The Tai Chi Healthways Discussion Board

You can introduce yourself here. Please write about yourself, you martial experience and interests.

Okay, since I asked for this section:

My name is Jim Criscimagna. My wife, Angela, and I live in La Mesa, CA (just east of San Diego). I retired from teaching school last year and move to California in June, although we owned a house here since 2002. Both my wife and I love this area, the weather is the best and there is so much to do here.

I began studying martial arts very young, from my father, in Shorin-ryu karate. In high school, I began judo because I wrestled. While in the military I began jujitsu. I began Kaju Kempo Karate once I got back from overseas. I earned black belts in Shorin-ryu, Jujitsu, Kaju Kempo, and a brown belt in Judo. I have dabbled in Kali and Thai Kick Boxing. In 1976 I began CMA, studying Shaolin and Bajiquan.

I began Taiji in 1977 and studied Yang style until 1989 when I learned Chen style from George Xu in San Francisco. I studied with Xu until 1991 when George sponsored Zhang Xue Xin, a Feng Zhiqiang disciple. We began studying with Zhang in 1991 and studied with him until 1999.

I first met my current teacher, Chen Xiaowang, in 1996. Each year when he came to the US, we would travel to train with him. In 1999 I began sponsoring Ren Guangyi (CXW's top US disciple) into our city for seminars. In 2000 I helped bring CXW to the Midwest and began sponsoring him into Rockford, IL in 2001.

In 2005 I became CXW's disciple in a ceremony in Chenjiagou. Currently, I teach privately in La Mesa to those interested in learning traditional Chen style Taijiquan.

OK I start with myself.

My name ia Andrey Poddoubnyi. I was interested to martial art since my teenage years. I started with some sambo and self-learning shotokan karate at the age of 16. In the end 1988 beginning of 1989 I was introduced to Tibetan style Lun Hu Quan which was passed by senior monk Lao Zhan who escaped from the temple during cultural revolution and consequently moved to a remote village in southern border of former Soviet Union. I was practicing Lun Hu Quan until 1994. After 1995 I stopped hardcore training for up to five hours a day and continue practicing martial art on occasional basis. During the fall of 2006 while searching for taijiquan teacher, I have met master Jesse Tsao I stayed with him since. I discovered that Chen style taijiquan in some way was similar to my former Lun Hu Quan style, so right now I'm planning to stick with it for another century

Among other things, I share my passion to the aviation. I'm holding a private pilot certificate with instrument rating. As we speak I'm working on toward my commercial pilot certificate

well let's go,

My name is Marie-Ange Dechesne, I live in Belgium and for people who have heard about my country I am French speaking.
I always have been interested by martial art, but, when I was young I could only find judo and karaté. I didn't like a lot.
Later I have practiced a few months of aikido, but I do not like the way the Japanese martial art are taught : they show and never explain.
So, imagine : you practice techniques similar to pushhands with a partner, the teacher wears a hakama that covers his feet and knees, he shows a technique 1,2 or 3 times and then you have to do the same.
Some people like that because they have to discover their martial art by themselves. I don't because I think it is a waste of time.
I have tried to find lessons of taiji but I have found nothing that could suit me.
There are 2 big schools here : in the first the teacher says : we have to cut taiji from his chinese roots, so I do not want you to speak about yin and yang.
The master of the second school says : a beginner has to work with an initiator and is not allowed to ask question, then after a few months, he will work with a trainer. Questions are allowed, but the answers will be : the trainer is right. Then after a few month, it is a teacher and if the teacher later agrees, the student can be introduced to the master.
At the first 3 levels they teach a confucianist taiji ????, the master himself teaches the taoist taiji ????

In a little school, they were teaching the 24 Chen ( I insist not Yang ) form and I was supposed to do "fa Jing" just after my very first our.

I was also practicing the eight pieces of brocade, but it was too hard for me in the beginning, so I have tried to now if it was better to do one exercice 8 times or the 8 exercices 1 time. The answer has been "how can you be stupid enough to ask such a question" ?
I have also been threatened : if you do not practice with a true master, you could be very, very ill and maybe die

What I was told seemed to be such a nonsense that I have searched a master and I have been lucky enough to find Jesse Tsao.
I work with his DVD, I have been especially to China to meet him, and the first real teacher in live I have met is Chen Zhenglei.

I love the Chen style : it is so soft, so nice and then an explosion.
I take a lot of fun in my practice and laugh old day long.

I am studying Chinese and have a lot of other interests, but now it is mainly taiji and the Chinese culture.

andrey wrote:You can introduce yourself here. Please write about yourself, you martial experience and interests.

jb here.

I am very interested in the history of Taijiquan & Qigong, their many styles, the meanings of the stances, and the Taoist philosophy behind Taiji, Qigong and Xing Yi Nei Gong.

My Present Focus

· Yang 24 Simplified Beijing Taijiquan
· Chan Ssu Silk Reeling Gong
· Xing Yi Mind Body Nei Gong
· Ba Duan Jin 8 Brocade Qigong

OK, my turn.

I am French, been living in San Diego, CA since spring 2000.

I have been learning Tai Chi with Master Tsao since summer of 2000. With him, I learned various forms including traditional long forms of Yang, Wu, Chen, and Chen sword.

Hello everyone! My name is Michael. I am originally from Illinois but now live in florida. I began my martial arts training in 1987 in shorin-ryu karate and studied numerous forms of karate, taekwondo, judo, jujutsu, and aikido while growing up and attending different universites while pursuing my education. I formally trained in tai chi chuan for the first time at a university in 1996 learning the beijing short form in great detail. I eventually earned 3rd degree black belt ranking in an excellent system of kempo-jujutsu, black sash levels in a chinese boxing system, an integrated martial arts system and in hapkido. But will always consider myself to be a student first and foremost who has so much more to learn. Tai chi has been a huge passion for me, especially the last 7 years and I have endeavored to learn the more tradional systems starting with old frame chen. Jesse is a wonderful resource for this. I had the fortunate opportunity to travel and train in china with jinheng li in 2006 and had the privildge of visiting and attending a demonstration at the chen village. My other martial arts interest at the moment is the indonesian art of penjat silat and the chinese/ indonesian arts of kuntao and kuntao silat. I look forward to getting to know all of you better and wish you all the best in your training and in life in general.

Michael

I am French. (Bonjour Maria!) Been in San Diego, CA for 8 years. I homeschool my 13 year old child.

I have been learning Tai chi with Master Jesse Tsao for 7 years and before that one year in France.
I learnt Compact Tai chi, Yang 24, Yang 108, Chen Lao Jia Yi Lu, Tai chi Kung Fu Fan, Wu, Chen sword, Bagua, Fa Jin form. I am now learning applications and Push hands.

I started learning Chinese last year.

I am italian and living near Rome. I was born in Rome on 19th April 1958. I am a little bit embarrassed, because I don't really speak english, not fluently - so most of the time I translate directly from my language and I don't know what you can really understand! Sorry, my english is just a "travel english"...
I have almost no experience in martial arts, even though I had some lesson of Judo and Aikido when I was very young - and I didn't like them: I was more interested in eastern philosophy, religions, techniques of meditation, western exotericism, Kabbalah and so on. I have done a lot of Yoga, Hatha and Kundalini, during many years. After that I had some heavy difficulty in my personal life, problems and troubles, and I solved them with a great help: the buddhist practice of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, that I intentionally searched and found 13 years ago. I am still practicing this form of buddhism.
I had just little Taiji experiences, but I have been studying Traditional Chinese Medicine - in particular acupuncture - since 1979...
My knowledge of Qigong and Taiji is theoretical, even though I have been practicing occasionally the Baduanjin (as an autodidact) for years! Now I would like to study earnestly these disciplines: I started again with the Baduanjin three months ago and after that I found accidentally Master Jesse Tsao on Internet. I bought some of His DVD - they are very interesting, welldone and beautiful! Maybe it's something I was looking for, because I have always wanted to learn more about chinese Wu Shu and correlated healthy techniques.
That is all!

Welcome Maurizio

Your English seems pretty good to me.

Thank you, JB, it is encouraging!

Hi everybody! I've just seen there is this 'introduce yourself' section. I'm French and I also have the Brazilian nationality. I'm 42 with 2 kids 9 and almost 11. I practiced tai chi yang 108 form, applications and tuishou seriously during 3 years in France, some 20 years ago! then not so seriously during 2 years in Spain, then Capoeira Angola, a Brazilian martial art during 10 years (7 in Brazil and 3 in France). I taught Capoeira to kids in Brazil and France and organized some workshops with adults. Since the beginning of 2007, I've been living in San Diego and I’ve been practicing Taiji Yang 108 barehand and Yang sword, Chen Xin jia Yi lu, fajin, push hands and Qi Gong with Master Jesse Tsao. It's all new for me and so rich. I feel like a beginner again. I like taiji and capoeira because I enjoy practicing with people, feeling the energy flowing, and also it helps me with my self-control, and to deal with my day-to-day life.

Hi everyone

My name is Slavko Majkić and I am from Slovenia (EU). I was born 12.05.1968 and with 10 I strat with martial arts. First with Sankukai karate (Y.Nanbu) then after 5 years I start with full contact. I also train 2 years Wing Tsun and barzilian ju juitstu and so on. My speciality are wepons all kind, mostly Kobudo wepons and I lerning now tai chi sword. In general I love all martial arts. I am also member of Slovenian national tem in musical froms with wepons and in last European chapionship (WAKO) in Bulgaria I was 5th. I have my own club and do-jo in little town called Postojna and we called Katana Team Slovenija were are world famose caves. I love tai chi its my pasion and decided to learn more so I am here.

you can read about me here http://www.katanateamslo.blogspot.com/ and see may 24 form wich I learn also with a help of master Tsao instrc. video and book http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCWaSM7qdC8&feature=channel_page and here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP33JS6aqQg&feature=channel_page

Best regards to all
Slavko Majkić

Welcome aboard Slavko !

andrey wrote:Welcome aboard Slavko !

Thank you andrey