropped out and 2018.
It's funny to read your comment because I also studied with Master Tung in Santa Monica in the early '70's and it feels good to return to Tai Chi in Santa Barbara 45 years later. Master Tung (I really think it was him) taught me well.
suggest Pat akers DVD or online streaming of this method. Some libraries carry the DVD too. Pat I believe still teaches at Emeritus college in San Monica.
Really tai chi is a kind of philosophy enacted into physical exercise and martial act. Also internal energy "chi" or "qi" is also involved. It is not that easy to understand and catch the ideology of it. Nevertheless, if we want to pursue and benefit from tai chi chuen, we have to bear in mind a few principals :1) learn the forms correctly; 2) never try to use it in fighting against others; 3) always involve the "chi" in practising, and 4) taking it humbly. During the course of training, try as much as you can to improve it, both in the style explicitly, and in your mind implicitly. Each practice should be better than the last one. And the very last but not the least is that to take any others' opinions always, even those from your students, as these would be the help in improving yourself. No one is perfect. Nowadays, many sifu s (masters) are so self contented, only willing to accept appraisals but not reminders of mistakes. They are always self encircled without any intention to start discussions with anyone especially once his weakness is indicated. It is a very sad thing. Not to mention any discussion with other sifu s together.
I took three years of classes and at the end my teacher said that I wasn't ready to teach. Lol Mind you am familiar and have practiced Hatha, Kundalini and yoga therapy for 20 years.
Well, honestly speaking, I do not care about the former linkage, relationship, etc. When compared with the Chinese national standard and marital art theories, my personal opinion is that: he needs a lot of improvement. I am not intended to offend anyone. I am just voicing my feelings. In order to improve ourselves and Chinese martial arts, we have to care for our weaknesses and keep on the track of improvement. If you have the feeling of being offended, I apologize. I always ask my students: Is there anything I am wrong? Am I making everything clear? Do they have any questions? Watching the most top tai chi icons, such as Li Deyin, Chen Si Tan, Wu Aimin, and Dr. Chu 崔仲三of Beijing Athletic U. would benefit a lot.
To be blunt, as you have been, I think you misrepresent what this demo is meant to show and also pretend to have superior knowledge when you have not given any details about what you find fault with here. Kai Ying Tung is a grandmaster who taught in the Los Angeles area and internationally for many years. The Tung Family Yang style long form is traditional, though some have remarked that Master Tung did this demo in a way that is softer and reveals less than they felt he could have. Your reference to "Chinese national standard and martial arts theories" is vague and a bit presumptuous. If you have demonstrations or instruction that you think represent the best approach, why not give us links to video of that? You may have some challenge expressing yourself in English, but if you're going to criticize a grandmaster's demonstrations, it's your duty to be more detailed and specific as to what is lacking and what you think is superior.
His focus is internal While teachers you mention focusing on external. External driven practitioners are more for “look” Amin is not Real tai chi practitioners focusing on internal development she was into for showy competitions
I hate to give this comment but I just want to give my opiinion without disrespect. The overall movement lacks liquidity and felt a bit of constrain. I could not notice internal movement between steps, but this one is indeed difficut to see.
Tai chi chuan is classified as a kind of martial art because of its style and original purpose of the inventors. However, if you are not watching your enemy while punching or striking, this is not a martial art, but a kind of dancing. Try to watch other tai chi icons practising tai chi chuan, their styles, their forms and the completeness of tai chi chuan. We should not be sitting in the well and claiming we know the world.
This was 1981 or so. I was just beginning my instruction at this time. I am in the background. This completely changed my life & saved my life on many occasions as well as straitened a severe scoliosis that I was born with. A gentle & amazing man. I will be forever grateful.
This is Tung Kai-ying, grandson of Tung Ying-chieh who was chief non family member teaching assistant to Yang Cheng-fu. Tung Kai-ying was, for some years, the main teaching assistant for his grandfather Tung Ying-chieh.
Head always looking down. Bow stands are not up to standard. You have to know what the purpose and aim of each movement, not just to do the forms blindedly. This is the reason why our martial art could not be recognized as scientific. Only Bruce Lee could made it!
I have no intention to hurt anyone. As a martial art performer, we have to uphold and improve our tai chi tradition. Bruce Lee learned tai chi at the very beginning and the forms of Yang style were often found in his movies. He had brought up our Chinese tradition martial art in a glorious way! He is my idol.
@@yanchan4897 - Bruce Lee never studied Yang Style Tai Chi. His father taught him a smattering of Wu(Ng) style at a young age. Lee's father himself did not study Yang Style until near the end of his life.
I have the book Fundamentals Of Tai Chi Ch'uan, by Wen-Shan Huang, published by South Sky Book Co., Hong Kong, 1973, 1979 2nd Ed. It contains the lineage of Yang Family Tai Chi, of which Tung's grandfather is noted. One of the first thoughts I learned from this book was Tai Chi was for "Health" first and self-defense second. That philosophy lead to my over 35 years of Acupuncture Practice. The second insight was Tai Chi is about breathing technique and activating the Dan Tien for the movement of the life force frequencies that every living being possesses. There are very few aggressive moves in Yang Style Tai Chi. The limited few were hi-jacked by physically competitive activists that morphed the forms into the myriad schools of martial arts of today. These rigorous training schools spend most of their energy on the physical give limited insight into the true purpose of Tai Chi. My thinking is, if you put the physical before the spiritual, then you'll never gain the Spiritual intention of Taoism breathing techniques that lead to the triune (Vitality/Energy/Spirit) of the Grand Ultimate (Tai Chi Ch'uan), but will always be qi stuck in the singular physical form. But, then again that 's my thinking. Peace in your marital arts practice.
Tung Kai Ying, his father Tung Hu Ling, and his grandfather Tung Ying Chieh were all known to be able to use Tai Chi effectively as a martial art. The two elder Tungs successfully took challenges from Kung Fu fighters in China and Hong Kong as well as from Thai boxers when they were teaching in Thailand during the 1940's and 1950's. My own teacher personally witnessed such challenges.
Ah, so Bruce Lee is your idol, and you seem to have a very poor understanding of Tai Chi Chuan. Your statements are often vague, lacking coherence or clear reference, and ultimately indicate someone who doesn't really understand what Tai Chi is about. Bruce Lee did not study Tai Chi, as far as I know. He studied Wing Chun gung fu, which formed the basis for his later system he called Jeet Kune Do. You don't even seem to have the most basic knowledge of someone you call your idol. If you understand Tai Chi Chuan so well, try to explain what is incorrect in Master Tung's demo and give us links to practitioners you think are so great. Bruce Lee was a great practitioner of gung fu, but he did not have deep understanding or training in Tai Chi. He uses the traditional phrase "be like water" while not fully doing that. It's a very traditional philosophy that is built into internal martial arts like Tai Chi Chuan, Bagua and Xingyi.
